So, because of horrible formatting, I am stuck in typing it in Center.. ^^U Please enjoy the next installment of this wonderful FIC. :D

Chapter Eleven:

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow III

Ed left the next morning just as the sun began to rise over the hills. There was an early train headed straight for Central, promising he'd be able to get there in two days and be able to eat before visiting the General. He wasn't very enthusiastic about going, because he hadn't seen his face in three years, which was not a long time and not long enough.

He was against Winry walking with him to the station, because he thought she needed the sleep before she reopened her shop downstairs the following week. Nonetheless, he was in no place to ask her to stay home, so she walked with him hand in hand toward the station.

It had been a tense silence, and then . . .

"How long will you be gone this time?" her voice was barely a whisper, and Ed gulped and kept on looking forward.

"Can't be sure," his voice was thick and raspy. He slowly moved his head to look down at her, and he swung his hand from hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She relaxed into his touch. "Mustang told me it was urgent, so it's probably something concerning his campaign for Fuhrer. With that idiot, though, I can never tell."

Winry smiled fondly, which melted away when she found herself standing beside him as he got his tickets for the to-and-fro. She frowned, wrapping her arm around his abdomen and being sat down on a bench. "But, you will come home, right? You won't leave me waiting? I don't want or need a repeat of 3 years ago, Edward."

Ed chuckled. "I know. I'll call you as soon as I get to my hotel room."

"You better."

The train whistle sang in the early morning air, and Ed stood up to watch it come into the station. Winry stayed sitting, releasing her hand from his and folding both of them on her lap. If you don't Winry thought, you'll get a wrench to your skull, like old times.

Ed clutched his suitcase that was resting at his feet, and he stared at Winry for a long time as the train hissed to a stop. "All boarding to Central! 6:15 train leaves in ten minutes!" a man swung from behind an archway, and Ed gave Winry a peck on the forehead before turning. Winry watched him walk toward the train, his long golden hair swinging in its ponytail, and get onto the train. She walked toward the train, and saw him sit right across from her.

He opened the window. "I'll call when I get there."

She nodded, batting away the tears that threatened to surface, and smiled. "Good. See you."

He smiled and sat down, not tearing his gaze away from hers, and slowly the train sprang to life. The whistle sounded once more, and she watched the train. Her hair blew in front of her face, strands sticking to her lips and eyelashes. "Don't forget." She whispered as the sun shone down on her, and she headed back home where she'd need to start breakfast.

Okay, so he'd partially lied. He had a pretty good feeling why he was going to Central after three years, and it wasn't because of Roy Mustang's Fuhrer campaign. That wasn't for another year, considering Grumman had only been President for three years. Ed sighed and relaxed on the seat, crossing his arms with a long huff.

"Ticket?" a younger man with short blond hair showed beside him, wearing sunglasses and a toothpick hanging out of his mouth, and Ed shoved the ticket in his face.

"How long to Central?" Ed snapped as the ticket was handed back. Ed undid his ponytail and started braiding it, and the man put his hands on his hips.

"Well, chief, that depends what the hell you're going there for in the first place."

Ed blinked and swung his braid behind his back – it was definitely longer than it used to be –, looking at the boy. "Is that you, Lieutenant Havoc?" The man took off his sunglasses and hushed Ed. "Ah. You're undercover, eh?"

Havoc smirked and walked in, closing his door behind him and taking a seat beside Ed. "You too?"

"Nah," Ed said, folding a leg over the other, crossing his arms, "Mustang called me in on business. I don't even work for that tight-ass anymore. But he said it was important, and who am I to argue with the future Fuhrer…" the question was rhetorical albeit sarcastic, and Havoc nodded, taking the toothpick out of his mouth and threw it on the ground. "And after all the promising of not seeing that idiot again, here I am."

Havoc nodded and pulled out a cigarette, leaving it unlit. "I've been promoted to First Lieutenant, though not much of one. Hawkeye is a full Colonel, and Mustang is still the General." Ed nodded for him to continue.

"And, any new girlfriends?"

The sudden dark cloud looming over Havoc's head made Ed sweat-drop, and Havoc snapped to attention as the train jerked to a stop.

"This is your conductor speaking. We're having some minor difficulties and will start the train back up in about 10 minutes. We apologize for the delay. Also, will the Fullmetal Alchemist please come to the front-most car? Thank you."

Ed and Havoc blinked and looked at each other; Ed was sure he'd heard that voice, sometime in his life, but shook the thought away and stood. "Fullmetal, huh?" he smirked, digging into his pocket to stare at his silver pocket watch. "Haven't heard that in some time. You reckon it's a good idea?"

Havoc stood and gave him a serious look. "When they call you by your former alias, it's never a good idea. But somehow I know you're going to go charging in there full-force knowing just that."

Ed smirked, gave Havoc a firm nod, and headed out to the pathway, leading up to the next car. If he wasn't going to be in Central, he was going to see what the hell the delay was all about.

Sigh. I guess this one was okay, I don't have much to say about it...

Review Replies:

MissTreason: ACK! I lost the original comment I left for you, because I "X-ed" out the window on ACCIDENT. Sad face. : Well, thanks for your feedback~

brit02: Yes, I just noticed the format was being stupid that day. Sorry about that, I'll go back and fix it sooner than later. :)

.Janiga: Hehe yesssss. Unicorns FTW. :D I could do without the rainbows, unless they were DOUBLE rainbows. That would be the best. Day. Ever!

Songbird Alchemist: It's good... I actually thought of Kyo telling me to update, and in my head I read it in his voice... XD (Furuba, yay!) Hope you liked it~

Purple Dragon Ranger: Well, I didn't mean for it to be said out loud... they were thinking it to each other, and I sort of imagined it at the same time, too, so their voices overlapped. But... it didn't look that way. I'm glad you liked it, and hope you liked this one too!

SoulxXmaka2435: Yay! I got your name right on the fiiiirst try! ;) Anyway, I'm glad you liked it and hope you liked this one d^_^b *thumbs up, LOL*

gomez46356: Dear. Gate. I did it! I wrote your name in the first tryyy! :D Yaaaay! *spins in a circle* Um... ahem... and thanks for your review! Hope you liked this one!

Mangaka Shuzen: Thaaaaank you! :3

Queen NekoChan: Well, that's what I do~ (see? If you say it out loud, it sort of sounds like you'd say it in a sing-songy voice.) Hope you liked this one!

wolly0330: Aw, thank you! I'm glad you like this, and hope you continue reading! :)

Next Update: 15 March 2011

Cheers!

~Cookie