Hello again everyone! Well, here's the next chapter as I promised! I do admit I'm a bad author; I almost forgot to post this one tonight (slaps hand against forehead). The weekend is coming up, so there will be a few extra chapters posted. Saturday I will post before going out with friends for my birthday fun-time. I'll be turning 23 tomorrow!

One more thing. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I wanted to explain my real reason for writing this story. First of all, I was getting sick and tired of reading all of this Ed/Roy slash (no offense slash writers!). I just don't prefer to read it. And most of the Ed/Winry stories I've read have just had her sitting at home being depressed that Edward hadn't come back yet. I think my problem is that I've been watching WAY too much Gunslinger Girls and Elfenlied (my new addiction…great series though there is a TON of blood/gore/violence and nudity). I also bought Appleseed a month or so ago and really enjoyed watching the action from the main female character. I'm not trying to insult anyone who has written Ed/Winry stories, because we all know there aren't enough out there. I just wanted to take the whole story, add some weirdness into it, and use a blender to mix it all up! The Winry character in the anime and manga has such a great personality; I just wanted to give another aspect to her already well-written self, and give her a bigger part in Edward's life!

I've also tried to write one-shots but failed miserably at it. It just seems to me that I can't put any detail in it, which makes it seem flat and one-dimensional.

Either way…off to study kanji for Japanese class tomorrow…Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter Eight "Winry," came the voice from First Lieutenant Hawkeye, "The Colonel will see you now."

The girl stood up from the seat outside his office and slowly walked inside. She had given her report almost two hours ago, but as she was leaving he informed her to wait outside while he listened to Edward's report. She thought it would only take a few minutes, since her report wasn't very long itself. She saw William walking by while she was waiting, and they talked for a few moments before he had to get back to his section. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the First Lieutenant came to retrieve the girl.

Walking in, she saw Edward sitting on the couch, looking very displeased. Alphonse stood back in the corner, to stay out of the way. Standing towards the door she saluted her superior officer and stood still. Mustang, still finding it humorous she felt the need to be so formal in front of him, beckoned for her to sit on one of the couches. Quickly, she chose the one across from her brooding friend, and sat down to wait for the Colonel's instructions.

"Once again I'd like to congratulate you for your report this morning, Winry," Mustang said after a moment, "It was very precise and to the point, unlike your friend's report just now." The comment earned a grunt from Edward, and Winry shot him a look for being so disrespectful. "Now, I have been thinking about our conversation after your report this morning," he continued, ignoring the response from the boy, "and I have decided you are ready for a more difficult task."

Winry smiled, "Thank you, Colonel. I would like to be more useful."

The older man nodded. "This is why I'm sending you on a mission with Edward and Alph--"

"What!" Edward interrupted, as he sat straight on his couch, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ignoring his outburst, Mustang continued talking to Winry, "I do not want to send you alone, so I have decided to pair you up with someone you're familiar with." Winry nodded at this information. A small smile began to form on her face. She was finally going to be able to go on a real mission!

"You two, and of course you Alphonse if you wish, will be sent to a town called New Heissgart. It has been rumored that many outlawed alchemists have been gathering there as of late. Some keep to themselves, but most find ways to harass and cause disturbances within the town. First of all, I want you three to round up as many of these outlaws as you can, and try to find the reason behind their grouping."

The two teenagers stood, as Al joined them from behind. "Take as long as you need to, but please try to be swift in your investigation. The alchemist killer is still not apprehended, but there have been numerous sightings, so he can turn up anywhere," Mustang stated while looking straight at Winry, "which is why I'm not sending any alchemist alone for a while."

The trio nodded, though Edward still didn't seem to enjoy the information. "You're train leaves at noon, which gives you an hour or two to pack. Dismissed." All three teens saluted the Colonel and exited the room. Even before the door was shut began the complaining from Edward.

"I can't believe his ass! What is he thinking?" griped Ed. "I hate it when he gets his pompous attitude and flaunts it around everywhere. I wish I could just rip his head off sometimes…"

"Edward! Just what is your problem?" interrupted Winry as they were down the hall from Mustang's office. "Yeah, I know you hate the guy, but he's your freaking superior officer. You need to show a little more respect!"

"Respect? I'll show him respect, all right…the respect can be shoved right up his—"

"Brother!"

Edward stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around to see the two other teenagers glaring at him with their hands on their hips. "What? Can't I hate him?"

Winry crossed her hands over her chest and exhaled, "Look, I know you really don't like him, but you got yourself into the military. There are just some things you have to put up with. Let's stop fighting over this and start packing. We don't have much time before the train leaves." Edward finally admitted defeat and nodded his head. Winry headed back to her room, while the boys went to theirs and began packing.

While she packed, Winry decided to leave her door open. She enjoyed listening to the people walking back and forth through the hallway as she packed a few outfits to take with her. She figured she'd pack a few days worth, and if they were there any longer than that, then she'd have to do laundry. Edward better not expect me to do his, she thought to herself. The image of Edward doing his own laundry caused the teenager to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" came a voice from outside the door. Winry looked up to see William leaning on her doorframe. She smiled as she put the last outfit into her bag, "I thought you had to be at another section?"

"Well, I heard you were leaving, so I took a break to come say bye."

"That's nice to know you're thinking of me. Thank you, William."

