I wonder what the currency is in FMA. Well, maybe if I discovered the specific currency then I could bribe Ed into giving me the rights to the series. But till then, I will be a lonely fan girl.

Held

By Gomp

How do you explain a drugged up homunculus that was practically totally immobile to a ticket man? Well, you better be damn creative that's for sure.

It turned out that Wrath was now a cousin of mine and had been feeling rather ill so I was allowing him to sleep. If it wasn't for the blanket that I had wrapped around the boy I'm sure I would have had one hell of a time explaining the handcuffs. But the excuse of his illness worked rather well.

Wrath now lay on the seat across from me. I had given him back his auto-mail limbs that Ross's unit had disconnected before. Winry had once told me that she had given the child the auto-mail that had been meant for me years ago. The auto-mail he had was impressive, but the limbs I bore now were even more incredible. Ha ha.

I had requested a private cabin; it was better safe than sorry. The cabin was quite small, but enough to fit two comfortably. I smiled in the memories of Al and me when we used to try to fit into the tiny cabins. A man of large steel was a never comfortable associate in close proximities.

Wrath had his mouth wide open, a little bit of drool was dribbling its way down his front. There was enough tranquilizer in the kid to take down an animal the size of a house, and then some. Wrath wasn't a normal boy after all. Oh no, not normal at all. But I was just grateful the kid was asleep, not annoying me.

I looked out the window watching as the trees and farmland flew by. It would take us approximately 12 hours and 32 minutes till we reached our destination. I just prayed I was doing the right thing.

Dead eyes. That was all she could tell me.

How did everything relate? A sanctuary in the middle of the desert, Wrath, a religion called Taoism, which I frankly had never heard of, five elements? A dragon's heart…?

It sounded like some cracked-out weirdo decided to have fun and games and came up with some elaborate fairytale to screw with little children. Too bad it wasn't a fairytale. Instead, it was another mystery to waste more of my precious life on.

I curled onto my side more. Train seats were never the best place to sleep, but sometimes you just had to compromise. That caused me to grumble in displeasure.

"Heh."

My eyes automatically shot open. I turned my head sharply to look behind me. It was dark. The only light being provided was the moon seeping in through the window of the cabin. Every now and then we would pass by a tree that would cause a shadow to block the moonlight.

Wrath stared at me, not even blinking.

We watched each other for a few moments. His smile seemed almost twisted as he looked at me. His hair was messy and his face had spots of dirt all over it. Talk about a face I wanted to wake up to.

"Edward, you seem finally free." His words were mixed with manic giggles.

I wasn't really sure what to say to that. I simply sat up and tried to remain calm. I had thought the drugs would have lasted longer than they did. In the silver suitcase I was carrying a set of needles with tranquilizer ready to go. All I had to do was inject Wrath with one and hopefully he would be out like a light. But there were two tiny problems. First, Wrath was like an animal it seemed, his eyes were looking at me a little too crazy. Second, man… I really hated needles.

Wrath continued to speak "You're awake." He kept giggling like the true psycho he was. Ha, well wasn't that just a sweet tune to my ears. Right.

"You are supposed to be asleep." I said, keeping my voice rather calm. Go me.

Wrath rolled his eyes a few times. He seemed to be getting some unknown humor out of all of this. "Heh, heh, heh. Edward. Come play." Play with Wrath? Well, we all know how much I would just love to do that.

Last time I had left Wrath, that was around four years ago, he was defiantly saner than he was now, and that was saying a lot.

"Wrath what happened to you?" It was a dumb question, but at the same time a rather good one. I already knew he wasn't going to answer, but hey, a man could try.

His reply was a fit of giggles. His eyes began to dart around the room as if he saw something that wasn't really there. In one quick motion Wrath tried to stand up, well, more like jump up, but much to his displeasure he quickly discovered I had cuffed him to the seat. He frowned at the cuffs.

"No trust? Edward doesn't trust me?"

That was a joke and a half. I offered him a small smile and a shake of the head.

"Heh." Was his only response. He began to jiggle the cuffs like a curious child would. He observed the steel then licked it with curiosity. His teeth clanked on the metal as he gave it his best shot to chew on it.

Surprisingly, I wasn't very scared or intimidated by Wrath. I mean, he wasn't exactly on my good side, but I knew that something wasn't right with him. Wrath was always bad, but not this bad.

His eyes held a haunted gleam to them from the moonlight. When he realized he couldn't chew through the cuffs he sat back up and grinned at me. He then licked his lips a few times and began to chew on the lower one. I noticed a few of his teeth were chipped. When he bit on his lip a sharp point of one of his teeth nipped the skin and caused tiny specs of blood to form. He seemed to enjoy himself as he licked the blood away…gross.

I opened the silver suitcase that I had been using as a pillow again. Inside sat a small case, which inside held the syringes. "Sooner or later we are going to have to talk." I pulled out one of the needles and taped the glass part a few times. I tested the needle. A stream of the tranquilizer squirted from the head.

I grabbed onto one of Wraths bound arms and tied a piece of cloth to make a tourniquet. I then proceeded to tap a vein of his a few times.

Argh, needles were such a crime against humanity. I swallowed hard and did something rather unprofessional.

I closed my eyes damn tight as I leaned forward and stuck the needle in Wraths arm. Hey, I just couldn't handle the sight. It was only a matter of time before Wrath's eyes rolled to the back of his head and small snores emerged from his mouth.

It was early in the morning, and I'm talking like the sun just creeping over the horizon early, when a light knock rang from the door. I was tired and cranky when I replied to it. "Go the hell away!"

The person on the other side of the door seemed to hesitate for a moment, but knocked again. "Sir, it's your wake up call. The train well be arriving to your destination with in the hour."

