So, I traded Edward a bowl of ramen for the rights of FMA. After that we got in a minor argument, he slapped me and called me a pervert, then stole the rights back and walked away. Believe my story? Well, if you don't then…go poo on yourself.

Warning: There are a few sections which you might find a little boring (sorry, I couldn't think of a way to spice them up), but all the information given in them does serve a purpose, so don't dose! And besides, I didn't say all of the sections are boring ;). Also, there might be some minor sexual-like interactions up ahead.

Held

By Gomp

"Al!"

My eyes shot open, without thinking I threw myself into a sitting position causing a startled cry to tear its way from my throat, shit. I grabbed onto my injured shoulder while my face scrunched up, the pain was consuming my whole left side. Oh, God, it hurt so much.

I took deep breaths, trying to sooth the throbbing that echoed throughout me. I needed more pain killers, damn it. Ok, what I really needed was to think more before I did something stupid like that, I was still injured.

My mind suddenly went to a screeching halt when my dream resurfaced. It was a nightmare of Al dieing and I was able to do nothing to save him.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I hated nightmares; they were too common for me.

The pain subsided after awhile. Once I felt confident enough, I threw my legs over the side of the bed, pasty skin meeting the cold air of the room. I wrinkled my nose as I got a nice whiff of myself, whoa, I was one stinky boy! I was in desperate need of a bath or shower.

I was careful as I stood, forcing my legs to cooperate with me. My left leg still hurt like hell, I suppose after all the walking I had done the prior day it hadn't allowed my leg to begin to heal. Oh man did it hurt! What a nice way to start my morning.

I stumbled around my room, still not fully awake. I felt dead tired because I had spent long hours on the phone the night before. After talking to Winry and Al, I had finally called Izumi to inform her of our situation. She seemed more than happy to house them; she also had much to say about my interactions with the 5th Laboratory. I must say, I was now in grave fear of my next visit with Izumi. She had threatened to do many mean and painful things to me.

I finally reached my bathroom door; I carelessly flung it open and squinted when I flicked the light switch on. Argh, I truly did hate mornings.

I peered into the bathroom mirror, trying to get a good look at myself. My bandages had a slight brown tinge to them, silently telling me that I badly needed to change them. I began to slowly unwrap the bandages that surrounded my chest and midriff, my skin tingled with the ability to breathe again. Once all the bandages around my stomach had fallen to the floor, I turned so I could get a good look at my back.

…damn.

My back was a mass of many different shades of black and blue, and some of the bruises had even turned a hideous yellow. Five long cuts stretched their way along my backside, none very deep, but they weren't very appealing to look at either. I groaned in wonderment of if they would scar, hopefully not, I had enough scars already.

I turned back around and yanked at the bandages around my shoulder, the bandages unraveled easily. A wave of nausea hit me when I saw the stitched up wounds. There were so many stitches… they must have used many needles, eww, bahh, ahh, gross!

I shook my head to help chase away my needle-phobia.

My shoulder was not a pretty sight, to say the least; the three claw marks rounded the shoulder and ran down the left side of my chest. Looking at the lacerations now, it seemed like the cuts were a lot more serious than I had first estimated, which was ironic, usually it was the other way around. I knew for a fact the three claw marks were going to scar, I was not happy with the idea, but there was nothing I could do about it.

A knock at my front door took my attention from me gawking at my shoulder, I groaned in annoyance as I grabbed a towel to throw over my injured shoulder, might as well save them from the gruesome sight. I limped my way out of the bathroom and through my dorm room. Whoever was there to visit me knocked again.

"I'm coming."

I turned the handle of my door, opened it up, and peered out to see who was interrupting me that morning.

"Why does it take you forever to answer your door?"

I gave Klose a playful smirk. "Well, maybe if you didn't always knock so damn early it wouldn't take me so long."

Klose and I both chuckled at my poor attempt at humor. Once we were settled, Klose looked at me more seriously. "General Mustang ordered me to give this to you; everyone in his unit is to receive one." It was then that I noticed Klose had a handful of cards; she picked the card that was on the top of the pile and handed it to me, but during the process, another one of the cards fell to the ground.

I bent down and picked up the stray card. I went to hand the card back to Klose, but the name printed in big bold letters grabbed my attention.

"Armstrong?" The reason I questioned the name was because Armstrong, as far as I knew, wasn't part of Roy's unit, I thought he was in a unit being dispatched to Ishbal.

Klose grabbed the card out of my hand, returning it to the pile. "Major Armstrong was transferred over to Roy's unit the other day." Well, that answered that.

I thought about what she said for a moment, surprised that no one had told me. Honestly, I thought Armstrong staying in Central was a rather good thing. I knew most the veterans of the Ishbal War seemed very sensitive to the idea of killing, especially Armstrong himself. It was probably best to keep him away from the war.

I finally looked at my own card which was still in my hands and turned it over. I had to squint and beg my eyes to focus for me so I could read the tiny print. I mumbled "What is this?" under my breath.

Klose heard my question and answered. "Its orders for tomorrow's assembly."

"Orders?" I finally finished reading the card; this had to be a joke.

Klose nodded. "Yes, orders."

"So, you really plan to put me on security?" I sat in the chair beside Roy's desk; I looked at him almost disbelievingly.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Roy worked on papers, not even bothering to look at me.

I sighed as I leaned back in the chair, my eyes tiredly looking around his room. "I could think a million things wrong with it. For one, have you forgotten I'm injured?"

Roy smirked as he lazily doodled his name on a paper, his other hand fiddling with his eye patch. "Being injured has never really impaired you before. Besides, I figured being on security would be best, you won't have to move around as much like the patrol officers will. All you will need to do is stand there and look pretty." Look pretty, right.

"And what if something happens?"

Roy shrugged and finally looked at me. "Hopefully, nothing will happen. Almost my whole unit is security, I am sure if there is any problems all you have to do is ask one of them for help. Edward, if you do not follow my orders then it's very possible you will be taken out of my unit and sent to Ishbal. You are lucky to be in Central, but if you're disobedient, I am sure the Parliament will have no problem sending you away and replacing you." His attention went back to his work.

I knew I couldn't really complain about having to do the assignment, practically the whole military faculty was either gone or leaving. Roy was right; I just had to be grateful I wasn't going to Ishbal with them. But still, me, security? If someone was to try and beat me up the best I could do was whack them with my auto-mail arm. I didn't find that as a very dignified way with dealing with things.

The room fell silent, Roy busy at work. I knew I didn't have much time with him; there was a meeting he had to attend soon. So, trying to savor the few more minutes I had with him, I got straight to the point of my visit. "I'm going to speak with Lieutenant Soto's parents today."

Roy's writing halted, he eyed me. "What do you plan to achieve by it?"

"Well, I want to get some history on him. I want to at least have a faint idea of when Lieutenant Soto was turned into a chimera."

Roy placed down his pen, folding his hands in front of him. "Edward, I thought we already discussed this, it's most likely during that year of absence."

I shook my head. "We're not positive of that. Come on Roy, it's not going to hurt any if I speak with them."

Roy sighed. "Edward, it might not hurt you, but it most likely will hurt them. Their son is dead without a suspect to bring to justice, they are still grieving over their losses. But, I must admit, I am a little curious myself. I will permit you to interview them, please, just remember your manners and be respectful."

