Chapter Seven: Suspicions

"What the hell is going on?" Edward repeated. He seemed a little out of breath, a little travel worn, but otherwise in good health. Alphonse was staring at Winry with disbelief in his wide, soul-full eyes. Nervously, he asked, "Winry, was that Envy, the homunculus? We won't be mad, honest. Just explain what he was doing here."

"What?" Edward snapped at Alphonse, "Speak for yourself, Al: I'm pissed! What the hell was he doing here, Winry?"

Winry had gritted her teeth and balled her fists. Her initial shock had worn off by this time and now all she could here was the rushing wind outside the open window and the ring of Edward's loud vocals. "Stop yelling at me!" she snapped, "Did it even occur to you that I might have my own life outside of yourselves?"

Al suddenly gasped, "Winry, please tell us, did he force himself on you?"

"No, Al. He knocked and I let him in," Winry replied, simply. This seemed to shock both of them.

"But he's an enemy, Winry! He's a manipulator. He's probably using you for his own gain in some underlying plan of his!" Edward shouted.

"I said stop shouting at me, Edward!" Winry snarled, then she corrected him, "And no, he's your enemy, and he hasn't manipulated me into anything. And for your stupid information, Envy was the one who gave Mustang the evidence to prove Maria's innocence. I don't care what you say, Ed, he's not who you think he is."

"He's not human and he called me small five times!" Edward said.

Alphonse hesitated and spoke over Edward, "He gave Mustang evidence that proved Maria's innocence?"

Winry nodded, "Yeah, he told me he gave him something and promised me that Maria would be safe. Why?"

Edward exchanged a look with his brother. The room had finally gone quiet. Alphonse suddenly closed the door behind them and they moved into the room. Edward sat down at Winry's desk, where Envy had been moments before, and Alphonse went and closed the window, glancing out at the night suspiciously.

Winry watched them. Ed's face conveyed an expression of complete and utter sorrow on his face and she suddenly felt like she needed to comfort him. "What happened, Ed?"

He looked up at her with heavy eyes and said, "We ran into Mustang before coming here. There was an order out for the Maria's death because she had escaped from jail with the help of a few others. Well, when we reached Mustang, he had followed through with the Fuhrer's orders…"

"What?" Winry breathed, "You're not serious…please tell me it's not true…"

"He told the officials when they arrived that she had tried to resist arrest and so he had to –,"

"But he knew she was innocent!" Winry shouted.

Ed and Al stayed silent, not willing to repeat the terrible act of violence they had witnessed earlier that evening. Even if Maria had been guilty, Mustangs treatment of her was still unjustified. Winry looked between them, waiting for some sort of closure on the topic, but it never came. Instead, Ed simply said, "Envy's dangerous, Winry. Please don't see him anymore."

The note of plea in his voice did not go ignored. Winry was not surprised by his genuine concern for her. What surprised her was his willingness to voice it. This revelation troubled her. Obviously Ed had his reasons for wanting her to stay away from Envy, and Winry strongly felt that she deserved or had the right to know what those reasons were, after what had happened between her and homunculus. It also caused her to think twice about what she had originally thought about Envy. If he really was a good person, then why was Edward so adamant to keep her away from him? If it was simply because Envy wasn't human and had at some point called Edward short five times, Winry didn't think that was a good enough reason at all – perhaps Ed should stop being so petty.

"How long have you been seeing him for?" Alphonse asked and Winry wrapped her arms around her body, protectively. She felt like she was being interrogated like some criminal or an associate to one.

"I already told you that I've seen him a few times throughout the years, but you guys never listen to me," then Winry blushed as she realized the implication of Alphonse' question, "Oh, and this is second time we've kissed…I mean, the first time wasn't really a kiss at all but –,"

"Okay, I get the point," Edward interrupted. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"Ed, don't interrupt me when I'm talking, and don't try to tell me who I can see and who I can't!" Winry suddenly snapped. She didn't know why she had such a short fuse tonight. Perhaps she was confused. After what had happened between her and Envy, it was understandable, but she also felt cornered. She felt like she was the butt of some mean joke. She didn't understand why Ed was being so protective of her all of a sudden, and the only thing she could come up with was that he might be jealous – but that was just ridiculous!

"Winry, I've met a few other homunculi already and they've all tried to kill me! Why should Envy be any different? He's probably using you to get to me," Edward said, "and if that's the case, you're going to end up getting hurt, if you really feel…something for him."