I forced my eyes to creep open. Wrath lay limply across the seat. His arms were above his head because of the restriction of the handcuffs. I groaned as I tried to force myself to sit up, my back felt very stiff.

The person, which I decided was a female, knocked again. "Sir, are you awake? I have coffee."

She didn't need to say more. In an instant I flipped the door wide open, about to greet the person and ask her to share the love, but, when I got a good look at her my mouth fell open. Her mouth did the same in return.

That face… it-it was Nixie! Nixie was a girl I used to work with in the library back in Germany. That seemed almost like a lifetime ago. I frowned. I knew our two worlds were alike, but never in my lifetime had I expected to actually meet someone I had known from Germany.

Sure I recognized her, that explained why I was so shocked when I saw her, but I became slightly confused to why her mouth hung open in shock as well.

"You-you're Edward Elric! I heard rumors that you were on the train, but didn't believe them!"

…well shit.

"Yea, you could say that."

She looked like she was about to burst. Her body began to shake; her face became one big smile. Man, this chick defiantly wasn't Nixie. Nixie was better reserved.

"Can I shake your hand, please!" I stared at her not exactly sure what to say. I was cautious as I held my hand out. I wasn't really sure what to expect. Both her hands grabbed my auto-mail and began to shake it roughly.

"What an honor this is!" What an honor, my ass.

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks. So, about that coffee-"

"I heard about what you did for the people in Central. It's been all over the news! You're such a good Samaritan Mr. Elric. Truly, this is such a big honor!"

I was tempted to groan. "I just did what had to be done." I knew the world did not know about the events that happened between Roy and me. No one saw it because of the massive wall I had created. Trust me; it was much better that way.

"Can I have your autograph? Please!" She actually battered her eyelashes at me. What a scary sight.

I had to look away for a second; the girl was leaning in awfully close. I offered her a weak smile. "Uhh, sure, I suppose."

She practically squealed as she began to dig through her pockets in search of a pen. I watched the girl slightly memorized. This was nothing like Nixie, nothing at all. I was positive they were the same in facial features, but man… nothing alike mentally.

A pen and a piece of paper were suddenly shoved in my face. "Thank you so much!"

I quickly signed my name and handed her the paper in hopes to get her to back away.

"Thank you!" With that she trotted away with her cart of food.

…the cart that also had the coffee on it.

I would have yelled for her to come back, but for some reason, I didn't think the coffee was worth it.

After the freakish Nixie escapade, I decided to be safe and wore my red hood over my face.

Let me tell you one thing, it's a rather difficult task carrying around a teenage boy while you had a jacked up auto-mail leg. I got a few strange stares, but there was no other choice in the matter. I had given Wrath a little bit more tranquilizer before we got off the train so he was out like a rock.

I honestly was breaking many, and I mean many, laws for what I was doing. You know… I was taking a murderer of a military officer from the depths of the Great Desert onto Amestris soil. Also, just to add some flavor to everything, the murder was a homunculus… something totally against the laws of nature. Right. But, I was doing what I thought was best.

I had found a cab sitting outside the train station. The driver was a heavy-set man. He was beginning to gray and was missing many of his teeth. His remaining teeth were a nasty yellow color as he smiled and asked me where we wanted to go.

As the cab drove us to our destination I allowed Wrath to lean heavily on me. I looked over at the boy, looking at how he had aged over the past four years. What had happened to him? That was the question that mostly nagged at me.

His greasy hair fell over part of his face, his mouth hung wide open. I was tempted to push aside the hair that covered most of his features, but held back. I had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate me touching him more than I already had to.

The cab stopped. I paid my money and stepped out of the vehicle. I held Wrath with one hand, my silver suitcase in the other. I had really wanted to look in some type of dignified manner when I knocked on the door, but at the rate I was going, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen that way.

I swallowed loudly as I looked at the place I stood in front of. The house was made of a white type stone; the roof had blood red shingles on it.

"Edward, I'm not really sure this is the smartest idea you have come up with." I mumbled to myself.

Where I stood was actually the back of the house. The front was a butcher shop, the best in Dublis. Oh yes, also owned by one of the greatest alchemists of our time, at least in my opinion.

I eyed the limp boy in my arm. "Wrath, either I'm making a grave mistake with you or making the best choice." I was returning Wrath to his proper place, and honestly, I wasn't sure why. He was Izumi's child even if he had once died. If I took him back to the military he most likely would become a guinea pig. I didn't trust the Parliament, not at all. Other than that there was no other place for him to go. Ross promised she would keep her mouth shut about him. This was where Wrath belonged, I supposed.

I threw Wrath's legs into my other hand. He was too hard to carry with just one. My steps held an obvious limp to them. The sand and heat of the desert did nothing to help my auto-mail problems.

When I finally approached the door, I looked at it nervously for awhile. After much convincing I finally got my hand to raise, ready to knock.

But the world suddenly turned dark, light disappeared all around me. Wait…that wasn't right. I turned around cautiously only to come face to face with a massive belly.

"Edward?"

Heh. Well, I guess I didn't have to knock. "Hello Mr. Curtis."

Izumi's husband, Sig, stood above me. His arms were crossed as he looked down. He reminded me of a tower. I had to swallow a few times to try and get my throat cleared. What the hell was I supposed to do now?

It didn't take long for the man to notice the limp boy in my arms and it took even a shorter amount of time for him to recognize who the child was. His eyes suddenly opened wide. "Edward?" He practically breathed.

I did my best to keep my cool. "I should really lay him down. Can you please let me in?"

Sig and I did not speak much. I mean really, what could be said?

There were plenty of spare room's in the house. I picked the room that Izumi had placed Wrath in the last time I was there. I knew Izumi wouldn't appreciate it, but I still cuffed Wrath to the bed.