My manners? I always was well behaved, what was he talking about? Ok, so sometimes, well, maybe half the time I could be slightly disrespectful, or maybe very disres- oh forget it!

"Will do."

Roy glanced at the clock that hung on the wall. "Edward, I apologize, but I must ask you to leave now. I have to be on my way, I'll be sure Mrs. Kurtis prepares a cab for you."

I nodded my understanding as we both stood. I followed Roy out, limping behind him. He stopped at Klose's desk and placed in a few requests, then made his leave. I myself headed towards the door, but was stopped by Klose's questioning voice.

"Edward, are you going somewhere? General Mustang told me to call a cab for you."

I looked back at Klose, a sheepish expression on my face. "I just got some minor things I have to take care of, you know, the boring work type of stuff."

Klose smiled at me. "Well, the only reason I asked is because I need the papers you signed for Lieutenant Gorman."

The specific papers Klose was talking about were all the way back in my dorm. Ah, I was too lazy to limp my way back there! "Do you need them right now?"

Klose went in thought for a moment; she then opened up her planner, skimming through things she had written down. "I don't need them this instant, but is there anyway you could drop them off later today? I just have to take the papers to the service desk by early tomorrow morning. Wait, I have an idea. How about you drop the papers off around 7 at my dorm, we then can just go to the café together and get some dinner."

"Sure, I don't see a problem with that."

I handed the cab driver some money. "Just remember to be back in about an hour."

The greasy well aged man gave me a big smile, many of his front teeth missing. "Sure thing."

I opened the cab door and stepped out into the drizzling world beyond. It was high in humidity so the rain fell lightly, it caused my hair to frizz and curl in odd angles, and for my bangs to firmly paste themselves to my forehead. I smoothed out the hair on top of my head before I closed the door.

I turned to look at the suburban home; the house was white, colorful flowers decorating the front, a classic white picket fence surrounding it. It was rather hard to imagine Enzo once being part of that type of atmosphere, the house so pristine and normal. Then again, if you looked at my old house, it would be hard to imagine that I once had a normal life too.

My feet followed the stone trail that lead to the front door, now and then I would step into a puddle of water which caused a splash sound. When I finally made it to the front door, I stopped for a moment to collect my thoughts. I wasn't really nervous about meeting his parents, but I was rather unsure of my motives. Was it really right to pry into this family's private life? I mean, maybe Roy was right, maybe that year of absence was the answer to all my questions.

But fact was, I was still unsure and I needed straight answers.

"Damn it Edward, just get this over with."

My white gloved hand rose to knock on the door, but it stopped when the door slowly creaked open to reveal a middle aged man.

His voice was deep, it felt slightly hollow. "Can I help you?"

I took a step back from shock; I wasn't expecting to see what I saw. The man was obviously Enzo's father, they looked almost exactly alike. The only thing that seemed different was the peppered hair and the man's ears were much bigger than his sons had been. He looked at me with uncertainty.

"Sir?"

"I-I-I'm sorry, hi." Go me, what a great first impression! Not. "My name is Edward Elric and I have come to speak with you and your wife concerning your s-"

"Are you from the military?"

He sure knew how to get straight to the point. I straightened my stature and looked at the man evenly. "Yes sir, I am."

The door opened the rest of the way; the man crossed his arms and moved to the side of the door. "You may come in; you can take a seat in the living room. I'll fetch my wife." I wasn't sure if the man was happy by my visit or not, I suppose I was about to find out. I nodded my gratitude towards him and limped my way towards the living room area.

The living room was rather simple, but it held some minor elegancy to it, if that made any sense. The room was painted light green, pots and flowers were placed in corners and on shelves. There was a flower printed couch that leaned against the wall; a fluffed cushioned chair was placed across from it. I went to sit in the chair, but something stopped me.

On the right wall there was a fire place, above the fire place was a mantel, and on the mantel sat various framed pictures, but I wasn't close enough to make out any of the photo's. I carefully limped over to the mantel, biting back a cry from the ache that ate at my leg. When I got to the mantel my eyes swept past all the photo's, taking in all their scenes. Almost every picture was a captured moment from Enzo's life; all of them together seemed to create his life's story. There were just so many, I could only stare at the pictures, memorized.

Father son, mother son, fishing, swimming, playing, laughing, frowning, jumping, smiling…just so many.

I knew somewhere at Granny's house she had a few photo albums of us kids. There weren't many of me and Al considering we left Rizenpool at a young age, but there were probably enough to remind us a bit of our childhood. I personally have never had enough guts to look at the photos; I didn't want to remember the life I once had. The life I screwed up for both Al and I.

A cough behind me grabbed my attention; it caused me to turn around.

"What business brings you here?"

The man who spoke was the same person who had greeted me, but this time his wife stood next to him. She was small in stature and slightly corpulent, she also seemed of Latino ethnicity, her graying hair hanging long. Her resemblance to Enzo was nothing compared to the father, but you could still see some similar characteristics.

I looked at the two before me; these two people were once Enzo's parents…

"I have some questions I need to ask, I am sorry for taking up your time."

Enzo's father seemed ready to say something, but his wife placed a hand on her husband's shoulder, giving him a small smile. She then looked at me while gesturing to the chair in front of the couch. "Please, take a seat."

The woman's voice seemed warm, very welcoming. I still wasn't too sure of what her husband thought of me; he greeted me, he seemed to accept my presences, but I wasn't sure if he was happy about all of it. Could I blame him? I was part of the military; considering he had recently lost his son, the son I was in charge of, I would hate the military too.

I limped my way across the room, plopping down on the cushioned chair.

Both the husband and wife moved together, sat together, held their hands together. I could see a sort of distant sadness in both their eyes. I was intrigued by how the married couple acted. I didn't remember much about my father and mother being together, I was still rather young when my father left. The loathing of their son obviously was a shared burden; this was a whole family, what families were supposed to be all about. Well, that is, if you ignored the fact that Enzo had been a chimera.

I cleared my throat and straightened my posture, a poor attempt to look more professional. "I…uhh." Yup, I was very professional indeed. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to get my head on straight. "I apologize for my unannounced arrival, but hopefully this will only take a moment of your time."

The couple shifted slightly on the couch, waiting patiently for me to ask them my questions. I suppose getting straight to the point was going to be the most efficient and effective way of doing everything.

"Well, my name is Edward Elric, I am here to-"

"You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, aren't you?"

I looked at the woman a little surprised, she had interrupted my beginning statement, but, her interruption seemed to had lifted some of the pressure from the room. Hey, if it was going to help the situation I figured might as well just go along with it. Being recognized constantly I suppose was just a draw back to having a famous face, I flashed the lady one of my egotistical smiles. "Yes ma'm', I am the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The husband looked at his wife curiously. "Honey, what are you two talking about?"

"I've told you about him, he seems to be very famous around these parts and in the east. I showed you that article clipping, remember?"

Wait a minute…

I looked between the two. "You have never heard of me before?"

"What do you mean? Oh wait, I apologize. See, you must understand, my husband and I have only lived in Central for the past two years. We moved from the north so we could be closer to our…son… While in the north we never received much news from these parts, so we were not previously aware of your existence." Shit, that was right; I forgot that Enzo was originally from the north. But still, something was deeply bothering me.

