Chapter 5: Terri...

Envy: Tch… that last chapter was no good- I hardly made an appearance!

Ed: Quietly At least something good transpired in the last chapter…

Envy: Angry What was that?

Ed: Sweatdrops Nothing!

Authoress: Rolls eyes You guys are acting like a bunch of children…

Both: Hey!

Authoress: Shrugs Oh well, on with the chapter!

A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter has taken so long to be updated! Please forgive me guys, but I have been extremely busy with schoolwork and lacking in the internet at home X-(… My step-dad is being a jerk and won't let me on anymore… Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoy this next chapter, please review for me!

Must Read(s)-

Expect the Unexpected

A Forgotten Memory

Previously:

At some point Ed had drifted back into a sleep- a dreamless one at that- and when he next awoke it was mid-afternoon the next day and his fever had gone down considerably. That was when he saw her in the corner, standing cautiously as though she were in a dream, "Edward?" Her voice was soft and broken from crying, he could see by the redness of her eyes that she had done so.

"You are- Winry?" He questioned, drinking in her appearance ravenously.

She looked so familiar and he desperately longed for her caress. Mentally he could feel that wall begin to crumble; she had to be the key to regaining his lost memories. Tears rose in her eyes and flooded over her cheeks, "so you- so you really don't remember me, huh? Alphonse tells me that you even tried to k-kill Mustang." Her shoulders shook as she began to sob.

Now:

"Wait a minute!" Ed said, pointing accusingly, "You're not Winry, who are you?"

The other stopped sobbing immediately and flipped her blond hair back over her shoulder, "well, you're not as dumb as I thought Edward- though you still don't seem to know me." She pouted, "I thought that surely you must remember Winry's cousin after all." She sighed and patted his head, "oh well, I guess that's what you'd have to expect from an amnesiac."

"Who are you?" Ed asked again, pulling himself into a sitting position, "what is your name and why are you here?"

"My name is Terri." She said after a moment's pause, "and I came because Winry couldn't- she's married now Ed, she has a family. Your coming back is only going to stress her mind. She had to give up her love for you when you died. She could not continue to love something that could no longer love her back; she would have died of heartbreak. Your return is stirring up old emotions in her. Winry is beginning to feel as though she is no longer loyal to her loving husband and infant son."

Ed felt a pang of sorrow course through his chest, "So she's not coming then?"

"No." Terri sighed, "She can't handle seeing you after so long."

"Oh." Ed said flatly, staring at his hands that clenched tightly to the thin hospital blanket, "I… I see." He was trying hard not to allow the tears to rise to his eyes, Winry would not come; he would never remember what he was like before.

His golden hair hung loosely, flowing smoothly down his back and Terri looked at it longingly, "I sure wish that I could get my hair to grow out so long and shine so nicely." She said, touching it wistfully, "and not having any split-ends either."

Ed cringed away from her touch and she immediately pulled her hand away, "sorry, I couldn't help myself." Her gaze wandered over his thin form and she whistled, "is it true that they shot you, Ed? Al says that you've gained the figure of a woman…" She poked lightly at his ribs.

"Hey!" Ed flushed and slapped her hand away, "don't do that!"

"I guess we can't call you short anymore…" Terri said, eying him carefully, "you don't look as though you are, I'm surprised that you're automail doesn't feel awkward- maybe granny Pinako'll take a look at it for you and give it the proper adjustments."

Another pang of recognition ran through him and Ed was able to picture a short, elderly woman dimly in his mind, "is she here?" He asked carefully, moving to swing a tired leg over the side of the bed.

"Of course when she was told that you were alive she nearly had a heart attack…" Terri shrugged, "she dragged me out here- and is waiting just outside the door- Granny, its okay, you can come in now!" She called cheerfully as the door slid open and the woman that Ed had pictured came into sight.

"So you're back, eh?" She said around a thin pipe, "I knew you would be."

Ed stood awkwardly, and for the first time he felt the imbalance between himself and his automail leg. Granny Pinako laughed raucously as he stood before her and shook her head, "you really did grow taller Ed, just look, that leg is too short by at least four inches. It won't be too hard to fix- your arm too." (Argh, I keep writing you're for your… I hate that…)

He was pushed back onto the bed by firm hands, "Looks as though you'll have to be bedridden for another few days…" Terri laughed as the automail was removed from his body, "don't go anywhere now!" She laughed at her own witty remark as she followed Pinako from the room.

The old woman stopped for a moment and grinned, "It's good to have you back Ed, maybe we'll get more business again."

They left him alone then, and he stared wistfully at the ceiling, wishing that he knew the answers to the questions that he had. If only he could remember, there would be no more questions. He would be happy, and know who was telling him the truth and who was lying to him. He hated not knowing, and worst of all he hated the feeling that burned in his chest every time he spoke cruelly to his brother.

"So, they've left you immobile now?"

"Envy!" Ed pulled himself up with his one arm and stared at the figure in the window, glad for the distraction from his painful confusion.

"Why do you look so down? Are those bastards from the military bothering you again? Did they steal your automail?"

"No." Ed mumbled, "The one called Pinako is adjusting it for me."

Envy's fingers dug into the window sill and he growled angrily, "when she brings them back to you I'll be here. I can take you away then, and you can create a philosopher's stone- accomplish your dream and aid us in our revenge."

"Yes." Ed said eagerly, "When I am well I can kill Alphonse and Mustang, I can create the philosopher's stone and bring back Lust."

