I'm back with a new chapter for your reading pleasure. :P I'd like to take this time to thank everybody who read the previous chapter, especially those who reviewed. I'm eternally grateful. O.O
Hopefully, I'll be able to sneak in at least one more chapter right before school starts next week (damn -.-), but that all depends if time is my side, and if I can control my crazy addiction to online games. ;P Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter 5: Confrontation
The situation, with regards to the unknown murderer, was grim. There Ed stood, right before the girl who's dreams had successfully predicted multiple events, still stuck without a clue as to the identity of the next victim. However, there remained one issue that he still couldn't figure out. All three of Winry's dreams ended with the murderer killing the two of them, but they were both physically unharmed as of yet. Perhaps it was meant to be taken as a warning to be cautious, but Ed couldn't be sure.
The alchemist now knew, however, that the murderer was trying to exploit their emotions through the massacring of loved ones. Until he felt that his targets were weak enough, it would be safe to assume that he would keep on slaughtering people continuously. But so far, the murderer's success was largely based upon the actual kills, that is, in terms of the amount of bloodshed. After all, what better way is there to mentally crumble your opponent than to force them to witness gruesome deaths, especially when people close to that person are the subjects?
But Ed had now set his sights on protecting both Winry and the murderer's next target. In order for that to work, he would need to figure out as much as possible about the oblivious victim beforehand. In that sense, he would have to ask Winry to retell her dream as specifically as possible, though he knew that it wouldn't be easy for her.
"Winry, I have to ask you to do something important for me," Ed said in a serious tone, guiding the blonde mechanic back into the nearby kitchen.
Though she couldn't be sure, Winry had already somehow knew that his inquiry would involve her previous dream. "I'm assuming that it has to do with the dream I had earlier, right?"
"Yeah, and I know this may seem crazy, but I need you to retell me that dream," the alchemist said, sitting himself down in a chair near the kitchen table, "And I need you to include specific details; anything that might give me a lead."
Winry sighed as she sat opposite of Ed, having already forgotten most of the dream's finer points. However, hopefully she still remembered enough to help her best friend out to some degree. She wasn't exactly sure what details Ed was looking for in particular; perhaps a description of the house's interior, or maybe any characteristically unique article that would distinguish that building from the others. Well, whatever it may be, Winry was bound on sharing the entire dream, in hopes that perhaps Ed might just be able to save that envisioned girl.
All through Winry's conscientious recollection of her previous dream, Ed listened vigilantly in order to pick up any fragment that may reveal the future victim of the murderer's next plot, but no such detail came about. Sure, plenty of description was provided, though most of it was useless since any house in Risembool, or any other town for that matter, could match the credentials.
Even though it seemed for naught, the retelling of the dream still left Ed with the only possible clue: the description of the girl herself, but now Winry had assiduously attempted to recover a better portrayal of her. Apart from the clothing, the key trait was the girl's brown hair, but that in itself wouldn't be too helpful; Ed knew a myriad of females with that same trait that he could classify as a friend, not to mention Winry's companions.
Ed also remembered when Winry mentioned that this dream was different from the others, and now he understood why. At first, he assumed that the murderer only eradicated his targets by means of a firearm, but now he demonstrated that a knife will do just as well. This obviously made him all the more dangerous, seeing that he had a backup weapon, and the fact that the victim wouldn't be able to tell which of the two he would use.
Besides that, what Winry said about the murderer holding Ed's bloodstained watch deeply disturbed the alchemist. Ed believed it as impossible that the killer would acquire the silver pocket watch, considering that it was always with him. Yet, if there was blood on it, then it seemed logical that a fight must have taken place before; a fight in which Ed himself apparently didn't survive, or at least was too wounded to chase after the criminal.
As an uncomfortable silence had settled between them, Winry began to feel that she didn't provide any help whatsoever, judging from the fact that Ed was still deep in thought. "I'm sorry, Ed, but I just can't remember anything other than what I said," she apologized, staring at the table miserably.