Enzo had insisted that he had been a great fan of mine during his teen years. Did that mean…?

Did that mean Enzo had been sucking up to me! Oh man, what a two faced assho-

"Mr. Elric, I truly don't believe you came here to simply discuss your own personal fame. What do you need to ask us?" The man's words held a harsh tone to them, warning me to keep focus on the discussion at hand. I felt slightly embarrassed as I nervously fiddled with the cloth of my gloves; the topic of discussion had become inappropriate for the situation.

"6 years ago, specifically from the winter of 1912 to the fall of 1913, our military records hold no information on any of your son's activities for that time. I know it has been a long time since then, but is there any way either of you could recall the events of that year?"

The sudden silence of the room was not what disturbed me, what disturbed was the fact that both parents paled and their eyes turned away from me. Well, I defiantly had caught onto something. Maybe Roy was really right all along; maybe Enzo had changed during that year.

The silence of the room stretched, it seemed both people were lost in their own thoughts. I began to fidget, not sure what the hell to do. I couldn't really force them to speak, but damn it, one of them needed to spill!

"Sir? Ma'm?'

"Our son didn't mean to cause any problems! Why are you here?" The man's words held so much pain and agony; it struck me to the core.

"Sir, I'm sorry."

"He had to do it; it was the only way the military would allow him in!"

The only way the military would allow him in?

His wife's arms suddenly encircled her husband's shoulders; she began to whisper soothing words to him, trying to calm him done. I sat simply dumbfounded, not really sure what the hell the man had been talking about.

"Mr. Elric, can you please excuse us for a moment?"

I looked at Enzo's mother, I nodded for my reply. She led her husband out of the room, I wasn't exactly sure where they had gone, I was still too caught up by what the husband had said. Surely he didn't mean that Enzo had been turned into a chimera so the military would allow him in…

This time, only Enzo's mother returned. She sat back down on the couch, giving me a gentle smile. "I am sorry about my husband; our son's death has been rather hard for him."

She seemed well composed, but I could still see much pain and suffering in her eyes, it was obvious Enzo's death had been hard on her too.

"I am truly sorry for intruding on your personal lives, but I just need to now Enzo's whereabouts for that year. Ma'm, can you please tell me the truth?"

Enzo's mother looked down at the ground, keeping her eyes away from my face. "Mr. Elric, years ago our son had a very good friend pass away. Our son… he did not take the death well. My husband and I had become very worried about his actions, you must understand, he began to show very abnormal behavior. We did what we thought was best for him, we sent him to a mental health clinic-"

Damn it, I knew exactly where things were going. Having minor details erased, especially concerning health problems, was not uncommon in the military records. It was totally illegal, but many people did it so they could join the military. If Enzo's records would have showed that he was in a mental hospital, there would have been almost no way he could had been accepted as an officer. But, if that was the case, then when the hell did Enzo become a chimera?

"-he thought it was the only way. Please, we don't want any problems with the military."

"It's alright ma'm, I promise everything is fine. The military will not bother you or your husband for this, but, I do have one final question for you."

The woman nodded, her fingers playing with the fabric of her long skirt.

"Had your son showed any strange behavior in the last few years? This does not include his actions which reflected from his friend's death."

A painful sigh fell from her lips, but she stayed strong, keeping her emotions in tact. "This past year there was a falling out between Enzo, my husband, and I. My husband and I figured Enzo was just going through a stage, but we once attempted to visit Enzo a few months back and…" She took a shuddering deep breath to try and help sooth her sudden flaring emotions. "…he acted like he didn't even know us. I just…we didn't understand."

Bingo, most likely Enzo had been too upset by his transformation that he couldn't even face his parents.

"Do you know exactly when this past year he started to act that way?"

"Well, it was about late summer, beginning of fall. So I suppose maybe 9 months ago."

Heh, hah...weird…

That was around the time I had returned from the other world.

What a nice coincidence.

Well, doesn't the world just like to go to shit?

I had desperately tried to do some paperwork which had so kindly been given to me, but I couldn't concentrate. I then tried to figure out the whole Enzo mess, but it just hurt my brain. I figured I would wait till later on that one, until after I talked to Roy. I was going to need two brains on that specific topic.

So, avoiding all work which desperately needed done, I decided to analyze my auto-mail leg. The leg was bothering the hell out of me; the pain I felt seemed a little bit beyond minor irritation like the doctor had said.

I wasn't very comfortable about toying with my auto-mail; Winry was the auto-mail mechanic, not me. But hey, at that moment I needed something to do.

I removed the top plate that covered the wiring over my knee cap, heh, well isn't that just cute? What I saw made my tummy turn, I had a feeling Winry was going to seriously kill me.

Like I said, I was no auto-mail mechanic, but I wasn't totally stupid either. It seemed when the chimera had jerked my leg, he had damaged the joint fixture. It explained why no matter how hard I tried my walking still carried a limp and the leg felt so stiff.

It was almost as if I messing with my auto-mail had messaged Winry in some telepathic freaky way. Because sure enough, after I replaced the plate over my knee, a knock was at my door. It was an officer telling me I had a phone call. Ha, ha, what bloody luck.

I now stood in the phone booth, nervously twirling my braid. Winry's voice almost sang to me, her voicing practically radiating with life. Anytime she would speak to me like that, I always knew there was something up her mischievous sleeve.

"I'm busy, what do you want?" If I told her about my auto-mail, she was going to kill me!

"Ed, is that how you greet everyone?"

"What if I said yes?"

"Then I wouldn't believe you."

I slouched against the wall, how was I going to break it to Winry? Her auto-mail was her baby, and I did enjoy my life somewhat…

"Winry, why did you call me?"

"Do I always need a reason? What if I just called to talk?"

I groaned. For how happy Winry sounded it seemed like she was hiding something.

Wait…

…hiding something…could it be?

"Winry, did you get Granny to finally agree to go?

"I thought you were busy Edward, I thought you didn't have time to talk."

Ahhh! "Ok look, I'm sorry, I'm never too busy to talk to you. Now answer me, are you guys going?"

"After Granny and I did much talking, we have come to a decision." A moment of dramatic pause was provided by the Queen of Auto-mail. "Granny spoke to Nelly's parents, she's entrusting them with the keys. They also agreed to take care of Den while we're gone; Al refuses to leave the cat so I think we have to take her with us. We will be heading to Dublis with in the next two days."

I wanted to jump for joy! Minus the fact that it made me more comfortable with them in Dublis, they were also now going to be only about an hour train ride away. Visits were going to be much easier.

Heh, I didn't need to tell Winry about my leg, the happy news was too nice to ruin. I would save it for later.

I held the papers that I needed to provide Klose with firmly in my hand as I limped my way down the hall. My stomach was singing to me a very ugly tune, telling me to get to dinner and stuff it silly. I was in a very good mood now; just knowing Al, Winry, and Granny were going to Dublis was making my world so much better.

My limping halted the moment I came upon Klose's door: Give her papers, drag her as quickly as possible to any source of food; that was the plan. My stomach grumbled just to show its enthusiastic agreement.

I knocked on Klose's door, hoping she would answer it quickly. Instead, I received a 'Come in'.

Under my breath I muttered "She better be ready or I'm going to kick her ass.", cause damn it, I was starving!

