Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto let alone any of the characters from either. I make no profit writing this as it is merely for creative and entertainment purposes only. I don't even own the title to this story as it comes from the song by Martina McBride.

A/N: Dark themes, child abuse, violence, language. This story is fictional and should it offend anyone please do not read. Flames will be used to make smores and comments and constructive criticism is welcome. This story is un-beta'd and edited by me. Oh and here's a shocker, Hoenhiem is the good parent in this, OMFG. Lol. P.S.S.-Sorry about the lateness of the chapter and there are two time jumps including the opening one.

Title: Concrete Angel

Series: Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto

Pairing: Ed/Winry, Naru/Sasu

Genre: Drama

Summary: Even should the wings of angel's help us rise above the ashes we must find our own strength to continue on past the times we fall?

Lie awake in bed at night

And think about your life

Do you want to be different?

Try to let go of the truth

The battles of your youth

'Cause this is just a game

-A Beautiful Lie (C) 30 Seconds to Mars

Chapter 21

2 Months Later . . .

Ed was not happy with the fact that he had to undergo physical therapy still on top of doing his school work at home, which seemed endlessly and he had already finished more than half of in the last two months, and going to the dojo with Sasuke every morning. The two of them were catching up on their college work through assignments sent via email and since they did not have to go to the actual campus they were told it would be better for them to attend the morning instruction.

It was not that everything was overwhelming it was simply that there was a lot to be done everyday and he was feeling agitated by it all. That group that had stolen the journal and attacked Mrs. Uchiha had not made a move since then but that did nothing to alleviate the stress of knowing that they would make another attempt sometime in the future. Hopefully he would be able to finish another chunk of his assignments once he made it to the Uchiha residence where he spent the majority of his time during the week.

He and Sasuke had the same instructor since both of them were still recovering physically from their injuries and both happened to be the same level concerning their experience in martial arts. The raven haired teenager was at first surprised to see that his friend had any amount of experience with martial arts. The second surprise was that Ed not only knew a bit of martial arts but that his previous teacher had taught him mixed martial arts.

Learning how to fight with his automail and learning how to control the amount of force he used with his prosthetic arm was the most difficult part for him. Everyday they had their instruction they would spend five to six hours at the dojo which was located a thirty minute walk away from the Uchiha residence. Both his father and Sasuke's parents had decided that since both boys were quick to finish their college assignments that on weekends they would take a break from their school work.

It worked out nicely but it drove him crazy having work that needed to be finished and not being able to work on it. The whole take the weekend off idea meant that his school books and papers were at the Uchiha residence instead of at his house on weekends. He and Al spent their weekends training with alchemy through their father's tutelage which always ended up irritating Ed because he didn't so much need instruction as he needed to gain practical knowledge.

What he meant by practical knowledge was learning how to use alchemy in a fight and learning how to apply it to different situations. As the two of them walked up the sidewalk to Sasuke's front door he finally pulled himself out of his thoughts so that he could turn his attention to greeting Mrs. Uchiha and Mr. Uchiha. He closed the door behind him as Sasuke removed his shoes to be left by the front door as his friend had entered the home in front of him and then he followed his friend's action of removing his shoes before stepping up onto the hardwood floor.

They made their way to the kitchen where they would grab a late lunch before they headed upstairs to do their school work where they were greeted by not only Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha but Tidus, Yuna, Lenne, and Jacqueline. The little girl was no more than two years old and she had her mother's dark hair and her father's blue eyes. She was a calm little girl a trait Ed could see from Lenne and stories about Shuyin she had inherited from both of her parents.

The small child always liked to wear dresses, preferably blue in color and also preferred to have her long hair tied back in a braid. He prepared himself for her greeting, always enthusiastic when it came to him since he happened to be one of the two people who was not stoic and controlled at all times. She jumped down from her mother's lap and leapt at him, arms outstretched with a cry of his nickname that Mrs. Uchiha had given him.

"Jin-kun," was the cry of greeting, calm for a two year old his foot he thought as he caught her and returned her hug having to drop his bag of things he took to the dojo with him. Clothes that he trained in and a few bottles of water made it a relatively small bag. She kissed his cheek and smiled up at him and he caught the women in the room smiling warmly at the exchange while Tidus tried to hold in a snicker at his expense.

Glaring at the other he set the little girl down and knelt down in front of her, "How was your day Jacqueline-chan?"

"It was fun, kasaan and Yuna-san showed me how to count and I'm learning how to read and write and it was a lot of fun."

"Oh, well that's good. Maybe you can read me something later then?"

She glowed with happiness at his words and nodded, "Really?"

He chuckled and patted the top of her head, "Really."

When he stood up she returned to her mother but Lenne couldn't pick her up properly with her swollen stomach so the little girl settled with going over to her uncle and latching onto him who picked her up with a laugh before tossing her into the air a few times. The innocent giggles of pure happiness helped to lift his mood a bit as Mikoto informed him and Sasuke that their lunch was waiting for them in the fridge. Thanking her, the two of them grabbed the left over plates and took them to the dining table where they ate in silence.

Mr. Uchiha joined them in the dining room taking a seat at the end of the table and unfolding a newspaper which he decided to read rather than offer any greeting or saying a word to them. They ate quickly and got up to rinse off their plate thanking Mrs. Uchiha for lunch once they were in the kitchen once more and then grabbing their discarded bags and heading upstairs to do their school work.

Hours passed steadily by and before they knew it they were being told to wash up for dinner and put away their school books. After dinner he was expected to visit with everyone, dragging Sasuke with him because he was not doing so alone, and then his father would arrive to pick him up. One of the changes to his usual routine other than the no school work on weekends or after dinner part was that he was not allowed to walk home after dark nor was he allowed to go much of anywhere after dark. Sixteen years old was more than old enough to walk a blocks home or go out with friends after dark but not with the very real dangers that awaited him and everyone else he knew.

It was annoying to say the least but he could deal with it because he knew the loophole to these new rules was that once he got his driver's license and his own vehicle to drive that he would not have to follow such regulations. He did not have the spare time to get a job to go about getting his own vehicle but once he finished all of his work for college and took his exams he would still have a few months during the summer where he could get a job to buy his own vehicle.

