Chapter 21: Calm Before the Storm

It's funny how the night seems to drag on when you're trying to stay awake. Sleep was etched into his face, the red slowly appearing in his eyes. Rubbing his eyes he exhaled deeply turning his head to stare at her again. Her face was stuck in a peaceful expression her chest rising and falling slightly with every breath. Ed couldn't help himself as his eyes slowly shut his body luring him into a forced sleep.

When he opened his eyes he saw a scene of chaos before him, Havoc was by his side screaming as blood poured from his wounds. Before he could register where he was he felt a piercing pain steal through his body. He gazed down to find several holes in his skin the bullets having sliced through his veins casting a sickening amount of blood to spill out. Dropping to his knees he couldn't get the sounds of gunfire and bombs to leave him in peace. He dragged himself over to Havoc, his body on the brink of death, "Jean who did this to you?"

Havoc coughed hard, the blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. "The boy, his boy."

Ed gripped his wounds tightly trying to fight the pain. "I don't understand, what boy?"

Havoc took one last shuddering breath, "Elric he's coming for her, the boy wants her dead."

Ed felt the fear and pain rise in him as the sounds of war became deafening, "DAMMIT HAVOC WHO! WHO'S THE BOY?"

With a deep gasp Ed jerked awake as a pair of hands gently shook him. Breathing deeply he turned sharply to meet a pair of rather frightened blue eyes.

Her voice came out in a barely audible whisper, "Ed are you alright?"

Not thinking clearly Ed quickly searched his body for bullet wounds his heart still racing. 'What did it all mean?" He stared off in the distance trying to decipher his absurd dream or nightmare to be more correct. Without an answer he jumped out of the bed and threw on his coat.

Winry's voice shook him from his tunnel vision. "Ed where are you going? Tell me what's wrong."

He didn't turn around to meet her gaze, "I need to find who killed Havoc, I have to go Win." His vow to stay by her side had been shaken, his instincts abandoned. As the adrenal ran thick in his blood all he could think about was this boy. The boy who was after her. "I'm going to kill him before he gets a chance to hurt you."

Winry stared after his retreating form a look of complete shock on her face, "Who would be after me?"

Ed walked briskly into Al's room the morning's dawn casting a reddish glow on its contents. Ed shook his brother, "Alphonse wake up."

Al slowly stirred rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "Wha…what's up, did I oversleep?"

Ed thrust Winry's note into his hands, "I'm going alone to Central. I'm going to find him before he finds her. Al I trust you'll look out for her. Just don't show her that note, I don't want to scare her. She's been through enough."

Al scanned the note his face going rather pale, "Wait Ed I cant, I can't stay here."

Edward looked at his younger brother with a pleading glare to his stare.

Al climbed out of bed to meet him eye to eye his voice shaking slightly with repressed emotion. "God Ed…don't you remember the last time you trusted me to keep her safe? Brother not only did I let them kill Granny but they kidnapped her without so much as a fight from me." His gaze fell to the floor his face full of shame and regret.

Ed grabbed his shoulder his voice steady, "Al that wasn't your fault, I trust you to keep her safe. That's all you have to do is keep her safe until I return. You're stronger than you think you are, after all who took down Bradley?"

Alphonse brought his head up slightly and with a sigh nodded his head, "I'll guard her with my life, just come home soon alright?"

Ed looked longingly at Winry's room, "She's probably going to ask why I left without you, I don't care what you tell her. But please don't mention that note, I don't want her to worry."

Al slowly crinkled up the note and threw it into the trash, keeping a secret from that girl was going to be a lot harder than Ed made it seem. The slamming of the front door was almost loud enough to block out the crying he heard coming from her room. He felt at a loss, his brother always managed to cause a storm. A storm that destroyed the fragile world around it and here he was as always, left to try and pick up the pieces. Opening the door to her room he knocked softly as he walked in. She tried to duck her head from his view as she wiped the tears from her face. Al wasn't going to fall for her tough act as she forced her face into an expressionless void, without fail he pulled her into a hug. "Win you know as well as I do that trying to figure out what he is thinking is a waste of time. But what I do know is that his main motive is love. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't try his best to protect us."

Winry smiled at him, "I know, I wouldn't have it any other way…I just wish it didn't hurt so badly." Her gaze slowly turned to skepticism, her voice becoming distant, "Al why didn't you go with him."

Al could feel his heart starting to race, how could he not tell her. His brother's voice echoed through his head sending a forbidding sense of finality into his head. "I don't think I'll be of much help in the search, really I'm better off staying here."

She could hear his lie stab its way through his words. She got up and walked to the door, "Al don't lie to me." With that she turned her back on him so that he wouldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes as she made her way downstairs and out the front door. Soon she was slumped against the faithful trunk of the large oak tree. The branches swayed slightly in the breeze making her resent the way the world kept spinning even when it seemed hers had come to an abrupt halt. It was like the calm before a storm, something bad was definitly on the horizon. She stared angrily at the rising sun, 'Dammit Ed when will you stop running away from me?'

Back in Central Breda dropped a stack of files on Mustangs desk. "This was all we could get from their old headquarters. It appears that they destroyed most of their documents in the last battle, but we did manage to get a hold of these."

Roy flipped through the pages confused, "I don't get it what do they mean?"

Breda pointed to the first document, "Apparently they had a secret task force called the seven sins. Each member was codenamed a different sin. From our records we have discovered that five of them are dead." He slowly pulled out two files. "However there are still two of them who have yet to be identified."

Roy read off the names, "Envy and Pride."

Fuery stepped closer to Mustangs desk, "From interrogating some of their men, we believe the identity of pride to be Salem Bradley."

Mustang raised his eyebrows, "Hmm is it possible he is of relation to the former fuhrer Bradley?"

Breda nodded his head, "Our information tells us that he is indeed the son of Bradley. This gives him the skills and motive for such a position. It also puts him in a position that lends itself to committing such a crime."

A knock at the door revealed Riza Hawkeye and Edward Elric. "Edward Elric is here to see you sir."

Roy motioned him to sit down. "Well boys you will need to confirm the identity of Pride, and you still need to find Envy's. I want them captured and brought back here for questioning. Is that clear?" As they turned to leave he stood up from his desk, "Elric hold on a second. Riza told me about what that note to Winry said." He stared unblinkingly into his eyes. "I think it's better if you sit this one out."

Ed's face contorted in rage, "You should know better, I can't sit around while someone comes after her. I will kill him before he can lay one finger on her."

Mustang shook his head, "See this is why I won't allow you on this case, you're too emotionally involved."

Ed angrily slammed his fist down on the desk, "This is bullshit! Emotionally involved? What about Hawkeye, Breda and Fuery aren't they all emotionally involved?"

This time Roy's face turned red with anger, "Don't talk to me with that attitude. They may be emotionally involved but they don't act on their anger. They don't make the careless mistakes that you do when a loved one is involved. You lose your head too much, just like your doing right now."

Ed's breathing was coming out in short rasps. "I thought after everything...I thought we were friends."

Roy avoided his glare, "We are, and that's why I can't let you go out there in the state that you're in. You'll only get yourself killed."

Ed didn't wait for him to look up before he had stormed out of the office. Riza tried to stop him but he shook her off.

Riza walked into Mustangs office. "Sir what's wrong with Edward, what happened?"

Roy frowned, "That kid is going to get himself killed."

Not very exciting

But the next chapter will be

Just wait and see!

Amy