I grabbed the knob and twisted it open, preparing myself to whine and complain for Klose to hurry up.

Instead, I was greeted by an empty room. Well, an empty room filled with lit candles and the quiet backbeat of some slow tempo music playing on the radio. Well, that was rather odd, very odd indeed, where was Klose?

"Klose?"

I then heard the clatter of something in the bathroom and some curse words being said under her breath.

"Edward, just give me a moment!"

I rolled my eyes as I shut the dorm door, I had lived with Winry long enough to know what a 'moment' meant in girl terms.

I glanced around the room, the candles leaving a ghastly glow to it. I had been in Klose's room maybe only once or twice before, either to drop stuff off or wait for her to go eat. Her room was more cluttered than my own; there were some pictures of her and her father on the walls. On her desk sat a picture of a person I presumed was her sister, the one who had died long ago by the corruption of Majihal. Oddly enough I did not see any pictures of her mother, but I suppose that was probably some personal thing.

I scanned the room a few times and stopped when I saw something silver glittering; the flicker of the candles kept causing the silver piece to gleam. It was a necklace dangling from the post of her bed.

I limped my way to the bedpost, looking at the jewelry. The chain was long and on it hung a round silver charm; the silver charm reminded me of a small egg. To be honest, the thing looked ugly as hell, but I suppose it wasn't my place to judge jewelry. I placed the papers I had for Klose on the bed and I picked up the chain, the round egg shaped thing twirled in the air. It seemed there were various engraving on the charm, a round pattern that encircled the whole egg. The egg charm reminded me of the same charm Scar once had that carried a piece of Lusts hair, the only difference was Klose's charm was bigger and slightly different in design.

Hmm… I wondered if Klose's charm opened too. That thought defiantly perked my curiosity.

I was about to grab the egg piece and try to twist open the top when suddenly an arm encircled my waste and a hand pulled the chain out of my fingers.

My voice came out in a surprised squeak. "Klose?"

Her words were whispered in my ear, her warm breath teasing me. "Don't you know it's not polite to go through other's personal belongings?"

"I'm sorry; I just saw it and wanted to look at it."

She gave an 'hmm' for a response.

I was suddenly well aware of Klose's arm around my waste; I couldn't see her since she had grabbed me from behind. Her actions were very un-Klose-like, it sent my nerves on edge.

"So uhh, are you ready to go eat?" Yup, me Mr. Slick.

Her laugh was light, very feminine as she leaned over and placed the necklace back on the bedpost. Why was she laughing? I wasn't sure what was so funny, but I knew I was growing uncomfortable by how close Klose was.

My motions were slow and gentle so I wouldn't offend her, I grabbed the arm that encircled me and began to pull it away, I was never one too comfortable with touch. But the moment Klose realized what I was doing her hold grew tighter around me. Her other arm now wrapped around my mid-drift.

"Klose?"

"Edward, do we need to leave? Can't we just stay here?"

My mind went to a sudden halt at the implication Klose was giving me. Was she freaking serious? All I could think of was Klose wanted me to stay with her in her room with us beingall alone. Man, she couldn't be hinting at what I thought she was. There was no way, Klose and I were just friends, nothing more.

I tried to put humor in my tone. "And do what?" I had to know what Klose was aiming at, sure I might have been the biggest virgin in the world, but I wasn't a total dope. I was a man and a scientist; I knew lots about sexuality and the whole spiel on chemical balances in the hormonal system. Hell, I lived on a military base for a good deal of my life, I constantly heard the hushed whispers on intercourse. So, how could I not know a sexual implication when I heard one? But then again, maybe I was just over reacting, yea, maybe she just wanted to play a nice game of checkers or something, friends did that stuff, right?

Her laugh was laced with humor; her hand left my mid-drift and traveled up my chest, teasing me. That was it, I couldn't take it anymore. Klose and I were just friends, why Klose was suddenly acting the way she was, was simply beyond me. I grabbed Klose's hands and pulled them away from me; I took a step back and turned around to face her.

My eyes almost popped out of my head. What was she wearing!

"Klose, what do you think your doing?"

The candles, the music, the bed which was so conveniently next to us and Klose in nothing more than a thin slip which barely hid the goods. What the hell was going on!

This was not Klose, no, not the innocent sweet girl I knew so well. This was some imposter…a very erotic imposter.

All I had wanted was my dinner!

Klose took a step toward me, her form didn't touch mine, but it came awfully close. A sultry smile danced over her lips. I loudly gulped.

"Edward." Her voice carried a tone of lustful interest, an interest which shouldn't have been there. I took a step away from her but automatically backed into the wall. Shit, I was trapped.

Klose took another step forward, both her hands placed themselves on the wall either side of me. Klose and I were about the same height, she was maybe an inch shorter, but it allowed her to look at me directly in the eye, her face only a few inches away from mine.

What she did next shocked me to the core, for some reason I hadn't expected her to do it, it simply took my breath away.

It was my first kiss. And no, mommy kisses don't count as firsts. This was a genuine, desirable, hormonal, make-out worthy kiss.

Oh shit, I was just kissed.

The kiss was simple, awfully quick, only a peck really. But still, my breathing quickened, the room suddenly felt hot- almost suffocating. Even after she pulled away the warmness and taste of her lips lingered on my own.

Klose had kissed me!

Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

"Edward, you're blushing."

"You just kissed me."

"You act like you have never been kissed before."

I was so tempted to tell her 'well duh', but I had a feeling that wouldn't go over well.

…I had been kissed. The foreign intimacy was much different then anything I had ever felt before. The sensations I was feeling in my body were so new, so vibrant. I was a man who had done many things, but this was beyond anything I had ever experienced before. A simple kiss almost brought me to my knees.

The only flaw in the whole ordeal was the person I had done it with. Weren't you supposed to kiss people you had romantic feelings for?

"Klose, why are you doing this?"

"Edward, I'm trying to tell you I like you."

Well, at least she liked me. But what about myself? I mean, did I really actually like her anymore than a friend. The thought had never crossed my mind, and I mean…

I had a strong feeling that Klose wanted to have sex. Kissing I could handle, her telling me she liked me was very flattering, sex… oh man, she was moving too fast. At least that was what I thought…

"Klose I th-"

I never got to finish my statement. Klose suddenly leaned forward again and grabbed my lips into a passionate kiss, well at least passionate on her part. Her arms grabbed my body, pulling me close.

Two simple words to describe my thought process: Holy shit.

Did I need to have feelings for her? Was it ok to do stuff with someone you weren't sure you liked? Oh God, it sure as hell felt ok.

I don't know why I did it. It was as if a sexual frustrated monster deep inside me took over. But, for some reason I allowed all commonsense to leave, I allowed myself to be pulled into the imitate action, the lustful foreplay.

I grabbed onto Klose's body, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her as close as possible towards me. She gave a started yelp, but without out another moments thought, she continued to kiss me. My stomach twisted in angles that actually felt good for once, my lower body reacted in a way I had only had happen a few times in my life time. I was so curious; these new feelings were so different and interesting. I was beginning to understand the whole relationship concept.

I had always hated touch, why was I suddenly enjoying it?

I removed the glove that covered my human hand, dropping it to the floor. I ran my bare fingers over Klose's warm skin; it was so soft, so smooth. I wanted to touch her, to discover all the hidden secrets I had never known.

