Disclaimer: I AM BROKE, so don't even try to sue me. All characters belong to whoever owns FMA, but Aria is my own creation and ED IS MINE! STAY AWAY!

Karia: I CANNOT BELIEVE I MADE IT TO CHAPTER 4!

Aria: Well, you did。。。

Karia: Oh, SING FOR JOY!

Aria: plugs ears Please don't.

Karia: sob Fine, be that way. Anyways, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, CHAPTER FOUR!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

"Edward Hedrick versus Hurtand Smites!"

Ed, upon hearing his name, leapt from his seat and landed in the arena with a graceful back flip, right over the head of the huge man sitting in front who had tried to spit in his face. Ed, though matured after his ordeal through the gate, still had his fiery personality and had been suppressing an angry outburst towards Mr. Smites for quite a while. Now, Ed grimly relished the idea of beating the pulp out of his opponent. He probably wouldn't go as far as Aria went, that is, making his opponent gibber senselessly in terror, but very scared would meet his purposes.

Hurtand rose heavily from his seat without even noticing that it had sunk into to ground because of Ed's alchemy. In his grating, booming voice, the huge man laughed, "Quite acrobatic, Mr. Hedrick, but it won't do you any good against me! I am going to become the Defense Alchemist. There's almost nothing you can do against me to hurt me! Watch and lose!"

Though the announcer had not yet shouted the signal to begin, Hurtand drew his oily sleeve up to uncover an alchemy array embroidered on a wristband. The array glowed brightly with the blue light of transmutation and, immediately, a black layer spread from the array over every inch of Hurtand's huge form. Ed watched him without betraying emotions: emotions often signaled the enemy of your next move. It was something he learned from long, hard experience on the other side of the gate during a horrendous epoch called World War I that Ed would rather not remember.

Ed's eyes were hard as he clapped his hands together and almost unconsciously transmuted his automail into a blade. In the judges' panel, Mustang's eyes flickered as he recognized the technique. Hurtand scoffed. "Boy, that's miserable blade isn't going to hurt me!"

Ed made eye contact with the man and said, "We'll see."

The announcer looked from one contestant to the other before backing away and shouting, "Begin!"

Ed clapped his hands together and charged. Hurtand grinned insanely and did not move, ready to take on any attack that came his way. Ed brought his blade down on Hurtand's arm and watched it glance off without leaving the smallest mark. Hurtand laughed manically as Ed skidded backwards from the impact and shouted, "See? You are completely helpless against me! Nevertheless, you won't believe me, now will you? Go ahead and try!"

Ed steadied himself as he stood up and turned to face Hurtand. "Actually, it was just as I expected. You are human, so that material you make the shield out of must come from somewhere. The impact and reaction to my automail proved that. You're shield is made from something that makes up almost one-third of the human body: carbon. It can range from being as soft as graphite to as hard as diamond. Now that I know, the rest…is easy."

Without warning, Ed dashed at Hurtand while smacking his hands together with a resounding, "CLAP!"

Hurtand's mocking laughs were cut short as Ed winded him with a hefty thrust into his flabby stomach. A blue light crackled and a shattering sound rent the air as the transmutation took its toll. Hurtand's bewildered expression was priceless as he watched his 'invincible' shield shatter before Ed's simple attack. Ed grinned 'evilly', leapt backwards, and said, "I can't hurt you, now can I? Then you won't mind if I do this!"

The 'Defense Alchemist' watched with dish-plate eyes and a grey face as the gleaming blade drew closer at an alarming rate. Ed stopped the tip of his weapon millimeters from Hurtand's forehead, but the obese alchemist was already unconscious from fright with wildly lolling eyes. Ed sighed, clapped, and returned his automail to normal before walking over to Hurtand and booting him in the ribs. The big man woke up gradually before half fainting with terror again in response to the proximity of someone who could potentially kill him.

"M-MY SHIELD! W-W-WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I once fought someone like you, only he was much fitter than you and actually fought back. You idiot."

"Ah…BUT YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN ME YET!"

Hurtand began activating the alchemy array on his wrist in attempt to reconstruct his shield before Ed forcibly tore the cloth off his arm. "Just give it up."

Stripped of his means of transmutation, Hurtand yowled in indignation and Ed whapped him heavily over the head with his metal arm, effectively braining him into unconsciousness.

