Irenic Moons: Wee! Comments galore! I love you guys…On the comments note, this chapter is sorta weird, so I'm sorry if you don't like it, or if you quit reading the fiction because of it, but you know what? I DON'T CARE! So don't leave nasty comments. Well here you go!

Chapter 7: Only You – Nighttime

Winry's POV

The world seemed cold. Although I knew this was not the case as it was easily over 70 degrees Fahrenheit. But as I walked through dark deserted alleys, in a City I barely knew, after being rejected by my one and only love, it seemed pretty cold to me. I wrapped my arms around myself and paused under a dim streetlamp. 'He hates me.' I thought. 'Why?' I looked down at my shoes, 'Because I told him how I felt.' I was still crying, but it seemed like I'd run out of tears. Now my short gasps were the only audible noise. 'I can't face him again.' I told myself.

"I won't, I HATE HIM!" I was shocked to hear myself say this out loud. "How does he do this to me?" I whispered to myself. At any rate, I refused to see him again, it just hurt too much. I knew he'd be at Cassie's, so now I couldn't go there either. I kept walking. 'I'll find a way to the station, and take the next train to Risambool, I'm done with work here.' That was my decision. I looked up and was disappointed with what I saw. Every direction looked the same to me. Shabby apartment buildings loomed over thin, dirty alleyways. Now I was getting a little scared. Which way had I come from?

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from behind me. It was only a cat that had knocked over a trash can, but I ran as fast as I could away from it. The bright green eyes peering out of its black body had scared me more than many worse things. I was still running and half-crying when I tripped over a dip in the street. I screamed as I fell forward onto the dirt. I caught myself with my elbows and knees, but they paid the price. My skin was scrapped away and drops of blood were forming on them. I dragged myself over to the side of a building and sat against it.

I began to truly cry. Not just with quiet teardrops, but waterfalls erupted from my eyes and I sobbed loudly. Everything was going wrong. Ed, my only love, hated me, the promise I had made to myself (to heal his soul) was never going to be fulfilled, I was lost and alone in the bad part of a city I didn't know and now I was hurt. Nothing could get worse. 'I'm going to rot here and die' I thought to myself, 'No one is going to find me…They don't even know I'm here.' What if Ed didn't find out I'd run off, if he just assumed I went back to Cassie's? No one would know where I was.

As if to signal the horridness of my situation, a clash of thunder exploded from the sky. It was going to rain. Now I was angry. Just when I thought nothing could get worse. I turned to the wall and put my forehead against it, clenching my teeth and tightly shutting my eyes, as I pounded it with my fists. I wanted to scream, but suddenly couldn't quite find the energy to do so. I stopped and rested against the wall, my fists, knees and elbows stinging. The first drops fell on my face, like tears as I looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. 'There is always a worse situation.' I thought. I didn't know how right I was.

I heard maniacal laughter from across the street. I quickly turned my head towards the noise and sat up as fast as I could. Out of the shadows stepped one of the most huge, terrifying men I've ever seen, followed by two others. He looked dirty and he had scars all around his body. His followers were the same. He looked me straight in the eyes.

"Hey Honey, what's a pretty girl like you doing out all alone on a night like this?"

Ed's POV

I stopped running and leaned down on my knees, panting. I had found my way back to the bridge and crossed it. After running through countless streets and alleys, I was now completely lost. 'Why am I doing this?' I thought. It was a stupid question, I knew I had to, what kind of heartless person wouldn't? 'I've already hurt her once.' I concluded. I started walking again. The only noise was the sound of my feet hitting the ground. One, a kind of a thump, and the other, more of a clash.

My automail. Winry had made it for me. That reminded me, 'What had she been concealing in my right arm?' I dug through my pockets to retrieve a small pin-like tool. She had told me to buy it years ago, in order to take care of myself. I stopped again, placed it on the ground and clapped my hands. Now, it was a miniature screwdriver. While resuming walking, I began to unscrew the bolts that held the arm cover in place after pulling my sleeves up. Soon they were off. I gently pulled the cover of my arm off and peered inside. It was too dark to make out much, but I could definitely see there was some sort of writing inside. I made sure by running my finger over the surface of the metal. Next to it was something soft. Cloth perhaps? Wool? But then I stopped. It was hair, human hair, and I knew exactly whose it was. Part of me wanted to rip it out and throw it as far away as I could, but the reasonable side of me said no. I sighed and replaced the cover over the wires and gears and screwed the bolts back in.

