Hi guys! Yeah, I know, pretty quick, but tomorrow is school and I may have time to update this upcoming week but after that, I'm afraid I won't be able to once things get serious and I'll have to study and pull all nighters (sighs)

BTW: I wrote a few (made up, not really good) quotes on my profile, I was considering basing a chapter on them, tell me what you guys think! ^^

Enjoy this one!

Letters from War

"I really don't know what to do Riza, it's so boring at home! Sure, I work at the shop but..." Winry Rockbell, trailed off, wrapping the curly string of the telephone around one finger.

Feminine laughter echoed at the other line of the phone, a deeper, more mature female voice sounded:" Well, I was sure your work as a mechanic kept things interesting Winry."

Winry sighed, rubbing her head, "It does, it does but...I don't know, I love my job you know that but I kind of want to try doing something else. You know, something besides my work as a mechanic," Winry pouted, drawing invisible circles on her dark oak desk.

There was a short silence before the woman spoke again, "Why don't you do charity work? Or something along those lines?" one of Winry's oldest friends, Riza Mustang, suggested.

Winry rubbed her chin, thinking for a moment, "Hmm..charity work huh..."

But then Riza had another idea, "Or how about signing up for 'Letters to soldiers'?"

Winry perked up, "Huh? What's that?" Winry rose a fair eyebrow, slightly suspicious since it had the word "soldier" in it, then she suddenly remembered something, "Hey, wait, isn't that what you've mentioned to me before?"

Riza chuckled, "Yes, I've already told you about it. It's a great opportunity to send letters to unknown soldiers overseas, I'm writing Roy letters as well," Winry clenched the phone in her hand.

"Riza...Roy is your husband...that's completely different! And besides, what do I even write about?! I have no idea how to even start a conversation with a guy I don't even know, who is a soldier, who is overseas fighting in a war and who saw things that would normally traumatize a guy!" Winry hollered, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Riza giggled at her friend's expanse, "Winry, soldiers miss their home the most. The more you talk about what's currently going on at home gets them interested and happy, you can talk about anything. I know that from experience, when I used to be there on duty I would love to hear about the most banal of things. Calling somebody, writing them or just reminding them that people out there, strangers, actually think of them, gives them the closure they need to continue on fighting. I was very lucky that I had Roy and the others on the battlefield with me," Winry noted the slight sadness in Riza's tone whenever she talked about her time at war.

"Riza, I'm sorry, you know I didn't-" the older woman cut her off softly.

"It's alright Winry, I just want you to know how writing a stranger letters just may save their lives," with that Winry was convinced.

Her parents used to be military doctors and got killed in war by enemy troops. That was the main reason why she usually wasn't too keen on hearing anything from the military. She didn't mind that some of her friends used to work or are still working for the military, like Riza or her husband Roy, who is currently deployed in Xerxis fighting off rogue troops from Drachma.

Amestris was usually in good terms with Drachma, but a large portion of their military power had defected and declared a sort of private war with Amestris and any other land that opposed them and aided the Amestrians in fighting.

"Winry?" Riza asked over the phone, sounding a bit concerned for her friend who still didn't answer her question.

The blonde woman jumped, startled out of her thoughts as she quickly answered;" Y-yes? Sorry Riza, I was lost in thought for a moment there,"

"It's alright, I asked if you are considering signing up for it?" Riza asked, curious to know Winry's answer, given with her past and strained relations to the military.

Winry remained silent for a moment, twirling the telephone cord around her finger before she bit her lip and answered;" Alright...it couldn't hurt right? Besides, if I'm preventing a soldier who's protecting us from giving up hope and dying then...well, my parent's would have wanted too," she smiled, that fact reassured her at least a little about her bold decision.

"Ah, I see. That's very good, you see, I've already signed you up for it," Riza's voice hinted that she was smiling, calmly, but smiling happily nevertheless.

Winry almost fell off her chair and broke the phone in her hand, "YOU WHAT?!" Winry hollered into the receiver, shocked beyond belief that the former sharpshooter would actually do things behind her back like this. She definitely did grew bolder over the years.