Ed won his first match.

Many pointless matches followed and none of them were as exciting as the first round. Most of the opponents were amateurs and could barely manipulate anything more than their own body mass. Ed won the next round without breaking a sweat. Aria's opponent forfeited and Al only took five minutes to win. However, a gnawing feeling of worry writhed in the pit of Ed's stomach for some unknown reason as the third round began, but as soon as he glanced at the chart, he knew:

The next match - Aria Shadowen versus Alphonse Elric.

Ed hurried to find Aria before the match began and encountered her in the fourth row of the bleachers. Many contestants had left, so only four people remained on the parade ground excluding the judges and military personnel. Aria was sitting motionless in her seat, eyes gazing off into the distance. Ed noticed that she still didn't have a shadow and her hair was moving the opposite direction of the light breeze. However, he had issues that were more important at hand, so Ed ignored her small quirks and got to the point immediately.

"Ms. Shadowen…"

"Aria."

"Okay, Aria, about your next match."

"Are you referring to the one against your brother, Alphonse Elric?"

"WAH! Don't say it aloud! Anyways, I would like to tell you something." Ed's eyes grew hard. "If you hurt him in any way, I will hound you until the day you die."

Aria shrugged casually and replied, "I don't think it's that simple to kill me. If you want my word, I don't believe in harming children to that extent, so your brother will not end up like Yeslov, if that's why you're afraid. However, I will not be responsible if he hurts himself in any way."

Ed nodded. Her promise was good enough for now, but what did she mean when she said it was not that simple to kill her? Was she immortal or something like a homunculus? Or could there be something else that would complicate matters? Ed shook the thoughts from his head and forced himself to concentrate for the upcoming fight.

The announcer shouted the signal and Al immediately prepared for a transmutation when Aria disappeared and reappeared right in front of him, effectively stopping his alchemy.

Ed gasped in shock but realized that Al was still in one piece and both contestants seemed to be conversing quietly. Unfortunately, Ed couldn't hear a word they were saying.

Aria appeared right in front of Al to propose an idea. "Alphonse Elric, what is your age?"

Al looked at her quizzically before answering tentatively, "Th-th-thirteen? Why?"

"Then, you are just a child now, and I do not wish to harm you so early in your life. According to the judges' panel, you currently have 9.7 in score, which means you will become a State Alchemist unless you die. Therefore, I believe it matches our common interests if you would forfeit, because I am also very interested in the next match's opponent and I think it would place Mr. Hedrick in a very awkward position if he were to fight you."

Al paused for a second, then blithely smiled, nodded, and shouted, "I FORFEIT!"

Ed gaped. Ed gawked. Ed froze in stupefaction for a moment before he exploded. "WHAT IN THE FRIGGIN WORLD? YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING!"

Al looked over his shoulder at the source of a very distracting sonic outburst. "Um…who is that?"

Aria followed Al's gaze before answering, "Just an overreacting idiot you can ignore. He's my next match's opponent."

Al pondered for a moment, then apparently understood and said, "Ah, so he really doesn't want to fight you, right?"

Aria's lips twitched upwards slightly as she confirmed Al's misconception. What the boy didn't know couldn't hurt him…yet.

Ed leapt from the bleachers and sprinted over to the two contestants in front of the judges' panel before pointing an accusing finger at Aria and exclaiming, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO AL?"

Aria sighed and said, "I talked reason to him."

"Oh." Ed shifted his energies to Al. "WHY DID YOU GIVE UP SO EASILY?"

Al gave him a questioning look before asking, "Who... are you? You seem like..."

"I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER!"

"-you're overreacting…Huh? Why would you be my brother?"

"AArrrrgghhhhh… I… mean…. GAHHHHHH!" Ed mentally slapped himself and lost a few valued brain cells.

Roy noted this with amusement and took a few more notes in his pocketbook.

The baffled announcer began saying, "Round three, battle two, Edward Hedrick versus Bryant Osteen…"

His voice faded away as Aria took his microphone with a swift grab and left the stunned man blinking at his hand in bafflement. She calmly announced in her strangely cold voice, "Bryant Osteen, I advise you to forfeit."