He had not mentioned it to anyone but he did not want a car, rather he wanted a motorcycle, not practical nor inexpensive or even safe, but if he paid for it with his own money then that was what he planned to get. The problem of course was getting the right job where he could earn the kind of money it would cost him to purchase a motorcycle. Driving one would require more concentration on his part given the unbalanced weight of his body with the automail increasing the weight of his right side by at least fifty pounds.

Vesting with everyone did not take place during dinner, which was an American dish of hamburger helper with rice and mixed vegetables. Lately Mikoto made western foods because of the additional house quests that were present for dinner and because Jacqueline was used to American food over Japanese. After dinner Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha would have everyone move into the living room to visit with one another.

Standard questions like, 'How was your day, how is your training going,' were directed at Sasuke and Ed. Questions pertaining to how is looking for a place of your own or a job going were always directed at Yuna and Tidus who often times were the one's looking for work and a place to live. Lenne was expected to take care of her daughter and worry about the unborn child she had growing inside of her so she was not expected to look for work or a place to live.

After that Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha would offer comments about their replies and then declare that they were retiring for the night. From there Sasuke would return to his room where he would spend the remainder of the night doing his school work and Ed would be left downstairs with Yuna, Lenne, Tidus, and Jacqueline. Tonight he was sitting on the couch with the two year old right next to him with a children's book in hand which she was reading out loud to him.

Her mother was on her daughter's other side helping Ed assist her with reading the book while Tidus and Yuna sat in the loveseat next to the couch watching the three or talking quietly to each other. By the time Lenne declared it was her daughter's bedtime Ed knew that his father was likely picking Al up from Naruto's house after their training at the dojo had finished.

Tidus moved over to the couch to sit down next to him, "So, everything goin' alright then Ed?"

"Yeah, just fine," he said dryly.

"Has to suck not being able to do what you want huh?"

"Yeah, as much as it has to suck to live off your aunt and uncle," he replied back making the other let out a sigh. He knew he should be a little nicer to Tidus but it was hard when the other was rubbing it in regarding his not being able to go out after dark at sixteen years old. Yuna was still sitting in the loveseat and looked lost in thought when he glanced her way.

The real reason Tidus, Yuna, Lenne, and Jacqueline were living in the Uchiha residence had to do with the threats made against them in California and then in New York. After what had happened this past September they had no choice but to return to Cambridge to stay with their aunt and uncle. Tidus' parents did not want to help their only remaining son unless it was just him and the other was not going to leave his sister-in-law and girlfriend to fend for themselves especially with his niece to take care and another kid on the way.

He couldn't blame the older blond for that at all he would have done the same thing; it's easier to forget about your pride and independence when other people are going to have to pay the price as well. That reason alone, the danger to his friends and family, was more than enough to make him deal with these new rules and the curfew bit. It did not make it any less aggravating or easier to deal with but it kept him from breaking the new rules.

Yuna and Lenne had lost their own parents the same day that Shuyin had died and he knew that only made it even harder. At least their parents were supportive. Hearing about Kairi, Sora, and Riku losing their lives had hit Winry hard and Tidus and his group were hurting because of that as well since they had become close friends with the trio while they were in New York. Winry, he knew, was a fighter; she took in losses and suffering and learned from them then just kept on going. He would like to spend more time with her but their schedules never allowed it, especially during the week.

Now that she had put her automail designs into action, building his arm and being part of the medical team that installed it, all her free time went into improving the automail and keeping up with current medical advances on top of her harassing him about the automail and keeping up with it. He would prefer that when she did show up she gave him a break for a moment and actually talked to him and not at him regarding her creation of the automail limb. Dealing with Tidus five days a week wasn't all that bad as long as the other did not remind him about what he already hated having to deal with.

Yuna and Lenne were not troublesome in the least to deal with and he even enjoyed spending time with Jacqueline, she wasn't the epitome of a terrible two year old like every said regarding her age. She loved to learn and while enthusiastic and excitable at times it wasn't over the top to the point where she drove him up the wall. He didn't mind her calling him by the Japanese nickname Mikoto had given him and when she got to be too much he could always hand her off to her mom, aunt, or her uncle.

"Edward?"

He looked up at the sound of his name, Yuna was addressing him and he offered an apologetic smile, "Yes?"

"Your father is here," looking up and past her he did see his father with his little brother standing just behind him. Getting to his feet he waved over his shoulder as a goodbye to the couple who took to sitting on the couch together and followed his father and brother out of the room and to the front door. He put his shoes back on without much thought and was the first to step outside where he waited for the other two and they went home. This schedule was repetitive and boring because this was how his week went and on weekends he was so absorbed in alchemy he ended up thinking four times as fast in regards to his school work when Monday rolled back around. At least when he was training he was able to burn off a lot of excess energy from spending hours absorbed in books of all kinds and doing nothing but research and reading almost constantly.

One Month Later . . .

Still nearly monotone in its continuity and repetitiveness he walked through his front door and headed upstairs where he would shower and change into more comfortable clothes and go into his room where he would fail at attempting to work on his dexterity so that he can relearn how to play the violin. He only kept trying because Winry tested him on it every Saturday when she came over to make sure he had kept up with the maintenance and was still doing his daily exercises. She knew when he wasn't doing everything she had told him to do to perfect his control with the automail, it was sort of like a mother's instinct, mom's always know when you are up to no good whether or not you make it obvious.

It was Friday, which was good because he could go to sleep and wake up tomorrow and go to the study room and work through the alchemy texts his father allowed them to use and by lunch his girlfriend would be there to spend some time with them and lecture him. What he really wanted was to get out of this house and go somewhere, anywhere else, the park, a movie, for a damn walk around the block, anything. He was going insane being stuck inside of two houses and a dojo all the time with nothing else to do and nowhere else to go.