Winry hugged herself tighter and felt a familiar burn in her cheeks. Her eyelids started to tingle and she knew if she didn't hold back she would cry. When she spoke her words were forced and starting to crack. "I don't know what I want anymore. I thought I could help you and Al by coming to Central, but now I just feel like I've made things worse. And then when I found out about Envy I wanted to know more about him and the homunculi, so I did some research on my own. I also just found out that Mr. Hughes was murdered, and I feel so helpless and so sad for Gracia and Elicia. And –,"

By the time she got to that point tears were running down her face in rivers and she could no longer keep her voice steady enough to continue. Neither Ed or Al made any movement to comfort her. Alphonse looked like he wanted to, but didn't, and Edward was staring at the ground, lost in his own troubled thoughts. It was obvious both of them had heard about Hughes' death, and it was still fresh in all of their minds. Ed didn't even bother asking Winry why she was crying, it was obvious even for him.

"Winry…," Ed tried to comfort her, but Winry shook her head, "Please leave me alone. I just want to be alone."

Neither Ed nor Al moved. Both seemed rooted to the spot, reluctant to leave Winry in her current state. Yet, after a few moments, feeling utterly helpless, they quietly made their way to the door. Before Edward left, he said, "Our room is down the hall if you want to talk."

He closed the door and Winry went and sat on her bed. Silent tears were still rolling down her face. She lied down and turned to face the wall, bunching the covers up and holding them tightly to her chest. First, Hughes and now Maria. How many more of her friends would die? Was this really how things were in Central? Does that mean Ed and Al are in constant danger? If that is case, what could she possibly do to help them?

After opening up to Ed, Winry had realized how pathetic she had sounded. She couldn't do anything to help them if she couldn't even help herself. She couldn't even provide Gracia and Elicia with the comfort they needed when she went to pay her respects. And now Mustang was the equivalent of a murderer after having killed Maria even though he knew she was innocent. After all this, Hughes' murderer was still free and enjoying life. Where was the justice in anything?

And now things between her and Envy had gotten complicated. Winry knew she liked him before, she had thought that he was attractive and strangely appealing in the way he acted, but she never imagined she would find herself attached to his lips. Was Edward right about Envy being a manipulator? It honestly sounded believable after what had just happened. Winry wasn't one to jump into anything too quickly, but when it came to Envy she seemed to forget all reasoning. She had kissed him. She didn't feel violated, she didn't feel used, she didn't even feel regretful. In fact, what she felt for Envy she couldn't really put into words, but even the mere mention of his name could make her heart skip. Was this truly the work of manipulation? If so, Envy was very good at what he did. It would mean Winry would have to be more careful around him.

That is, if she ever saw him again after what had happened.


"And so Mustang was able to avenge his old friend," Envy finished, "And everyone lived happily ever after."

Lust frowned in disapproval. "You petered out. Wasn't the purpose of this mission to make the colonel behave?"

Envy decided she was right, after all, he hadn't been aiming for the same goal as her, she was bound to catch onto something. Lust wasn't an idiot. Envy figured she probably sensed something wasn't right about the whole plan in the first place. Like how Mustang had known that Maria was truly the murderer? It seemed odd even in Envy's mind for the colonel to fall onto the bandwagon so easily. Only Envy knew Mustang hadn't in reality. He had probably torched some poor innocent woman and staged it to make the officials think she was dead – that had been Envy's main motive. After all, how would he get Winry to trust him if her friend dies? He needed an out for Maria and the only way to do that was convince Mustang Maria was innocent. The job would be done and Envy didn't even have to get his hands dirty. Now, it was only a matter of time before Winry made contact with Maria again and then she would be convinced that she could trust Envy.

Right now, however, Envy would have to deal with Lust. He was all out of steam. He had spent the night before last digging through boulders and last night had been a bit of a rush on its own. He shoved that thought into the back of his mind and gave Lust a shrug. "Who cares," he said, simply, "The dog ate its bait, and it seems he's provoking the peoples antipathy. His own men may even start to turn on him."

Lust seemed content with this answer, and Envy changed the subject, "I heard the Fullmetal pipsqeak's in town now. Has Father issued any new orders? Perhaps, they're not needed anymore?" He added rather hopefully.

"Father's orders are the same, Envy," Lust replied, and then she raised an eyebrow, "How did you hear they were in town? Last I heard they were still in Dublith with their master."