I was surprised to find Izumi wasn't present in the house at the moment. I would have asked her husband where she was, but he was too entranced by the returning of his son. I decided not to push my luck.

After I got Wrath settled in the bed I pulled up a wooden seat towards the bed and just sat down. There was really nothing else to do. Sig stood by the doorway. His arms were crossed and his eyes stayed glued towards the bed.

It was probably a half hour into my visit when Izumi's husband finally spoke. "You're hurt."

It took me awhile to figure out what he was talking about. I offered him a weak smile. "It's my auto-mail; I kind of screwed it up."

That was all we said in a time span that seemed much too long. I didn't feel uncomfortable with Sig, but I just wished he was more verbal. Sometimes I needed to hear people speak to help fill the silence.

My eyes began to feel rather heavy after so much time passed. I knew I could have just got up and left to return to Central, but I needed to talk to Izumi before I did so. I mean, come on, her son was a total raging maniac (not saying that was something totally new) and I had to explain why I stuck drugs in the kid.

I began to slump slightly in the chair and sleep began to burn behind my eyelids when I heard a door open and close. I heard a few voices pipe in, but they were too far away into the house that I couldn't really make them out.

Sig's suddenly booming voice caused me to jump in my chair from surprise. "Izumi, you are needed!"

All the voices went silent. It took a few seconds till I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. It was then that I began to really get nervous. I wasn't exactly sure how Izumi would respond to my presence and the gifts I bared.

I heard Izumi rather than saw her. "Yes dear, is something-" Her face popped into the doorway. She looked directly at me. "-wrong?" Then her eyes turned towards the bed.

For a moment my heart stopped thumping. I suddenly became rather conscious of Wrath's position. His arms were pulled high above his head chained to the pole on the side of the bed. His hair was a mess, his face dirty. His lips were dried and cracked. It was then I noticed truly how skinny he was, how pale his skin was against the royal blue bed sheets. He was in such a deep sleep he almost looked dead. Great.

My eyes turned back to look at Izumi. Her hand was cupped over her mouth while her eyes were wide open. I could see haunting memories of a past eating her away. Shit.

Blood suddenly began to pour from her mouth. She began to cough sharply. It sounded like she was about to choke.

I was on my feet in an instant, the chair scrapped harshly against the wooden floor. I limped my way towards her side as quickly as I could. "Are you ok?"

In one quick swoop Izumi's husband picked her up and ran out of the room. I watched as his back disappeared down the hallway. By then I had been so used to Izumi's fits that it wasn't much of a shocker. I sighed. Crap, I didn't go there to get her all worked up, but could I truly expect any less? I shook my head at that.

I turned back to the room and looked at the puddle of blood on the floor. It needed to be cleaned up before it stained the wooden panel. My eyes searched the room looking for something to wipe up her mess when a gasp came from behind me. I swung around.

"Edward?"

Al, Winry, and Granny stood in the doorway. All three stared wide-eyed at me.

I counted the days in my head from the last time I had talked to Winry. Holy cows, I had completely forgotten the three were supposed to arrive that day. Most likely they had just gotten there…

Exhaustion finally became very apparent. I felt so tired. So very, very, tired.

The surprises just never stopped.

"Uhh, hey."

I thought you were supposed to feel comfortable around your family. Why did mine make me feel on edge?

I placed my head into my folded arms.

"Edward! I thought you would be more responsible then that!"

I sighed as I eyed my rolled up pant leg revealing my damaged auto-mail leg. On the steel there were a fair amount of scraps and scratches. It made the damaged leg look in much worse condition then it truly was. I knew my auto-mail arm was just as badly scratched, but I didn't feel compelled enough to tell Winry that. "It was an accident."

"And how long has it been damaged like this?" She smacked the steel plate that covered my kneecap with her knuckles. It gave a 'ding' noise.

I gave Winry an innocent smile.

Winry suddenly threw her arms in the air while shaking her head. "I don't want to know, just don't want to know. I will have to fix it later tonight once I have my tools unloaded." She crossed her arms with a very annoyed expression plastered on her face. She then turned away from me and sat down on the couch across from me.

The pipe Granny had been puffing away at suddenly left her lips as she spoke. "You have been quite the busy boy it seems."

I eyed Granny. Obviously she had kept up with the country's news. I was pretty sure all three were well aware of recent developments that included my participation. So, I was pretty sure I didn't need to question her on what she was referring to. "Yeah, I guess so." I couldn't think of anything better to say.

Alphonse had silently sat on the end of the couch the whole time. I looked over at him to find him looking at me. That small angelic face offered me a small smile. I returned one. It had felt like a lifetime since I last saw him even though it had simply been a few weeks. Man, I truly had missed him.

A cough from behind caused me to turn. I looked up at the bulky man who stood behind me. Izumi's husband's dark eyes stared down at me. "You are wanted."

I sat in a wooden chair that sat by Izumi's bed. Izumi's husband stood by the door, I suppose to guard it.

Sig's voice was deep as he spoke. "What do you think happened to him?"

"I just don't know. He has been gone for a long time, anything is possible." And that was the truth.

Izumi's raspy voice grabbed my attention. "I want him un-cuffed." I wasn't very surprised by what Izumi said, just a little frustrated. I had told them both everything I knew. I had explained rather thoroughly that Wrath was in no condition to be un-cuffed. But did anyone listen? Of course not.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. At least not till I know what's going on."

Izumi's glare could have burned holes into most people's head, but I met her heated gaze calmly. "Now! Edward, he is my son." Her last statement actually sounded sort of desperate.

I took a deep breath, not exactly sure if what I was about to say was a smart thing. "And I am the law. No." Never in my life had I ever truly used my legal position in a manner such as that. But, I just knew deep down it wouldn't be smart to allow Wrath free. Wrath had killed… I didn't need him killing again.