There was a clap of thunder overhead. I grumbled. 'I better find her soon' I thought to myself, 'Walking in the rain at night doesn't seem all that pleasant.' I quickened my pace.

"WINRY! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! WINRY!" I called out over and over again, cupping my hands around my mouth.

"WINRY……Win- 'pant' –ry!" This seemed hopeless. That was when the first few drops of rain came down. Then fell on my cheeks, dripping down like tears. I angrily wiped them off and kept walking, not screaming anymore. I felt like I was going in circles. I couldn't go back though. I didn't know where I was, and Winry was missing. For the next ten minutes or so I just kept walking

Suddenly, I stopped. Did I hear something? I paused to listen, it seemed like there was something in the background. It was difficult to tell now that the rain was coming down more steadily. I took a few steps back. Now the sound was gone. I went forward again. There it was. A few steps more, even louder. I started running towards the sound, twisting around corners and almost running into walls. I was so close and now I could tell what it was. Screaming, shrieks, pleas for help, for something to stop. I looked up the street, I could tell it was just around the corner, but then it stopped. I sprinted towards the corner and slid to a stop as I took in the scene I was witnessing.

Three large men stood in a semicircle. One, obviously the ringleader was adjusting his pants and shirt. They were all laughing cruelly. But that's not what my eyes were stuck on. Huddled up against the wall was my best friend. Winry. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, like she'd been rolling on the ground. But what hurt me the most was her broken, shuddering whimpers and hiccups.

I didn't need to hear anything to know what they'd done to her, I saw the blood on the insides of her legs. I was so angry I was shaking all over, I couldn't move. They hadn't even noticed me.

"You…YOU BASTARDS!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. They turned to face me. One of the follower thugs spoke.

"Oh you want to join in on the fun?" Then he was followed by the leader.

"Ha, no this must be the girl's boyfriend, man is he puny! No wonder he couldn't protect her!" They fell into a spasm of laughter. I slowly wiped the raindrops off my face. My hair fell in front of my eyes as I clenched my fists. I was looking at her.

"Winry…" I said quietly. She looked up at me from behind her knees. Her expression was…She looked…Afraid of…me. 'What have I done?' I thought. Suddenly I was taken over by some sort of rage.

"I-will-kill-you…ALL!" I ran towards them in a blind fury. The next few minutes were complete chaos. It was a flurry of arms and legs and bodies. They had been surprised, but they were still strong. At one point I felt a fist connect with my left cheek and a nail give me a gash. Other than that, nothing.

Now it was pouring. I sat panting on the ground. The thugs lay in a pile a few feet away. I knew the leader had a broken neck and that he would never wake up, but the other two…I left. I was so angry. I abruptly shouted out and slammed my fists onto the ground after clapping them together. A small tight cell was created around the unconscious men. Someone would find them in the morning.

I laughed ironically, it was morning, at least 4 or 5 AM. That's when the reality of the situation sunk in. I needed to get Winry home, soon. It was still raining. I stood up and approached her cautiously and afraid. She was huddled in my direction, leaning against the wall. She looked up as she saw me approach. Her eyes widened and she tried to scamper away.

"Winry…" I pleaded.

"Stop it, don't look at me!" She hid her face from me with her arms. I took another step towards her.

"Winry…"

"STOP, I SAID GET AWAY." I dropped to my knees and pulled her into a tight embrace as she flailed and kicked.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, I HATE YOU!" She screamed. I weathered through her fit, which only lasted a second, until she fell limp in my arms. She just started crying. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground, cans, everything couldn't cover her weeping. With my left arm, the one of flesh, I held her up. With the other, I pulled off my red coat and wrapped it around her so that she was in a cocoon. I gently picked her up and cradled her in my arms. After taking one last look at the three men crushed in the cell, I turned and began walking back to Cassie's…

……10 Minutes Later……

Now I knew I was about a block away from Cassie's house. What would I say when I saw them? How would I explain us? How could I even face them after letting this happen? But I had to. It was my fault, as it always seems to be. Is it my fate to hurt everyone I ever cared about? Winry needed medical attention, and I knew she wouldn't want to be taken to any hospital here. My cheek was also swelling up.

I looked down at Winry. I was terrified by what I saw. Her once piercing, blue eyes now looked forward with a blank, dull expression. The way I was holding her, her head leaned against my chest. Almost at once, the memory of a soulless doll came into my mind. Nina. Or, what was supposed to be Nina. I remembered when it had been created. Perhaps, the doll, was still out there…I couldn't bear to think that I had caused Winry to become like this. Had I killed her soul? I pushed the thought from my mind as I approached the threshold of the house.