"Of course you can." Envy chuckled knowingly, "Gluttony will be very happy."

"Envy, why do you guys have such strange names? Gluttony... Lust... Envy? The seven deadly sins, why are you named for them?"

Envy sighed and stared out into the night, "Honestly- I really don't know Edward. You've brought up something that I've never even thought to question. A cruel joke on our part maybe?"

"I see." Ed yawned, he was very tired.

"You seem tired. I had better go; and do not worry, when next we meet I can finally take you away from here."

"I'll be waiting." Ed smile softly, "good night Envy."

"Good night Ed."

Silence followed after Envy left, and even though Ed was really tired he found it difficult to sleep. He lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling for hours before he was finally able to slip into nightmares of a dark loneliness that had lasted for a long time. "Come on sleepyhead! It's time to eat your breakfast!" Terri's cheerful voice brought him forcefully back into reality, "I've got some eggs, toast, bacon... oh! And a nice tall glass of milk."

"I don't want it." Ed said stubbornly crossing his arms- well arm anyway- across his chest and clenching his jaw.

"Of course you do!" Terri pried his lips apart and thrust the glass to them, tipping it and pouring the foul liquid into his mouth.

Instantly Ed began to splutter as it slid down into his windpipe, choking and coughing as he spit the milk across the room, "Are you crazy!" He burst out, "What'd you do that for anyway?" He was rubbing at his tongue with his fingers, trying to remove the taste.

"Actually, I'm pretty close to it." Terri giggled, "come on Ed, just drink it already!"

"No!"

"DRINK IT!"

"I SAID NO!"

"EDWARD!" Again she pried his mouth open and forced the liquid in- plugging his nose and mouth until he finally consented, for lack of oxygen, and swallowed the mouthful of milk, "There now, that wasn't so bad, just a few more- HEY!"

Ed had slapped the glass from her hand and paid it no mind as the glass shattered and the milk rested in a pool at Terri's feet, "I said that I didn't want it! Don't you ever listen?"

"Well, you didn't have to be so rude about it." Terri huffed, "all you had to do was say something..."

"I did!" Ed shouted in exasperation, "several times."

"Oh... now the eggs have gone cold!" Terri was completely off topic.

"You have a short attention span, don't you?" Ed asked suspiciously, slitting his eyes and glaring at her accusingly.

"Huh?" Terri blinked and looked at him.

"Just go away, I'm not hungry."

"Here comes the train!" Terri giggled, shoving a spoonful of cold eggs into his mouth.

"Terri!" Ed forced himself to swallow, "I. Am. Not. Hungry."

"Fine then." Terri sighed sadly and set the tray on the table, "I just figured that you'd want to get better and-"

"Please, just leave. I don't want to see anybody right now." Ed lay back and rolled over to look out the very window that Envy had been standing in just the previous night.

It was three days before Pinako had finished the adjustments on the automail- and finally they were ready to be reattached. Ed closed his eyes tightly and drew in a sharp breath as the nerves were attached and he passed out after a moment.

"Ed." Envy was whispering to him from the window, "come on, get up already!"

He sat up shakily and stared bewildered at Envy's slender figure. With a sudden rush of adrenaline he leapt from the bed and moved shakily towards the window. "Where are we go-"

The door crashed open and a figure stood, breathing heavily. Tears leaked from her eyes and she stared at him bewildered. "You are back." She whimpered, rushing into his shocked arms, "Oh Ed, I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, ignoring Envy, "I'm sorry I didn't come when I heard."

"W-Winry?" Ed breathed in her intoxicating scent, "it's really you now?"

Envy cursed and glared at Winry- he had been so close! "Winry!" Terri ran into the room and stared at Envy, "who's this guy anyway?" She pointed at him.

A sudden headache coursed through Ed's temples and he stepped away from Winry, clutching at his head. "Oh..." He moaned as images fluttered quickly through his mind- images of the girl, she had been the key to unlocking his memories after all.

The last thing that Ed was aware of was Envy's anger filled voice, "Tell Alphonse Elric that if he does not create the philosopher's stone I will kill his brother." He said threateningly.

"No!" Winry screamed, and then all was enshrouded in a thick fog of darkness.

A/N: Well... there's chapter five for you! Again I apologize for the wait, but I just could not think of an idea for this one! Can you believe it? I got at least a paragraph done each time I started it and then erased all of my work... It wouldn't come out right or anything... I hope that you guys like it, review for me now, k?

Envy: Eh, that wasn't so bad, now we're getting to the good stuff...

Ed: What're you talking about!

Envy: We-ell, if your brother doesn't manage to create a philosopher's stone- I get to kill you! Is gleeful

Ed: Why you- lunges at Envy

Authoress: Boys, save it for the next chapter! Stands between them

Reviewer's corner:

sharon3264: Thanks, it's good to see a new face, and I hope to see you again!

Lunar Goddess: Yay! I'm glad you liked it.

Miroku-has-darkness: Do I? Hasn't really noticed Sorry about that, I hope that I didn't do that to badly this chapter…

Z Girl Warrior: Go figure, he finally begins to remember and then this happens :P I hope that you liked this chapter…

Yunie: I'm glad you liked it!

winryrockbell2: Well, there're no more worries about that…

Fayte Angel: Heh, thanks for inspiring the next chapter

Adurama: I think you're mixed up about authors / I didn't write that other story, but I'm glad to have gotten a review from you all the same, I hope that you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 6 is in progress! I'll update as soon as I possibly can.

Ja ne!

Aka-chan