A/N: Yay! Chapter four. I'm happy that I'm actually working on this consistantly...yet I still have this sinking feeling that it's not going to be finished by the end of the month. It's only a few more days away, and story-wise, the characers are still on the FMA world! I didn't think I was going to write this much! >>; Opps. Oh well.

(Bo-nasu Random Extra!)(In response to SamuraiSirius's question)

Roy: Are we going be in this story?

Zana: ...

Lust: Well?

Zana: Er...I don't think so. I doubtI'll be able to work you guys in.

Envy: Whaaat? But Edward's in it!

Roy: -rolls eyes- Whoa duh. He's one of the main characters. Dumbass.

Envy:You know what?I was going to have Gluttony eat the author for cutting us out of the story, but now I've changed my mind. Ohh, Gluttony! Din-din time!

Roy: AHHHH!

Zana: -whistles innocently while walking away, really, reallyfast-

(Fin)

I apologize for that, truly. While they may be mentioned, Colonel Mustang and the Homuncli will probably not be making any actual appearances. You'll understand why soon enough, mes amis. PS- Fullmetal Shinobi, I have no problem with you sounding like your English teacher. You're being a big help, actually. My computer doesn't have spell-check, so all my typos tend to go unoticed for a while. So you have my thanks! After the story is completed, I'll update the all the chapters with mistakes with the new, improved ones. 3 Okay, this author's note has gone on long enough. On with the story!

(4) Shorty vs. Spikey

A flying machine? Yeah, right. Whatever. That spiky-haired kid was such a liar. No way could that bulky hunk of metal stay airborn. Ed just couldn't see that happening. He figured it was some type of car, suped up to look all fancy. It did have wheels, underneath. The wings on each side were probably a misguided attempt to make the vehicle more aerodynamic and faster.

Regardless of what it was, Winry had fallen in love with it.

A work of art, she said. Even though it was broken down. Never seen anything like it. It would be an honor to work on it. She'd have it fixed by tommorow.

She didn't actually say that last part, that she'd have it fixed by tommorow. But she would. Ed knew she would. He could tell by the look on her face, that glint in her eye...she was fixated on this thing. Oh sure, it was a strange and unusal vehicle, but no sweat. The basic components were familar enough to her. She might not be able to fix everything, but she could definitely get it running again. She would work on it relentlessly, and probably into the night as well. She wouldn't stop until she was done, Ed was positive about that.

Ed's predictions were fullfilled. Winry was stuck in obessed mechanic mode and worked determinedly on the ship. Sora and his friends were offered to stay the night at her house (which they accepted) and the Elrics Brothers stayed there too, even though they had orignally planned to leave earlier that day, after Ed's arm had been repaired. Granny came home and was surprised at so many guests, especially at the three new faces, but the elderly woman didn't make a big fuss out of it. Instead, she went and made them all dinner.

When nightfall came and Winry still did not return, Al announced that he was going to go check on her, and bring some food and a lantern for her as well. Goofy generously offered to go with him, since it was "too dark to be walking around out there alone" and he wanted to "thank that sweet 'lil girl for all her hard work". That left Ed, Sora, and Donald sitting in the living room in an awkward silence.

That silence wasn't going to last long, however. Without Alphonse and Goofy, the peacemakers of each group, things were bound to get...rowdy.

"So, uh, is Winry your guys' sister?" Sora asked, valantly attempting to start a conversation.

"No," Ed snorted, rolling his eyes. (He wasn't in the best of moods at the moment.)

"Is she your girlfriend then?" asked Donald, and not very innocently, since he grinned at the sight of Ed's face turning beet red.

"N-No!" Ed sputtered, waving his hands out in front of him, as if to ward off the words that suggested such a thing. "Of c-c-course not!"

"The why are you stuttering?" Donald wondered, tapping his chin. Sora laughed and decided to have some fun with this as well.

"Yeah, and why's your face so red?" he teased. "I mean, it's redder than your jacket!"

"Arrg, shut up Spikey! No one asked you!"

Sora stopped snickering. "Spikey?"

"Yeah," said Ed, seeking the chance to switch gears and make fun of them instead of vice versa. "Your hair practically defies gravity! How much gel do you pump in it to make it stay up that pointy?"

"Hey! My hair is naturally spikey," Sora said, looking a bit miffed.

"Yeah, and at least Sora doesn't braid his hair!" said Donald, not so much as to stick up for his friend, but rather because he firmly believed that only he was allowed to make fun of Sora.

Ed's hand unconsciously went to the back of his head and he fingered the braid. "Well, it's long, you know," he said defensively. "Braiding it keeps it out of the way."

"Why don't you just get it cut? Or do you like having girly hair?"