The alchemist sighed in defeat, giving up on the cryptic dream. "Ah, don't worry about it. Even if you explained it any better, there is a very low chance that I'll actually be able to find the right house, not to mention that we don't know when he'll strike."
"But there is one thing that I don't understand, though. Why won't you bring in the military to check this out?" Winry proposed, sounding as if it was the most obvious thing to do, "I mean, you are putting yourself in danger just to keep us safe."
Ed could tell that she was dying to ask that question, and so he presented his side of the argument. "I gave it a thought, but it would be better if the military stayed far away from his whole case."
"But, you can find that guy quicker, not to mention that you'll save yourself a lot of work," she replied, apparently not convinced.
"Well, yeah, but do you want to see soldiers swarming the streets?" Ed inquired rhetorically, "Believe me, I know what they are capable of." Indeed, the alchemist remembered the ruthless tactics of the military during the destruction of Ishbal, as well as certain other instances.
The negative aspects of the bargain severely outweighed the good, and Winry now understood that. It wasn't worth sacrificing the peace of the entire town, and maybe even the surrounding areas, just to capture one person, but letting him roam free wasn't a preferable option either.
"I see what you mean, but we can't just let that guy keep killing people!" Winry said in a tone that demoted pure hatred, directed at the criminal himself.
"I'm already aware, and that's why I promise that I'll alert the local authorities here if I can't stop anymore murders," Ed said, silently hoping that maybe the killer would halt his campaign of terror, however unlikely that seemed.
At first thought, that appeared like a good idea, but what if Ed couldn't intervene and stop another kill, like he had said? This meant that another person would die, and the murderer would most likely get away with it, but not without attracting some attention from the people. To kill an animal is one thing, but to kill a person is much more serious, and the public would probably be pressing for answers.
There was another thing bothering Winry at the moment, and that was her presence near Ed. It appeared that the murderer was targeting them both, and when they were in a group, it only made it easier for him to slaughter the two of them. It made sense that if they were separated, then the killer would have a much more difficult time trying to accomplish his goal. This was actually quite the reverse of what Ed had theorized some time before.
Winry thought that this would be a wise move, and so she shared her idea with the alchemist. "Ed, the murderer is trying to kill us both, right? Well, what if I stay somewhere else, maybe in under the watch of the military. That way, you won't have to risk your life trying to protect me."
The alchemist gave it thought. True, Winry would be safe in the military, and that would make it easier for him to track down the killer without having to worry about her getting hurt. It all seemed well, until Ed remembered that Scar was still at large. If he could capture Winry, which seemed quite possible during these times, then he probably would cause her harm in order to get back at him.
It was a risk that the alchemist wasn't going to take. Winry was no safer with him, but at least he could personally watch over her instead of having to rely on a third party. Hell, some of the corrupt, higher ranking officers would probably just take her in for interrogation, in an attempt to worm out information about anything related to matters that were against the law to mention, such as the Philosopher's Stone, for example. Even though Winry wasn't really proficient in those fields, the officers would eventually find a way to get that information out of Ed himself through her.
"I appreciate you trying to help me out, but that would only put you in greater danger," Ed explained, much to Winry's disappointment, "To put it lightly, I don't trust certain people military; some of them have bad intentions."
"But I'm just being a burden for you!" Winry countered, seemingly out of options, "I don't know how you will ever catch this lunatic if you have to worry about me all the time!"
Ed shook his head in disapproval. "I rather see you alive than butchered up somewhere," he said, giving Winry a humorless look, "No matter what you think, you aren't a burden. Besides, I'd never forgive myself if something was to happen to you." He knew that this sounded rather slapdash, but at least he was honest.
Winry sighed, realizing that she was being selfish. Ed only wanted her to be safe, yet she took his hospitality as something completely opposite. Then again, it did feel nice to know that he wouldn't let her get in harm's way, though she already knew that fact.