Klose, she smelled like vanilla with a touch of cinnamon. It was a scent I had never smelled before; I decided it was a scent I rather liked.

Our kiss deepened, tongues beginning to play with one another. It felt nice when her tongue massaged my own.

How did I suddenly know what to do? Well ok, why did I feel like I knew what I was doing? I mean, Klose didn't seem to complain.

Klose pulled at my red jacket, begging for it to come off. I didn't hesitate as she gingerly pulled the cloth away from me, she was careful not to jar my injured shoulder. When she fully pulled the jacket off and it fell to the floor, I grabbed Klose by the waist and twisted our bodies around; she was now against the wall as my hands ran down her form. Every curve, every contour… I wanted to feel…to touch.

Her kisses left my mouth, trailing down my face, down my neck. I gasped as Klose touched me just the right way.

Klose grabbed the top button of my black jacket; she began to fiddle with it, trying desperately to open it.

My hands ran down the backside of Klose's body, my hands falling down to the roundness of her behind, I brought her body closer to mine, our waists connecting. A soft moan escaped as my abdominal tightened, telling me that felt really good, demanding me to do it again. Oh yes, I truly wanted to do it again.

My brain was totally fried; sensations, desire, wants, needs… they all consumed me.

I pushed my body against Klose; she gave small wistful sounds from my teasing. She finally got my top button undone; she then began to yank at my black tank top which was tucked into my pants. My fingers danced over the straps of her slip, my mouth grabbing her lips into a luscious kiss. I wanted to taste more of her, to understand more.

My hands traveled over Klose's thin slip, rounding over her chest. I wanted to know what was beyond everything, what Klose could teach me.

I was a man of science, a man of brain, I needed to know all the information my mind could grasp. I could think of this as educational… oh hell, I thought of this as just down right ecstasy.

I pulled from our lip lock to watch as my hands began to pull down the straps of the only cloth covering Klose's body. Her pale skin yearned for my touch, I wanted to see more.

The gleam of my steel hand suddenly caught my attention. My glove had been pushed up somewhat, revealing the metallic fixture. I blinked a few times, in that moment it felt like the world suddenly shifted. I stopped all actions.

My hand, I had forgotten, I-I couldn't feel anything with it, it wasn't real.

Why did that matter all of the sudden? My hand… and my leg… they weren't real.

"Ed?"

I glanced at Klose, but my attention almost immediately returned to my hand.

Oh…shit…

I pulled the straps back over her shoulders, I took a step back. Why did my fake hand all of the sudden matter? Edward, why does it matter…

It just did, it just fucking did.

Shit, I didn't love Klose, I didn't even know if I liked her more than a friend. What the hell was I doing? How could I lose control of myself like that? The last time I didn't think thoroughly through my actions, realizing all the consequences, only thinking of my wants and desires… I ended up with a fake hand.

Sex could never compare to me losing my limbs, but it showed how pathetic of a person I truly was. I wanted sex for only hormonal interest, not actually emotional value. Oh God…

"Klose I-"

"Edward, why did you stop?"

I took another step back. I didn't want this, no; I never wanted anyone to touch me. I didn't deserve touch. If someone was to see my failures, to see my body…

I was tempted to puke.

"I'm sorry."

Klose's eyes were pleading, she wanted me to stay. To spend the night. To do all the naughty dirty things adults did.

Hell, I wasn't even grown up yet!

"Stay with me."

"I-I can't. I'm sorry…"

I didn't want this; instead I wanted to curl in a corner and wallow in my own shame. I picked up my red jacket from the floor, I had to just leave, get the hell out of there. Klose grabbed my auto-mail hand, her fingers wrapping around the fake limb.

"Edward…"

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see her face, I needed to go.

"Edward, look at me."

She was going to try to convince me to stay, I had to leave. I grabbed Klose's hand with my other hand. I finally looked into her eyes, trying to show all the honesty and sincerity I had within me.

"Klose, I have to go. I'm really sorry."

I did the only comforting thing I could think to do; I leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. And with that, I walked away. I walked away from the possibilities, a possible one true night of a sedated happiness. I walked away with the little bit of dignity I had left.

The possibility of me actually liking Klose was still there. I mean, who knew what the future held. But for the time being…

The door clicked behind me.

"Are you fine with this?"

"I told you I was." I watched as Al pulled the sleeping bag tighter around himself. He picked up his book again, continuing with his reading.

"We need to learn everything we can if we want to bring her back."

"Brother, I just want to see her smiling face again." Al turned a page in his alchemy book, his flashlight was held firmly in his other hand.

"But Al… are you sure it's worth it?"

"Ed, I will follow you. I have trust in you, if you think you can do it, I will go along with you."

"Al, we're going to do it. We will bring mom back."

"Edward, you look like you're about to fall asleep."

My eyes popped open as the person spoke to me. Hell, I had thought I was asleep.

"Havoc?"

Havoc was standing right next to me; I hadn't even heard anyone approach.

"Didn't you go to bed last night?" Ha, ha, how could I have slept after the events that had happened that past night?

I was so freaking tempted to be honest and tell Havoc no, but I was on duty and it would look unprofessional. I mean, what was I to say anyways? Was I to tell him that I was given one of the most ultimate invitations that past night, something you only had in wet dreams, and I turned it down for moral sake? Ok, so there was a lot more to it then just morals. But still…

"I'm just day dreaming. What are you doing here?"

Havoc puffed out some smoke before he answered. "Our posts are right next to each other, and also I came to bring you this."

Havoc held out the item he was speaking of, the hand gun shined from the sun light. I looked at the weapon dumbfounded, why was he giving it to me?

"I don't need it."

Havoc smirked as he rolled the butt of his lit cigarette between his lips. "General Mustang's orders, all security personnel are to have one. It's just for safety sake."

Ok, I suppose he won on that one; I could see it for safety reasons.

For a moment I glanced to the side of me, looking at the roaring crowd beyond the iron gate. I didn't have a clue of how many people were actually there, there were just too many to count. The spectators filled almost the whole military square, which was saying a lot. An iron bared gate was the only thing that was to split the Parliament from the crowd. I was on the Parliament side of the fence; my post was right along the gate, forcing me to stare at the crowed, or you could just call them a pack of raging wolves, oh joy.

The sleek gun was placed into my hand, it felt a lot heavier than I had expected. I made sure the safety was on before I placed the gun in my back pocket, not really happy that I was being forced to carry it. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."

Havoc gave a choked laugh, pulling out his cigarette from between his lips. "It better not be too long, I still have a butt load of work to do. Oh, did you see that Riza is gracing us with a visit?"

"She is?"

Havoc pointed behind us. I quickly turned towards the Announcement Hall, Riza stood to the side of the building, away from all the commotion. By chance she saw my look; she gave me a friendly smile and a wave. I smiled back and gave a wave myself. I was tempted to run up to her and see how she was doing, but again, I was on duty. Damn duty to hell! Well, there was always time to catch up later.

I turned back to Havoc. "Roy didn't tell me Riza was coming, it's been awhile since I've last seen her. Where's Maes?"

He gave me a helpless shrug. "Most likely with a babysitter. A group of us are talking about going out for lunch later, hopefully we can trick Riza into joining us, are you interested in coming?"

