Disclaimer: Nothing's changed people- I still don't own anything from FMA. I only own Yumi, Mask, and Tatsuya (mwahaha, Ed has competition now :P)
A/N: Okay, so there's either AlxWinry, EdxWinry, YumixEd, YumixTatsuya…gosh, so many different possibilities. I'm just curious- people who review, please say which pair you like the best. Maybe it'll change the ending of the story (which I already have a specific pair in mind xD) or maybe not.
So, yeah, please pick a pair!

The clouds cleared up by now. There were still a few balls of puff remaining in the sky, but it was freshly pure; everything was calm after the big storm had passed. Too calm. Too perfect...

Edward's Point of View:
Cough, cough, I struggled to see anything in this smoke.
"Mustang, you really overdid it," I grumbled, taking in another breath of dust and soot. The air was full of burnt particles, making me wrinkle my nose in annoyance. I brought my jacket up to cover my nose, and to make sure my air wasn't completely contaminated with carbon dioxide. I tried to wave the smoke away with my free hand, but it only caused the grey to swirl even heavier.

I held out my hand, squinted my eyes, and examined it. I could only see up to my elbow, and the rest disappeared into the messy haze. I blinked again. It felt like sand had lodged itself in my eye. Shaking my head, I attempted to clear my vision again. All it did was get a brand new set of dirty specks in my eye. The grey around me whirled around and around like a tornado from my movement. I could make out a faint slash of green in the distance- I guessed it to be the forest- but that was about it. Whether the big ball I had surrounded that servant person in had lasted through the mass explosion, I couldn't tell.

"Shuddap, Fullmetal, as if you could do any better," retorted Mustang, somewhere to the right of me. His voice was also clouded by the grime.

I heard a gunshot fire loudly, a few feet to the left of where Mustang was supposedly standing. I winced as Mustang yelped with alarm.

"Be quiet, both of you!"

"You almost hit me!" complained Mustang.

"Almost," the Lieutenant pointed out matter-of-factly. I heard Mustang mutter a few more curses, but turned silent otherwise.

I turned blindly in the cloudiness, and groped for where Yumi was supposed to be. I felt nothing. Anxiously this time, I reached around again. Still nothing.

"Yumi?" I gasped, releasing a precious breath of air, before accidentally sucking in another chunk of grit. I then repeated to the other two, "Yumi?"

I was on the verge of choking, so I couldn't speak more than a couple words at the most, let alone a whole sentence. I hoped they understood me, and that my plead didn't come out as just a mush of noise.

I heard some scrambling from the Lieutenant and Mustang. I waited impatiently for any sign where Yumi was.

3 long seconds passed, and I wondered what could've happened to her. Surely she could not see in this ridiculous fog.

"No sign of her," informed Mustang.

At this point, I was more confused than worry. There was at least a good hundred feet between where I was and the forest. I would've noticed if she ran off before the explosion. In fact, I did see her dive off to one side to avoid the aftershock of Mustang's fire.

Another thought crossed my mind- a strong, evil, smirking thought.

"Hey, do you know where that other person went?" asked the Lieutenant, as if reading my mind. Although I knew it wasn't anymore use, I used my automail arm to frantically sweep the area in front of me. The pieces twirled furiously once more, and to my delighted surprise, I could peer a little farther along the mist. It was clearing up.

How many minutes had passed? Two, three, five? It would only take a few seconds for the servant to snatch Yumi and run off.

Wait, no, Yumi's tough, I told myself. She can take care of herself for a couple of minutes before we got there, right?

Then, a vision of her, with her eyes filled with lust instead of care and innocence, clouded my eyes. The smoke was disappearing, but I was just as concerned as before.

I remembered Mustang, when he was chasing down Envy. The revenge had completely taken over his sense, and seeing him roast the homunculus over and over again almost made me feel pity for the evil monster. I tried imagining Yumi like that. I tried pretending for a second that Yumi was a vicious little girl who had nothing but hatred in her life. I tried pretending that she had a hungry thirst for blood, her eyes turning crimson.