"Just please, don't get yourself injured over me," Winry pleaded in a whisper, her eyes drifting down towards the wooden table. For some reason, Winry could have sworn that she already had a conversation similar to this one with Ed not long before.
The alchemist couldn't help but grin lightly at her. "You know that I can't keep myself out of danger, but like I've said before, I'll try to stay safe."
The blonde mechanic quietly responded with a faint smile of her own. It was really an awkward moment; none of the two teens had anything to say, hence they weren't in the mood to talk about anymore negative thoughts. Indeed, the silence was becoming rather uncomfortable once again, but it was ended rather hastily.
Muffled yelling penetrated the once calm atmosphere outside, but the sounds were of alarm rather than joy. As a matter of fact, the commotion had been going on earlier, but now it seemed to have gained some attention as more people joined in. Since their voices were incoherent, neither Ed nor Winry could really get a general idea of what was going on. However, what if something serious afoot; something involving the murderer?
Not being able to stand the anticipation, Ed stood up and started heading for the front door. Upon opening the wooden barrier, he discovered that sparse groups of people, obviously residents of Risembool, were making their way down the road directly ahead of him.
Winry showed up next to the alchemist not much later. "What's going on, Ed?" she inquired, unsure of the situation.
"No idea, but I'm going to find out," Ed replied, trying to signal down someone so he could get some information out of them. He managed to get the attention a pair of elderly women, both of them already engaged in deep conversation.
Though it was hard to be patient at a time like this, Ed tried his best to sound polite. "Excuse me, but where is everyone going? And what's with all the yelling?" This sounded rather hasty, but it would do.
"From what we heard, someone was killed nearby," one of the women said, looking greatly saddened.
The alchemist felt the color drain out of his face; it seemed that he was too late. "Do you who it was?"
"Oh yes, I believe it was that girl, Nellie," the other woman said with a depressed sigh, "Poor thing, too. Someone said that she was attacked and severely tortured in her own house." With a shaking voice, the alchemist thanked them and the pair set off.
It was then that Ed finally figured out the victim. The image of the person floating lifelessly in the tub came to him, and the brown hair now made sense. How could be not identify Nellie before? But now that he thought about it, she was a close friend, and her death would be something that the killer sought after.
"N-Nellie is dead?" Winry barely choked out, almost not believing what she just heard.
Ed shook himself from the initial shock, though he wished that he misunderstood the women. The only thing that he could do now was to verify this. "I don't believe it either. Come on, we have to see this for ourselves."
And with that, both Winry and himself dashed to Nellie's home, in hopes that she was still alive. They completely forgot about securing their own house beforehand, but right now, that seemed out of the question. Ed could only pray that there might still be a very slight chance to rescue Nellie from her doomed fate, but that all depended on whether or not she had already succumbed to the murderer.
Upon reaching their friend's house, Ed and Winry discovered that a fairly good amount of people, about twenty or so, had already assembled. However, the front door of the building was still closed, and none of the people appeared as if they would be going inside anytime soon.
Well, if no one was going to be brave enough to enter, then Ed took it upon himself to check out the situation. "Winry, stay here. I'm going to see if Nellie is still alive in there," he told the blonde mechanic.
"But I want to come with you! Nellie is also my friend, and I worry about her, too," Winry argued, but Ed remained firm.
"You'll be safer out here in the crowd," he countered, "Besides, what if that killer is still inside?"
Winry sighed, knowing that this was another one of those arguments that she wouldn't be victorious in. "Fine, but please try to save her, if you can," she requested, hopeful that her friend still had a chance.
Ed nodded, and worked his way through the crowd. Several people voiced their concerns, claiming that the police should take care of this situation, but he paid them no mind. He was a State Alchemist after all, so this seemed like the perfect time to use his status to his advantage.
"I'm doing this for your own good!" Ed called out, trying to calm the people somewhat, "I'll make sure that the house is clear, in case someone dangerous is hiding there. And above all, don't follow me inside."
His short speech settled the group down, and he was pleased that at least he managed to achieve that much. But just as a safety precaution, Ed transmuted his auto-mail arm before allowing himself inside through the unlocked front door.