Bryant, who had been making his way towards the parade grounds to prepare for his match, paused in confusion and impulsively said, "Why?"
Aria, though it was against her nature, grinned wolfishly and said, "Isn't it self explanatory? The only way you can become a Nationally Certified Alchemist is to defeat Edward Hedrick and fight me. If that happens, I will be rather irritated. I tend to destroy most living objects within a twenty-meter radius when I'm irritated. Do you really want to fight me?"

Bryant Osteen turned an ashen shade of gray. "I FORFEIT!"

Ed narrowed his eyes and wondered why Aria seemed so intent on fighting him. Was there some twisted reason or conspiracy behind her actions? After all, she was the only one who knew his real identity.

Ed turned his eyes to Aria. "Why are you so eager to fight me?" All he earned was a cryptic, distant eye contact from those foreign, vibrant, blood red eyes.

"I will test you."

Mustang felt a creeping feeling that this Aria person was way beyond the normal league of State Alchemists. He also had an inching premonition that the judges' panel may be jeopardized by the fight between Shadowen and the person he had just identified as Edward Elric.

Roy left his seat and told each member in the panel that they should relocate to a safer area. Most believed him and the panel left to ensure their own safety and give the last two contestants more room.

Ed faced Aria with suspicion and saw the judges moving away from the corner of his eye. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I won't back down without a fight."Clapping his hands together, Ed transmuted his automail into a blade and poised it in front of him. Aria stood seven meters away, unmoving.

Every instinct told Ed to charge, but harsh experience stopped him and he decided to attack from a safer distance instead. If his directions were right, he should be standing directly above a block of solid metal, which was his specialty in transmutation.

However, Ed maintained the fact that he was not going to kill unless necessary. Actually, he wouldn't kill at all if it hadn't been for a series of events across the gate.

Aria watched as Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted a gun from the ground. The lack of an alchemy array meant that he had seen inside the Gate and had caught a glimpse of that. The gun was obviously a model used across the Gate in the world of technology, proving that the Elric had indeed gone past the gate.

Aria dodged the bullets that came her way, not heeding the light wounds that pestered her. They could not kill her anyways, so she would rather not obstruct her vision and analyze the next successor the Gate had chosen while she could. Ed wasn't trying to kill her after all, so he was purposely aiming only for her limbs.

Ed wondered why Aria did not defend herself in any way from his firing, so he stopped in fear of actually hurting her. The strange thing was, he noticed that she was completely unscathed from his attacks and she wasn't even remotely tired from the constant strain of reflexes in response to the hail of ammunition. He needed another way to defeat her, or the fight would drag on pointlessly.

Clapping his hands together once more, he transmuted the ground Aria was standing on and caught her firmly by sinking her into waist deep quicksand that turned back into solid rock. Ed pointed his gun at her and grimly smiled.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy to defeat Aria, so Ed wasn't surprised when she clapped her hands together and effortlessly extracted herself from her temporary immobilization by transmuting all the surrounding materials into water. All the surrounding materials included the ground Ed stood on, so Ed found himself sinking down into the tides of newly transmuted pool.

Aria knew Ed had an automail arm that would weigh him down in the liquid and observed how her opponent would react to the situation. She saw a blue light come through the water and knew Ed must be transmuting something else to escape drowning. The ground shifted beneath her feet and Aria knew what Ed had done: he increased the area of the pool to make the water level spread out over a larger surface, decreasing the depth.

Ed gasped for breath as he encountered air again and wondered why Aria had not launched any direct attacks. It almost seemed that she was toying with him to see how he reacted to different circumstances. Gritting his teeth, Ed decided that not hurting Aria would be impossible if he wanted to win and close combat was probably his best bet.

Aria watched as the drenched alchemist charged at her through the remaining water with his blade pointed at her and immediately leapt backwards while clapping her hands together. She transmuted a slim, but sharp sword from the ground and brought it up to eye level just as Ed reached close proximity.

The resounding of metal clashing against metal grated through the air as Ed brought his blade down on Aria's sword. The two weapons came to a temporary standstill, quivering under the force behind them. Then both pulled away and came clashing back together repeatedly in a fight of swordsmanship rather than alchemy.