I didn't even need to think about it. "Yea sure."

A booming voice suddenly resounded across the whole square, speaking to everyone through speakers, informing us the Parliament would be appearing soon. Once the announcement ended, Havoc turned around and patted me on the head.

"Well, I suppose I'll catch up to you later." With that he walked to his post…which was only a few meters away from mine.

It was then I realized the line of security personnel that stood along side the gate. I was the butt end on the left, but to the right of me the security (which was almost Roy's entire unit) lined up in a straight line along the front of the gate, each of us only separated by a few meters of distant between the other. From Havoc it went: Fuery, Armstrong, Farman…oh hell, the familiar faces just continued on like that. My eyes swept past all of the familiar officers, then went to an abrupt halt as my eyes landed on a specific officer which I hadn't seen for years. My eyes had stopped at Breda, and holy crap, I barely even recognized him. His old red buzzed hair now had length to it and was dyed black. He had lost a few pounds and he almost looked…pretty, for a man that is.

…why was I becoming mentally disturbed by that?

I shook my head in utter confusion from Breda's transformation, it just seemed too weird.

I turned my attention back to the crowd that was in front of me, beyond the iron bars. There were some reporters in the group of spectators, but mostly the crowd consisted of curious civilians. Directly in front of me stood a little girl and her mother. The little girl seemed no older then 10, her brown braided pig tails dangling down the sides of her face. Her mother noticed me looking at the both of them, offering me a warm smile. She then knelt down and directed her daughters attention towards me by pointing at me, I had a feeling the mother recognized me. The little girl's smile almost consumed her features as she frantically began to wave at me. I gave her a small wave back.

Almost instantly the crowed suddenly began to scream wildly. The sudden noise shocked me; I had not been expecting it. Some of the screams were cheerful while others were just down right negative. Holy snickers were some people's mouths just foul, some needed their mouths washed out with soap.

I turned around, curious to what the commotion was about. It seemed people were reacting to the Chairmen of the Parliament who were beginning to line the stage. I smirked when I saw Roy finally make his appearance; he came out after the Parliament members. He and a few other high ranking officers took seats to the side of the stage that was closest to me. I was tempted to try and grab Roy's attention by shooting him funny faces, but I figured he would kill me by his flame if I did something that daring, oh darn.

The screams, the shouts, the yelling- all noise was suddenly silenced when Chairman Hakuro took a stand on the podium. I was amazed by how quiet the crowd stayed for Hakuro, but then again, everyone seemed to love the man. My opinion of him wasn't good nor bad, I still didn't know enough about him to judge. All I was sure of was the fact that people deeply respected him.

Hakuro straightened his tie and cleared his throat before he spoke. "I would like to thank everyone for coming."

His hands firmly grabbed the sides of the podium. "I am sure you are all curious to why the Parliament has demanded your attention. Well, due to recent events which recently occurred in our country, the Parliament has decided to take critical action into defending the citizens of Amestris." Yup, direct to the point, just the way I liked it.

In a way it was weird, indirectly Hakuro was talking about Rizenpool. I was present for Rizenpool's invasion, but never did I think the invasion would have the type of impact that it was having. Quiet, boring, old, rural Rizenpool was influencing a country on the decision of war, who would have thought?

"Amestris has always been a country of strength, will, and power. We can not allow another country to threaten our peace. That is why Amestris must fight back!"

A rather loud whisper spread throughout the crowd, people making off handed comments. Some of the comments positive, many negative, a few neutral. Hakuro gave the crowd a dramatic look, demanding everyone to continue to listen to him. I stood at my post, rather bored.

"I know war is a scary thought, it has been awhile since our country was last at war. But, my fellow citizens, you must understand, if we do not defend ourselves, our country will be no more! We must be proud, we must deliver, we must…" Hakuro balled up his hand into a fist, and with a quick gesture, he shot it straight out in front of him. "…FIGHT!"

Well, that certainly struck a cord with many people. The crowd suddenly began to speak rather loudly. Some people were yelling and screaming, while others talked amongst themselves. The emotions of the crowd varied, everyone seeming to have their own opinion.

I simply stood at my post, contemplating my lunch.

My leg itched.

"Citizens of Amestris, the Parliament has only one thing to ask you, and that is, are you with us? Will you fight with us? Will you be part of your country, will you help defend us!"

'People here are not happy with the idea of war. Some have even become violent with the thought.'

Without warning, the crowd suddenly began to go crazy, not just emotionally but some even physically.

Well… damn it.

This time they didn't just scream and yell, but they began to push and shove. I looked to my right, seeing Havoc and a few others beginning to yell at people who were in the crowd.

The crowd's activity wasn't good, but it was something that could be controlled. I followed suit of Havoc and the others, taking a few steps closer to the gate. Only a few people were shoving on my side, all I had to do was tell them to calm down, it would be alright.

…it would be alright…

What seemed like an instant the sound of a loud 'Bop' rang out past every ones screams, for a moment the crowed went almost completely silent.

That sound… no, it wasn't the sound of a gun, it wasn't the sound of an explosion. My heart skipped a beat. I simply had no clue what it was and what had created it, but, whatever the sound was, the crowd's attitudes suddenly changed from silent to something else.

The world around me suddenly turned into an overwhelming panic.

As if in one big heave, the iron gate suddenly began to rattle in protest as people were being shoved against the iron bars. This time around the pushing and shoving wasn't innocent, this time it was violent. And this time people didn't do it in protest, this time it was in fear.

Uncontrollable fear.

Screaming, crying, yelling, shouting, pushing, shoving, punching.

All I became aware of was the sudden massive hysteria.

There was an outcry for help.

I blinked a few times as I stared out into the commotion. The quick change in the whole scenario was so spontaneous… for a moment I stood in disbelieving shock. Ok, what just happened?

…what was I supposed to do?

It all seemed like slow motion as I watched the crowd going insane; there was too much movement all at once. It was too loud to hear anything; all I could hear was my own breathing as I stood frozen in my boots.

This could not be happening, what the hell could I do to stop this?

I turned to look behind me, praying Roy would silently tell me something. When my eyes swept across the stage I realized the Parliament members were all gone, most likely they went into hiding.

Well, all of the Parliament members except for one. The only one remaining was the big fat bald guy who had first greeted me when I stood in front of the Parliament for my hearing. He and Roy seemed to be in a heated conversation. The man was screaming at Roy, viciously pointing at the crowd. Roy's face seemed pale, but his mouth remained in a firm line as he listened intently to what the man was saying. The look on Roy's face…something was going on. It seemed like something was wrong.

What was the Chairman saying to him?

A startled cry fell from my lips as a hand suddenly landed on my bad shoulder, the pain that shot through me caused me to stumble forward and I began to fall. The only reason I didn't land flat on my face was because I fell towards the iron gate, my head smashed against the metal bars, I grabbed onto the bars in a desperate attempt to stop all movement. My breathing came out uneven, shock from the pain consuming my whole form. Holy shit, I was seeing stars.

I blinked a few times as someone's scream was ringing into my ears. When my eyes fully focused I realized I was almost face to face with the little girl I had seen earlier. She, herself, was being roughly pushed against the bars, screaming and crying for help, begging for someone to save her. Her mother had her arms wrapped around her child, trying to protect her as best as possible. But, between the shoves, the pushes, and the punches… I wasn't sure how she was going to be able to help her daughter.