Going through his morning routine, stretch, a few exercises like stretches he was used to doing as warms ups at the dojo followed by light exercise was how he started each day. He did have periods of rest, usually on Sunday he would go through his usual morning routine and not doing any other kind of vigorous activity at all. Today he would do the same thing he always did after Winry visited, he would ask to go to Sasuke's where they would spar with one another for a few hours, and he would eat dinner then return home and shower. Almost the same as what he did during the week only without the hours of doing school work during the second half of the day. No, instead he did alchemy training during the first half of the day and physical training during the second half, complete opposite of how his Monday through Friday schedule went.

A few body twisting exercises, cross arm squats, chest spreading, side bending, forward bending, leg stretching, and knee bending exercises later he continued with the deep breathing and neck twisting. Once that was done he did a few sit-ups and push-ups just for good measure and a few squats before sifting through his closet and drawers to find some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom to take care of that part of his morning routine. By the time he had finished his shower, brushed his teeth and hair, braided his hair and got dressed Al was up and moving and starting his morning routine.

Heading downstairs he fixed himself a quick breakfast and put on a new pot of coffee since his father was always too absorbed in whatever work he was doing to remember his son's drank coffee as well and then he headed upstairs to the study where he was joined by Al only fifteen minutes later. It was maybe a few hours before their father joined them and asked to see their translations and notes to look them over and then gave them another assignment to do which required them to practice alchemy.

Al, being the meticulous, detail oriented, precise thinker between them always created something that had a lot of detail to it. Ed wanting to just get the task over and done with always made something that was practical and could be created quickly. Today they were told to make weapons, which he made a blade out of his automail and the materials within to be a smart ass before he grabbed a few things off the desk and tossed them to the floor and went through the motion of drawing a circle to create a spear.

His father, more than used to his antics, told him that he did a good job and now he had to recreate the items that he had used for material and return them to their original states. Alchemy never allowed for something to be reversed to the degree that it was just as it was before, that defeated the purpose of alchemy being about deconstructing, reconstructing, and recreating but he managed to return them to their original states with the residue of alchemy on them. The metal from the paper weight, whole puncher, stapler, and pencil sharpener were easy enough to reconstruct but the plastic components were a pain in the ass and would have melted had he not remembered the plastic parts.

As for Al, he created a sword out of a handful of paper clips, a stapler, and a globe off the desk and easily recreated them because he was the more detail oriented one between them. When their father complimented Al on paying attention to detail the younger of the Elric's stuck out his tongue at his elder when their father left them to continue their own note taking and research. Ed glared at his little brother and threw the paper weight at him which resulted with Al throwing it back at him and knocking his notes off his desk when the elder ducked.

With a few muttered cuss words Ed went to sorting through all of his notes while his little brother, ever the innocent, sweet talking, angelic one according to everyone else left him to sift through the papers on his own. He scoffed and muttered something about Al being a brat which got him a paper back book thrown at his head. Al was turning out to be one hell of a mischievous little devil really and Ed was going to get the little shit back later.

When Winry arrived he was caught off guard when she didn't start off by harassing him about his automail. Instead she merely walked upstairs and into the study where he found her immersed in a medical book and the two of them sat in comfortable silence reading their preferred books when Al returned with a plate full of sandwiches, bag full of chips, and three sodas' for lunch. After they ate, absent mindedly, Al got up and declared he was going downstairs to get a break from all the alchemy text leaving the two of them alone.

Hours could have passed for all he knew by the time Winry cut through the silence by slamming her book closed with a loud pop startling him and making him drop his own text to the floor. He looked up at her as he reached down to pick up the large text to see her standing only a few feet away with her hands on her hips. He just looked at her confused as to why she was glaring at him which led to her tapping her foot, sighing, and saying, "Let's go out."

"Go out?"

"Yes Edward, out, outside, in the sun, somewhere that is not cooped up within four or more walls. Don't lie and tell me you are perfectly happy to go through the same tired routine that you go through every single day, of every single week, for the last three months."

"Okay, where the hell can we go that won't get shot down?"

"Who said we had to ask for permission, let's just walk right out the front door and go for a walk, maybe the park or something."

"The park or something?"

"Yes," she reached forward grabbing his right hand and pulling him to his feet and then pulled him behind her out of the room, down the stairs, and right out the front door without so much as a word until they had walked about four houses down the street. From there she moved to his left side and fell into step beside him and entwined her fingers with his own. With a slight blush he squeezed her hand and gave her a smile, this alone was more than enough to make up for the months in captivity held prisoner by all those who cared about his well being.

Winry cared, he knew that but she seemed to be the only one that heard him screaming out angrily in his subconscious about being kept indoors all the time. When she started to swing their arms back and forth and whistle he put a stop to that by saying, "What made you decide this was a good idea?"

"I'm not blind Ed; I see how much this is killing you. You look as though you're stuck in a damn fog because this arrangement is suffocating you. I am also aware that while you will not admit it that you miss really spending time with me," she said that last bit with a blush and a cocky grin that could have rivaled his own. He laughed and nodded while he squeezed her hand again, "Yeah, you got that right. You do know that if anything happens it's your fault right?"

She laughed and let go of his hand to shove his shoulder which wasn't forceful enough to force him off his feet but he laughed anyway. They continued on in silence for the rest of the block before she headed in the direction of where he knew the park was and said to him thoughtfully, "Is it really because of your ancestor's that this group is after your family?"

"Yeah I guess, it's the only thing that makes any sense as to why they would be after us otherwise," he replied offhandedly. She looked at him over her shoulder having stepped ahead of him a bit then looked back up at the sky, they still had a few hours of daylight left but it would be close to dark by the time they made it to the park and then walked back. At least it was clear out and it wasn't hot outside despite it being summer now. Wow, knowing that it was already the summer and that he and Sasuke had almost finished all their work and would be expected to take finals and exams within the next week really gave him some perspective on how distant he was about everything lately.

"See, I knew you would notice it if I brought it to your attention."

He smirked at her jibe making her laugh and run ahead of him enticing him to chase her down the street. They arrived at the park shortly thereafter because of their running and she decided to lead him over to the vacant swing set where she took residence on one of the swings and started to swing idly back and forth while watching him expectantly. With an exasperated sigh at her antics he took the empty swing next to her but it was worth it to see her bright smile as a response to his doing so. Swallowing that voice in his head that told him swinging was a bad idea with the added weight of the automail he began to swing higher and higher alongside her until the swing set itself started to sway urging him to let himself fall back to a safer height so as not to strain it too much.