A cold silence fell amongst the room.

Izumi's hands were suddenly balled up into tight fists. I could see her wanting to get up and punch me in the face. I was tempted to flinch.

I gave a deep heavy sigh before I spoke. "I brought him back because he is your son. He had killed that soldier; they would have killed him as punishment, well, at least try to. If I had taken him to Central he would be a test subject. First Lieutenant Ross was very generous in allowing me to take Wrath with me; it was her soldier that he killed. She trusts me and with that trust I must make responsible decisions. I refuse to allow Wrath to be free until I know what the hell is wrong with him."

"Red Water."

My head snapped to look behind me. "Al?"

Sig surprisingly had allowed Alphonse into the room. Al stood in the doorway looking right at me.

"Brother, when telling me your stories you said Wrath was semi-normal before he had crossed paths with the Sins and Dante. You told me that Red Water is what controls the Sins. After you crossed the gate and brought me back I had spent time with Wrath. The way you described Wrath before and after he became a Sin, I would say during the time I met him he still acted like a Sin. Maybe the Red Water is still inside him. Maybe it's what is making him crazy."

My eyes opened wide. I looked back at Izumi to find her looking at some invisible spot at the side of the bed. "Izumi, I think he's right."

She only slumped in her bed which made me frown.

"Brother, you told me before that you knew how to remove the Red Water from homunculus. Why not do that to Wrath?"

Logical, smart, impressive. I looked back at Alphonse. He had pieced together something I had been working on since my eyes first landed on Wrath in the Great Desert. During the days before I had crossed the gate to Germany, Alphonse had always been able to match my intelligence. It looked like even though Alphonse had lost some years on him he was still the brilliant minded boy he used to be.

I licked my lips as I turned back to Izumi. "Once my auto-mail is fixed I will take care of things."

Izumi finally looked at me. "Not without me you won't."

I couldn't help it, I had to smile. "Of course. Not without you."

My knee was outstretched in front of me, a stool supported my foot. Winry sat on a stool beside my outstretched leg. Her fingers moved rather quickly through the wires inside my kneecap.

My back suddenly hit the back of the seat, hard, as a shot of pain passed through me.

The problem with fixing damaged auto-mail while still connected to the bearer was this: if you twisted a wire or a screw the wrong way a jolt would go directly to the nerve. It was never a pleasant feeling. And Winry just had to do it every so often.

Winry's hand touched the human part of my leg as she looked up at me for a moment with concerned eyes. "You ok?"

I nodded. Winry gave a small smile before she went back to work.

I sighed as I leaned into the chair more. The cushions of the seat provided me with a fair amount of comfort. I was tempted to just curl up and try to go to sleep.

"Edward, why in the world is there sand in here?"

Ahh, what a good question. I was tempted to lie and claim I had been playing in a sandbox, but I figured she wouldn't buy it. "Let's just say that Ishbal is not exactly like Rizenpool."

That caused Winry to stop. She looked up at me with a look of surprise. I was pretty sure I knew why she was so surprised. I usually never told her anything. Well, I was suddenly feeling open that evening. Don't ask me why.

"I see." She mumbled.

Winry turned back to her work. She began to unscrew a screw that would take the steel plate that covered the lower front of my auto-mail leg off. The plate came off easily and showed more wires, circuits and the like. Mostly stuff I had no clue what the hell they were for.

Winry wiped a hand across her forehead. She then began to fiddle with a blue wire. She used a screwdriver to hold a screw by the wire in place. Her voice came out quiet when she finally spoke.

"I know what happened."

I lifted an eyebrow. "And what exactly is that?"

"I spoke to Gracia right before we left. Gracia had spoken to Riza…"

And Riza was present during my tiny argument with Roy during the almost-massacre. Ok, so maybe our argument wasn't that tiny.

I sat there not sure what to say. I should have known better than to think I could hide something like that from Granny, Al, and Winry. I knew Winry had a nice hook up when it came to military gossip. I just never really thought about it, if you know what I mean.

My auto-mail hand unconsciously flexed. I felt nervous all of the sudden. So she knew…

"Edward…"

Her head was still bowed over my leg, but her fingers had stopped their work. She simply sat there staring at my fake limb.

I found myself speaking before I could stop myself. "I couldn't shoot her." The child's face still danced vividly behind my eyes.

Winry looked at me. "Roy had told Riza about the little girl."

So she knew of that to. I had to admit I had underestimated Winry. I had a feeling I was one day going to bitch to Roy about my lack of privacy. But honestly, I couldn't really find myself being mad at Winry. I was sure Winry cared deeply for my safety. She had always worried about Al and me when we used to do our travels back in the day. Yet, I never told her anything then. I still didn't.

I began to feel guilty.

Winry grabbed onto my real arm with her left hand. She still held a screwdriver in the right. Her gesture was gentle and friendly. Her movements forced me to look her directly in the eyes. Until that moment I had actually never noticed how pretty Winry's eyes were before. Her eyes reminded me of the color of the ocean. During my travels I had seen the ocean a few times; it was a breath taking sight.

I shook my head slightly to clear my mind.

"Why didn't you shoot?"

I blinked at her. What type of question was that? Why hadn't I shot?

…sad thing was I almost did shoot. I almost shot Roy Mustang.

"Winry, what has gotten into you?"

The screwdriver Winry had been holding suddenly dropped from her hand. It clattered loudly against the wooden floor of the room. She turned her whole body fully towards me. Her face shriveled up while her hands went into fists. Her face went from anger, then to annoyance, then back to calm.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"Sorry." Her words were soft, she sounded almost embarrassed.