Riza suppressed a giggle, "Why yes, I've talked about it with Roy and we thought it would be a great idea. You've already been assigned a soldier to send a letter to," she said it as if she were talking about the weather.

Winry was certain now...all her friends were crazy.

"B-b-but w-wait! Wait up Riza! I-I can't just, wait a minute! Didn't you need my personal information?! Shouldn't I fill out a form or something?! Or even sign the damn thing?!" Winry exhaled loudly through her nose, feeling her temper rising.

Riza waved it off, "Yes but I've taken the liberty of doing that. It wasn't very difficult to forge your signature, your handwriting is rather simple," Winry flushed bright red at the unintentional insult, before calming down slightly by taking a deep breath.

"Riza...why?" Winry asked helplessly, loudly resting her head against the smooth surface of her oak desk.

The ex sharpshooter's voice turned softer, "I'm worried for you Winry, for the past few years you've done nothing but work and occasionally meet with us. While I do believe that you shouldn't rush yourself into relationships you aren't ready to commit to, I do believe that you could at least try to meet someone new for a change,"

Winry opened her eyes, lifting her face from her desk, "You've been worried about me? But I'm doing fine! Really, I am! You know how busy my line of work can get and sometimes I have to pull all nighters! I meet with you, Mei and Lan Fan regularly! It's not like I'm lonely or anything, besides I've got Den here too," Winry patted the dog's head affectionately, who was wagging his tail and licking his owners hand.

Riza sighed, "Winry...you sound like a old lady I've met whose husband passed away and she surrounded herself with cats and dogs," Winry tried hard not to crumble to the floor.

"Well, anyway, General Grumman said you should send the soldier assigned to you a letter for starters. You should send it today and a reply should come within the week or next week,"

Winry ran a hand over her hair, "Me? B-but...I don't even know what his name is! How am I supposed to write to someone who's name I don't even know?! I don't even know what to write!" Winry groaned loudly, covering her eyes with her hand, Den flattened his ears against his skull at the sound of his owner's whine.

Riza chuckled, "I'm sure you will figure something out, I'll call you tomorrow to see how you are doing. By the way, Mei said that she would love to meet us at the city center tomorrow for a coffee after work,"

Winry sighed and smiled, "Alright, I'll be there."

"I'm sure you will thank me once you get to know your soldier better," Winry was sure Riza was smirking.

"I think Roy is rubbing off on you..." Winry commented with a disturbed look, thinking of the Colonel currently deployed near the border of Drachma and fighting off the enemy troops.

"Perhaps he is. Well then, good night Winry, don't forget to send that letter," Winry sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, good night Riza. No, I won't don't worry," Winry said before she hung up.

She slumped heavily over her desk, exasperated at her friends.

She peeked one eye open to look down at Den, who had his head tilted to the side in confusion, his owner seemed to be in distress.

Winry smiled a small smile and petted him gently on the head, before she stood up and retrieved a piece of paper from her writing desk. She sat down on it and grabbed a pen, chewing on the end of it and thinking of what she should write.

First of all, she had no idea to whom she was even writing to begin with! She knew he must be deployed where Colonel Mustang was, but other than that, she had no idea who he was, what his name was, anything!

How to start a conversation like that?

"This would be a lot easier if we were face to face..." Winry groaned, tapping the end of her pen against her forehead as she wracked her brain for any ideas.

For starters, she wrote the address of the military institution she would send it to, to Central, and her own full name and address on the side as well.

That was solved. Now came the hardest part.

Winry bit her lip, "Dear..." Winry growled, "Dear who?! I can't just write soldier! What would he think of me?! It would seriously help if I just knew his first name! God!" Winry grit her teeth together, short of just ripping her hair out in frustration.

"Hmm...what to do, what to do...dear what? Sir? No, that's too formal...or is it? I don't know, that guy's a soldier...maybe he's older than me, what if he's as old as Mustang or even older? I have to write sir...but what if he's younger...that would be so awkward coming from me if I'm close to his age...oh damn it..." Winry sighed, slapping her forehead.

"Oh to hell with it!" she threw her hands up in the air and quickly wrote the greeting down before she changed her mind.