Ed did not calculate the time he spent parrying and thrusting in pure reflex and quick judgment with his opponent. She showed no opening and Ed's judgment clouded as he shut out all other thoughts in total concentration. Aria showed no sign of tiring but Ed had begun panting lightly in effort and a trickle of blood wound its way down his normal arm from a slash on his shoulder. Aria, however, thrust forward boldly and Ed sidestepped just in time to avoid the worst of the blow. However, in her lunge, she left a small opening and Ed could not stop his instant reflexes.

Before he could even understand or prevent his actions, he had thrust his blade cleanly through Aria's chest.

Ed watched in horror as Aria coughed blood and collapsed to the ground. Returning his arm to normal, he hurried to his side and saw medics frantically making their way onto the arena. However, without warning, Aria flicked her sword up to his throat and smiled.

Ed flinched, but shouted, "ARE YOU CRAZY? THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR FIGHTING!" Aria disregarded his outburst with a shrug as she rose to her feet, making Ed back off in surprise.

"I told you that it isn't simple to kill me." The medics stopped in amazement and Ed was all too conscious of the bizarre turn of events.

"Wait, how can you be standing if I just stabbed you through the heart? You should be dead right now, but you seem to be perfectly fine!"

Aria flicked the sword point from Ed's throat and cast the sword away without a glance. She clapped her hands together and pressed them onto her rapidly bleeding wound. A brilliant blue glow of transmutation blinded Ed for a moment, and, when it faded, Aria stood in front of him unscathed again.

There could only be one explanation for this, and Ed raised his guard as he said quietly, "Homunculus, aren't you?" Aria shook her head.

"No, I am a human being, but not in a normal sense. You could say that I am-"

"Ms. Shadowen, Mr. Hedrick, what is the meaning of this?" Aria and Ed looked up to see Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong shimmering purple in the noon sunlight.

Gahh! Armstrong! Why is he here? Ed thought in horror. Armstrong continued, "We at the judges' panel observed Mr. Hedrick stabbing you in the chest, Ms. Aria. However, when our medics came, they reported seeing both of you in fine condition. How can this be?"

Aria sighed and Ed looked Armstrong straight in the eye, saying, "But I didn't stab her! Maybe it was just a trick of the eye because you all were relocated a bit further away."

Armstrong stilled looked skeptical, and voiced his thoughts, "But General Mustang distinctly saw Ms. Shadowen coughing up blood from his telescope."

Ed finally reassured him that everything was fine. "So let's get on with the match!"

"My apologies, Mr. Hedrick, but we are out of time, and if you two fight any longer, you will totally destroy the parade grounds. We should also prematurely cease this battle, for you are devastating our facilities, and we can't have that, now can we?

"Speaking of your scores, both of you have passed with full scores of 10."

Aria glanced up. "10?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is there a problem"

"The scoring system is inaccurate. Because of the premature ending, we cannot properly demonstrate our power to its' full extent."

"Who cares?" Ed muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "At least we passed."

"Indeed you did, Edward Hedrick, Aria Shadowen. General Mustang has summoned you to his office for your induction."

Aria nodded curtly and said, "Then we should be on our way."

Three alchemists stood in Mustang's office: Alphonse Elric, the second youngest State Alchemist in history, Edward Hedrick, and Aria Shadowen. Roy had them all stand at attention in front of his desk before addressing them.

"Congratulations. You three have passed the State Alchemist Exams. Here're your watches." Roy threw each of them a watch with a complete lack of dramatics. Ed thought silently to himself that Roy had remained unchanged in the years he was gone, but immediately shifted his attentions to something else when he opened the watch. In it were the words: Don't forget 3 OCT.

"General Mustang, why are these words carved inside my watch?" Mustang glanced with an unconcerned expression, even though he had purposely given Ed that watch.

"Oh, well, you sure are lucky! That watch used to belong to one of the most famous alchemists of all time: The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. We rediscovered it in the ruins of Lior while excavating it. As a side note, that watch would sell for 15 million cens on the black market."

Ed almost gawked when he heard Roy say that he used to be one of the most famous alchemists of all time. He had a reputation, but not THAT big of a reputation.

Roy yawned, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh, that's right; I forgot to tell you your new State Alchemist titles. Alphonse Elric, you are the Diamond Alchemist. Aria Shadowen, you are the Shadow Alchemist. Edward Hedrick, we don't have a name for you yet, but would you like to be…the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Ed paused for a long time. He really wanted his title back, but, knowing Roy, he would totally give himself away. Then, Roy would get his hands on the newspaper press and the world would know by nightfall. "Um, that's too great of a title for me to bear. Could I have another?"