By that point she had decided she'd had enough of the swinging and leapt off the swing soaring through the air for a few seconds before landing on a patch of grass with a roll and more of her laughter. She didn't get up right away just smiled up at the sky and lay there catching her breath. Following her example he jumped off the swing letting the momentum carry him into a roll where he landed a few feet away from her. She looked over at him calling him to her without saying a word and he found himself sitting next to her on the grass completely ignoring everything but her.

When a mischievous look lit her eyes he didn't know what to expect least of all her sitting up quickly to move so that she was sitting right in front of him, their knees brushing and the minty taste of her breath mingling with his own breath they were so close. She reached forward holding him completely captivated by the look in her expressive blue eyes to brush her fingers lightly through his bangs. When she leaned even closer to brush a feather light kiss against his lips he held his breath not knowing what to do with himself with her initiating this exchange.

When she laughed lightly and pulled away he came back to his senses and leaned forward reaching his hand out to cup the back of her neck simultaneously and captured her lips in a full kiss. She always was quick to catch on and warm up to his advances when he reciprocated her actions, always letting her initiate this worked in his favor as he didn't have to worry about doing something when she wasn't 'in the mood'. He groaned appreciatively when she parted her lips immediately to his tongue running along her bottom lip in inquisition.

She relaxed into the kiss and he shifted to allow her to move closer to him having to spread his knees to do so. She all but climbed in his lap making him fall back and they broke their kiss in the midst of their fall to laugh at the arrangement they ended up in. He was on his back with her astride his lap with a grin on her face looking down at him and resting with her elbows on either side of his head. His hands were now on her hips which he had reached for in case he had to catch her and to which she didn't seem to mind.

"Well it seems I'm right where you want me then," he teased to which she leaned down to nip at his ear and whisper in his ear, "Yes I do," he shivered at the husky sound of her voice. When she leaned down further to kiss at his neck he arched his neck to allow her better access and to encourage her actions. She hummed appreciatively for him which he felt in every inch of his body and swallowed a groan when she found a very sensitive spot on his neck. She wasn't having that because the next thing she did was bite down on that spot harshly making him cry out, his hands tightened at her hips to which she relaxed against him to chuckle in his ears.

He opened his eyes when he felt her gaze on him after she shifted again to lock eyes with her. She gave him what he could only label as a seductive smile and leaned down to kiss him nipping at his bottom lip to get him to part his lips for her. He did so and allowed her to take control of the heated kiss and couldn't help but to think that this woman was going to drive him mad the more they ended up in this situation. More often than not she was the one who called the shots once they started this and while he hardly ever had any complaints she always loved to push him to the very edge of his control before she would pull away to let him calm down. She was a very sadistically teasing woman who knew which buttons to push on him and when to back off before he ended up following through with the urges every sixteen year old had.

Breaking their kiss he leaned up to try and re-engage it but she only made a tsking sound at that and shifted so that she could reach his collar bone which she planted with light, open mouthed kisses that were followed by teasing brushes of her teeth. From there she worked her way upwards again to kiss, lick, nip, and occasionally suck at his neck in different spots and then to do the same to his earlobes before she finally returned to kissing him for a while. All this time the fingers of her right hand threaded through his hair, tangled and messy from their antics earlier and lose now that he realized how much of his scalp her finger nails were scraping across. From there she moved to sit up grasping his hair and tugging to get him to sit up.

Still holding her hips he was forced to let go to push himself into a sitting position and when she reached up with both hands to work the tangles gently out of his hair he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close and let his thumb idly brush across the small of her back underneath her shirt. The fingertips of his left hand tingled a bit at the feeling of her warm skin beneath them and she shivered against him when his thumb slipped past the waistline of her jeans but she didn't reprimand him other than biting at that sensitive spot on his neck she had worked on earlier.

This time around, after she had made that damnable spot hypersensitive, he did released a short lived moan to her actions. He felt her smile against his neck and then she was kissing him breathless once again while her hands steadily threaded through his now lose hair. Releasing his right arm from around her waist he reciprocated her actions with his hair with hers running his fingers carefully through her hair so as not to tangle her hair with the joints and plates before twirling a lock of her hair around his finger absentmindedly. She deepened the kiss and relaxed against him even more and even went so far as to suck his tongue into her mouth and run her teeth along the organ pulling a drawn out groan from him in the process.

This was getting to be too heated for him so he pulled away and turned his head as he fought to catch his breath and regain some amount of control. She merely started to kiss at his throat once more before she let out a puff of air against his ear and whispered, "Willing to admit you missed me yet?' Hell he had missed her alright, he had missed every curve of her body that was pressed against him and that hot, wicked mouth of hers and the smirks, grins, and her nimble fingers threading through his hair. Concentrating on her fingers still threading through his hair leisurely he managed to calm some of his highly alert nerves but it did not help him take his mind off the fact that she was seated in his lap, pressed against him, licking, nipping, kissing, and sucking at his neck and driving him insane.

She pulled away and stopped messing with his hair to rest her arms on his shoulders and lean back a bit so that they could look at one another. He knew he was blushing but so was she from the rush of what they were previously doing. She was watching him and she found something amusing in his expression because she smirked and said, "I think it's safe to say you've have enough reminding for one night."

He snorted, "You think so, I could keep this up all night if you wanted," he challenged to which she snorted and with one last, short, sweet kiss on the lips she pulled away entirely and climbed to her feet. Following her on instinct and because he couldn't not follow her he climbed to his feet. When she smiled at him he couldn't resist pulling her to him to kiss her breathless before he released her and turned to walk away. It was not until he was walking down the path to lead deeper into the oddly deserted park that she retaliated by turning him by his shoulder and all but tackling him against a tree.