The house reeked with the stench of blood, and the alchemist knew that this was the work of the murderer. In Winry's dream, Nellie was supposedly killed and left for dead in the bathroom, so naturally, that where she must be now. Not only that, but the killer still must be inside considering that he would have been spotted by the people if he fled the scene. If that was the case, then this would be Ed's rare chance to confront him and hopefully bring him to justice, thus ending anymore killing sprees.
As Ed made his way through the gory hallways and rooms, he was rather surprised to find out that each scene matched that of Winry's dream, right down to the broken picture frames in the main hallway. With the exception of Den's massacre, Ed hadn't seen so much horrific displays of inhumanity in a long time. Everything that he saw inside the house had a direct correlation with the images from the dream, and soon enough, he would find out if Nellie was dead or alive.
Sure enough, the soft sound of water could be heard when Ed rounded the kitchen and entered the narrow corridor that terminated with the bathroom. According to the dream, this should be the part where he hopefully would get to confront the murderer, and it made him all the more anxious. He had to be ready for anything, including a possible ambush that may await him.
Ed slowly made his way up the corridor, the transmuted blade held in a defensive position. His footsteps emitted sickening sounds as they made contact with the mixture of flesh, blood, and water on the floor, but the alchemist tried to ignore them. On several occasions, Ed actually had to look over his shoulder to make sure that no one was following him, but he harbored that familiar feeling of paranoia. It was actually starting to become irritating, seeing that Ed kept half of his mind on the task at hand and the other on the whereabouts of the murderer.
It felt like an eon had passed before he reached the open doorway that led into the bathroom. Taking one more glance down the hallway, Ed slipped into the target room, only to discover that Winry's dream had unfortunately come true. The scene directly mirrored that of what his best friend saw, and the only thing left to do was to slide open the shower curtain and reveal the injured victim on the other side.
The tension was building as the alchemist crossed the remaining few feet between him and the concealed bathtub, but he hesitated before opening the curtain. It seemed as if all of his courage had been drained out, and instead replaced by an unpleasant mixture of fear and anticipation. For some reason, he made it fine through the house, but something was holding him back from seeing Nellie's fate. Wasn't this partially what he came for? Then why couldn't he just tear the damned curtain open?
His flesh arm was trembling as he reached out and grabbed a handful of the slick fabric, but that was as far as he could bring himself. Winry somehow was able to do this, yet he couldn't. But then again, there is a difference between a situation in a nightmare and it's real-life counterpart, and emotions are only one major factor. However, delaying wouldn't do him much justice, either.
Ed took a deep breath, and braced himself for what he was about to see. With a determined motion of his arm, the shower curtain was now compressed at one end of the tub, leaving the scene open to view. The alchemist recoiled in fear after seeing the initial corpse floating lifelessly in a pool of red. He now understood what Winry must have went through, including the feeling of pure fright coursing through every vein in his body, but this was actually taking place.
Just to be certain that this was Nellie, though by now it seemed like an absolute truth, the alchemist had to see the face of this person, a task that seemed impossible to do. Ed inched closer to the tub, ignoring the nauseating smell of rotting flesh, and with one push of his hand, he turned the body on its dorsal side. However, Ed was unprepared for what he was about to witness next; something that was not a part of Winry's dream.
The skin that should have been covering the skull was torn off in strips, exposing much of the underlying bone. Just like in the case of Den, the jaw had been removed, but the eyes, however, which were emotionless and staring into oblivion, remained in their respective sockets. The general chest area was torn open by means of a knife, revealing several tender organs that were situated within the ribcage. Additionally, there was a barrage of knife-inflicted gashes distributed throughout much of the ventral side of the corpse.
The alchemist found himself gaping at the setting with his own jaw hanging slightly open. He didn't know if he should be afraid or angry, since his mind had simply blanked out when the sight of a torn Nellie was in front of him. It was as though he was in a vacuum; the rest of the world had been involuntarily shut off from him. True, he had seen many deaths over his journeys, but to witness a friend of his in this state was just too much to bear.