Roy contemplated for a moment before asking, "Would you like to be the Resurrection Alchemist?"

"NO. I. WOULD. NOT. What doest that have to do with anything?"

"Then…let's see…Ah! How about being…The Fire Metal Alchemist?" Ed thought over the name. It sounded very similar to his real title, but it would have to do. It did have a nice ring to it.

"I accept." Suddenly, it struck Ed that Roy might have already unraveled his identity puzzle. Why else would Mustang give him his old watch and offer him his old title? Of course, knowing Roy, Ed guessed that the man preferred to hint in a subtle way instead of saying it outright.

"Good, now we can proceed. Diamond Alchemist, Shadow Alchemist, Fire Metal Alchemist…here are you're missions. Diamond Alchemist Alphonse Elric is to travel to the border of Xing and assist the military headquarters there with the suppression of the rebels. More details are in this folder." Roy handed Al a manila binder crammed with many papers and confidential files. Turning to Ed and Aria, Roy assigned a different mission. "Fire Metal and Shadow Alchemist, you are to track a serial murderer in Rizenpool who seems to be using advanced forms of alchemy. Arrest or eliminate him if you encounter the murderer, but preferably hold him in custody for questioning. He seems to target only young women and leaves no mark on his victims whatsoever. Report all results to me directly."

Ed received a similar binder and nodded slightly as he accepted the mission. The fact that Roy had sent two State Alchemists after a single person meant that the person was either very powerful, very dangerous, or both.

Aria and Ed bowed slightly, and then left the office. In the hallway, both newly inducted State Alchemists walked in silence until Aria suddenly stopped.

"I know how to attain a sliver of the Talisman of Knowledge."

"WHAT? How do you know about that? You haven't read my mind or anything like that, have you?"

"No, of course not. I will tell you in due time. First, you must do something for me. Equivalent exchange, you see."

"I'll do anything! Anything at all –"

"Edward Elric, you must reveal your identity if you want information."

"-except that! I can't do that!"

"Coward. You hold back your identity in case you fail. You're afraid of hurting the ones you love – again."

"But why? Why do I have to do that? Can't I just do something else?"

"You must reveal your identity to use the fame you have as the Fullmetal Alchemist. In equivalent exchange, I will tell you how to get the talisman…in due time. You will need to rely on your famous name when the time comes."

Ed sighed. "Well…I don't quite understand the point of revealing my name, but I suppose that's the only way I'm going to succeed in my quest. I should probably go tell that bastard Colonel – I mean General first."

Ed turned around quickly. Aria grabbed his arm and said, "Shouldn't you change your hair gold again? And what about your old outfit?"

"Oh, right. Forgot about that. But where can I find my regular attire? Guess I'll have to transmute it..." Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted his German clothing into his normal apparel. Ed then transmuted his hair back to gold. Aria stiffened at the sight of Dante's crest on the back of his red coat, but said nothing. Ed walked rigidly back to Mustang's office and entered.

"Ah...Col – General Mustang. I'm Edward."

"Um…are you sure you're sane? Why are you dressed like the former Edward Elric? Moreover, what happened to your hair? Have you gone egotistical after I gave you his 15 million cenz watch?"

"NO, I DIDN'T! It's me, Fullmetal! I was in disguise before as Edward Hedrick. But Aria figured it out and forced to tell you. So I want my old title back."

"Okay, I'll put a call through to the office."

"What? Why aren't you the least bit surprised? I came back after five years of being 'dead', and all you can say is 'Okay'?"

"Hmm… I figured as much. You did change though. I mean, since when were you so careful?"

"Oh, you have no idea."

Ed stepped out of the room after bowing slightly. Roy watched as the door latched shut, before smiling and whispering under his breath, "Welcome back, Fullmetal."

Ed turned around after closing the door. "Bastard General."

Aria and Ed were walking down the corridor when Aria said quickly, "We need to hurry to the train station before your brother leaves for Xing. You must to tell him too."

