A/N: Hah! I told you this chapter would be shorter. This chapter (if the following makes any sense, you'll know what I mean) sets the 'stage' for the one after this. It's like a prologue but not really. You get what I'm saying, right? Anywayz, enjoy this chapter. Oh yeah, I just remembered something. It was supposed to be in th very beginning of the story but I forgot. I'm only putting this once.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters. I only earn my own characters, this plot, and of course the homunculus.

CHAPTER 4—A Woman's Feelings:

-FLASHBACK-

It was finally toward the end of the first week of his stay that Kimblee had asked Naminé if she wanted to go out. He just 'happened' to have two tickets to see some play he had heard about. The play was about these two people who fall in love although both of them have someone else. Kimblee didn't bother telling Naminé what the play was about—he didn't want Naminé to say no before she could no longer escape before going. When she had found out herself at the theater, she was mad at first but liked the play as it progressed. Then they had dinner afterward and later went for a stroll in the park. By that time it was late out and the stars were in the night sky.

The two of them walked along the path, not too far apart but not too close either. Kimblee was wearing a black blazer with a white shirt underneath and black pants. As they sauntered, his golden eyes traced her figure in the short (not skimpy short), blue evening dress. Not a word had passed between them since they had come to the park. For entertainment, he tried to figure out how she did all those crazy (but pretty) twists with her light brown hair.

Naminé hesitated for a second but finally managed to say something. "Why did you ask me out?"

Kimblee stopped studying her hair and went to her face. She was already looking at him to see if she can figure out what he was thinking. The man shrugged and stared straight ahead. "I thought it would be good to go out for once. We never did before."

"Oh."

" . . . You look beautiful tonight."

"Thanks . . . you look handsome."

"Thanks. Why do you look so nervous?"

Naminé flinched at the question. "Why would I be?" It had been a long time since she'd gone out with any guy, years in fact and it felt like this was her first date again. She tried to remember the rules she had in her head—how many more dates to go until they can get into an actual relationship? Should they kiss on their first date? If they do, how should they kiss? Yep, she admitted it to herself—she was nervous. They stopped talking at that for the next few minutes until Kimblee decided to start a conversation.

"Why did you say yes?"

Naminé sighed and looked at him softly. "I don't know," she replied, shrugging. "Maybe it's the same reason you told me you really never killed Romberg . . . you meant that didn't you?" As if it was some sort of answer, Kimblee's right arm wrapped around her waist and pulled Naminé a little closer to his body. Just like she expected, he had that really nice masculine scent coming off him.

Kimblee looked down at her. "Why would I want to lie to you?"

Naminé smiled at him before she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and they walked that way till they reached the apartment. She wanted to give them time and didn't want to rush things. How much time she had, she didn't know but she wanted to make the most out of it.

-END FLASHBACK-

Vi had decided to call Naminé's job to explain her absence. It must have been noticed because it was after ten o'clock (Naminé arrives an hour before that). She was in the living room on the phone and she had finally been patched into General Hakuro's line. "Hi."

"Who is this?" The general asked.

"Does it really matter? Look: I'm sorry, General Hakuro but Colonel Naminé Thomson can't come in today."

"What do you mean she can't?" The man's voice blasted through the phone. Obviously, he had forgotten this was an anonymous call. Vi pulled it away from her ear before the sound could cause her eardrum to ache.

"She's not feeling well. You would just have to tell the fuhrer that."

"Why can't she speak for herself?"

"Well, sir, she is sleeping and has a fever of a hundred-and-five. Therefore, she can't come to the phone. I, the doctor, called to tell you that. So goodbye!" She slammed the phone down on the hook and folded her arms. "Stubborn man."

Naminé grinned at the flustered Vi from the couch in the living room. "I could have called them myself, you know. Saves the trouble for you."

"Just to be sucked in by that man's voice," Vi muttered. "He's rude and a jackass." The call had turned into an argument with a higher-up of the military. She had told a tiny lie—she wasn't a doctor but a nurse and had been in the field for years. Never had she claimed to be a doctor until that morning. The woman was glad she didn't give her name or he would question her qualifications, maybe even look up her name in a directory. Vi sat next to Naminé and studied her. "Almost seven more months before the baby arrives, huh?"