Dear sir,

"Aha! There! Now that I solved this what do I..." Winry froze, realizing now came the hardest part of all, "Ugh! I can't believe it! I'll kill Riza for this! Or wait better not...she was a sharpshooter, she could kill me before I lift a finger! She wasn't called the 'Hawk's Eye' for nothing!"

Then again, Riza's maiden name was Hawkeye, so there was that...

"Ugh no! Concentrate Winry! Come on, you can do this...you can do this girl..." Winry took a deep breath, gulped down a large mouthful of milk and got down to business.

Dear sir,

Hello.

She slammed her head painfully against her desk before she forced herself to write.

Hello, um, I've never done this before so I'm not sure what to write. How are you?

Winry rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, "Oh yeah, ask the guy who is a soldier and fighting in the middle of a war how he is...great going Winry..."

Sorry, that just sounded awkward huh? I never wrote to someone like you, so I guess I'm a little nervous and all. Do you maybe know a man named Roy Mustang? He is a Colonel deployed at the border between Drachma and Amestris. His wife is a really good friend of mine and it was her in the first place who even set me up on this.

Winry stopped writing, "Great going...come on, stop bashing your friend...I sound mean when I write 'set me up on this'...then again, I was forced..." Winry shook her head, continuing to write on the piece of paper.

Anyway, I, um, I hope you're doing fine there. I mean, under your conditions there, I hope you're doing fine and not missing a limb or something. Haha!

"Please shoot me now." Winry groaned.

To keep this short, because I'm pretty awkward as you can see, I honestly hope you don't get injured by the time this letter reaches you, or any other time for that matter. Take care alright? Um, sir!

Winry slapped herself, before a thought hit her. Wait a minute...she didn't know anything about this soldier but that didn't mean he didn't have to know anything about her either! She could at least write a few things about herself!

A few things about me so you know who I am:

My name is Winry Rockbell and I'm working at a mechanic shop, I'm the head mechanic there. I live in Resembool, it's a rather small, humble village near the city, but the people here are really nice and sweet. I have a dog named Den.

Wait...how was she supposed to end a letter like that? Winry's eyes widened.

"Nooooo..." she whined, wracking her brain for some answers.

"Sincerely yours" was way too formal, "love" was too personal, and "bye" just didn't seem right...

With a shaking hand, Winry hesitantly wrote down what would finally seal the stupid letter.

-Winry.

"Great going genius..." she mumbled to herself, sighing heavily.

Well, at least that was over. Now time to just put it in a envelope and send it.

Winry stood up to do just that, scribbling her address and name on the front of the envelope.

2 weeks later...

"Aaron, I've told you to buy spare parts! Not get them from a junkyard! This car is way too expensive and new to have old and rusty parts in it!" Winry scolded, sighing tiredly at her apprentice, Aaron, who was a few years younger than her.

"I-I'm sorry Miss Winry!" the boy almost saluted her as he quickly threw away the rusty old parts aside and jumped into his car, driving out of the garage and driving towards what Winry assumed was looking for spare parts for the Chevvy.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Winry Rockbell?" the postman who just came a few minutes after Aaron left asked.

Winry turned around, rubbing her hands clean on a semi-clean cloth, "Yes that's me," she looked at the envelope he was holding in his hand.

The mailman smiled, "Ah, I'm glad I found you. You've got a letter, I was told it was of utmost importance and to be delivered immediately to you personally," he handed her the letter with the regally looking military emblem on it.

Winry's blue eyes widened, she gaped like a fish for a few seconds until she quickly looked at the mailman in front of her and shakily said;" A-ah yes, yes! Thank you a lot!" she waved as the man left.

Winry stared at the envelope a while longer, before practically ripping it open.

She quickly scanned the contents before pausing and slowly reading them again, sure she was mistaken.

She wasn't.

The soldier she had written to two weeks ago had actually answered her! Personally!

The letter in her hands shook as she read the first sentence of the letter,

Hello ma'am,

Wait... you're a MECHANIC?!

Winry had the sudden urge to throw a wrench at that soldier.

Today was not her day.

Part 1 finished! If you guys will like Part 2 then maybe I could write a separate, mini story about "Letters from War" if you guys agree! :D