Ed grimaced and walked stiffly out of Headquarters. However, as soon as he hit the streets, he worried about drawing too much attention, but then he noticedseveral crazy fanatic people dressed just like him. It seemed like the latest fad to dress up like the Fullmetal Alchemist and pretend to be the famous alchemist in the local legends. A young lady even came up to him and said, "Wow, you're the best looking Edward Elric I've seen today! How did you get the golden eyes?"

Ed was about to protest when Aria whispered in his ear, "It's a good cover. Don't blow it." Ed sighed with exasperation before continuing down the road to the train station. He hoped Roy wouldn't tell the world until after he got out of Central.

After purchasing tickets at the train station, they scanned the crowds for Al and spotted him sitting on a bench waiting for his 2:00 train to Xing.

Ed sat down next to Al. Al turned around and his eyes grew bright and filled with hope before dimming again. "Sorry. I thought you were my brother. There are so many Edward Elric look-alikes these days that I don't know what to expect. I wonder what would happen if the real Edward Elric sat down next to me and I reacted like this. By the way, you have a very realistic costume. I was completely fooled."

GAHH! I AM YOUR BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Ed screamed at him mentally, but he still contemplated on how to break it to Al gently.

"Um, Al?"

"Hey, what do you know, you even sound like him! That's what Nii-san used to call me, too."

Ed thought he was going to go crazy. Al's getting pretty demented, but that probably just went to show what this world was coming to…

"Actually, the hair isn't a wig, and I don't wear contacts." Ed pulled up his right sleeve. "I also have a real auto-mail arm."

"Gee, you went all the way, didn't you?"

Ed took a deep breath and pulled out his State Alchemist watch. "And this is mine." He flipped open the watch and showed Al the engraved words inside.

Al's eyes turned into dish plates as he raised his head and looked Ed straight in the eye...

The next thing Ed knew, he was being propelled forward by a heavy force from the waist. Then, he was suddenly deafened by an earsplitting sonic boom: "NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

All of the spectators turned around to see who had just made the exclamation. They all thought, If Alphonse Elric just called that person his brother, then that must be… EDWARD ELRIC!

Aria kept the mob at bay by saying, "Just a slight case of identity fraud, nothing to be worried about, Alphonse Elric is just mistaken."

When Ed finally recovered his balance, the crowd had dispersed, and Al was staring at Ed with goggling goldfish eyes. "I-I-I can't b-believe y-you're REAL!"

The blaring of the train abruptly interrupted the beautiful brotherly reunion. Suddenly, both of them realized that they were unfortunately standing on the railroad tracks.

The accelerating vehicle of metal loomed before the two brothers…

"GAHHHHHH!" they both yelled in unison. Aria, being the helpful and foresighted person that she was, jerked both of them to safety at the last moment by the scuffs of their necks.

"Be more careful, you two. Al, I know you want to get to Xing, but that's a very dumb way to get a free ride, splattered on the front of the train's windshield."

Al turned around just in time to be booted on the train by Aria's iron foot. He scrambled to get on completely and gave the ticket master his ticket. He turned around to wave goodbye to his long-lost brother, only to find him out of sight. Ed had very wisely decided to flee the scene before the curious crowds of fanatics figured it out.

Winry Rockbell had no idea what was happening when an anonymous serial murderer killed two girls in Rizenpool without leaving a mark on their bodies. Izumi had left with Rose for Dublith on a temporary vacation, leaving her, Den, and Auntie Pinako alone. Auntie Pinako had locked her inside the house because of this and she was literally bored to the point of death. It was no wonder her eyes brightened at the ring of the doorbell after dinner, but she was still cautious before answering the door. Auntie Pinako was reading her newspaper in the dining room, and nodded confirmation for Winry to open the door.

Ed had changed his hair color back to black and his clothing back to the German set before ringing the doorbell of the Rockbell house. He and Aria had decided that it might not be wise to show up on the porch looking like Edward Elric because of the possible, volatile reactions that might stimulate. Therefore, when Winry Rockbell opened the door, all she saw was that Edward Hedrick person and another strange girl with midnight-black hair and crimson eyes.

Ed smiled lopsidedly and asked, slightly embarrassed, "Um, hi Winry, could we stay the night here? There aren't any inns in this area and…"

Winry cocked her head and asked, "Are you here because of that serial murderer?" Ed nodded. "Then Auntie Pinako won't mind. She's been expecting the military to send some for weeks."

