DISCLAIMER: -hides Roy Mustang in a nearby closet- Uhhhh...I do not own any of the FMA characters...(to your knowledge...muahaha!) -clears throat- Uhm yeah...

A/N: Okay, so by request I've added more Ed, more action and a bit more horror into it. You know, this did start out as a love story, once upon a time. (Trust me, the romance will be there. I would not have this story without it.)

Chapter 5: The First Encounter RH.

We pulled up to the site of the newest murder in rather quick timing. Before the car had even stopped, Edward had leapt from the car and was racing down the back alley.

"Ed!" Roy called after him, opening his door hastily. "Ed, don't do anything yet! Ed, get back here!"

"Brother!" Alphonse cried out from the back seat. His large size prevented him from leaving the car quickly. "Brother, wait!"

I pulled over as quickly as possible, allowing Alphonse enough time to exit safely. Pulling the gun from my hip, I raced after them.

The street was crowded. Other military officers had obviously tried, and failed, to disperse the crowd of onlookers. A white sheet covered what I assumed to be the dead body.

"She's right through there," I heard an officer say ahead. Roy was still trying to stop Edward before he got to her first. I knew he never would.

Catching up, I nearly ran into Alphonse as he stopped abruptly. Ahead, Edward was locking in an intense battle with a very skilled woman. There was something on the ground that resembled an unfinished transmutation circle. I assumed that had been her escape plan before we arrived.

I stood next to the Colonel, who watched curiously. The look on his face was unclear and one could almost mistake it for awe or amazement.

There was a flash of light and a large weapon replaced Edward's right arm. He slashed at the fast moving woman. When he transmuted his arm, she had paused for a moment to gawk at him.

"You are the one they call 'Full Metal'?" her voice was oddly high-pitched. "I have only heard stories about you. I never thought I would be the one to find you!"

"That's right!" Edward said through gritted teeth. "I'm Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist!"

The woman darted from his attacks with unbeatable skill. I raised my gun and began to aim. I wasn't sure that Edward would be able to defeat her on his own.

Roy flung out his arm and lowered my gun, his eyes still locked on Edward. "No," he said quietly. "Let him do it alone."

I stared at him in shock. How could he just watch as the poor boy fought without any sign of doing damage? He would wear himself out, causing himself to become more vulnerable.

"Where are your bodyguards?" the woman taunted. "Surely a mighty Alchemist as yourself must have a whole team of guards to protect you."

"I work alone!" He replied, taking another swipe at her, narrowly missing her side by millimeters.

As I continued to watch them, I noticed a difference in the woman. She, not Edward, was becoming weary and never once had she attempted to transmute something. It became quite clear that she was either only skilled in Alchemy with drawn transmutation circles, or not skilled in it at all. The unfinished transmutation circle may have been a desperate attempt to get away.

Edward attacked again, this time, catching her leg with the edge of his blade. She cringed in pain and stumbled a bit.

"Never thought something so small would be so powerful..." she said, gasping for breath.

Edward growled angrily. "I AM NOT SMALL!"

The woman cackled as Ed charged toward her. Her laughter was cut off sharply when he took a good chunk out of her side. I felt myself cringe a little as blood squirted from the wound.

"Tell me about the stone!" Edward ordered, advancing on her.

She shot up and limped away hastily. "Never! You'll have to kill me first, oh Full Metal One."

"Planning on it," Edward said heatedly. "Once you tell me everything you know."

She rolled over quickly, landing against a wall to an old abandoned building. I began to panic as the wall shook tediously.

"Colonel, please..." I started.

"Shh," he hushed me. His eyes were wide and I was certain I hadn't seen him blink once during the whole ordeal.

"My Mistress will be proud of me, no matter what happens..." the woman said, leaning against the wall. Blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. She appeared to be more wounded than I thought.

"Who do you work for?" Edward pointed the end of his blade at her neck.

The woman shook her head slowly and began to laugh. It became more maniacal as she went on. I could tell that Edward was becoming impatient. He moved his blade closer to her, the tip of it just biting into her skin. She stopped laughing.