Winry suddenly stood. She didn't look at me as she walked across the room. She stopped when she stood in front of one of the open windows. The evening sky outside was turning into various colors of pink, orange, and purple. The warm textures made the world seem lovely almost. A soft glow from the setting sun shined through the window and hit Winry's form.

She breathed in the summer air while she grasped the white drapes that hung loosely beside her.

I suddenly made a rash decision. "He scares me."

Her head snapped towards me. She seemed surprise that I had broken the silence that had fallen between us.

I continued anyways. "I want to say I hate Roy, but I don't. For years I was so stubborn to see it. I never wanted to admit it, but now that I'm older I think I am beginning to understand everything. The way he makes me feel-"

Winry's eyebrows suddenly shot to her hairline. "Edward, please tell me you're not gay."

If there was a moment in life that someone had surprised me more than anyone else could, this was that moment. Oh…my…God…

Obviously my face showed my shock for Winry burst into a fit of laughter. Nice.

"Winry! I am not gay!"

Winry's feet padded lightly against the floor as she made her way back over to me. Her laughter was now only a few vainly hushed giggles. "You set yourself up for that one."

I had to smile. She was right, I had been asking for it. I sat up more in the chair before I continued. "As I was saying…" My face suddenly turned serious. "…the way he makes me feel, he reminds me so much like a…well, a father almost."

I felt my face heat up. I wasn't sure why I was blushing. I suppose it was embarrassing as hell to admit that Roy Mustang reminded me of a…argh…parental figure.

I shook my head suddenly. "He would never replace my real father though."

"Granny told me that you had been stuck in a place called… Germany? With your dad during the years you had disappeared."

I narrowed my eyes at her, but kept my voice playful. "Is there anything that I can keep from you?"

"Alphonse had brought up about your father's grave awhile ago so I had asked Granny about it."

I had never told Winry anything about Germany. Germany wasn't a secret I wanted to keep from her or something, it was more like the only reason I told Al was because I had to tell him about father, and the only reason I told Granny was because I just needed someone to console with. By the time it would have come Winry's turn to hear it I was just sick of talking about it.

Ha, what a friend I was.

Winry turned back to my auto-mail leg. Her fingers began to grab wires again and twist and turn them. For a second I thought our conversation was over, but she spoke again.

"You know Roy cares deeply about you. I think he is beginning to realize that he thinks of you as a son. Now, you would never replace his son, but you are like one." She smirked at her last words.

"That day, I had almost shot Roy. The only reason I didn't was because about ten men knocked me over. I'm not much of a son." I sighed. "I wasn't much of a son to Dad either. I always treated him so poorly."

My eyes closed for a moment. My father. Forever I would feel guilty about my father. My Dad had given me so much, but all I ever gave in return was a cold shoulder. I slumped slightly in the chair. My Father had deserved so much more…

…just so much more.

Winry began to speak causing me to look at her. "Edward, I'm sure your Dad knows how much you care about him. Where ever he is, I'm sure he knows."

Well, if I wanted to explain reincarnation between the Gate and our world to Winry, I was pretty sure I could give her a straight answer of where my Father now was. But, deep down I truly wanted to believe that she was right. I wanted to believe that my Father was looking down at me and did know how much I cared about him.

I closed my eyes again, the memories of a day of so long ago played through my mind.

"I know I wasn't the best son. I want you to know that I forgive you for everything…I always had. I know you left us not for your sake, but for our own. Dad, I love you. I loved you even after you left, but I've just been too stubborn to admit it to myself. I'm so sorry, I'm just so sorry."

Our conversation remained light through the remaining of my repairs.

It was pitch black by the time I was fully repaired, snuck in a shower, and everyone had been fed. Izumi had not been at dinner, I had thought she was still in her bedroom.

I was surprised to discover otherwise.

The small lamp in the room illuminated the figures on the bed. Izumi sat with her child; she had her arms around him. Her head leaned gently on top of his while she hummed a soft melody that was only meant for the two of them.

Wrath was deep asleep, oblivious to the world.

I kept my voice quiet. "Maybe we should wait until morning."

I wasn't sure if Izumi had heard me. The affection she was giving to her child was an act I had never seen Izumi give before. Maybe it was because Wrath was not awake to stop her. Maybe she realized this would probably be her only chance to be able to hold him so freely.

It felt wrong for me to be there.

So I left. I left Izumi to touch her son, to feel his skin, to feel like a mother. I had shut the door gently behind me. I had stepped quietly down the hallway and was about to head towards the living room, but an open door had caught my attention.

Al sat in a cushioned chair in the room he seemed to have chosen to occupy for his stay. An open book was held in his hands. I watched Al for a moment trying to imprint the image of him into my head. I finally gave up and pushed the door open. He looked up at me with surprise. A smile consumed his face when he realized who it was.

I glided across the floor and knelt down in front of him. Alphonse shut his book and placed it to the side. I got a quick glance at the title of the book. It was an alchemy book, a rather advanced one.

We both looked at each other for a few moments, matching smiles dancing across our lips.

Finally we reached for one another and grabbed on tight. I actually thought I felt the prickle of tears threatening to spill. I ignored them. I didn't want to cry, not even from happiness. I just wanted to feel.

Every time we were brought together, we were then torn apart.

I was going to have to head back to Central soon.

I would lose him once more.

It was early in the morning, the sun had only begun to peak over the horizon.

My brother and I sat on top of a hill. We had done this many times in the past even if Al did not remember. During the days we had spent at Izumi's to train we would sneak out in the early morn and run to the edge of this hill. We used to conspire about our mom those days while the sun would rise. Now we simply enjoyed the company of one another.

"How did you know about Wrath?"

"It was rather obvious."

I gave him a smile. "Yeah, you're right."

I was still pretty impressed that Al thought up the Red Water theory. Maybe I was losing my touch because that thought had never crossed my mind.