Ed and Aria stepped inside before Aria backed out with a glance around the house. Pinako still said nothing, but gave Aria a skeptical look.

"I'm sorry, but I'll stay somewhere else. If I have judged your house correctly, you only have one spare room and I'd trouble you too much if I were to dislodge you."

"Ah, but then where will you stay…um…"

"Aria…Aria Shadowen."

"Winry Rockbell. Where will you stay, Ms. Shadowen?" Winry asked questioningly, knowing that the serial murderer targeted young women like herself. "It's too dangerous to sleep outside with that killer on the loose. You can use our living room if you need to…"

Aria looked away. "I'm not a State Alchemist for nothing. There are tasks I must perform tonight, so it really doesn't matter." Without a second glance, Aria left through the doorway and disappeared into the darkness outside.

Winry watched her go before redirecting her attention at Ed and said, "You can use…Al's old room." She led him up the stairs and showed him the room he used to stay in every time he got his automail fixed.

Ed dropped his suitcase by the door and flopped down into bed, weary from three days of traveling. He had almost dozed off when he heard the scraping of a window opening and the wind blowing lightly through the trees.

He opened the door to his room out of curiosity and traced the sounds to Winry's room. He could now hear quiet sobs from inside her room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly on the wood door and heard a gasp and the scraping of a chair before the door opened and Ed found himself looking at Winry's tearstained face. He heart leapt up to his throat when he saw the Winry he knew to be energetic, over eccentric and energetic looking pale and quietly sad.

"Winry? What's wrong?" She quickly dashed away what tears were in her eyes and tried to smile like nothing was wrong.

"N-nothing! Why do you ask?" Ed was now severely worried. Winry was not acting like herself today. Winry was not the type of person to cry in secret, and then hide her problems. Ed forced her back into the room and sat her down on the bed. He stood in front of her and asked, "Winry, you're crying and you still say nothing's wrong? Even if I don't understand girls that well, but don't take me for a complete idiot. If something is wrong, you need to find a way to fix it or get help."

Winry put her head in her hands and the sobs began anew. "You wouldn't understand. My problem is one I can't fix. No one can help either."

"Will it make you feel better to tell someone?" Winry looked up through her tears. "I'll listen if you need someone to talk to."

Winry contemplated this for a while, and then took a deep breath to begin her explanation. "I never told him. I was too scared of getting rejected or something. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye…and I never found out what happened to him, even after all these years.

"A long time ago, Alphonse Elric came to our house sealed in a suit of armor. He also brought his older brother here, missing an arm and a leg. On top of being brothers, they were good friends, and I had known them since we were kids, but that's when everything began. We gave the older Elric an arm and leg of automail, but they were set on regaining everything they had lost. They burned their house and left on their quest without ever explaining anything to me. I didn't see them until Edward Elric, the older one, became a State Alchemist. I was…happy for him, but sad as well because I knew they were getting closer to their goal, yet farther from me. They still didn't explain anything when I came, and they wouldn't tell me anything when I left either. They said that they wanted to protect me from harm. My heart broke every time I saw them leave, out of my reach, but it hurt even more to see them come back, worn and tired from their experiences. I didn't see them again for four years, and then they only came back because of injuries and getting Ed's automail fixed. Ed and Al stayed for three days, and then left again, without explaining anything. The next time was when they fled to Rizenpool, chased by the military. They were involved in something huge, something that could change the country and alter thousands of lives, but they didn't tell me…and I still don't understand. Ed and Al probably wanted to keep me safe like they said, but they just couldn't see how much it hurt to be left out.

"The time Ed and Al fled to Rizenpool was the last time…I would ever see Ed. I don't know what happened and I don't think anyone will ever know, but we found Al in his original, ten year old body with no memories of the past four years. I only heard about him once more – Brigadier General Mustang invited me to Central for his funeral. But he couldn't be dead! He was too alive to be dead, and I never got a chance to tell him…I never got a chance to say goodbye.