I gently tapped the door with my foot, but as soon as I had, the door flew open and there was Aunt Pinako, fuming.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TWO, I-"But that was when she saw Winry and the expressions on our faces, "I…" She dropped the mug she was holding on the floor. It shattered into thousands of pieces and the liquid splashed our feet. Without saying a word, I stepped around the mess and walked forward. People were running down the stairs. The first to appear was Cassie.

"We heard a crash…" She stared dumbly and the pair of us. Both, soaking wet and dirty. I had a bloody cut on my face and Winry was wrapped tightly in a coat. She spoke again.

"Wh-what happened?" I ignored her question and spoke.

"She's hurt, someone needs to clean her up." I looked down at the floor. Cassie immediately stepped forward and offered. Another maid who had just arrived went to help and, together, they took her from my arms. It felt like they were taking away my life. I tried frantically to catch her eyes as she was carried upstairs, but I couldn't.

I was still staring at the direction they had taken her when I felt an arm latch onto my coat and pull me around slowly. There was Pinako, refusing to look me in the face.

"What…happened." The intensity with which she said the statement startled me. I summed up the nights events, leaving out many details. She just stood there taking in all the information that poured out of my mouth. At the end, she pulled me down by the collar and slapped me across the face, on the same cheek that was swelling from the fight. I clenched my teeth under my tightly shut lips, but other than that made no reaction. I deserved it.

"Are you telling me you never once saw her feelings towards you!" I stared downward focusing on a speck on the floor.

"You baka…And then you're stupid enough to let a young girl run off into the nighttime? What did you think would happen? You were supposed to protect her." I couldn't take this anymore, it was too true. I turned from her and headed towards the door.

"Don't even think about leaving. You'll run off, and we may never see you again. You're staying here. And while you're at it, let someone look at that cheek of yours." I obeyed. I was led to a couch, where someone treated my wound and gave me a pack of ice. I sat there, indifferently as Pinako reprimanded me. I lost track of time and space and vanished in my thoughts…

Winry's POV

He hadn't been there. He wasn't there to save me, to chase away the bad guys like he always used to. Like when he saved me from Barry the Chopper. He hadn't been there. He left me. I was alone, deserted. And now, for believing he would always be the superhero I saw him as, I paid the price. When I screamed and screamed for him, he didn't come. Everything hurt. Both outside, and inside. My soul hurt too, if souls could feel, and my heart seemed dead…But I guess I earned it. What was I thinking? That Ed would ever love me…I don't deserve to live. I wish I were dead.

I could feel them lifting me out of the bathtub. I obeyed their commanding hands. Standing up, letting them dry me, and raising my arms to put my clothes on. They led to a bed while half carrying me. I slid under the covers and fell into a restless sleep.

Pinako's POV

I stared at the adolescent sitting blankly on the couch across from me. After insulting him several times, he still hadn't responded in a way I'd hoped he would. He just sat there, listening. I was upset with him, and I couldn't believe what had happened to my granddaughter, but I didn't want him acting like this. I gave up.

"You," I started, "get up." He stood and I walked over to him.

"You are going to be present in the room when she wakes up." For once he made some sort of reaction.

"N-no, I can't…" He replied, "She hates me." He said in a whisper. I sighed, it hurt me a lot to see these two young people have such conflict in their short lives.

"All the same, you're coming with me." I dragged him to her room. The door was shut, and no one besides Winry occupied the room. I carefully opened the door and then quickly shoved him inside. Once inside, he gasped and turned back towards me.

"Please, I can't be in here!"

"Be quiet, you're in here whether you like it or not." He began breathing heavily with fear in his eyes. I watched as he walked across the room and chose to slump down on the ground in the corner farthest from her bed. He was fidgeting with his ice packet. I couldn't figure out what made him so nervous. Sadly, I closed the door, hoping I hadn't made things worse.

Irenic Moons: So how's that for dramatic? Well, it's not over yet. I'll probably be able to get up two or three more chapters before I leave. Unfortunately (for you) I'm going to France avec ma classe de francais for two weeks starting June 15, and after that, I'm away at Boston Ballet's SI for another five weeks, so it looks like you'll just have to make do with the movie coming out on July 6 (or whatever). Sorry! I hope you like my fiction. No mean comments!