"Brother, when you finish your time in the military, what will happen to us?"

The random question had caught me off guard. It was a good question. If I did somehow make it out of the military, what would happen to the two of us? "Well, we can't freeload off Granny forever."

Alphonse had his knees to his chest. He laid his head against his knees. "So, where will we go then?"

We were two orphans that had burned their home down years ago. "Where do you want to go?"

I had seen almost all of Amestris. Alphonse did not remember the world we had seen together. I did not mind to where we went. It was solely up to him where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do. I would go anywhere just as long as we could be together again.

Al finally spoke. "I don't want to leave Rizenpool."

Alphonse used to love to travel. I looked at him slightly confused. "You can go anywhere Al. Anywhere in this country… and you want to stay in Rizenpool?"

Alphonse looked at me with an intensity a child should not bare. "We belong there."

"You're right, we do." I couldn't deny that one.

Alphonse suddenly leaned his weight heavily against me. I could tell he was tired. Neither of us had gotten much sleep, we had stayed up just talking the night away. His eyes were half lidded as he spoke. "Can we build a house?"

I leaned over and placed my head over his. "If that's what you want." I gave a soft smile at the idea of having a home. A real home, our own home…

"I want it big. Can we paint it blue?"

"Of course. We can have a porch that wraps around it." One that stretched all around, we could put a chair set on it, maybe build a sitting swing. We could paint the shingles white. "Al, where would you want to build it at?"

A yawn escaped my little brother's lips. His head dug into my neck. I could feel his breath tease my skin as he spoke. "I don't want to build it over the old one, the ashes should remain peacefully undisturbed. I want to start over. I want it by the river, but still close to Granny's."

My eyebrows drew together at that. Hmm… I smirked. "Do you remember that hill I used to always sit on when I was upset?"

Alphonse nodded.

"The hill slopes down and then there is a fair amount of flat land there before it reach's the river bank. It would be a perfect spot."

"It sounds nice."

It truly did. The dream, the life, the world… it all sounded like a fantasy, a fantasy that maybe one day could come true. But, behind that hope was the reality of a war and my own chaotic life.

I closed my eyes. Even if odds were against that dream of ours, I still planned to hold onto it. Just for that moment as the sun headed above the hill tops and over the world, I allowed that dream to feel like a true reality.

I carried Al into his room. I gently laid him on the bed. Al had my red jacket tightly wrapped around his body; I didn't even try to untangle him from it. I pulled the covers over his sleeping form and took a step back. Al was peaceful while being consumed by his dreams.

I turned from his bed and closed the drapes of the window to make sure no light would disturb him. I gave him one more glance before I left the room and shut the door quietly behind.

I wasn't sure what time it was, really I didn't want to know. Everyone had seemed asleep when I had first entered the house, so I had hoped I could crash on a couch and get maybe a little more sleep myself, but when I entered the living room area I found Izumi sitting in one of the seats.

She had her arms folded over her chest and her eyes looking downward. "Did you two have fun?"

I plopped down on a seat across from her. A coffee table was the only thing that separated us. "Yes we did. You are up awfully early." Well, I hoped it was early. Heh.

Izumi looked up at me. "My son had awakened during your disappearance."

My eyes suddenly flew open, shit.

Izumi shook her head and spoke. "I apologize for going through your personal belongings, but I needed to give him a small dosage."

I was tempted to sigh in relief, but held back. "It's fine. I'm sorry, I thought he wouldn't need anymore till a little later today."

Sadness crept into Izumi's tone. "I want to get the Red Water out of him as soon as possible. The amount of tranquilizer I used will not keep him asleep for much longer, and to be honest, I don't want to put any more drugs into his system. Edward, I want to do it now."

I wanted to ask Izumi if I could get more sleep. I admit I had dosed off for about an hour with Al on the hilltop, but it hadn't been enough. Then again, she was right, he needed the transmutation done.

"Did he scare you?"

She had seen him awake. She had seen what he had become.

She nodded slowly. "There is something wrong with him. Beyond his normalcy."

I ran a hand through my hair and down the back of my braid. "Let me get some coffee into my system then we will do it."

The basement of a butcher shop wasn't a place to really show off to people, but it was the most private area we had. As kids, my brother and I would sneak down to the basement and do some snooping around, but these days it didn't seem as interesting. Hanging slaughtered pigs and cows that were waiting to be chopped up did not really look pleasant. Especially after Barry the Butcher, now that sort of ruined everything for me.

Izumi had led me to the back room away from the slain animals. We entered an open area with cement flooring. I shut the door behind myself. Izumi handed me a piece of chalk while she stood to the side and held her drugged son.

Ahh, what a beautiful morning it was.

The chalk scrapped awfully loudly as I drew away. I decided to take my time as I did the alchemy array. It had been awhile since I last drew it and I didn't want to make any flaws. I wanted it to be perfect.

Once I was finished I placed my hands on my hips and used my eyes to follow the design a few times.

I looked over at Izumi. She was touching the Flamel tattooed in the dip of her collarbone. The Flamel was the same used in the array design… I didn't feel like commenting on the obvious.

"You know, it's really cold down here."

Izumi seemed slightly startled that I spoke, but still commented on my statement. "Well, if you would put more clothing on I'm sure you would be feeling more comfortable."

Before we had headed down I had decided to make a quick change. I had changed into a white tee shirt and a pair of dark green thin cotton pants. Where did these cotton pants mysteriously arise from? Well, it seemed that Winry had stolen a pair of mine from Rizenpool and had been using them for extra nightwear. I didn't feel guilty of stealing them back for the day.

I took a deep breath of air and blew it out. White puffballs fell from my mouth. Yes, it was that cold.