Naminé tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Then they open again to gaze at the ceiling. "I can't wait till this is over. I've been eating like a pig."

"I hope you're not getting thrown around in fights. That's not good for the baby."

"I'm not," she lied so her friend wouldn't worry about it.

Vi got up and headed for the kitchen. "What do you expect? You're eating for two now. Get up for a second and help me out in the kitchen. I need to make breakfast for . . . the three of us." She smiled at that statement as she opened the fridge and took out the eggs. She placed them on the counter and slammed the refrigerator shut.

Naminé walked into the kitchen and started to search the cabinets. "Where are the pans?"

While Naminé was helping Vi make their breakfast, 'Zolf' was contemplating in the bedroom about Naminé whereabouts.

Where the hell did she go in the middle of the night? Maybe to some guy's house but which one? Mustang's, Armstrong's, Breda's? That can't be right. Mustang's taken but what had stopped him from stealing other girls before? Armstrong and that Breda guy doesn't have any girls. Then there's the one from yesterday. What was his name? Mayhem? Fiasco? Why the hell do I care?

The homunculus frowned at those ideas and let out a sigh. He wondered why she didn't come back like he thought she would. Maybe he should have gone after her and brought her back to the apartment. He would have forced her to stay the morning as well. 'Kimblee' wanted her badly just like two days ago in the office. At least then she hadn't taken off.

He decided to check her job. Knowing Naminé as the type of woman who would try to be present for work, it was logical she would be there. The homunculus left the apartment building and headed down to Central Headquarters.

Naminé nibbled on the bread. She felt nervous about something, like something bad was going to happen. What made it worst was she felt the 'bad thing' was connected with the homunculus. Her mind wondered if he would try to attack someone or kill them on purpose. Maybe someone he believed she was currently with . . . someone like . . . Havoc.

The homunculus didn't see the person he hoped to run into, the one he had spotted with Naminé the day before. But he did recognize someone Naminé knew. It was that guy with the glasses named Fuery. Before the man could go inside the building, 'Zolf' reached him and pulled him aside. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" The homunculus smirked, not really giving the Master Sergeant a choice.

Sometime later, a gardener carried a basket full of ready-to-plant assorted flowers. Her job. Like all the other gardeners, was to plant the flowers around Central HQ. She had finish her section when she saw blood trails on the wall. Curious about what had happened, she rounded the corner and almost stepped on someone's glasses. She looked straight ahead and saw bloody body. The gardener let out a scream (luckily it was before she fainted).

The phone in the house rang persistently. Vi hurried over and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Vi?" questioned the person on the other end of the line.

A smile appeared on her face at the sound of the male voice. "Roy? Hey, I haven't seen you in a while . . . You want to talk to Naminé . . . Hold on." Vi covered the receiving end of the phone and waved Naminé impatiently over. Her friend came and she handed the phone over.

The Lightning Alchemist's eyebrows furrowed. The fact that he had Vi's number didn't surprise her much. It was the reason he could have for calling that worried her. " What's wrong?" It was the first thing that came out of her mouth before the fuhrer can say anything. Naminé felt horrible and a bit nervous, her mind already on the imitation of Kimblee. "It's not about Havoc, is it?"

"No. Havoc's fine. It's about Fuery. I'll talk to you later. If you hang around Vi's house a little while longer, I'll come over tonight to get it over with."

"Okay, if you want to." Naminé hung up the phone without saying bye and collapsed into the couch. Apparently, the homunculus would do anything to get his hands on her. Anyone's life didn't matter as long as led back to whom he wanted. She decided to sleep then since the night might not permit much.

Several hours later, the doorbell rung. Naminé had woken up two hours ago and was reading a romance novel when the sound echoed throughout the house. Her eyes followed Vi as she hurrying by to answer the door. Some seconds later, her friend was walking back to the living with Roy Mustang beside her. They were talking about something, both smiling and that made Naminé wonder how much could happen in a few seconds. Of course though, the smiles were only temporary—their eyes landed on the alchemist waiting for them. Vi went to sit next to Naminé; Roy sat across from them.