"Not a problem. So, where are they sending you this time?"

"It's a place called New Heissgart. Edward, Alphonse, and myself are catching the twelve o'clock train and going straight there. I have no idea where it's at, but it might be fun."

"It's a little ways from here, if you leave at noon, you should get there by nighttime," replied William. "But why is Mustang sending two alchemists and that guy's brother along too? What's the big deal? Is it about that Scar guy?"

Winry nodded, "No, it's not about him at all, but since he hasn't been apprehended yet, Mustang's not sending any alchemist on a mission alone."

William laughed, "You'd think they would send someone bigger then that Edward guy! I wouldn't feel very safe around him…Oh, I'm sorry," the man coughed, "I forgot you were good friends with him. I hope you didn't take offense to what I said."

Winry smiled slightly and shook her head as she began to walk around the room finding loose odds and ends that she might need. Picking up her wrench and screwdriver, she turned back around to find William standing right behind her. Screeching from being surprised, Winry dropped the tools and took a step back. William blushed and apologized for scaring her as he bent down to pick up the items.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you like that," he said as he handed her the tools. Taking a step back, William looked at her intently, "there's something different about you today, though I couldn't figure it out earlier when I saw you…"
Winry raised an eyebrow in confusion, and began looking at herself in the mirror to find what was wrong. "That's what it is!" William exclaimed, "you're actually wearing something besides those jeans and tank top."

Sure enough, Winry realized she was wearing a long dress, which helped to hide her automail leg. The dress had long sleeves, which also helped to hide her arm. She silently missed the days where she could wear one of her sleeveless sundresses. She didn't even realize what she threw on after she jumped out of the shower; she had woken up so late that morning. William laughed at his discovery, "You look good today, Winry. I mean, not like you don't look good any other day, but today you're dressed like…um…a girl…"

She blushed at his compliment, "Well, since I am one, then I can dress like one once in awhile. It's those non-females that you have to worry about." She shivered slightly remembering the confrontation with Barry the Chopper a few years ago. That had been shortly before her automail incident happened. That whole period of her life she would rather forget.

"Are you cold? Maybe you should put a jacket on or something," William stated, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. He reached over to rub her arms, but she pulled away slightly and continued her packing. "No, I'm fine, thank you for your concern though. It's very sweet."

William nodded and began to step towards the door. He leaned against the doorframe again and watched Winry pack for a few more minutes. The two friends stayed in silence, each of them in their own separate world.

"Well, I need to be getting back to work," William finally said after a few minutes, "They'll be coming to look for me soon if I don't go back."

Winry looked up to him as she zipped her packed bag and nodded. She walked over to the doorway, and reached up to give him a hug. "Thank you for coming by, it was very thoughtful of you." William returned the hug and whispered in her ear, "I'll be waiting for you to come back, so don't go off and get killed by that Scar fellow." Slowly pulling away from the hug, Winry looked at the soldier confused just as she heard someone clearing his throat from behind her friend. William moved out of the way for Winry to see it was Edward that was coming to see if she was done packing. William grinned at Ed and bowed in front of the girl, before saying goodbye and walking down the hallway. Winry could do nothing but stare as the man retreated yet again.

"What was he doing here? How does he even know where your room is?" questioned Edward.

It took a moment for Winry to shake the meeting from her head; she would have to think about it later, because she still had a train to catch. She rubbed her cold arms and looked up to her old friend, "He came up here before we went to the cafeteria last night. I had a lot of bags, so he carried them up here for me."

Edward looked down the hallway William had walked while Winry explained. He turned back to see her rubbing her right arm as if it were cold. "Are you okay?" The girl nodded and looked up again, and suddenly looked as if she remembered something. "Oh! Thanks for reminding me Ed, I almost forgot something!" Looking confused, Edward watched the girl bound back into her room, and seconds later, reappear with his red coat in her hands. "I guess you laid it down and forgot it last night or something." Blushing, she handed the coat back to her friend.

He laughed slightly as he received it, "No, you were just getting cold as I was about to leave, so I left it here for you. Those sheets are pretty thin; trust me, I know."

Smiling at his nonchalant attitude, Winry smiled, "Thank you anyways. That was very nice of you."

Nodding his acceptance, he peeked behind her to see her bag was packed. "Well, are you ready to head out?"

"Yeah," Winry replied. She turned around and did a quick check again to make sure she didn't miss anything. Edward walked inside and picked up her bag, and waited for her to grab her coat and gloves.

"Hey, Ed?" Winry asked as she saw him look at the pictures on her nightstand.

"Mmmm?" he mumbled as he picked up the picture that included himself and the girl, causing her to blush slightly.

"I know I should probably know already, but I don't. Do you think you can explain the whole 'alchemist killer' situation to me on the train? I haven't heard much about him, except from what is listed in newspaper articles, but I would like to know what to look out for." She watched as Edward placed the picture back and turn to stare at her.

"You mean Mustang hasn't told you yet?"

She shook her head, "No, he told me some other…important stuff…but nothing about him. Maybe he thought I knew all about it from knowing you."

Edward could see the girl fight to keep her quickly rising anger under control, and decided to not pry into what she was told. "Sure, I'll tell you later. Just remind me…"

After checking her room again, Winry finally decided she was ready, and they both exited her room to pick up Alphonse and head to the train station.