She didn't give him the time to catch his breath before she was kissing him back. She went so far as to plant her knee between his legs making his breath hitch on a deep moan to which she only kissed him deeper all but swallowing his tongue with how earnestly she was sucking his tongue into her mouth. When he tried to pull away because she had definitely broken his control with that action and her knee rubbing him there stirring up a hell of a lot of trouble she bit down on his tongue to keep him in place. His hands came up, hesitant for a minute on what to do before he planted them on her shoulders and gave a little push as a way to tell her to back off.

She wasn't happy to do that or complain about it choosing to instead increase the pressure of her knee and pressing her body against him even more. The rough texture of the tree he was pressed up against did not bother him in the least after that and he relaxed under her ministrations allowing her to do as she pleased. But she was driving him insane to the utmost degree and his pants were now officially too tight and uncomfortable now. Before he completely gave in he tried again to get her to back off which she finally did their kiss ending with a wet popping sound and her stepping back with a dark blush dusting her pale cheeks.

"Sorry," she said embarrassed, he had to take a few deep breaths to recover but he chuckled after that and said, "For what?'

"For not backing off, I'm sorry, I-you just-I don't know what came over me."

He smiled affectionately at her and closed the distance between him but not so much that they touched just enough that he could reach out his hand to caress her cheek with the back of his hand and turn her chin up to look at him. "Win' it's fine, just don't push me so close to beyond control anytime in the next few hours and we're good."

She laughed and blushed harder but seemed to be in a better mood. She really had brightened his day a great deal especially with her indirectly admitting that he had as much of an effect on her as she did on him. Teenage hormones he could wager were the reasoning for that in a realistic light but he was allowed to believe that she was just as crazy about him as he was about her if he wanted to. She backed away from him suddenly that mischievous little smile of hers on her face as she clasped her hands behind her back and watched him for a moment.

"Race you to the courtyard," she commented before she ran off ahead of him.

"Win' wait," he shouted after her looking worriedly up at the sky, it was already dusk and this park was entirely too empty for a summer night. There should be at least a few children and family's here even this late simply because it happened to be the summer. Yet, they had not come across anyone at all the entire they had spent here. Running off after her the darkening light from the sun setting prevented him from seeing her until he entered the clearing. The forestry of the park would make it hard on anyone to find one another after sundown but he really wished he was able to find her before he stepped out into the courtyard.

The courtyard was mainly a steep hill with a few trees here and there on an open piece of land. There were a few picnic tables beneath trees scattered throughout what he could guess was five acres of land. At the top of the hill underneath the large oak tree there was Winry and she was not alone nor was she laughing and smiling any longer. Considering the asshole that had a hold of her, his right hand grasping her wrists in front of her forcing her to be pressed tightly against the son of a bitch who also had a knife pressed to her throat in warning. He knew the warning was for her not to resist too much and for him to sit back and do as he was told which only fueled his anger all the more.

The man wearing the sharp, khaki colored slacks and suit jacket with the white button down shirt and the matching khaki hat was a man he knew all too damn well. Additionally, he was aware that Archer and Greed had to be close at hand given the informal situation before him. Sure enough the pair that was not within the vicinity of his girlfriend turned hostage walked into the clearing on either side of him casually approaching him. Greed as always, had his dark hair spiked up and was wearing a pair of indigo colored leather pants with a matching sleeveless shirt and his trademark pair of steel toe boots. He had a shit eating grin on his face as he waved at him in greeting.

Archer, the more sophisticated between them or so he liked to believe, was wearing a dark brown suit fit with a jacket and slacks and a white button down shirt. He did not even bother to tip his head in greeting merely watched him with a disdainful expression as Greed quickened his stride until he stood right next to him. Ignoring both of the enemies to either side of him his gaze was locked onto Kimblee who had his girlfriend in his grasp. He stepped aside when Greed moved closer to him to feign companionship by trying to put his arm around his shoulder. Narrowing his eyes at the knife that pressed tightly against Winry's throat and hearing her whimper and try to pull away.

Kimblee narrowed his own eyes at him and drew the blade along Winry's throat threateningly to keep him in place. He gritted his teeth but allowed Greed to put his arm around his shoulder. He was so tense his muscles ached from it but he stood still and even stood still when Greed leaned closer to him to whisper in his ear, "Miss us kiddo?"

He growled in warning to which the other shifted his arm from his shoulder to around his waist where he dug his claws into his side. Ed winced but didn't say or do anything else as he continued watching Winry locking eyes with her to try and convey that he was going to somehow get them out of this. Claws dug deeper into his side as Greed said, "It's rude to ignore someone Edowardo."

"Go to hell," he hissed angrily to which those claws finally broke skin and then were drug along his side tearing the skin there as well. He could feel the warmth of his own blood seeping through his shirt and sliding down his side but only held his ground and waited. He couldn't do shit until Kimblee let Winry go or until there was an opening where she was able to get away. Even then he was outmatched by three conniving, twisted, sick fuckers who outnumbered him and were stronger and faster than him.

"Been there, now then, how've you been?'

"Peachy," he bit out sarcastically to hide the short cry that wanted to escape when the bastard made a fist at his side to tear further through his skin and do more damage. Winry bit her lip to keep quiet to which Kimblee smiled serenely and said, "Such an intelligent, beautiful, young woman you've managed to catch the attention of."

"Yeah kiddo, you've done pretty well for yourself," Greed commented finally released his side and removing his arm from around him. His relieved exhale of breath was short lived however as the other simply grabbed a handful of his still lose hair and twisted it in an iron fist making him arch his neck with the strain and nearly making his knees buckle. Greed then invaded his personal space more to say with his face nearly brushing his cheek, "Too bad you're too pathetic to protect her, eh?"

His hand shot back to grasp the wrist holding his hair at that, his right hand squeezing until his hair was released and when he made to run forward to her she cried out stopping him short. Kimblee had swiftly and with almost blinding speed switched their positions enough that he was holding her now broken right wrist in his hand and she was on her knees tears streaming down her cheeks. He did hit his knees then only about ten paces away and gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his side as he growled out, "Leave her alone."

"Or what brat," Greed said with a chuckle as he came to kneel down on the ground beside him, "you're in no place to make demands," the man said as he brushed his deadly claws along his spine making him release another of his threatening growls. Winry's pained cry made him look back to her and hold still to whatever it was Greed was doing, brushing his hair away from his neck to scrape his claws along the back of his neck, so that he was fully focused on her.