His mind was brought back to reality, however, when a knife came sailing clear over his left shoulder, lodging itself in the tiled wall in front of him. As by instinct, Ed reeled himself around, only to gasp in shock. There was the murderer that had caused this scene, standing in the door frame with his face concealed under his trademark brown cloak.
"I-It can't be you!" Ed exclaimed, wishing that the killer wouldn't show up now. But those feels quickly turned to those of vengeance and anger, though fear still dominated much of his mind.
The deadly man didn't respond directly, however, which only frustrated the alchemist even more. Instead, he pulled out a black pistol, the same one that he revealed in every one of Winry's dreams, and aimed it at Ed.
Normally, the alchemist would have done some kind of evasive move in order to avoid getting shot, but he simply stood there, entranced by the slick gun. Perhaps it was because of the wave of shock that had overpowered him before when he saw Nellie's dead corpse swimming in a tub full of her own blood, but whatever the reason, Ed's body was mentally paralyzed and unable to move.
It wasn't until he felt a sharp, searing pain in his left shoulder that Ed snapped back to reality. Apparently, the murderer didn't have sympathy towards him, and instead pulled the trigger, thereby sending a bullet flying towards him. Ed collapsed to his knees as he screamed in pain, clutching the bleeding wound with his auto-mail hand. While trying to sooth the burning sensation, Ed noticed that the murderer pocketed the gun and wielded his knife, ready to finish him off. Perhaps the killer thought that he had the alchemist cornered, but Ed, however, had other plans.
When the man came within a foot of him, Ed knew that he had only one chance to survive. As expected, he raised his knife-bearing arm, and brought it down on the injured alchemist without so much as a second thought. However, contrary to what the killer thought would happen, Ed rolled out of the way at the last minute, letting the knife embed itself in the floor. The man tried to dislodge his weapon, but Ed took this opportunity to escape back into the hallway.
The alchemist knew that the murderer wouldn't give up, and so he continued to stumble through the hallway in an attempt to recollect himself. A million or so thoughts were seemingly flying around in his mind, but he knew that he couldn't die here. There was still so much that he needed to do, and Ed was prepared to avoid death at whatever cost, especially the fate that this maniac had planned for him. He just had to hold off for a little longer until the police or some military proxy arrived.
Ed forced himself to continue moving, for remaining idle would only benefit the murderer. However, the constant flow of blood from his open bullet wound only worsened the situation, not to mention that it caused him much agony in the meantime. Through partially blurred vision, Ed made his way about the house, careful to avoid nearing areas that were adjacent to the front door. But despite his best efforts to remain concealed in the hallways, Ed had somehow staggered into a small, desolate room, and this error could be costly.
The room contained one small window opposite to the only door that allowed entry into here. The square window itself was only about a foot in each dimension, meaning that escape via it was near impossible. The alchemist tried to flee the room before it was too late, but fate seemed to work against him. The familiar man in brown clothing made his appearance once again in the door, and Ed was forced to retreat against the wall in fear of getting injured even further.
"W-WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" Ed demanded with unforgiving venom in his voice, "ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!"
His question fell on deaf ears, however, as the murderer simply stood there in deadly silence. Ed didn't know what he was planning in that sick mind of his, but he knew that the killer had successfully trapped him. In his current state, the alchemist could do little to defend himself if his opponent were to make a move now.
Even though the man's face was hidden under a hood, Ed could have sworn that he was staring at him with hateful eyes. However, some luck was still with the alchemist. Just when the murderer started to move closer to his fallen foe, a series of voice echoed through the house, prompting the man to halt his actions.
The alchemist chuckled, knowing that the police had arrived on the scene, and it would only be a matter of time until they apprehended this killer. "Seems that your killing spree is now over," Ed said with a smug, yet forced grin.