I couldn't. I absolutely couldn't. To me, Yumi would always be like a younger sister. Someone who got you see change visibly, get older, sometimes wanted to kill, but would always have a special bond. It had been like that ever since we were toddlers. Only then, our feelings were amplified tenfold. Now, confusion and indecision replaced it. Winry had told me that I still loved her.

Those words still unnerved me.

"Ed, I'll never be yours until you're hanging on to no one else."

"Winry, it's you and only you! There's no one else! I haven't been seeing others or cheating on you, I swear! How could you think that?"

"Maybe not physically. But, I know you still love her, Ed. It shows in your face whenever I mention her."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Yumi Akiyama."

"Her? I haven't seen her in almost 5 years! That's ridiculous!"

"You miss her, don't you?"

"Of course I do! But, that doesn't mean I love her!"

"Maybe not."

"Then, what's the problem?"

"Ed, you might not love her, but you certainly haven't gotten over her."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I let out the air, sending a puff of white in the midst of the already quickly vaporizing smog. Did I really still love her?

True, the sight of Yumi harmed was poison to my eyes. Her screams of pain were venom to my ears. And if her heart were to ever stop beating, or her eyes gone still, then of course, it would be the death of me, too. But, was that enough to say that I loved her? Would this alone be enough proof that I wouldn't deny her of any, single speck of love that she deserved?

I knew I had avoided thinking about these questions, let alone getting to answer them. Perhaps it was that I didn't want to admit that I loved her, and Winry was right all along. Or even worse, I didn't want to admit that I didn't love her. What would happen then? Would she become heartbroken? Or would she get over it? What if she never had anything to get over in the first place?

As far-fetched as it seemed to imagine that we had no love for each other and were free to pursue any other..."people" we wanted, it pained me to imagine Yumi with another boy. I thought of her in another person's arms, her lips on another's, her hugs given away, her thoughts contaminated with him. But, what would I say if she actually did see someone else? I had no right to selfishly claim her all to myself; our relationship was long over.

Those days were so simple. We had no idea what "love" meant. I just marveled at the way her smile dazzled in the sun and her eyes bright. Even though she was younger than me, at that time, I never thought of her as a smaller sibling. Now, without the excuse of being practically her older brother, how was I to explain why I felt so protective over her?

Everything was drifting away from me, I realized with a pang of dread. Al was gone, he was in his own little, love world with Winry. He had completely recovered with his new body, with no need for my help anymore. Winry...I remembered when all I thought about was her. I had thought that there would never anyone else for me. She was perfect, an auto-mail expert with a non-metal heart, who completely understood me. Now, those thoughts were scattered like puzzle pieces all over floor. They had been so close to finishing the puzzle, when a wind came and hurled them across the place- a wind called Yumi.

When Winry had decided to send the letter to her to tell her that Al and I had been successful in our journey, all my memories came rushing back. It was ironic, how I hadn't even a single concern for her and had been wrapped in my Philosopher's stone madness, and now, she was all I could think about. It was like I needed to make up for all those years of forgetting about her.