"What do you asshole's want?"

"The same thing as before of course," Archer finally spoke up having made his way to the group of people gathered near the center of the courtyard now. Ed glanced his way but averted his gaze back to Winry not wanting to take his eyes off Kimblee and her. Greed chuckled and finally drew blood along the back of his neck before grabbing it in an iron grip and making him swallow on instinct because of the way the claw hovered over the vein on his neck.

"What-what do you want to let her go?"

"Hmm, let me think about it," Greed said and he scratched his claw along that vein absentmindedly, "I think I know what I want from you, but the others," he shrugged nonchalantly. Ed closed his eyes for a moment at the reminder of how Greed was, not one to hit a woman but more than willing to do untold things to a pre-teen boy and now teenage young man. He wasn't all that surprised by his answer but it was Archer that gave him an answer that made his blood boil.

"Nothing of value can come from you that would make us spear that woman's life."

"Not entirely true my friend," Kimblee commented finally releasing Winry and stepping away from her. Ed remained right where he was unable to really move with a sharp as hell claw at his jugular. Winry looked at him pleading with him to come with her but he closed his eyes to her unspoken plea which made new found tears run down her cheeks. She pushed herself to her feet as Kimblee came to kneel down in front of him, "Give us what we want and we will not cause her anymore harm. I detest harming a woman but will not keep to such unless you can give us what we came for."

He wasn't going to say a word until Winry left but then Greed cut a thin line along his throat and dug his claws into his skin once more, "You already have the journal."

"We want the translation of that journal you idiotic little punk," Archer snapped irritably.

"I don't have them; they were with the journal-shit!" He cried out when Kimblee stabbed that knife from before right through his still very much flesh and bone thigh. Winry, still within sight but along the boundary of the courtyard stopped and looked his way. He glanced her way and shoved down the pain pleading with her this time to run away. She was clutching her broken wrist to her chest and made to come towards him but he gritted his teeth and glared at Kimblee, "I don't have the damn translation."

"You may not be in possession of them but you know where they are," the man replied calmly while twisted the blade embedded in his leg making him let out a hiss of pain. He really did not want to have to go back to the hospital again he hated that damn place. Why couldn't the fucker stab him in the right arm and break his fucking blade on the metal there instead of aiming for the three flesh limbs he had?

"I don't, I burned them after you fucker's stole the journal," he snarled angrily through the pain in his leg. Looking towards where Winry was he was relieved to see that she was no longer within sight. Now he could fully concentrate on dealing with these sorry pieces of shit. Archer was glaring daggers at him but he could care less with Greed still holding his neck within his clawed grasp and the knife embedded in his thigh.

"How do we know you're not lying," Greed asked with a grin as he made another shallow cut beneath the previous one along his neck too close to his jugular for comfort. There was no way they could tell if he was lying or not considering he had developed a skill for lying even through this torment thanks to their bullshit back in London. He just scoffed and said, "Between the knife in my leg and your damn claws at my throat why the hell would I lie?'

"To waste our time while your girlfriend runs away to get help," Archer replied easily.

"I happen to concur," Kimblee stated simply and pushed himself to his feet pulling the knife free in the same motion. He had a split second to react and so he twisted receiving a deep cut along his collar bone from the way he twisted free of Greed's hold and jumped away only to slam his hands together in a resounding clap. Within the few seconds of shocking them he had created a spear, back flipped to put more distance between them and effectively called their full attention to him. He didn't care about the piercing pain in his leg or the numerous wounds that were staining his dark clothes with blood.

Not giving any of them time to take on a defensive stance he leapt swinging the spear through the air to separate them. He went for Archer first remembering the guy's knack for pulling dirty tricks and plenty of weapons from nowhere and though the man, a seasoned soldier, managed to dodge a few attacks and even force him back he did manage to impale the son of a bitch in the leg with his spear. He lunged hitting him with a right hook to knock him out and turned just in time to raise his arms to block the blow from Greed.

The 'Ultimate Shield' as others had called him had a high calcium count that allowed for him to be practically bullet proof and could even transform and manipulate his outer shell into that shield made of calcium that could break any sword and stop any bullet. As he leapt back and away and dodged and block blows he also ended up taking a few well aimed and precise blows to his wounds all of which the other had caused or witnessed which brought him to his knees quickly. But beaten and bloody did not mean shit when he had someone to protect so he forced himself to keep moving.

Pain is a state of mind after all and he was above letting pain knock him down so he did a one handed back flip to get away landing a solid kick that vibrated painfully throughout his legs and made his hips and even his jaw hurt but forced Greed back a step. He thought quickly through the ingredients of the human body and how he could counteract the high as hell calcium count in the fucker's body. His mind supplied the knowledge he needed so his hands and body had to supply the action to carry out his conclusion. Slamming his hands together he moved in to slam his hands against the other. It looked as though an external electrical current swamped the other making him stumble and in a flash he used alchemy to turn the forearm of his automail into a blade and turned to avoid a kick and ran the other through with his blade right through his sternum.

The other paused and when he pulled the blade free the other fell to his knees as his transformation came undone. His hand clutched at his chest as he hit his knees and he kept watching him with a grin, "Good move kid," the other said before he fell face first to the ground unconscious. Ed knew it was only for a short amount of time so he looked around for the last person only to find Kimblee nowhere within sight. Adrenaline pumping through his veins as steadily as fear for Winry he ran off in the general direction he assumed Winry would have gone.

He made it all the way out of the park before he stumbled across a scene he was not expecting. Winry was sitting on the curb across the street and Al, his father, Sasuke, Fugaku, and Tidus were standing over the unconscious form of Kimblee. How the hell they had managed to knock the other out was not his worry anymore than answering the questions or taking in the heated and worried looks. He ran across the street and slid to his knees, regretting that when his leg made him more than fully aware of the agony it was in so that he was kneeling in front of his very upset girlfriend.