"Are you really going to kill me?" she asked, smirking.

"Yes," Edward answered bluntly.

"Full Metal, stop!" Roy finally said.

Both Edward and the woman turned to look at the man who had spoken. The woman's eyes glittered evilly.

"The Flame Alchemist..." she said.

I noticed her move her arms and I jumped forward. "EDWARD, MOVE!"

There was a bright light and she pounded her fists against the wall. The brick of it shook and began to crumble. I felt the Colonel grab my by the arm and pull me back protectively. Edward hesitated for a moment and then raced toward us. The woman showed no sign of moving.

"You will never behold the power that is the Philosopher's Stone!" were her last words as the rubble crashed down on top of her.

When the dust settled, I checked Edward to make sure that he wasn't hurt. He told me she hadn't laid a hand on him.

"You shouldn't have killed her..." Roy said, approaching where we stood. "She's no good to us dead."

"Hey!" Edward said defensively. "I didn't kill her! She did that herself!"

"It doesn't matter," Roy said. "We're no further than we were earlier. The question is, if she could use Alchemy to end it all, why didn't she use it during battle? She was ordered to kill you wasn't she?"

Edward nodded. "I was wondering the same thing. It didn't make much sense."

"She could certainly use it," Roy said pointedly. "That building was old, but it was strong as ever. And the body was killed just like all the others."

"I remembered her," Edward said absently. "She was in my dream. She spoke to the leader."

I looked up at him. "What did she say?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't really remember. I only heard one woman speak and it was definitely her. I think she was the one who brought up the Homunculi."

Roy stared at the ground for a moment. It was clear he was thinking about something.

"Who was the man who was murdered, sir?" I asked, eager to get some answers.

"They haven't told me yet," he said bitterly, looking up. "I'm going to find out though."

A few men in uniforms began to pick the body up, when a cry came from the crowd.

"That's my wife!" a man shouted. "Let me through! That's my wife!"

I stood in shock as a young man pushed his way through the crowd and hurried toward the uniformed men. He was obviously very distraught.

"Sir, please, you're going to have to wait-" one officer told him.

"No, please, this is my wife," the man pleaded, grabbing the white cloth. "Please, you have to let me see her."

"Sir, this is a murder investigation." the other officer said. "Come with us and we'll have you identify her later."

Still sobbing, the man followed them, clutching the white cloth. I stood there silently, letting what just happened soak in. It made me start to think.

If I were to ever die like this, would someone mourn for me? Would someone break from a crowd and beg an officer just to let them see my face one more time? Would I ever have someone who loved me like that?

I finally blinked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. The Colonel had returned.

"Are you okay, Hawkeye?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, though I was certain all speech had left me. I turned back to the others, who had gathered to hear what Roy had to say.

"They believe that the victim's name is Rosemary Villa. She was a scientist who worked at Central. A big help to the research of the Philosopher's Stone." he explained.

"But they're not sure?" Alphonse asked, still thinking about the upset man.

Roy shook his head. "No. They're actually 100 percent positive. They only said they were going to let him identify her to calm him down. I've seen it done a thousand times. It never really helps."

"But she was involved with the stone?" Edward asked.

"Yes," Roy answered. "One of the last. There aren't many left, which means we don't have much time. Ed, if you have any more of those dreams of yours, you are to inform me immediately. I'm going to talk to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes to put him on guard. I need to inform the families of other stone workers to be on the lookout."

We nodded and headed back toward the car. There was nothing else for us to do there. The police would clean up the mess and deal with the woman buried underneath it.

"What are we going to do now?" Alphonse asked once we had headed back to headquarters.

"I don't know..." Roy answered softly. I knew it pained him to admit it, but there wasn't much we could do. We had no leads. No evidence. Nothing to go on, but a dream. "We're just going to have to wait and see what happens next..."

A/N: Okay, so it's not a very, very long chapter, but it seemed okay to me. Please review! The next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it. I'm going to be busy for a while, so updates won't be as frequent.