Alright guys! Another update. I'm on a roll. I have written all the way up through Baschool, but i have a question for you fans on where to go next. Obviously, the Promised Day is looming in the near future, but what would you like to see done with the time skip? I'm needing some serious opinions people! So feel free to drop them in my inbox!

The three departed the next morning, hours before sunrise. Apparently at the library, before they were interrupted by Selim Bradley, Edward got a tip from Major Armstrong. He told them that the Xingese girl was heading North with two companions, but why? He wasn't sure. Armstrong also told Edward to seek out his sister up North, and he assured them that she would be a fierce ally… That is if she bothered to help them at all. According to Edward, Armstrong was pretty vague about why she may not help them, but was very clear that in order to win this war, they would need her.

Edward was all too eager to get out of Central, and Johanna knew why; the further they were from Father and Bradley, the safer they were in general. Johanna wasn't sure she agreed, after all she knew that Scar was among the Xingese girl's company, and none of them who the second companion of hers was. If he was anything like Scar, Johanna knew he was dangerous as well. Despite her qualms about going North, she knew that staying in Central was also dangerous. Not only was it unproductive, but every shadow put Johanna on edge. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, which she knew that she was.

So here they sat, once again, on a train headed North. Thankfully, this trip wasn't nearly as long as their trips to Amestris, she wouldn't be losing sleep on this train, but it was still long enough for the trio to brood. Apparently the dinner with the Bradley family was relatively tame, only a few thinly veiled threats. Edward, however, was still reeling from seeing Bradley interact with his son. To Johanna, it sounded as if Bradley was the ever tentative and doting father. Johanna smiled sadly as she remembered back to her father. Doting and tentative until he sacrificed her. The story left a bad taste in her mouth, one that Edward was very aware of.

"Lan Fan's grandfather is a real piece of work." Johanna told Edward, changing the subject suddenly. Edward smirked, he remembered the old man well from their time in Dublith.

"Jeesh, I figured he'd be hard on her, but i didn't realize how hard." Edward frowned after Johanna told the brother's about what had happened before they'd left. "Did you tell them about Winry?" Edward inquired. Johanna nodded.

"Yes, I even offered her address, but they were adamant; they didn't want her help. They were afraid they would put her in danger." Johanna told him. Edward sighed, sinking down into his chair.

"Figures, stubborn Xingese assholes." He smiled faintly, looking up at Alphonse. "They're missing out, they'll never find a mechanic as great as Winry." He told him, flexing his steel arm underneath his heavy jacket.

"Right! Maybe next time we meet you might be able to beat her!"

"I beat her last time!" Edward growled at him, sitting in his chair stubbornly. Johanna rolled her eyes, nestling further into her own winter coat, as she stared out the window. The boy's argument faded into the background as Johanna watched miles of dark, snowy fields zoom past. She shivered involuntarily, it was going to be cold where they were going. Johanna sniffed, frowning as she did. I hate the cold.

They pulled up to the station several hours later, the loud train whistle startling Johanna awake. She groaned, her head pounding in her skull.

"Why does it have to be so loud." Johanna whined, grabbing up her bag. Edward smirked at her, grabbing his own suitcase off the floor.

"So that it can wake people like you up. For someone who can't sleep on trains, you sure were sleeping heavy." Edward teased. Johanna glared at him, leveling a single finger his direction.

"You make me tired." She told him, brushing past him. Edward feigned a hurt expression, following her from the train. Johanna gave a small shiver as they stepped onto the platform. It was cold, that's really all there was to say about it. It was bright outside, in contrast to when she fell asleep, and it was still freezing. Johanna hated to think about how it was going to feel when the sun went down.

"Let's go!" Edward shouted excitedly, running past Johanna, Alphonse quick at his heels.

"Wait up!" Johanna shouted after him, her voice cracking. Johanna was slow today, barely able to keep step with them, still drowsy from her nap on the train. She followed the brothers to the nearest door, and with zero hesitation, Edward pushed it open. Johanna groaned, the sun bright as they stepped outside.

"Look, There's snow!" Edward beamed, staring in awe at the surrounding city. Johanna came to a stop next to him, pulling her scarf higher onto her nose as the cold wind whipped at her face. It bit into her neck, sending another chill down her spine.

"You guys have never seen snow?" Johanna mused. Edward and Alphonse stared out at the city in wonder, the Eldest holding out his hand to catch a flake in his palm.

"Before joining the military we'd never been outside of Resembool." Edward told her.

"The furthest north our journey has taken us so far is Liore." Alphonse added with a giggle.