She looked up and sniffed, wiped her tears from her face with the back of her left hand and then promptly slapped him across the face with that same hand. Glaring heatedly at him she shrieked, "Don't you ever give me that look again you asshole," everyone that had come to their rescue looked their way but she ignored their presence as she continued; "If you ever ask me to leave you in a situation like that again I will beat you to death myself!"

"Win-"

"You fucking jackass, you selfish bastard, what would I have done if they had killed you? You said earlier that if anything happened-"

He cut her off there because he was not letting her think that in any way that this was her fault, "Don't you dare think that this was your fault!" His sharp words effectively cut her off and he sighed and took a deep breath, "Don't, it wasn't your fault alright? I knew better and should have said something but I didn't. So it's not your fault. Are you alright, your wrist looks pretty bad."

She sniffed and glared, "Yeah, well it's broken. What about you, you're bleeding everywhere."

"I'm-"

"If you tell me that you're fine I really will beat you to death Edward," she said seriously to which everyone else joined them at this point. His brother glared at him, "Brother, how hurt are you really?"

"Flesh wounds," he replied to which Winry slapped him upside the head as he had turned his head to the side to look at his little brother. Reaching up to rub at his head where she'd hit him he glared at her but she met his glare squarely and returned it with his own. Sasuke was the next one to speak up, "Neck, side, and leg wound," he said simply.

Tidus came into view, looked at him once, nodded and said, "Sas'ke is right, looks pretty bad there Ed."

"Fucking hell, it's not that bad," he growled and made to get up only to have his leg lock up and keep him on the ground. His hand pressed over the still bleeding wound and he swore under his breath from the pain and the fact that he couldn't really move his leg. His body always did like betraying him, who knew a stab wound to the thigh was that disabling? He tried to get up again only to have a huge wave of pain shoot from his leg, along his spine, and right back through to his leg again; it was definitely not going to move.

"A stab wound there is going to make your leg useless for a few days, possibly weeks," Winry said now more composed than before.

"Does he need to go to the hospital," his father asked which made him glare darkly at the man and swear under his breath when his girlfriend nodded once, "Yes. Both of us need to go, me so that my wrist can be reset and I can be given a proper cast and so that the medical staff can make sure that Ed's wounds are not as bad as they appear to be."

Great, so he had to go back to that horrid place, again, in less than four months time. What was worse was that Winry had to go because he had failed to protect her from those assholes. He looked down hating his own weakness and incompetence when Tidus suddenly said, "What are we going to do with-" but when everyone looked Kimblee was no longer there. Typical, he thought, those three were gone now and he was more than sure they would be back and out for revenge when they did show up once again. Hopefully the lie he had fed them about burning the notes would hold for a while and they would have to stay away to find a better way at getting the truth out of his ancestor's journal. Though, he really doubted they would wait very long considering the cause and effect of this encounter and now that they were more than aware of those they could go after in order to ensure his co-operation.

He knew he had fucked up there, more than willing to let them do whatever the hell they wanted to just to convince them to let Winry go. Hell, he had let them have their fun with him in London just so they would promise to never lay a hand on Al. Now there were a lot more people they could use as hostages to get what they wanted from him, if they managed to get their hands on just one person he cared for he would be forced to decrypt and translate that entire journal for their ends because he sure as hell wouldn't do it if only he was at risk.

"Edward," his father called pulling him out of his thoughts, he looked up to see the man watching him with a thoughtful expression. Winry, Al, and even Sasuke were watching him like a hawk. He knew that they were most likely thinking about what was going through his mind and from the looks on their faces the three of them were far from finished with him. Letting out a sigh he said, "Well let's get this shit over with, if they tell me I have to stay more than twenty-four hours every single member of their staff is going to live to regret it," he ended with a obstinate hiss. Tidus and his father had to pick him up via Winry's instruction on how to move him without making his leg worse and they carried him to Fugaku's parked car only a few feet down the street.

It was Tidus and Fugaku who drove his father's car while everyone else piled into the Uchiha's car to ride to the hospital together. Fugaku even followed them there surprisingly but it was most likely because his son was with them in his car and that his wife wanted an update on the situation. He had to wait for a wheelchair to which he was told he was pouting like a toddler about which only made him scowl, cross his arms over his chest, and then cuss when it pulled at the wounds on his side.

He was reprimanded by Mr. Uchiha for his choice of language, his brother and Winry looked at him in that way that told him to stop being an idiot while Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and actually rolled his eyes at him. He scoffed and glared at everyone in the hospital and even growled at the nurse that came to take him to see doctor after Fugaku and his father explained his wound's and got Winry a doctor. It was his father that went into the room with Winry which Al accompanied him to do while he was stuck with Tidus, Sasuke, and Mr. Uchiha in his own room.

Two hours later his leg was bandaged, he was told to remain in a wheelchair for at least two weeks and then revert to crutches, his wounds were stitched up, and he was told he had to stay overnight for observation. He was vehement about that for about an hour before they gave him an I.V., pumped him full of anti-biotics, noticed his automail and then pumped him full of some really potent pain medication to knock him out. By the time he woke up the next day or whenever he woke up Winry was sitting in a chair at his bedside her new cast around her wrist which was already decorated with multiple signatures and a few doodles.

"Hey," he managed after a glass of water and the pain meds allowed him to stay awake for more than five seconds. She looked up from studying her cast to smile at him, "Hey yourself, how're you feeling?'

"Great, woozy, you?"

She laughed and then offered him a sad smile, "I'm perfectly fine compared to you," she said and even full of drugs he could hear the guilty undertone to her voice.

"Win' it wasn't your fault," he said trying to sit up only to have his stitches pull from his movement. It was easy to ignore how much pain your in when in a fight, all that adrenaline, fear, and anger in the case of the most recent confrontation, but now everything hurt. His side itched, ached, and pulled with every breath, his leg was a whole mess of torment, and his neck felt like it had a cheese grater run across it several times. The bandaging and the pressure and weight from it only made him feel even more like crap.

