AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, here's the third episode of this series. I don't really intend to have a lot of chapters for this story, so I'll somehow end this arc sooner or later. Meanwhile, it will be best for you readers to just enjoy this story, okay?

Winry: Hey, when am I gonna' go home?

Redemption: Huh? Since when were you going home?

Winry: What? How dare you! (goes and strangles the author in the studio, the police comes and takes Winry away)

Okay, let's just forget this cold joke. Anyway, on to the story!

NOTE: I don't know what to say. Very sorry. ----

JOURNEY THREE: MESSY SITUATION

Previously…

Winry Rockbell had woken up to see Aldes cosying up to her mysteriously. It proved to be just some curiosity. Winry also discovered that she could do alchemy too and was able to perform it without an alchemic circle, which made it more peculiar. Somehow, someone wishes to uses Winry for some purpose…

"Where are you bringing me?" WInry questioned as she adjusted the brown scarf wrapped around her head. The temperature was just hot and unbearable in the arid regions of Ishbal. "Wouldn't it be better for me to stay in the house?"

"I have to ask my master about something," he replied back, walking ahead of her without turning back to look. "It's not safe for you to remain at home. There's probably some deep secret surrounding you."

"Your master?"

"My teacher," Aldes answered back. "He'll probably know a thing or two about the Great Art practiced in the past." He was gaining speed as he walked briskly towards the distant large building known as the Temple of Ishbal. Winry stood there for a moment, in awe of the building that stood there.

"Impressive…" she whispered to herself. Buildings back in her hometown were never that tall and even Central did not build such enormous structures. "Would this be destroyed after the Civil Conflict?" She continued to look at the building, oblivious of the fact that her companion had been seeing her for a long time.

"Rockbell," he asked her, touching her for a moment. "Are you okay? Don't Westerners build better structures that our temple?" She shook her head and looked back at him.

"I don't suppose so," she responded to him. "We use alchemy in almost everything, including the construction and maintenance of buildings." She clapped her hands together for a second.

"Don't do that!" He shouted to her suddenly. She looked at him with confusion. "The people are bound to suspect you if you performed…that forbidden art…"

"Well…aren't they already suspecting me?" She rebutted as she showed him the Ishbalan commoners looking at Winry's striking features, especially that of her blue eyes and golden hair, and also her fair skin. "It's your stupid idea to put me in some Ishbalan clothing when I don't look like one myself."

"Sorry," his tone changed all of a sudden. Aldes was not looking at her anymore, which made Winry alarmed at his sudden change of attitude. "I didn't want you to look that prominent after all…"

"Hey, it's okay," Winry replied back, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'll just assume that I'm just too pretty for others to observe me!" She gave a smile to reassure him although he was not responding to it.

"Let's hurry to my master," he only spoke, and turned around to face the direction of the temple.

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"Hey Balan, you got a girl for yourself?"

Aldes suddenly realized and look to his left as soon as he entered the temple's interior. His eyes met to see another boy with darker brown hair with the robes of an Ishbalan. He was leaning on one pillar, slacking from the temple work. Winry turned to see who had suddenly spoken out.

"Whoa!" The boy was surprised to see his fellow classmate's visitor. "Don't you know the temple rules?"

"I need to see our master," Aldes questioned his friend without interruption. "Where is he?"

"Praying in one of the interior rooms," he replied back, pointing with his thumb the direction. "Why are you so urgent? You want to show him your new girlfriend?"

"Don't be thick," came the sharp reply. "I need to see him for some matters."

"Just admit it," the boy snapped back and patted Aldes' shoulder. "So this is where your taste lies since you don't seem to like any girls." His eyes widened and took a gulp as if it hit nail on his head. "Please to meet you," the boy stretched out a hand to Winry. "I'm Ari, his senior."

"Rockbell," she shook his hand and took a slight bow. "Winry Rockbell. And I'm not his girlfriend." She protested back at Ari who was triumphant at making sport of his ever-serious junior classmate again.

"Never mind this idiot," Aldes replied back and pulled her by the hand. "Let's make our move already." The both of them were out of the area before Ari could realize they were gone.