I rubbed my hands together. "Let's get things started."

Izumi stood up with Wrath in her arms. She placed him in the center of the array and took a step back.

We both went to our knees sitting side by side. I was about to do something totally new to the both of us. I was about to give Izumi a lesson on alchemy.

"I'm sure you know this isn't normal alchemy. Considering that the Red Water sinks into his system you must be able to reformulate the water particles into solids and push them into his stomach and up the esophagus. We need to make sure the stones are small so he won't choke."

Izumi raised an eyebrow at me. "Edward that is common sense. What I need to know is what the Red Water is made of."

For an alchemist to decompose and reconstruct any products they needed to know the proper formation of the product. So, I ran down the list of components that created Red Water. Izumi's complexion seemed a little blue as I finished the list.

"Half those chemicals are deadly when mixed together." I was surprised she mentioned that rather than the human sacrifices.

"Yea, they are. Let's get this done."

Izumi nodded.

A sudden moan erupted from the boy on the floor. Shit, Wrath was beginning to wake up. Izumi looked slightly panicked. "Edward?"

"Just do it."

Both our hands smacked onto the concrete of the ground. If we hurried it up we could do everything with Wrath still being unconscious.

Of course, things never worked out that way.

Wrath's eyes suddenly shot open as the blue light of the array colored the world around him. In one loud bellowed scream Wrath expressed his displeasure towards our actions.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Izumi begin to move. I grabbed her with my right hand while keeping my left hand on the array. "Don't you dare try to touch him."

Wrath screamed again and this time chucks of Red Water flew out of his mouth. Izumi turned to me. "You're hurting him!"

Wrath was Izumi's weak spot. It was obvious.

Izumi grabbed my hand and tried to push it away, but my auto-mail grip was too strong. Izumi screamed in frustration. "Stop it! I won't allow this!"

More chucks of Red Water fell to the floor, screams and spasms began to consume Wrath. He wanted us to stop; he knew if he made it look much worse then it truly was we just might stop. I wasn't buying it.

Izumi tried to leap forward and with all my might, I threw her back. This was not going as planned. Great.

Izumi had fallen behind me. I did not even look back as I placed my right hand back on the array. I closed my eyes while streaming through calculations, hoping that I could get the rest of the Red Water out of Wrath before it was too late.

Wrath just had to say it, didn't he? "MOMMY!"

Full body weight crashed into me that caused me to fall forward and partially into the array. I fell right in front of Wrath as the glow of the array disappeared.

"God damn it! Izumi!"

She was still on top of me as she whispered into my ear. "I can't bare to hear him scream, I won't allow you to continue until you give him more tranquilizer."

Wrath stared at me with chucks of Red Water covering his clothing and his face. His eyes seemed demented and, to make the matters worse, he was un-cuffed. Izumi had asked me to un-cuff him before we came downstairs. I thought it would be fine considering we were going to remove the source of his problems. Shit.

"Izumi, get off me now." I tried to keep my words calm as I spoke.

Wrath rolled over to his side. His eyes did not leave my face. We should have kept him cuffed. Shit, shit, shit, shit.

Izumi got off me. I don't think she was aware of Wrath's behavior. I cleared my throat before I spoke. "Izumi, go upstairs and get the drugs and cuffs."

Wrath didn't seem to notice as Izumi began to walk towards the door. His eyes were only on me. He grinned.

I suppose Izumi finally became aware of the situation. "Edward, I'm not leaving."

I got up off the ground, but did not turn. "Get out of here and shut the damn door and hurry up. I won't hurt him, I promise."

Her voice was threatening, she sounded like a Master talking to her disobedient disciple. "Edward."

I turned. "Get the fuck out of here!"

And he jumped.

Author's note:

Omg, Omg, Omg! WAAAAA! I am so freakin' excited about getting Held back up and running! Call me a freak if you want, I don't care! Yes, I did take my month break and many eventful things had happened in that month. But Gomp is now back and in action! I have been internally itching to get my fingers moving back with this fic. Oh my, I am just so excited it's not even funny!

Ok…now that I have freaked everyone (including myself) out…

Everyone involved in Held did have a nice break, but we are all ready to get back to work. Held will go back to regular updating. No, that doesn't mean once a month! I would say a chapter every one to two weeks. A lot of very exciting things will be happening in the remaining chapters of this story. Oh joy, joy! I am having a grand ol' time writing about Wrath. Very fun character to write about! I'm happy Ed is now back with the others :D. This chapter was a blast to write.

Han-chan and Egypt much love and appreciation for your fantastic work!

Questions you may have…

1. Ok, now why is Wrath a totally lunatic?

Psycho Wrath is totally kick-ass to write. But, Wrath isn't randomly crazy for my own personal amusement. Is it the Red Water? Well, obviously you gotta wait to find out. XP Oh boy I'm mean.

2. The Red Water is still in Wrath?

Ok, this will be obviously spoken about later. But, Wrath never did lose his Red Water in the series so yup; he is still filled with the red stuff.

3. Waa! Why is Izumi such a pansy?

Ha, ha, ha! I wish you could have read my first draft of this chapter. She was an ultra pansy originally. No, Izumi has not softened up. I am trying to stress that Izumi does have one major soft spot and his name is Wrath. In the series when Wrath came along you did see Izumi become a big softy and pansy when it came towards matters which consisted of her son. So, that is why Izumi is such a major pansy in this chappy!

4. Omg… Ed…talked…to…Winry….

Ed, as he said, was feeling loose and was up to the talking. Come on people! It's about damn time he start's being more open!

MarshmellowDragon- Good guesses about Wrath! You will have to find out later though, sorry, no spoilers! Yup, all those myths and theories truly do exist. If you ever get the chance to read about the origins of Alchemy it is a very exciting subject to read upon. I'll give you a small spoiler: The manga stays rather true to history and to the myths (well, of course there is some originality to the plotline). It's part of the reason I love the manga so much. Thanks for the review!