"It snowed once when we were little kids, Alphonse was barely walking then, so he probably doesn't remember it." Edward grinned at her, remembering fondly the memory. Johanna couldn't help but smile at the brothers as they led her onto the front steps. Despite the biting wind, she could feel her irritation at the cold lessening as she watched them wonder over it.

"Before moving to East City, Doctor Albrecht and I lived up here. I guess I really started taking the snow for granted." Johanna offered the boys a smile as Edward led them down the station's steps. In a flash, Edward slid, falling hard on his backside, down the remaining four steps. Johanna snorted as Alphonse ran to his side, helping the boy to his feet. "Ed, you are so uncoordinated." She told him.

"Oh shut up, it was just a little slip!" Edward glared at her, packing in his hand a small pile of snow. Johanna narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"If you throw that at me I'm going to bury you in a snow pile and leave you there until spring." Johanna told him, her voice flat. Edward, still glaring, let the snowball fall from his hand. Johanna sniffed at him, smiling. She'd won this battle.

Edward, Johanna and Alphonse were told in order to get to Fort Briggs, they were going to have to walk. This did not sit well with any of them, as the wonder of the snow had already worn off for the brother's. Their toes were cold, heir hands were cold, their faces hurt and the thought of walking long distance in the cold air made Johanna's lungs scream. But, it was the only way to get there, so here they were, following an older gentleman they'd hired at the inn to take them to the footpath that led up into the mountains.

"This is the road that will get you to Fort Briggs. It's quite the walk this time of year, but there's a shelter post on the way there, a little over halfway to the Fort. It isn't equipped with food, but it's a nice reprieve from the wind." He told them. "However, that's military land up ahead, there's no telling what kind of oddities you'll find off the road so I suggest staying on it if you want to live." Johanna grimaced, hiking her bag higher onto her shoulder. She didn't like the sound of that at all.

"That's fine, we grabbed some provisions and some wood while we were in town." Edward told the man, pointing to Alphonse's back.

"You can expected at least a five hour walk ahead." The guide informed them, turning his horse back towards town. He stopped, glancing down at Johanna with a frown.

"Your nose is red." He told her. Johanna raised an eyebrow to him, gesturing with her arms.

"It's cold out here." She replied, as if it were obvious.

"Stay warm up there, if you get sick you may not come back down." He warned her, turning to Alphonse. "And you in the armor, is that automail?" Alphonse shook his head silently.

"Uh… no." Alphonse responded. The man gave a contented hmph.

"Ah, well, you should be okay then." He told them, leading his horse and cart off back towards town. Johanna frowned at his back as Edward joined her at her side.

"What was that all about?" He asked, earning a shrug from the girl.

"Beats me." Johanna replied, turning towards the road. Edward stopped her, taking her wrist in his hand quietly.

"Are you feeling okay?" Edward asked her, their guide's words making him uneasy. Edward watched her face carefully, noticing that her ears and cheeks, too, were flushed.

"I'm fine, Edward, really." Johanna offered him a small smile. "It's just cold and windy, and if we don't get there soon, my entire face is going to chap, not just my nose." Edward wanted to argue, he really did, but what good would that do? Johanna wouldn't go back to town, it would just cause fight a between them.

"I believe you." Edward conceded, much to Johanna's shock. He decided that he'd much rather be on good terms with her, it made it much more likely that if something was wrong with her, she'd actually come to him about it.

"Shall we?" Johanna gestured towards the road with a smile. Edward nodded, leading them down the snow covered road, while Alphonse brought up the rear. Johanna felt another shiver touch her spine, as she ran a hand down her face. Her head was still killing her from the train ride up here.

The road up the mountain was hard, and as much as Johanna hated to admit it; she was definitely getting sick. After an hour or so of walking, her body felt like lead and her joints were so sore. Her head was pounding and every single breath that she took made her lungs feel like they were on fire. If it wasn't hard enough to make it up the mountain as she was, the wind picked up, sending gusts that nearly toppled her over. Alphonse had resigned to keeping his hands on Johanna's shoulders so that way she would stop blowing away. The snow was blinding and the air was cold, and no matter how covered her chest was, she was still freezing.

Then came the coughs. They started out quiet, just enough to clear her scratchy throat, but soon they turned into fits that lasted for several minutes, only made worse by movement and the chilled air. After a few hours they reached the post, a small shack nestled into the mountainside. Edward settled them in, breaking out the fire kit. Johanna needed to rest, she felt so heavy. To put it simply, she was slowing them down.