He could tell that the murderer didn't appreciate his last comment, but this wasn't a time for fighting. With one more death glance at Ed, the would-be assassin scurried out of the room and darted down the hallway outside, going in the opposite direction of the voices. Apparently, he was not planning on getting captured this early in his crime streak, but Ed was optimistic that the local authorities would seek him out and rightfully punish the killer for his actions.
Everything seemed to finally be working out in his favor, but Ed had severely neglected his gun wound. As a combined result of exhaustion and blood loss, the alchemist found it hard to stay conscious. Even though he fought to keep his eyes open, the effect of his injuries was beginning to take its toll on his body. Almost involuntarily, the alchemist felt his eyelids slowly close, throwing him into a state of darkness.
Several hours later, or so it seemed, Ed opened his eyes with a groan, discovering that he was now lying in his own bed, back safely at Winry's house. His left shoulder had a string of clean, white bandage running over it, apparently covering some kind of wound. The alchemist, at the time, didn't know how the injury happened, or what it was a result of. As a matter of fact, how did he get here in the first place?
For the first few moments, his mind was relatively blank, still trying to understand what was going on. It was then, however, that all of the horrible memories from what happened previously at Nellie's house came rushing back to him. Ed tried to forcefully sit up as a result of the shock, but the pain from the bullet wound didn't allow it. Instead, he resorted to giving a loud, frustrated sigh in an attempt to vent some stress.
"Ed? Are you awake?" The surprised alchemist looked over to the slightly ajar door, noticing that Winry was peeking inside.
It came as a huge relief to know that she was safe, considering that something could have happened to her when he was unconscious. "Yeah," Ed replied rather dully, though in reality, he wished that his arm would stop radiating the irritating pain.
Winry gave a light smile as she approached her injured friend. "How's your arm feeling?" she inquired, running a soothing hand over the bandaged wound.
"It's fine, except that it still hurts a bit. But how did I get here?" Ed wanted to get some answers, considering that the lack of them was annoying him since he woke up.
His question caused the blonde mechanic to take on a sullen look. "The police found you in Nellie's house, sitting in a pool of your own blood. When they brought you outside, I thought that you were d-dead, but..." She paused for a moment to wipe some tears from her eyes, "but you were still breathing, so I told them to bring you here."
Ed looked down at his bedsheets with distress. Not only did Winry see him in a broken state, but she also had probably seen Nellie's corpse as well. "Did you see her body?" he asked vaguely, though Winry knew what he was talking about.
She nodded slowly, tears once again taking over her eyes. Ed noticed that her fists were trembling, knowing she must have taken the loss of Nellie with great difficulty. "Ed..." Winry whispered, moving slightly closer to the bed.
"What is it?" the alchemist questioned, unsure of what she would say next. However, Winry didn't say anything verbally, but instead wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Y-You're such an idiot! You said t-that you wouldn't get hurt, a-and now you're in bed with a damn bullet wound!" She choked out furiously, unleashing another wave of tears into Ed's chest.
Though the embrace was slightly painful due to the wound, Ed brought his auto-mail arm around her nonetheless, letting his other one rest. 'I can't be believe that I made her cry, again,' he mentally admitted, disgusted with himself.
With a sigh, he attempted to comfort her. "Look, Winry, I know how you must feel, but that killer finally showed up, so I had to try and capture him," Ed whispered gently, stroking her soft hair with his metallic hand.
"Then what would happen if he had better aim and killed you? What would I do then?" she cried out, not daring to imagine the situation that Ed's death would put her into.
The alchemist was at a loss for words. It wasn't entirely his fault that he got shot by the same man that previously committed two murders, but maybe there was a reason behind the killer's tactics. There was only about twenty feet between the two of them, and in Ed's shocked state, the murderer had a clear, unobstructed shot to either his chest or head. Perhaps he missed those crucial areas on purpose, as to let him suffer. Or maybe he wanted to inflict as much physical and emotional damage before going in for the final kill, but whatever the reason, Ed was overly grateful that he was still alive.