"I'm on top of things, I guess," Envy smirked at the double meaning behind his own words. Lust wouldn't understand it, but that was why it was so damn funny. He must have been grinning a little too widely because Lust suddenly said, "What's on your mind?"

Envy made his grin disappear and managed to pull off a rather serious expression. "What would be on your mind if you found out Pride followed you around 24/7?"

Lust threw a nervous look at the darkness, and Envy suddenly realized it pissed him off. He now realized that not only had Wrath been aware that Pride was following him, but Lust too, no, the whole damn family was probably behind it. "You know, Envy. If you had nothing to hide, Pride wouldn't even bother you."

It was a logical statement and Envy was aware that he had nothing to hide. It was just the fact that Pride was judging his every move that put him on edge. He could bet that any member of the homunculi family would feel the same pressure he was under, they didn't have to be guilty of something. "I have nothing to hide," Envy snarled and stormed out of the warehouse, leaving Lust to gaze after him in dismay.

He suddenly heard her yell, "Envy, make sure you collect information on the people who broke Maria Ross out of jail. They're troublesome. I want them dead."


Lieutenant Hawkeye entered Colonel Mustangs office with a stern expression. She walked directly past his subordinates and came to stand before the Colonel's desk. With a quick salute, she slid a piece of paper towards him in a formal manner and awaited a response.

"What's this?" Mustang asked, glancing down at the signed letter, stamped with a military crest.

"Request for leave," Hawkeye replied simply.

"At this time of year?"

"Is something wrong?"

There was a pause as both Colonel and Lieutenant stared coolly at each other. The pens of the subordinates behind them had temporarily stalled to listen. They held their breath, waiting for an answer.

"No, it's fine. I permit it."

Hawkeye saluted, "Thank you very much."

She turned and strode towards the door, as she passed the subordinates table eyes were diverted down and away from her, pens suddenly picked up their pace. She made her slow progression to the door and exited the office, taking the extra effort to slam the door behind her – just as they agreed she would.

As she made her way back through headquarters she passed Armstrong and saluted him. She would have continued, but Armstrong stopped her. "I've received orders from my commanding officer. I'm taking my leave."

"Where will you go?" Hawkeye asked with a straight face.

"Someone told me recently that Xerxes is a good place to clear the mind," Armstrong replied, simply.

"Are you bringing anyone with you?" Hawkeye said, and Armstrong nodded, "Yes, someone who knows the history of the place well will accompany me and another alchemist."

Hawkeye nodded, "I hope you make the most of your leave."

Just as she finished her sentence an officer with blond hair and blue eyes turned the corner and walked past them. He briefly saluted to Armstrong as he passed, but he looked miserable and irritated about something. After he had left them, Armstrong and Hawkeye resumed their conversation.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Armstrong saluted, "I'll try to enjoy it."

Hawkeye smiled as she watched him turn and leave her, continuing in the direction he had been heading originally. Once he had disappeared around a corner, Hawkeye headed for the exit of the building.

The day was hot and dry. Hawkeye's car was parked in its usual spot in the headquarters overflow lot, far from the main building. When she reached it, she opened the trunk to reveal a clean storage space. In the center was a long, thin package wrapped tightly in cream-colored cloth. Next to that sat a pile of neatly folded clothes, a black jacket and jeans. On the other side of the long package was a small, black case, which was locked with a combination lock.

Hawkeye removed her military jacket and after folding it, placed it next to the other clothes. She changed into the jacket and removed the bottom of her military uniform. Underneath she had worn dark jeans. Once she had folded those and placed them on top of the jacket, she closed the trunk and stepped into the vehicle, starting the engine. She would drive to the main, warehouse district of Central where she would contact Mustang via untapped radio phone.

When she had driven off of military property, she let out a sigh of relief. It had been only a week since she and Mustang had discovered that the military was working with the homunculi. Armstrong had led Mustang to what Hughes had researched before he was found dead, and what Mustang had discovered there had put both of them on edge. Ever since he had explained the situation to her, Hawkeye had been on guard. It was tiring to have to watch your back even inside the headquarters of the state, but it was something she would have to get used to.

She checked her watch. Twelve o'clock, noon. At this moment she knew Armstrong was escorting Edward to the train station, where they would head to Xerxes for a brief visit. She had arranged for Second Lieutenant Breda to meet with them in Risenbool. She hoped their journey would go smoothly. The reason for removing Edward allowed Mustang to get closer to the ones Hughes had found out about – the homunculi.