"Hey, Roy," Naminé sighed. "If it's about my sick day, I can explain. The Fuery thing, I can't."

"I wish it was about your sick day," Roy said. "It would be a lot less complicated than your problems, wouldn't it? Fuery was told to deliver a message unto you. It was 'stop whoring around and come back home.' I thought it was possibly your mother only . . . "

"She couldn't beat Fuery, or anyone in this matter, into a bloody pulp," Naminé muttered in an attempt to finish Roy's sentence.

Roy nodded and continued. "Fuery's in the hospital now. Broken ribs, a completely shattered arm, a wound in his abdomen as large as a coffee can—no normal human can do this. It's only logical that it's the same guy who attacked Breda. The wounds are similar in shape."

Vi took a glance at her friend, remembering the conversation they had the previous night. "I suppose you'll be leaving in a bit."

Naminé sighed again and mused aloud. "What choice do I have? He's dangerous and we have to give him what he wants. He injured Fuery this time, he might kill someone tomorrow, tonight even. Damn this whole thing. Kimblee was never the jealous kind. Probably every guy this homunculus sees I'm with, he thinks me and that guy are together."

"What the hell are you talking?" Vi looked at her friend incredulously. That was one chunk out of the story that Naminé didn't bother telling. In her mind, it explained a lot more about this homunculus than Naminé's slight account. The homunculus was possessive for one thing. Another thing could be that this whole thing was full of lust and desire. She wondered how much of that was true. Her red eyes stared at the cut on Naminé's cheek that seemed to have healed already, already knowing who did it.

Naminé finally answered her question. "He saw me yesterday with Havoc. So he took it the wrong way and presumed that we were . . . 'doing things.' Therefore he attacked me, the homunculus I mean, and I came here."

Mustang looked at his watch. He saw it was a quarter to nine. He had a feeling he would be really late if they didn't wrap this whole thing up. And he didn't want Riza thinking he stood her up. Not willing to take that chance, Roy got on his feet. "The homunculus looks like Kimblee, he has Kimblee's memories but he has his own ideas. This homunculus could kill you if you try anything against him."

Naminé smirked. "Yeah, I'll remember that."

"You're coming to work tomorrow?"

"Don't know. He might not let me. He just might handcuff me to the bed."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "Do you have to sound sarcastic about this?"

Naminé had left Vi's house and was outside the door that was separating her from the homunculus. Hesitantly, the colonel entered her apartment. It was dark and the blinds were all closed. She thought it was some plot to sneak attack her and that worried her ultimately. She closed the door, shutting herself from any possible help. Cautiously she walked away and into the hallway. Then she halted. "I know you're here!" she yelled into the darkness. "You wanted me, didn't you? Well, here I am!" Suddenly, arms wrapped around her and pulled her back.

"I'm glad you came," the voice drawled into her ear. "I was worried about you."

Naminé turned around and saw the homunculus. Before she could move, the homunculus pinned her against the wall and kissed her on the lips. "I'm sorry, babe. I didn't mean to hurt you last night." Then he started to trail kisses along her neck.

For once, she didn't know what to say. He looked so much like Kimblee in her eyes. The idea of him doing that to Kain Fuery seemed ludicrous—although she had seen him kill a soldier so easily. Her mind was pointing out all the rationales; her heart was saying otherwise. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the homunculus.

"Tell me something, Zolf."

"Anything you want."

"Do you remember the Ishbal War?" Naminé thought maybe that had something to do with his behavior.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter––kimimaros-angel, Synette, and HANA-CHAN. Nothing much happening in this chapter and Kimblee might have been a little bit OOC in the flashback (sorry if you think so, too). Roy probably was, too. Anyway next chapter is all in the past—actually, the next few chapters, at least four in all. So you can expect a lot of Kimblee in those than the previous chapters. The first one of the series should be up next week. Till later.