"Hey bouzu," Winry spoke as they continued to walk down the corridor adorned with many decorations of Ishbal religious art. "What temple rules was your friend referring to?" She continued to admire the corridor which was rather beautiful.

"No non-Ishbalan may enter this temple," he answered her back, closing his eyes as he walked along the corridor. "That is the strictest rule of our religion."

"Aren't you already breaking that rule?"

"I have a valid reason to do so," he replied. "I need to see the master urgently."

"Who exactly is your master?" She questioned him which made him stop halfway. "You've been bringing me to some weird place, and you expect me to see your so-called master."

"His master, I presume?" She heard a much older voice from behind. Winry turned behind to see a much older man wearing a robe of unique colours that probably symbolized his wisdom. "I believe that you're his so-called Western acquaintance."

"Good afternoon, master," Aldes knelt on the floor and prostrated before him. One eye opened to look at a stunned Winry. "Get down on the floor too," he whispered to her in a sharp tone audible enough for her to hear. She was about to kneel on the ground when the master stopped her from doing so.

"You're not an Ishbalan," he advised. "It is not advisable for you to follow our regulations and customs. And you do have an aura repulsive to our people too." She was more stunned at his sudden crude remarks about her.

"Are you saying I shouldn't be here?" She retorted back angrily.

"That is actually right," the master answered back. "You're not supposed to be inside the temple in actual fact. But…"

"But what?"

"I believe you have a problem with the forbidden arts," he spoke out. "You had some contact with the exiles that came back here illegally." She remained silent, eager to listen to more of what he had to say.

"We call it alchemy," she remarked. "Back in my home country." As soon as she had mentioned the word alchemy, pictures of Ed and Al's alchemic transmutations began to form in her mind and the horror she had saw in the past, that of the failed human transmutation which took away Al's body and Ed's body parts.

"Something on your mind?" The master questioned her.

"Human transmutation…" she subconsciously blurted the words out, which was alien to Aldes of course. "Does the Philosopher's Stone exist…?" She was suddenly in a trancelike state, remembering much of what Ed had told her in the past.

"These…" the master was a little repulsive of what she had mentioned. "…are the forbidden items of the forbidden arts. The truth about them should never be known." He replied back to her, who had regained her senses again.

"Yesterday," she took a gulp and gathered her courage to speak. "I was able to manipulate the materials of the floor and turn it into a different item." She lowered her head. "By doing this," Winry clapped her hands together. "And by doing this next." She slammed her hands across the wall, in which the wall formed a large block protruding from it. "What's the meaning of this?"

"No medium for doing the forbidden art?" He was stunned at what had just happened. "Not even painting your body with the pattern?" Winry was suddenly surprised at what he had said. After all, she had always known that a transmutation circle was always important to manipulate the shape of an object.

"Did you have any knowledge of it beforehand?" Winry shook her head as a response to his question.

"In that case," the master continued. "You'll have to leave Ishbal as an exile, for we do not welcome people who practice the forbidden arts."

"Thank you," she gave a bow before turning to Aldes. "I suppose I'll be leaving here for Amestris, back to my hometown." She continued to walk for a moment.

"Wait!"

Winry turned behind to see him going up to her. "Return back to the house," he told her solemnly. "It is difficult to head west now since this season is rather dry…" She only gave him a smile and walked off.

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The Rockbell took small steps as she left the steps of the temple, which was made of a strange type of stone. Holding her headscarf together to keep it in place, she walked ahead to see the street below where the people went about their daily lives.

"Rockbell!" She heard a voice from behind sound. Turning to see the familiar voice, Aldes was rushing at her. "I forgot…do you know how to return home?" He was panting from the run he had taken to come out of the large temple.

"Thank you for your work, young one," both of them heard a voice that sudden came from the dark figure appearing near them. "I'll take the girl from here now."

"Be gone, exile!" Aldes shouted to the sinister woman. "Why do you come to torment Winry?" The woman gave a slight laugh for a moment.

"You're so attached to the Ishbal," she spoke as she grabbed hold of Winry's hand firmly. "I shall give you a curse then." Taking two fingers, she began to chant a series of strange words incomprehensible to both him and Winry. A white glow appeared suddenly as it shot and flew through Aldes' head. He collapsed on the floor and coughed profusely.