Shaking my head, I regret not having solved the problem sooner. My head was racking chaos back and forth viciously every passing moment I spent dawdling on this.
"Fullmetal, where are you going?" yelled Mustang from behind me. I snapped out of my pondering, only to realize the forest was a mere foot or two in front of me.
I turned around and saw the two soldiers running up to me.
"Stop daydreaming, Edward!" scolded the Lieutenant. "Don't go wandering off by yourself!"
Her harsh voice made me wonder what Mustang went through everyday.
"Uh, hai!" I managed to pull together a steady expression meekly. She wasn't convinced.
Instead of facing her stern face, I turned back to the immense forest before me. It was hard for to have to look up at the enormous trees. I mean, really? I grew almost a foot, and I still looked up to people...well, things? But, this displeasure was ridiculously unreasonable. It was just an inner habit of mine.
The trees' leafy greens stretched all the way to the clouds. When you actually stood up front and close to one of these monstrous plants, you could see the small cliffs scattered along the area were no big deal at all. The branches extended far and wide in every direction, like a bad and frizzy hair day for the tree. Inside the woods was a cluttered mess of fallen trees, bushy ferns, and uneven ground as far as the eye could see. Beyond that was just a black alley from the shadows cast by the trees. There was some light that penetrated the less verdant areas, so it wasn't like a rain forest where only a few flashes of brightness could be seen, but it was still less than I would've preferred on a sunny day like today. I could see some signs of bird nests, ant hills, and other animal holes; however, none of the inhabitants came to sight. It was like they were all scared away.
"Which way do you think she went?" wondered Mustang aloud.
The Lieutenant glanced around us. There was greenery all around half of the pit, and the other half was the rocky cliffside.
"I supposed we'll just have to look around. Let's start in the middle, and after walking a few minutes, we could split up," she suggested, after a pause.
"Running. You mean, after a few minutes of running," corrected Mustang.
A surprised look reached her face and she amended her mistake.
As we started to set out into the forest, I muttered under my breath, "You mean sprinting."
I set off at the fastest speed the heavy auto-mail leg would let me go. Luckily, at the beginning of the woods, the roots weren't as messy, and I could almost make out somewhat of a path. I felt the others fall a couple feet behind me.
"Wait, slow down! You'll trip over something" called the Lieutenant.
Hah, yeah right.
"Fullmetal, save your energy for later!" added Mustang.
Like I would listen to you.
"You might miss Yumi if you run at this speed!"
I halted in my tracks, startled by their comment. I felt my body tense as I searched around for any sign that someone had passed by earlier. The two caught up to me with annoyed expressions.
Having not found any, I grumbled to them, "What are you talking about? We didn't pass her."
"You might have," warned the Lieutenant.
"But I didn't."
She sighed.
Mustang then admitted shamefully, "This forest is actually a lot trickier to maneuver than we thought. We kind of got stuck on that clump of branches and bushes back there."
I would've laughed at him if the mood was any different, but I couldn't find the reason to joke around in such a serious situation.
"Come on," I said gravely. After a brief silence, I added, "I'll slow down.
They sighed in relief.
When we got to a comfortable "running" speed, I saw what they meant by getting stuck around some tree roots. Before, I had charged unhesitatingly into the woods, adrenaline in my veins. Now, when I had calmed down, I truly saw how hazardous the area really was.
I ducked underneath a perilously large tree branch, and it held it up for the Lieutenant and Mustang. At least I was that tall.
Tree branches and bushes were scattered all over. I saw poison ivy swirl around many of the trunks and odd-shaped fungi at the roots. Some of the plants were wholly covered in moss, while others' green leaves shined brightly. Again, I sidestepped a brushy shrub that lied in the middle of the path. I felt the ground elevate and descend numerous times. The rocky footing was only suitable for a goat. Any little slip on a pebble here could send you flying head first straight into one of those solid-looking trees.
A while later, there was no more path to follow, if there was ever one to begin with. Now, it was all branches, trees, and plants tangent to each other. There was no room for jumping, running, and barely enough for walking.
I murmured impatiently as we slowly made our way across the vast forest, small step by step, "We're never going to find them at this rate."
"Well," answered Mustang, optimistically, "Yumi couldn't have got far in this mess either."
I shook my left arm, trying to let it not get rusty. During this motion, I accidently hit a sapling with broad, spiky leaves. The small tree shook violently from my touch, its branches waving back and forth, as if saying "hi."
"Oops," I mouthed.
"You have to watch what you touch, Edward. We have to be stealthy so the servant doesn't hear us," frowned the Lieutenant.
I heard an "oomph" from Mustang. I whipped out my blade and Lieutenant Hawkeye snatched her pistols out, ready for action.
"It's okay, guys, I'm fine," muttered Mustang. I turned to him and found that he was getting up from the woods' floor, dusting his pants off. "Damn, Fullmetal, that little tree you disturbed is strong."
"Or you're just weak," I retorted, ignoring the disapproving look from Hawkeye. "I can't believe you got hit by a sapling and fell."
He rolled his eyes. "Right, or I was paying my attention to that big tree that's fallen in the middle of the path you guys chose," he drawled sarcastically.
"Hey, it's not my fault you're in the back," I shrugged. "Besides, how did that sapling hit you when you were over there?"
He went back and sat on the broken tree trunk that was strewn about 10 feet across the ground. "I had a face-plant right here in the ground. That's a reasonable distance from that tree," he pointed. "You hit it hard, Fullmetal. It was shaking like crazy."