I wasn't sure if they were going to make it out alive.

No, no, this was not real, this could not be happening.

"Edward, damn it, Edward!"

Edward... that was me.

Two hands wrapped around my stomach, pulling me away from the bars. The pain shooting from my left shoulder was almost unbearable, but I knew if I gave it a little more time the pain would go away. I looked toward the person who had grabbed me, it was Fuery.

"Edward, I'm sorry, I forgot."

I could only stare at him, not sure what to say. There was too much going on around me; it was hard to register anything at all.

Fuery pulled me into a standing position, quickly straightening my jacket, his words were rushed. "Orders are to keep at your post; General Mustang will be giving us further orders. Don't worry, he will tell us what to do."

Roy, yes Roy… Roy would know what to do.

I nodded at him to tell him I understood. Fuery took my nod as a good enough response, as quickly as he was there, he was gone. He headed down the line of soldiers, repeating the same thing he had said to me.

My world was still in slow motion. I wasn't sure if it was from shock or if the world truly had slowed down.

I turned my gaze toward the crowd once more, the sight… it was almost unbearable. This time when I looked, I actually saw blood. There wasn't enough blood to signify death, but people were bleeding from all the abuse they were receiving. It was only a matter of time before death was going to occur.

What was I to do, could I even do anything?

The girl, the little girl.

Her tiny hands reached through the gate, begging for me to save her. She was only a few steps away from me, I had to do something. I began to reach for her; I wanted to wipe the tears away, to tell her everything was going to be ok. I had to save her, if anyone, it had to be her.

But my feet stopped when a familiar voice called out. The only reason I listened was because it was the one person I could trust, the one man I had my faith in.

Roy… Roy would know what to do.

"Soldiers, prepare your weapons."

Prepare my weapon? I pulled out the hand gun I had received earlier, the gleam of the steel hitting me in the eyes.

I looked behind me, seeing Roy standing in the middle of the stage. There was something about him that seemed different, something that was almost…unfamiliar. It was then I realized Roy's breathing was abnormal. Even though he seemed to be standing perfectly straight, his head held high… there was something about Roy that wasn't right, very out of place.

I wanted Roy to look at me; I wanted him to tell me what was wrong. But all he did was keep his gaze forward, focused on something that was in the distance, something I wasn't even sure was truly there.

His next few words seemed almost forced.

"Upon my orders, shoot."

Shoot? I looked at the gun in my hand… shoot…

My eyes suddenly opened wide with realization. He wanted me to shoot? Roy was ordering us to commit a massacre?

"Roy, what are you doing?"

I looked down at the rest of Roy's unit, all holding their guns out directly in front of them, preparing for Roy's final orders.

No.

I looked back in front of me, the young child still screaming for help, tears streaming down her face. Blood was beginning to drip down on her, but it wasn't her own. Her mother, who stood behind her, was bleeding from a head wound, and it looked serious. The blood was dripping onto her daughter, covering the child in the warm red liquid. Even though the mother was injured, she still tried to protect her child. Her whole body hovered over her daughter, trying to block all the violent blows happening behind them. The mother then looked at me; I could see the pleading in her eyes.

She wanted me to save her daughter, to protect her.

I turned to look at Roy once more, but this time, he was looking back, right at me.

The look he gave made my gut twist; there was something about it that was off. The person who was looking at me wasn't Roy, it was someone else. Someone I didn't know.

The look he gave was one I would never forget; I knew right then that eye would forever haunt me.

"Roy…" My voice was lost due to the loudness of the crowed.

Even though I couldn't hear Roy's words, I could still read his lips. Besides, I didn't even need to know what he was saying; just looking at him told me everything.

"Edward, follow my orders."

"I can't."

"Yes you can, and you will."

The weight of the gun weighed down my auto-mail hand. My fingers grasped tightly around the handle of it.

"No."

"Do it."

"Why are you doing this?"

Roy suddenly closed his good eye tightly, his face scrunched up with what seemed like anger. His grasp around his cane held much tension.

Even though his voice did not reach my ears, his wrath still consumed me.

Oh God Roy… why?

"Do it."

I clicked off the safety of the gun, my hands shook almost violently.

Breathe, just remember to breathe.

I turned from Roy and faced the hell beyond. I closed my eyes, forcing my hands to rise in front of me. I finally looked down the line of the pistol, the salty tears of the child directly in my view.

"Ready."

Had I truly become…

"Aim."

…a dog of the military?

The sound of a gun rang off.

Will Edward fall in love with Klose? Or might he fall for a radon fan girl, or someone else? What about the shooting… did he actually kill the little girl? How will Ed react towards Mustang for the orders he gave? Will the mystery of Enzo ever be solved?

Has Ed truly become a dog of the military!

Find out next time on Held!

XD! Sorry, had too...please dont kill me...

Han-chan Omake time!

Yaoi warning:

Omake 1:

"Roy!"

My eyes shot open, without thinking I threw myself into a sitting position causing a startled cry to tear its way from my throat, shit. I looked beside me, Roy wasn't there, the pain of the separation caused me to tear up. Oh, God, it hurt so much to be without him.

I took deep breaths, trying to sooth the pain of loneness. I needed more anti-depressants, damn it. Ok, what I really needed was to think more before I did something stupid like that again, I was a big ass hole to Roy, and now I am paying.

Omake 2:

Klose smiled at me. "Well, the only reason I asked is because I need the papers you signed for Lieutenant Gorman."

The specific papers Klose was talking about were all the way back in my dorm. Ah, I was too lazy to limp my way back there if Roy couldn't carry me! "Do you need them right now?"

Klose went in thought for a moment; she then opened up her planner, skimming through things she had written down. "I don't need them this instant, but is there anyway you could drop them off later today? I just have to take the papers to the service desk by early tomorrow morning. Wait, I have an idea. How about you drop the papers off around 7 at my dorm, we then can just go to the café together and get some dinner."

"No can do. I have a date with Roy" I smirked as I watched her face turn to rage, then to jealousy, then finally compose in a split second.

"Ok, well then leave them outside your door and I will pick them up in the morning" she said, forcing a smile.

Omake number…2! Written by Gomp/Chan

It was almost as if I messing with my auto-mail had messaged Winry in some telepathic freaky way. Because sure enough, after I replaced the plate over my knee, a knock was at my door. It was an officer telling me I had a phone call. Ha, ha, what bloody luck.

(Over in Rizenpool)

"Granny! I need-" Winry suddenly looked down and had a feeling of horrid de ja vus come over her, somewhere, somehow, there was broken auto-mail!

"Never mind! I will be out for a bit!" Winry looked around and saw no one.

"Pretty Mechanic Make Up!" She instantly turned into a Sailor Scout Auto-mail!

Steel shoes, silver skirt, and the shiny gleam of silver lipstick suddenly took over her form.

"I will solve this case of misfortune auto-mail, even if it kills me!

(corny scene change)

Edward stood in the phone booth, waiting for someone to respond on the other side of the line. He finally hung up the phone and began to fume; he had limped all this way for absolutely nothing! God damn, sometimes the world really pissed him off.

Edward turned to leave, but stopped when he heard the tapping of a steel toed shoe. His eyes widened when he realized who stood before him.