"Stop, what're you doing to him?" She questioned the exile. "He's only a child!" She pleaded with the woman. Winry noticed that nobody was responding to the sudden actions that were happening around. "What did you do to everyone here?"

"Nobody needs to know anything," she replied back with a firm and evil tone. "I've just placed a curse on him. He shall someday be associated with alchemy, no matter what." A grin formed over her face. "And of course, Ms Winry," she turned back to look at the Rockbell. "I'll need your help in this."

Winry's eyes saw a certain dark stone held in the woman's hand which made her insides react vigourously. She was beginning to feel sick and watch as Aldes continued to cough violently on the floor. Winry was beginning to feel nauseous and sleepy as her eyes saw a cyan glow before blacking out.

It probably felt like a long time she was unconscious. She reopened her eyes to see that she was lying on the cold hard floor of a certain house. The furniture around were broken, with splinters lying around. It was only one room, with a firm-looking wooden door that stood in the only doorway. An oil lamp was lit on one table that only served to light up the entire room. Getting up from her sudden blackout, she turned around surprised to see that she had not been bound by the exile woman.

"Shouldn't they be tying me up or something like that?" Winry questioned herself as she looked at her own two hands. It was rather peculiar that she had not been tied up at all since she was probably a hostage. She walked to the doorway, preparing to open it when the wooden door suddenly flung open.

"Oh, you're awake?" A woman about forty was in front of her. She wore a scarf to cover her head too, which implied her race as an Ishbalan. Winry sat down on one of the broken chairs, knowing that she had somehow been staying in Ishbal all the while. "I found you unconscious around the back of my house."

"Unconscious?" Winry was confused at the woman's words. For all of this time, she had always been found unconscious and each time someone different would always find her and give her free lodging. It was too good to be true. After all, nobody would really give free lodging out of goodwill. "What's your motive?" She stood up, determined to get an answer.

"We Ishbalans do not leave people out in the streets cold and hungry," the woman replied back and taking her scarf off. "It's cold tonight. Please cover yourself with a blanket." She took Winry by the hand and led her to her own bed.

"Madam," Winry questioned her again. "Was there some evil dark figure with me when I was unconscious?" The woman turned to look at her with surprise, and shook her head next.

"You were alone," came the quick reply. "Nobody was with you when you were found unconscious. Thank Ishabala you're not dead. The surroundings can be hot in the day that one can die of heat stroke simply."

"I've been sleeping since daytime?"

"Yes," the woman answered back. "I suppose you were too tired."

"Is this place Ishbal still?"

"The temple's in the distance," the woman gave her an indirect answer. "But you shouldn't go out there since you're an outsider after all." She led Winry who had crept onto the soft bed. "Your clothes look tattered though," she pointed to the Rockbell's Ishbalan clothing that had been torn as a result of the rough grains of sands frequently blown by the strong winds of the region. "Do you know anyone here?"

"I…I…" she tried to reply, with her mind filled with short pictures of Aldes. "…I know a certain someone here recently…He's from the temple though…" She looked back at the woman.

"I'll help you tomorrow," the woman replied back to her kindly. Tucking Winry into bed, she gave a quick smile, making Winry notice the light brown hair the woman had. The only common feature was that of the spinster's red eyes that showed her Ishbalan lineage.

Winry closed her eyes once more, with plans of finding a way out of the mess she was in. The moon was in a crescent shape. Her eyes opened abruptly to look at the moon. It was in a crescent shape no doubt. And it was even stranger for just two nights to pass before the moon could become from a full shape to that of a crescent one.

She badly needed answers for the crazy predicament she was in, especially that if she had once again transcended time again. The Rockbell only desired to be free of all problems and to return to her warm family home with her grandmother in Reseembool.

Meanwhile, the crescent moon continued to shine over the city of Ishbal with the dim lights lighting up each stone house. There was something however that was going to happen soon, real soon. And Winry had a feeling she would meet someone very soon.

END OF JOURNEY THREE

Well...I really have nothing much to say anyway. Please look forward to the next chapter!