Paranoidish- Thank you for all the lovely comments! Yes, the idea of an invasion does keep this fic on its toes in my opinion also. I love writing Edward and Mustang together. They are unbelievably easy to write about! But, no romance between the two in this fic (even though I am not against the couple XD!). Thank you for the comment on the title. It took me awhile to come up with it, but I was rather pleased when I figured it out. Thank you for your review!

Kwala- Ok, I will try to answer everything you asked! Yes, Ed and Ling do not know each other like they do in the manga. The anime series is the main story I am using in this fic, the manga is just entwined. I will explain why Wrath was protecting the sanctuary area. The reason Ed is willing to destroy the sanctuary without investigating is for many reasons. The kid is very exhausted with his life already! He knows nothing good is going to come out of this sanctuary place, at this point he just wants to be safe rather than sorry. If Wrath is involved Edward just doesn't want to know what is going on. I won't say if Ed and Mei will have any importance later in the fic… tisk, tisk! No spoilers! Well, I have been having an absolute blast talking to you! I can't wait to get to learn more about you! You are an awesome person! Well, thanks for the review!

Aharah Musici- I am so happy you liked your B-day present. Much love dear!

SoulOmenspride- Ahhh! I am so happy you are still with us! I was wondering if you ever stuck around XD! Thank you for the wonderful comments. I think that's great you understood the array parts. It could get confusing if you didn't. Well, I'm overjoyed that you are still aboard. Great hearing from you again! Lol, don't abuse Winry! Thanks for the wonderful review!

Lady Elithraniel- Don't be ashamed that you have never read the manga! But, 'nudges you' you really should! Awesome piece of work. Awesome that you understand Taoism. It is my all time favorite religion to learn about. I hope Han-chan will be able to figure out who you are! Well, thank you for your review!

Katratzi- Good, I am happy you are interested in the mythology and everything. It is very interesting stuff. Hopefully you will have a fun time being able to try to piece together the mystery of this fic! We will find out soon who Ross saw in the shadows (do do do). Hopefully Han-chan did have a good time in Japan. I am so happy that she has returned safely to us! Well, thank you for the review!

Anon- Well, hopefully the months break wasn't too bad. Thank you for all your wonderful comments! The person who told me this was getting boring was being honest and I had to agree. I think I was adding wayyy to much information into everything I said. But, hopefully the fic will get much more fun and exciting while still being simple. I am happy that you seem to be enjoying this fic. I love writing this fic with a passion, and I'm excited to get this fic back on the road! Thank you so much for your wonderful review! Much appreciation for your support!

Grengo- Wow, what you said was so freakin' flattering! I broke out into a big grin when I read what you had to say. Very touching! I am glad you like my writing style and such. I really wanted to be as original as possible when I decided to do this fic. I really appreciate everything you said. Thanks for the review!

MusicalRileyChan- A kitten named Al? Awe! That's so awesome! What color is it? My cat is a fat blob who thinks he rules the bloody world! Actually, right now he is sleeping right behind me thinking he rules my bed. Oh how do I love my puddy cat. I hope you are having a blast with your kitten! XD! Sorry for killing Al. Thanks for the review!

KASLiNN- The best Fma fic you ever read? Stop, you will make me blush! Thank you for the kind comment! I hope the month wasn't too bad of a wait. It was a horrible wait for me (and I am not joking). I am so freakin' excited about starting this story up again. I took into strong consideration about your comma comment. Hopefully I was better in this chapter with the comma's. I did try my best. Criticism is always welcome with me and I appreciate them very dearly. Thank you for bringing my comma obsession to my attention! Anyways, glad you like Wrath cause I loved the dude. He is so fun to write about! I made him a little crazy in my fic, but hopefully that will add some excitement to his character. Thank you for the awesome review!

DogEarFetish- I almost died when I saw all your comments! I can't believe you commented on every chapter! You rock! I am happy you like this fic. I agree with your prospective on preferring authors who do not BS. I try to either have a theory or some type of proof when I bring ideas into my stories. It makes the story more dynamic and exciting in my opinion. Thank you for so many reviews! I was on vacation and came back to a whole butt load of reviews! I was like 'omg, this person is totally awesome!' Well thank you for all your reviews!

RogueAmnesti- Haha, you really want me to write a fic with Ed and Roy fighting topless in mud? Well, let me tell you what. Give me awhile and some patience and I will see what I can do. Right now I am a little busy with a few other things I have on my plate, but I will try and do a one shot! Anyways, hope the month wasn't too bad of a wait. It was a killer wait for me. But, I kept a promise to myself to stay away from this fic for a month and accomplished that goal. Now I am filled with fresh ideas! I am so excited for the remainder chapters of this fic! Thank you for your wonderful review! Yay, free cookies! Oh yea, did you find any good fics to read during your wait?

Kuro Roze- Oh my, I was waiting for you to reach the chapter of Ed and Klose kissing. It seemed you didn't take to it well 'pumps life back into you'. I love reviews; never think you can review too much! I hope the chapter with Klose and Ed didn't scare you off. Well, thanks for the review!

Tinger- Thank you for such the wonderful offer. You are in China? I am so jealous! I hope you have a wonderful time there! I hope you got my email. Thank you for the review! Such a kind offer you have given!

Eriya- Well, I wrote more! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for the review!

Han-chan- I am so glad you have returned to us! I am jealous that you saw the movie! Must…share…spoilers! Awesome hearing from you girl. Obviously you got the chapter!

Most reviewed chapter to date! Awesome people! I appreciate all the support and all your kind comments. It means so much to me!