"It was, I shouldn't have led you out of your house or to the park. We should have left when it started to get dark, I should have fought back harder so they couldn't-"

"Stop," he said sternly making her fall silent, "those guys are really dangerous. That is why I'm glad you didn't fight back too much, they would have just killed you," he said honestly making her pale as she looked up at him finally. He pressed on, "Those guys are really bad news, the only reason I wasn't killed is because they need me alive to get what they want. I know they are not above killing anyone let alone torturing them, kidnapping them, or otherwise causing some serious damage. I walked away alive and in a hell of a lot better shape than the last time I had a run in with all three of them."

"Ed-"

"Winry, listen to me would ya? This is not your fault, if it's anyone's fault it's mine. I know full well how dangerous they are and that they are in town and after me and Al because of that damn journal. But I still let you convince me to leave, I shouldn't have because I was and am fully aware of their audacity and how low they will stoop. So don't blame yourself, be pissed at me for not filling you in." He paused to wait for his response and because all those damn drugs pumping through his veins made him feel light headed. She got up from where she was to move to sit on his bed where she could reach for his hair and declared, "Your hair needs to be washed."

A change in subject meant she heard him but wasn't taking his words to heart to the full extent of what they said, "You've been out for two days and you smell," she chuckled at the grimace on his face and got up to grab a bedpan and walked into the small bathroom. He heard the water running and when she returned she had a wet rage and soapy water with her which she set at the end of his bed. He allowed her to give him a impromptu sponge bath but stopped her when she made to go for anything below his waist saying that he would deal with that when he finally got to go home.

"Why was I out for two days," he asked as she washed his hair and got up to grab a towel to pat him dry and keep his hair from soaking through the hideous hospital gown. She didn't answer him at first finishing up washing his hair first and gently toweling his hair dry before she let out a sigh and put everything aside to look at him, "You have to stop doing this."

"Doing what, asking you why I was-"

"No, damn it. Stop scaring everyone like this, you getting hurt all the time has to stop," she said with a broken voice. He couldn't tell if she was on the verge of tears or an the verge of hitting him.

"Winry-"

"You could have been killed, you had a fist sized hole in your side and the damage to your right leg that is likely to leave you with permanent muscle, tissue, and nerve damage. It went right through to the bone and was too close to a main vein. Those cuts on your throat were bad to and only added to the complications."

"Yeah, well I'm fine now aren't I?"

She glared at him darkly for that and turned so that she fully facing him, "Stretch your right arm above your head," she demanded. He attempted to do as she said but the stitches and soreness of his right side made him put his arm down after only moving it a little. He closed his eyes against the pain and sighed when she continued glaring at him, "You're not fine and they plan to release you this afternoon but with strict rules you have to follow."

"Rules, like what?'

She turned away to look towards the door where a wheelchair was folded up to lay against the wall and he grimace, he hated wheelchairs and how the hell was he going to use the damn thing to get around when he couldn't even stretch out his arm? Sinking back into the bed with a resigned sigh he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't plan for this shit to happen-"

"I'm not saying this is your fault, I'm just saying that you need to really pay attention and take care of yourself."

"I hear you and I'm sorry again," he said and they both looked up as Hoenhiem and Fugaku walked into the room. The elder Uchiha glanced at Winry saying without uttering a word that they wished to speak to him without her present. She got up and nodded in greeting to them and he noticed that she avoided their gazes as she walked out of the room. His father didn't take the vacated seat he merely closed the door behind her and turn to look at him. He averted his gaze to stare at his lap looking up when Fugaku cleared his throat.

"I'm more than disappointed with you," his father began to which he said nothing, "you should never have left the house to begin with let alone left without saying anything to anyone. What is worse is that you put Winry in danger in the process."

"I know that, that fucker broke her wrist for fuck's sake."

"Those three also nearly ripped you quite literally apart son," his father replied. Ed could see the held back temper in his father, he always had this tick along his forehead, a vein that throbbed when he was angry which wasn't often but was very much the case right now. He sighed and sat back on his bed, "I know that, I let them get that fucking close because that son of a bitch had a knife to her damn throat."

"Yes, we are aware," Fugaku stated matter of factly, "in turn such would not have transpired if you had followed the rules set before you."

So that explained Winry's choice of words before his father and Mr. Uchiha had interrupted their conversation. He looked to the elder Uchiha and immediately looked away not wanting to meet the man's gaze. He knew he had fucked up and that he was wrong and damn it he knew it was his fault that Winry was put at risk and his own idiocy had cause his current state. Swearing and slamming his fist against the bed making them jump he said, "I fucking know this is my damn fault so just leave it. I won't do this crap again and everyone can go on their merry fucking way."

He was surprised when his father finally took a seat in the chair next to his bed while Mr. Uchiha walked out of the room silently. When his father placed his hand over his own he flinched but allowed it simply because the look his father was giving him. He looked apologetic more than he looked as though he were pissed off at him, "I'm sorry son, this never would have happened if not for my own mistakes in the past. I cannot apology enough to take any of this back anymore than these burdens can be removed from your shoulders."

"Dad," he started but his father shook his head and pressed on, "You nor Miss Winry should have been placed in such danger merely because you went to a local park well within walking distance. You should not be made a prisoner because I could not take care of the threats to my family prior to coming back into your life. None of this is your fault though carelessness can be a factor such should not be something of your concern at only sixteen years old. Nothing that you and Alphonse have endured and faced should have become a factor in either of your lives at all."

"Look old man, I told you I wasn't going to be able to let that shit go but that doesn't mean that everything that goes wrong is your fault," he argued. His father smiled affectionately at him and said simply, "I will do my best to protect you and Alphonse to at the very least make up for everything that has happened because of my mistakes."

With that his father walked out of the room not giving him the chance to comment or reply or argue only to watch him walk away. For some reason he felt as though that was going to be the last time he would see the old man so when Al came into the room telling him their father was heading out with Mr. Uchiha to grab something edible for them and to take Winry home he almost said something but decided against it. It wasn't until later that afternoon when only Mr. Uchiha returned and not his father that he started to realize his suspicions might in fact be more factual than assumed. He was told that he and Al were going to spend the rest of their summer vacation within their friend's respective homes. Which entailed Al going to stay with the Uzumaki family and Ed staying with the Uchiha family who already had a house full to begin with.

TBC . . .