"Uh, Donald, let's just give it a rest." Sora wasn't above teasing, but this was quickly escalating into discord and that was something he wanted to avoid. His good-hearted nature urged him to make friends with others, not alienate them.

"Yeah, bird brain, give it a rest!" Well, there went Sora's plan. Ed's sour remark would surely--

"Hey! You'd better watch it, short-stuff!"

--get one in return. And Donald just had to call him short, of all things.

Ed jumped up from the couch, his eyes burning with rage. He shook a fist at Donald. "Short? Like you're one to talk!"

Donald bounced off his chair and took a similar stance. "I'm normal height for my race! But for a human, you look like a midget!"

"That tears it!" Ed shouted. "No one calls me short and gets away with it! Especially not some ducked-face chimera!"

"Oh yeah? Well, no one calls me a shim-ra-whatever and gets away with it! 'Specially not an annoying, loudmouthed, girly-haired shorty!"

The two leapt at each other. However, despite what Donald said, Edward was still taller than him and the height difference made it hard to fight. No one was actually landing any hits, and maybe they weren't as serious about it as they looked. Yet they were still going at it, and Sora was getting uncomfortable. Eventually, someone would get hurt, intentionally or not.

But what was he supposed to do? Without Goofy, their voice of reason, Sora was at a loss. One thing was for sure: he definitely wasn't getting into that (semi) brawl. When one of them bumped against into a corner table, though, and knocked over a vase, he decided it was time for action.

"Uhhh...THUNDER!"

Okay. Not the best course of action. But it worked. The two stopped fighting. Donald looked a bit frazzled, but he sighed, muttered something that was close enough to the word 'sorry', and fell over on the couch.

Ed, however, was not sorry, and only stopped fighting with Donald so he could fight with Sora instead. He whirled around (looking a little worse for wear) and practically exploded on the Keyblade master.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he shouted in Sora's face, waving his automail arm up and down. "See this?" he said, "See it? It's made of metal! Metal! My left leg is metal too. And ya know what metal does, Spikey? It conducts electricity!"

Which explained why his hair was standing on end. (It was fuzzy and poofed, and Sora might have laughed if the reason for this afro hadn't been life threatning.)

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sora began, but then he blinked. "Wait a mintue...your arm and leg are made of metal?"

"Of course!" Ed spat. "That's why I'm called the Fullmetal Alchemist, duh! And shooting electricity at me isn't exactly..." This time, Ed stopped and blinked. "Hold up...you shot electricity at me?"

They both paused and looked very thoughtful. Obviously, Sora hadn't known Ed had an automail arm and leg. And Ed hadn't seen Sora whip out a gaint key to use magic. (Because he was too busy wrestling Donald to notice. And once Sora is done with the keyblade, it vanishes, of course.) These new discoveries about each other lead to some very mistaken conclusions, which were both voiced at the same time:

"Metal limbs? That must mean...you're part robot!"

"Fired bolts of electricity? Then I was right...you're an alchemist!"

To which were responded to not only simontamously, but in the exact same wording as well:

"NO I'M NOT!"

Before either boy could elaborate farther, though, the front door swung opened and in walked Goofy and Al, Goofy carrying an empty food tray.

"Guess what guys. Winry said she'd have the ship running by sunrise," Al annouced, completely oblivious to any previous happenings due to his absence.

"I wish she woulda came back with us though," said Goofy. "She shouldn't be working herself so hard, and especially at this late hour! I mean, gwarsh, we ain't in no hurry."

"Don't worry Goofy. Winry doesn't see that as hard work. She likes doing that kind of stuff. She'll be fine. Here," Al took the empty tray. "I'll go put this in sink. Oh. And thank you for walking with me."

"Why, you're welcome!" he exclaimed. "It was nice chatting with ya." After Al left for the kitchen, Goofy turned back around to face the others. "So, what were you fellas up to while we were gone?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, then Ed held up a hand and walked away, saying, "No. My head already hurts. I'm going to bed."

--TBC--

(Random Extra!)(A Walk to Remember)((Don't worry; no one dies.))

So, what did Goofy and Al actually chat about during their walk?

Goofy: You got a lot of armor on, huh?

Al: Yeah...

Goofy: Don't cha get hot in there?

Al: Um. Not really. -sweatdrop-

Goofy: I'm a knight too, ya know! I just don't wear a full suit of armor, is all.

Al: (But...I'm not a knight...)

Goofy: Hey! When we get back to the house, woulda mind if I tried on your helmet? I betcha it'll fit me!

Al: Umm... -bigger sweatdrop- You can't.

Goofy: Why not?

Al: Because...I have helmet hair? -biggest sweatdrop-

Somewhere, in another dimension, on another world...

Shrek: My orge senses are tingling...someone...is stealing my lines!

(Fin)

Review, and the moogles will give you a kupo nut. 3