(momentary flashback)

Winry in the blink of the eye was mysteriously transported to the poor soul who had broken their auto-mail. She was prepared to save the day, to save the world from the gloomy possibilities of broken limbs. She looked up, prepared to kindly greet the person who was suffering.

What she saw…

…ha…

Ha, ha.

(back to Edward)

"Winry, I can explai-" His worlds would never be finished.

Winry figured the blood on the floor could easily be mopped up. She picked up her wench which now was drenched in the liquid of Edward's blood.

Sailor Auto-mail has saved the day once more.

Final Omake: Gomp's try.

I pulled from our lip lock to watch as my hands began to pull down the straps of the only cloth covering Klose's body. Her pale skin yearned for my touch, I wanted to see more.

Then my movements suddenly stopped, Oh shit… how could I forget?

I leaned forward, I licked Klose's ear in a devilish foreplay before I spoke. I had to tell her…she had to know.

"Klose…"

Her eyes turned to me; they were glazed over with pure lust. I brushed a strand of hair away from her face before I spoke. "Willy has been wanting to meet you."

She suddenly blinked, as if confused. "Edward, whose Willy?"

I blushed slightly; this was so hard to say.

"Willy… he's my-he's my toe. See, my metal toe. The only true friend I have ever had."

I pulled off my boot and wiggled.

Authors note:

I apologize for how long this took. Between work and my recent uprising in social activities I have become rather busy. But, because this one is a cliff hanger and I have two days off from work coming up, I plan to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. I again apologize for some of the boringness of this chapter, but in the long run we did learn some new things! And there was some major plot advancement!

I must thank Egypt for her criticism, and majorly thank Han-chan for some good idea's for this chapter, for her omakes, and I think we all must thank her for getting this chapter edited in the same day I sent it to her. She didn't need to do it, but she edited it for me on her day off, it just makes her totally awesome! I send her much love for her dedication to this story!

Questions you may have…

1. Klose and Ed…kissed…GOMP!

You might be thinking that Ed would never kiss a girl unless he was positive he liked her, he wouldn't just do it because he was aroused and curious. Well, I admit I am not a hopeless romantic, sure those romances do exist (rarely), but I try to look at the reality of life. I know my first kiss and most of my friends first kisses were with someone who they shared a mild attraction with and they were simply more curious then they were in 'love'. Now, I am not saying that there isn't a possibility of Ed later falling for Klose, I wont give any spoilers away, but for Ed's first kiss I found it very possible of him being seduced and just falling into the moment of things. You may disagree, you may even be mildly disgusted with me, but hey…it's not like they had sex XD

Now, I must continue this discussion with the topic of sex. 'Klose is coming on awfully heavy; she seems very bold in her actions' you might be thinking. Well, I care to remind you that she and Edward are heading into adulthood. Causal sex is not uncommon, even for those days. I will admit, I am not a fan of casual sex, heck, not really a fan of sexual interactions period, but it seems like a majority of people do it anyways.

MarshmellowDragon- XD I have three bottles of silly string right here. Lol, I wont tell you if your theory of the evil Nina is true or not, no spoilers! Winry whacking Ed through the phone, I would love to see that XD! Thanks for the awesome review! We will get Ed settled…sooner or later.

Katratzi- Awe, thanks for liking that chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed the Ed and Roy scene; I had a lot of fun writing it. The chimera being able to transform, heh, I wonder if that will be a problem later on… But just remember that human chimera can transform, the only difference is this one is an animal. Thanks for the review! I always enjoy hearing from you.

Gothic-amnesti- You play violin! That's awesome! Lol, the violin is one of the many loves I have in my life, I am happy there is a fellow reader who is into music too! Thank's for the compliments on the last chapter. This chapter came out sort of boring in some ways. Hopefully next chapter things will begin to get fun again. Thanks for the review! Keep up with the music!

Humor Queen Merc- Your curiosity with Roy's opinion on the war and how it will affect his family will be answered very soon! I am happy you like Ed's point of view, lol, only if you knew how fun he was to write! I am having an absolute blast with him. Well, thank you very much for the compliments and for the review! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring for you >.

Kwala- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you enjoy your 17th year of life, I know I really enjoyed mine. I saw the Star War's movie recently too, I thought the movie was good, but it was very dark (I had already been previously warned). I loved that lizard thing that Obi-Wan-Kenobi rode on, it was just awesome, I want one! I apologizing for the confusion of the blood scene, it was a very hard scene to write, but you did get the point of it, someone was in the way. Ling, well Ling right now is ruling Xing (mentioned in chapter 3). So, he will have his role in the story at some point. I am mixing the anime and the manga together, so really you have no clue who might pop up! But, the anime is defiantly playing a much bigger rule in the fic. I always love hearing from you! Thanks for the review!

MusicalRileyChan- I'm sorry! Al is not in this one either. But, I will tell you a secret; Al will be coming back very soon! Soon I will be writing more about him, but for the time being… Well, thanks for the review! Glad you're liking the story, tee heh!

Velvet mace- Thank you for the wonderful compliments! I agree, I never like OC characters either, heck, that's part of the reason I killed Enzo off so quickly XD. But, Enzo is a big plot device so I'm glad you're happy he lives on. Sooner or later the explanation of his stares will come out. Thank you so much for reading and thanks for the review!

Geraniums- Lol, yup, happy pills. Hey, if you're in pain your painkiller will be your bliss. Lol, did you really tell your dad? Thanks for the compliments on the chapter and thanks for the review!

Pheonxi Maker- Awe, your compliment on saying I sound like a pro, that's so kind of you, now only if you knew how many errors my beta reader has to correct for me XD! Thank you so much for your sweet review, I am happy you like the story!

SupremeHyren- Lol, an update gives you a happy day? I am happy I can give you some joy XD! Thanks for the review!

Sorceress-fox- Ivory Eye's came from the part when the keys of the piano caused a gleam in Klose's eyes. Lol, it doesn't make much sense really, but I needed a title and it was one of the first things that came to mind. I figured Winry and Al are more like siblings now, I could just imagine them constantly fighting over things. And it's ok to take your time with reviews! If you're busy, you're busy. I admit I like hearing from people but never feel pressured to review my story! Good luck with your summer work!

Tami- Thank you for the congratulations! It means a lot. I am happy people are enjoying this fic, and I have received nothing but kind compliments from people! I am so happy you have been entertained by this fic; I am enjoying myself just writing it. This fic is meant to be one big mystery; soon things will just get more confusing for Ed, more questions to answer! I am obviously very into mystery and gory scenes myself. I have wanted to write a fic with a plotline like Held for a long time, I'm just glad I'm finally doing it. And for the political and manga stuff, there is much more on the way! I have only had a few things from the manga added in so far, but soon there will be much more. My length of the chapters seems to increase with every new post XD! I don't mind writing long chapters myself, they just take longer for me to update. Well, thank you so much with your comment. It was very sweet and very enjoyable to read! I hope you continue to read and enjoy my fic, thank you so much for your awesome review!

Saturn Stars- I keep trying to catch you on msn, but I guess I just miss you every time! You actually read my fic XD, lol; I was very surprised when I saw your review. I'm glad you like it so far, and I must thank you very much for your compliments. Awesome hearing from you, thank you very much for the kind review! Talk to you later!