"The rumors started to spread about Edward Elric. They said that his coffin was really empty, and he was alive somewhere else. They said that he was involved with a legendary object called the Philosopher's Stone, and that it could grant any wish. They also said that he was the first person to ever perform perfect human transmutation, and that he had sacrificed his own existence to bring Al back to life. But if he did, didn't he think of everything he was leaving behind? Didn't he know how much it would hurt us? Didn't he know I loved him! And, yet…I NEVER TOLD HIM…I never told him how much I loved him…and now, I can't…he won't come back…

"Edward Elric was the only person I'll ever love, and ever had loved. I hate him. I hate him for leaving me behind. And, now, he haunts me, never leaving my thoughts alone. He haunts my days, he haunts my nights, he follows my conscious and unconscious thoughts. I'm going to go crazy…just because I never told him."

Ed would not, COULD not react to Winry's sobbing and unknowing love confession to him. Winry had always been a sister to him, so he never considered thather loving him had been a possibility. Now his heart pounded with guilt of his neglect to ever consider her feelings and he regretted every word that he blatantly said against her. This was crazy, ridiculous, and completely out of Ed's grasp in understanding. Ed had been through more than most people: he had fought homunculus that were almost immortal; he had died once already; he had traveled between worlds; and he had witnessed wars more horrifying than any others in this world, even Ishbal. But, despite his cat-like reflexes, he was completely and utterly stunned by Winry's torrent of choked words.

Now she was sobbing quietly into his shoulder and he had no idea what to do. Aria's words came echoing back at him: Coward. You hold back your identity in case you fail. You're afraid of hurting the ones you love – again.

He had already hurt her deeply – too deeply, but that was solely his fault for not telling her what he was going to do. Now he had to tell her or she would continue her depression until the day she died. He couldn't believe himself – leaving Winry to cry herself to sleep every night for three entire years.

Grapping Winry by the shoulders, Ed pulled her up and looked her squarely in the face. He took a deep breath as he gazed nervously into her teary eyes and slowly, clearly said, "Winry, listen to me carefully. I…am…ED."

Winry's eyes flinched in misunderstanding and anger as she tore herself away from him and let angry tears fall anew. "I don't want your lame jokes right now! I know you're Ed, but that isn't helping cheer me up.Didn't youhear a thing I said? Here I am, pouring out my heart and soul to you, and all you can say is 'I am Ed'!"

Ed stood up and grabbed her wrist firmly before clapping his hands together softly and touching them to his hair, returning them to their original, gold color.

"No, Winry…I'm Edward…Elric."

Silence. Complete and total silence deafened Ed as a revelation dawned on Winry. Ed watched her tremble, then reach slowly for something on her table. He couldn't make out what it was when he suddenly felt something heavy strike him across the head. Winry was holding her wrench, trembling and crying while repeatedly bringing the wrench down on him. A blow punctuated every, single one of the words mouthed by her wavering voice

"Ed…You…IDIOT!" Without warning, she threw her wrench away and hugged him tightly around the waist, still crying, shaking, and not letting go. She held on like the world depended on it and Edward Elric would disappear again if she let him. She dug her face into his shoulder and felt his warmth, heard his breathing, and saw his beautiful golden eyes widen in shock.

He was real…REAL…REAL!

Pinako Rockbell was quietly readingthe newspaper when her eye found an article that was very important indeed. She smiled to herself as she read and reread the title: Return of Edward Elric.

Then, a small racket upstairs drew her attention and she climbed up the stairs, only to find muffled talking from Winry's room. Opening the door a crack, Pinako looked inside to see Winry sitting on that visitor's lap, sobbing and smiling with joy. Though neither of them saw her,she wondered what Edward would think if he saw Winry like that. Hm... making out with a ... stranger?

She was halfway down the stairs when a thought jolted in her head: Hold on, double take...

She rushed back upstairs and peeked in again...there was no doubt about it: gold braid, gold eyes. As she closed the door softly, she smiled to herself and whispered under her breath, "Welcome home, Ed. By the way, you had better not screw Winry."

A/N:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! AT LAST! EDxWINRY!

it looks like romance scenes work even if you don't write them properly... : P

SPECIAL THANKS: i give full gratitude to Lucy Miao, my trustworty BFF and cruel editor...

SO...whaddya think of this...excruciatingly long chapter? btw...ED DOES NOT SCREW WINRY! (note, this fic is rated for violence, not...that)

chapter five will be up soon! (i hope...)

one more thing:

REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!

(many reviews are the life of a fanfiction - quote from Socrates)