"I knew you weren't feeling well." Edward sighed, taking a seat next to her while Alphonse worked on the fire. Edward's hands were too shaky to start it, but Alphonse was still unphased by the cold.

"I'm fine, Edward, really." Johanna told him, grabbing her head, there was so much pressure building behind her eyes. Again she began to cough, this fit just as bad as the last few. Alphonse paused at the fire, looking at his brother, worried. Edward sighed, grabbing Johanna's shoulders and pulling her into the crook of his arm. With his other hand he pulled her scarf over her mouth.

"Breathe through this, it will help with the cough if you don't breathe in the cold air directly." Edward informed her cooly, but how warm she felt didn't go unnoticed by him.

Alphonse had finally started the fire and he sat with his back to the door, blocking most of the wind that the fabric flap couldn't. Edward and Johanna felt the heat almost instantly, and the girl sighed. It was so warm.

"Brother, maybe we should go back." Alphonse whispered, watching Johanna. The girl was tired, and she looked tired. Her normally healthy complexion was suddenly so pallor, and under her hood Alphonse could see her hair sticking to her scalp with sweat.

"No, I'm fine. We're more than halfway there anyways." Johanna dismissed him with a sniff. Edward frowned at her as she shivered under his arm. "If we go back to town we may as well just keep going to Fort Briggs."

"Fine, but we'll rest here for a bit, come up with a new way to get you to the top." Edward told her, even tho he was still worried. She had a point, they were a little more than half way there and though they'd done the majority of the climbing, downhill was always easier than uphill.

"I can carry her." Alphonse gestured to himself. "Like when I carried Mae Chang." Edward shook his head.

"You're metal, Al, It'd be like stuffing her in a giant refrigerator." Edward murmured. Johanna shifted under his arm, nestling her head against Edward's chest, She stared at the fire absentmindedly. What kind of mess had she gotten them into now? Because of her they were likely to freeze to death on this mountain. And if not the boys, her for sure. Though she was down playing how she really felt, she had to at least be honest with herself; she wasn't sure if she could even walk anymore. Her body was so tired, and every time she coughed it just seemed to drain her more.

"I'll carry her." Edward told them finally. Johanna barely heard him.

"Up the whole mountain?" She teased.

"Yes." Edward's tone was serious, this was not a time to joke. Johanna looked up at him, removing her head from his shoulder.

"You can't carry me up the mountain, Edward, I can walk, I just need a quick break." Johanna lied, the conversation over. Edward made to argue but she glared up at him. "No buts, I will be fine." she knew she wouldn't be though. There was no way she'd make it up that mountain, but she'd be damned if Edward was going to kill himself carrying her.

"Fine, but we're resting here for the time being." Edward told both of them, to which Alphonse nodded. Johanna gave a huff of consent, again resting her head on Edward's shoulder. "You need to sleep. Sleep does a sick body good." He remembered his mother telling him when they were children.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Johanna muttered, closing her eyes.

Not long after, the soft sounds of snores could be heard from Edward's shoulder. He bit back a smile, as another round of wind battered the side of their shelter.

"I'm worried, brother." Alphonse said quietly, catching Edward's attention.

"Me too, Al." Edward told him. The brother's went quiet, the only sounds to be heard was the crackling fire and Johanna's snoring. Edward shifted, lowering Johanna's head into his lap. The girl barely stirred. "She's only going to get worse." Edward whispered, playing with Johanna's dark curls. From out of Edward's suitcase, Alphonse produced a heavy blanket, and he stood, handing it to his brother, before taking his seat at the door. Edward covered Johanna quietly.

"We'll make it to Fort Briggs." Alphonse tried to comfort his brother, but it was hard.

"I know, we have to, that's really the only option we have left." Edward sighed, suddenly angry. "I can't believe her. She never thinks about herself!" Edward hissed, starting off into the fire. "We could have waited for her to get better, or at least came better prepared."

"That's just how Johanna is, brother." Alphonse told him quietly. Edward could tell he was smiling. "Always wants to help everyone else. Never willing to be a burden."

"Why can't she just understand that she's never a burden." Edward whispered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears.

"Maybe you should tell her that."

"Don't you think I've tried?" Edward told him, exasperated. "She never listens, she's so stubborn." Alphonse sighed, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should say it a different way." Alphonse tried again. His brother was so stubborn. Edward raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"Eh?"

"Nevermind." Alphonse sighed, another gust of wind rocking the building.

I'm not sure if I will be able to update next week, my family and I are going on vacation. but I will definitely be back the week after :3

STAY BEAUTIFUL