Hawkeye's heart dropped. In another hour, when they were sure Edward was out of town, they would make a discreet arrest of Winry Rockbell.

Riza didn't want to believe Winry was working with the homunculi, because that would mean she was associated to Hughes' murderer. However, after she had given them the evidence to pull Maria from trial, their suspicions turned to her. She managed to acquire two pieces of valuable evidence that were thought to have been completely lost during the explosion at lab 5. Not only that, but she had said that she had gone and collected it two nights ago. That meant she had known about Maria's arrest even before the newspaper had announced it to the public. It pointed to the possibility that Winry had established connections, enabling her to know what was going on in the military without being there, and Mustang wanted to know what kind of connections they were and to whom.

It made Riza think twice about when she and Mustang had run into Winry in the dead of night last week. She had been injured, but why had she been out so late to begin with? Had she been meeting with the homunculi? And her story about the bite marks on her arm…had she been telling the truth?

There had been similar accidents around Central of people arriving at the hospital with oddly shaped bite marks. Some of them had claimed to have been mauled by an animal with two heads or more than the average amount of legs. Whenever they submitted their reports to the military, the descriptions had been strange. One she remembered, someone had claimed to see an animal that had a face of a monkey and the body of a lion. That person had died of severe lacerations on their neck from claw marks.

Riza checked her watch again. Twelve thirty. Mustang would be ordering a pair of officers to arrest her now. The interrogation wouldn't begin until tomorrow, but she would be held in silence for some time. If they were lucky, she would break down before they started questioning her.

The car pulled into an ally way, where Riza killed the engine and stepped out into the shaded lane. She popped the trunk and grabbed the long, slender package and black case. A door in the side of one of the buildings was left unlocked and she entered into a dark, abandoned apartment building staircase. She would climb to the top.

If Mustang's plan worked they would managed to find out where the homunculi were hiding. According to Hughes' files that he left, their den was somewhere in the Eastern portion of Central. Not only that, but once the homunculi find out that the people who helped Maria Ross escape from prison are being kept in the Eastern portion of the city as well, they will go after them. Riza hoped she would be able to find a window large enough to allow her to see the majority of the city in that direction, especially the building that currently housed Barry and Falman.

Her radio buzzed and a voice mumbled, "J. Havoc in position, over."

Riza brought the speaker to her lips as she reached the top floor and entered an abandoned, East side suite, "The Hawk's eye is in position. Await my command, over."

"Copy."


Envy had dropped the metaphorical ball. Lust had been right, he had petered out. He knew what the reason for that had been, and he wanted to berate himself for being so careless. What the hell was up with that human? Winry knew he was a homunculus. She obviously knew he could kill her with the flick of his finger, so why the hell was she still coming on to him? It confused him. Not only that, but he had somehow managed to get lip-tied with her last night only to have been discovered by Fullmetal runt – that had been beyond embarrassing, it had been humiliating!

A part of him wondered how Winry had managed to explain herself to them after he had made a hasty departure, and another part of him didn't really give a shit. He wouldn't have cared if Edward had walked in on them sleeping together after he had been forced to face Father later that night. Envy thought Edward had been mad at seeing him there with Winry.

Father had been pissed.

After witnessing last night's scene, Pride had run to Father with the goods and Envy had been forced to face him. At first Envy had high hopes in thinking that Father would agree to work a deal with Envy: Envy would behave as long as Pride wasn't spying on him. Unfortunately, things never seemed to work the way he planned and his luck took a nose dive.

Not only had he been reduced to a messenger between military and Lust, but he had been banned from killing anyone and Pride was still breathing down his neck. It took every ounce of control in Envy's body to not scream at Father. The only thing holding him back was his fear of pain and death.

When he had arrived back at headquarters as the blond-haired, blue-eyed officer, he carried a message from Father to Wrath, which he delivered diligently. However, he had sworn to himself in his anger that he would no longer go out of his way to help Father. He was finding his desire to stay loyal to Father was dissipating, and after realizing Father had absolutely no trust in him to carry out important tasks, Envy found himself thinking what it would be like to dissociate completely from the family like Greed had.

It would take a lot of consideration on Envy's part. Yet, he was almost convinced that after more than two hundred years of service to Father with nothing in return, independence might be more rewarding.