"If you knew the circumstances, then you would understand that there was nothing that I could've done to avoid getting shot," Ed explained, referring to the image of Nellie's body that stunned him.
Winry's crying subsided when she heard this, slightly happy to know that at least Ed wasn't being totally irresponsible with his own wellbeing. "Then tell me what happened," she requested, releasing herself from the alchemist as she sat on the edge of his bed, still wiping a few stray tears from her face.
"I intend to, but at least we don't have to worry about that murderer coming after us anymore," he said, remembering that the police must have captured the crazy lunatic considering that they were swarming the place by the time he tried to make his escape.
However, Ed only received a confused look from Winry. "What do you mean?" she asked, unsure of he was referring to.
The alchemist gave her an equally questioning face in return. "I'm talking about the murderer; the police had to catch him after they came into Nellie's house."
Winry lowered her head after realizing what he was talking about. "Ed..."
"T-They did get him, right?" the alchemist asked intently, staring at his best friend with eyes full of worry and anticipation. The authorities just had to have apprehended his attacker, there was no doubt about it in his mind.
After a brief pause, Winry gazed back at Ed, shaking her head sadly.
"No, the police found no one in that house, except for you, and Nellie..."
That about wraps things up for this one. :P Oh by the way, if you check out my profile, you can see that I'm going to keep you posted on the progress of the chapters for this fic. :)
And now it's time to acknowledge all of the great reviewers:
sakuralover918: Thanks. :P
kikyoreborn9295: Heh, thanks for reading and reviewing all of the previous chapters. .-
Elric329: I'm glad that you enjoy this fic to that degree. :) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Carrot The LuvMachine: I bow down before you. Thanks for all the compliments; they made my day. :P
Kari: Lol, thanks for the review! ;)
C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Heh, that's one way of putting it. ;P As always, thanks for reviewing.
goddess of fallen shadows: Thanks for reading, and for that kind review. :D
xMeo: That's good to know. :P Thanks!
Brickwall847: You can expect to see more fluff in the later chapters, too. ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing!
snwbnny: Heh, perfect timing, eh:P Thanks for reviewing!
Nirvana of the Undead: Lol, hope you didn't mind the wait for this chapter. ;) Thanks for the review, too.
Fanactic: Rofl, thanks!
EdxWinry: Thanks for reading and reviewing:P
Saturn Stars: I got to take this time to thank you properly for the great review. :)
I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with Winry's dialogue, considering that I haven't really grasped her character just yet. After watching a good amount of the anime and reading some of the manga, I guess that I have just picked up Ed's character without too much difficulty, but yeah, I need to work on Winry. ;)
And I agree with you; it's very tempting to deviate from the main story and just to throw in tons of EdxWinry fluff. Believe it or not, I was actually planning on writing this whole story concept as a one-shot (without it being too long, of course), but I guess that I just wanted to really develop Ed and Winry's relationship in much more detail, so that's probably the real driving force behind me writing this fic. Besides, it would be much more fun to write a multi-chapter story. :P
I'm not exactly sure as to what situations you mean, but if you point some out, then I'd be glad to look further into them. I know it's mainly because I have mostly everything planned out in front of me, but it's obviously a different matter for the reader. Sorry for the confusion, by the way.
After reading the review up to the fourth point, I have to agree with you. I didn't really explain the bottleneck situation very well in the previous chapters, but what I was getting at, in the case of Winry, is that she had already placed her trust in Ed. That is, she knows that harm won't come to her if he's around. I guess that I could have used some more detail in those certain bits.
Once again, I thank you. :P I appreciate that you're helping me out here, cause I do get jammed once in a while. Heh, I can already picture myself in that situation later on, so I must thank you again for letting me contact you directly via email. ;P
Sanowaeca: I guess this chapter answers your question. :P Thanks for the review, by the way!
crazyanimefreak15: Lol, sorry about the nightmares. And thanks again for the nice review. :)
Phew, can't remember getting that many reviews for a single chapter. ;P Until next time.