I stretched my left arm. "Ugh, it's getting heavier. I have to tell Winry about this."

"Look! I found something!" called Lieutenant Hawkeye.

I reluctantly stopped fussing around the auto-mail and headed towards where she was pointing. Her finger furiously stabbed the air next to where Mustang had fallen.

Mustang moved clear of her jabbing and stepped around her carefully.

"It looks like there's something wedged underneath the tree," he observed.

"It's probably just a piece of trash. People litter here all the time," I assured, looking around us. Scattered within the crunchy leaves on the ground were mixed with the usual remains of plastic bags, food wrappers, etc.

"No," disagreed the Lieutenant. "It looks more like a photograph."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, maybe it's just a picture someone left behind. No big deal."

Instead of listening to me, they knelt down and started to inspect the stuck photo. I sighed loudly, trying to make it obvious I was beyond impatient. Why couldn't we just move on already? The more time we wasted just standing around, the more time Yumi had to get farther and farther away. Please, it's not like that picture has anything to do with Yumi. I mean, the chances of that were 1 in a mil-

"Hey, look, it's your girlfriend!" called Mustang, waving the picture in the air.

My pride held me there, while the rest of me wanted to go and snatch the picture from his greedy hands.

"How can you tell?" I asked, hoping my unconvinced attitude would reach across.

"She's a bit younger, probably around 8 or so," reported Mustang, his eyes studying the picture intently. A little too intently.

"A bit?" I scowled.

"Here you look."

I tried to slow my steps down, but decided against my charade and jogged the space between us. My eyes widened when I saw the picture.

It was of Yumi. It was a picture of her in a dress wearing a big, sunny smile. The untainted innocence that spread across this photo was unfathomable. She finally seemed truly like the little girl I envisioned her in my head to be. This picture was before her father had left, I assumed. This was back when we were still together.

I couldn't take my eyes off the picture. I just stood there, transfixed by the rare expression of pure happiness she wore. Nowadays, you'd have to go the extra mile just to get half of this.

"Yumi was here," I whispered, still staring.

Mustang sensed my astonishment and patted me gently on the shoulder, all kidding aside. "Come on, Fullmetal. We should get going."

They started down the path, once again climbing through the treacherous roots and branches. I was laggard to follow them, my eyes tearing unwillingly off the photo.

I tucked the photo safely in my jacket pocket and ran after them.

Yumi's POV:
My heart beat violently. Every single cell in my body screamed with warning. This was wrong. This was the wrongest thing ever. It was beyond anything I could comprehend. My mind thought of a million reasons why I should put a stop to this right this instance, and I neglected to listen to any of them. My arms seemed to want to push him away, but it had no strength to. Strangely, I didn't mind, or rather, I couldn't even control it even if I did. My body was moving on its own, following its own rhythm.
And my lips touched his yet again.

A/N: So, again, like the last chapter, this one was a lot longer than I expected it to be. No super big cliffies this time, because I was actually planning to add a whole other part into this. I guess it'll just be the next chapter then. :P
And, I know you haven't seen Tatsuya very much at all. He's pretty much just mixed up in this story, here and there. I suppose if enough of you like him, which I doubt because I think he has a lot of haters (Edward ftw, right?), I'll add more of him in...at the end. ^^
So, which character will end up with Yumi? Tatsuya, Ed, AL? Or no one? Again, please vote which pair you like the best. It might even have some influence on the plot...MIGHT...don't you just love me? :]
Review and vote!