The waiting game had started. He would wait to see how things unfolded with Winry. He found himself wondering what having a real companion would be like. He would finally have the support, and he would finally be able to understand why humans enjoyed it so much. He would finally have something none of the homunculi had, something he'd been yearning for his entire existence. He would finally understand why humans, despite their fragility, would do anything to protect each other.

Perhaps if he gained that knowledge, he would become Father's dream – the perfect being. A homunculus that understood human will, something that made them strong no matter their physical weakness; Envy would be able to incorporate that strength into his being. He would become a valuable piece to Father's puzzle, and then Envy would decide whether or not to help Father. This was his game, and once he had the key piece he would be able to play it how he wanted.


A harsh knock on the bedroom door made Winry stir from sleep. She didn't know how late she had stayed up last night and she didn't know what time it was when she finally woke up. All she knew was that she was exhausted and someone was banging loudly on the other side of her door. She sat up, thinking to herself that if it was Edward his head would have a date with her wrench.

"Miss Winry Rockbell, by order from Colonel Roy Mustang, open this door!"

Winry shook off her weariness and went to the door to answer it. She was extremely confused when she was greeted by two military officers in uniform. They both looked incredibly serious. "What's going on?" Winry found herself asking.

"Miss Rockbell, you have the right to remain silent, and anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law," one of the officers barked. Winry's eyes widened at the implication as the other officer came forward and cuffed her hands behind her back.

At the feeling of the cold metal on her wrists, Winry panicked, "I haven't done anything! Why are you arresting me?"

"We will escort you to Central's Command Center," said the first officer. The second grabbed her arm and started to lead her out of the room. Winry didn't try to resist, after hearing what happened in the military if the accused did resist. She decided she may as well go with them. She didn't know what was going on, but it was probably in her best interest to be obedient.

Her mind was spinning with all the questions that rose up. She felt scared at the same time. She wondered what she had managed to do to get herself into this mess. Was it because she had seen an odd animal in the park and she hadn't reported it? Were they charging her for neglecting the safety of other citizens for that reason? It didn't make any sense. Winry had told Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang about the creature the night she was bitten. They had been the ones to pick her up after she had run into Ling.

Wait…Ling! Was it because she was associated with an illegal immigrant? Could she be charged for that? Or did Ling get arrested and mention that she had been an accomplice or something? If that was the case, Winry would make sure the next time she saw the Xingese man she would have a few words to share with him.

Then, what if Edward had told the military she was in contact with a homunculus? Was it just a coincidence that the morning after she had been discovered with Envy she was being arrested? No, Edward would never put her in a situation like that. She knew him well enough to know that even though he got angry at her for things, he never got other people involved in their problems, and that included the military. Edward would have sat Winry down talked to her himself if he was really this concerned.

Winry suddenly started to panic. If it wasn't any of those other things then what if the military was arresting her for the death of Maes Hughes? It was a far-fetched idea, but they had arrested Maria Ross after all and she had been well known at headquarters. Winry got into the back of a military flagged vehicle and the officers climbed into the front. She could feel her blood rushing through her veins as her heart started to pound in her chest at rapid speed.

If they suspected she was Hughes' murderer then she would be put in jail or, worse, executed! Winry bit the inside of her lip nervously. Edward would never let them do that. She had been with Edward at the time of Hughes' death. That's right! Edward was well known in the military and he was her alibi. He could testify for her. It would all be alright.

However, even with that thought in mind, Winry couldn't calm herself down. Questions still buzzed through her mind, giving her a massive headache and causing her to tense up when the car stopped before the entrance to the Central Command Center. The officer opened the car door for her and helped her out. She stepped into the sunlight and looked up at the grand steps of the entrance to the building. Above the flanked double doors was a State Military flag that hung proud and rather intimidating.

Winry was led up the steps and into the building where she was brought deep into a maze of hallways and board rooms until she was steered into one particularly small, dark room. She was asked to seat herself at a small table in the corner of the room and the officer locked her cuffs to the back of the chair.

"Colonel Roy Mustang will be in shortly to speak to you," said the officer before leaving Winry alone in the dark room to mull over what might happen to her in the near future.


Leonahari: I know this chapter is shorter than the others. There's a reason for that. It's because the next scene is a long one and to stop it here would be better than to stop it before it gets too long. Personally, I didn't like this chapter, paritially because I'm on writers block, where none of my words are flowing smoothly enough for my own liking. So, sorry if this one lacked any depth, but my brain isn't working. I also just finished all my midterms so that might be why. Anyways, see you all in the next chapter!