Hello again! :) Alright, so after much thinking of where this chapter will go (I already have the core elements for the story planned out) I found myself in a bit of a dilemma concerning Greed's connection to the rest of the Homunculi. :/ Originally, they were supposed to be mere acquaintances but I've thought of another direction where it could go; Greed knowing them from years before where they created a "gang", with their codenames being the names of the seven deadly sins and they later lost contact after Greed decided to leave the party and met Lena.

Option 1: Have Greed become interested in finding out more about them since they share his namesake (seven deadly sins) and confront them (though that would mean I would have to give Greed a "real" name since "Greed" would be a codename for him in this scenario).

Option 2: Greed and the rest of the Homunculi had a gang beforehand, dubbing themselves as the seven deadly sins and causing some chaos. Greed had decided to leave them after meeting Lena and the others and being persuaded over by Ling of them being a bad influence. Greed recognizes them through an encounter in a mission.

So what do you think? I know authors aren't supposed to lay their cards on the table, but I'm having trouble deciding this little detail and I would be immensely thankful if you could help guys! Thanks! :3

Enjoy!

A New Enemy

Den watched owlishly as his owner tore at her hair and stomped her feet on the ground wildly, he tilted his head to the side, not understanding if his owner was hurt or simply frustrated. He wagged his tail uneasily, cautiously approaching the woman.

He sniffed her side and bumped his nose against her hip, his ears pressed flat against his head in a sign of peace when she looked down at him, distress written all over her face. Her expression melted at Den's attempt to calm her and she gently petted his head, scratching behind his ear and under his chin, just the way he liked. Den barked happily and licked her hand in gratitude, relieved to see his owner was in good spirits.

Winry appreciated the sweet gesture of her dog but unfortunately it didn't solve her core problem; what to write as a reply to Edward's letter.

She massaged the stubborn crease between her eyebrows, soothing the tense muscle and trying to think calmly and rationally.

Alright...he wrote her back...he seemed injured and...blue eyes blinked a few times before she grabbed a hold of the letter and re-read the first few lines.

"Injured?!" she exclaimed aloud in the emptiness of her home, startling poor Den beside her, "He was injured during a battle?! That's why he couldn't write back as soon as I expected..." worry filled her heart, it didn't take a genius to assume soldiers always tried acting tough because their position simply demands it, so if he wrote he was a bit injured just...how badly injured was he really? Did he have broken bones? Flesh wounds? Bullet wounds? What did soldiers even fight with nowadays? Firearms?

Thousands of thoughts ran through Winry's mind, none of them good and suddenly, she found her fingers reach for the pen and barely registered the sound of pen scratching on paper as she wrote.

"Hello Edward,

You idiot! Why didn't you tell me sooner that you were injured? Did you break something? Do you have flesh wounds? Bullet wounds? I heard from Lena that when Greed says he is 'a bit injured' then that means hospitalization for a week! Tell me the truth, just how bad was that confrontation with Drachma?"

She stopped, biting her lip and felt fear suddenly cloud her mind. She usually tried staying as far away from the military as possible, with the friends she had, but ever since writing to Edward it made her think what was really going on at the front lines. Was Drachma really so powerful? Did they outnumber them? Were their forces superior in strength than their own? She knew well enough that Amestris was a country proud of their military might, but she also heard Drachma's growth spurt and their increase in military.

She shook her head, clenching her fist, "Ugh...here I am worrying about the war! Since when do I think about that?! And why do I feel so worried about Edward? I don't even know him! And yet..." she looked down at the letter he had written her, the writing wasn't the neatest she had seen but it was clear, relatively easy to read and to a degree, cursive, "He seemed...to enjoy writing me, or at least hearing a bit of something from here," Riza's earlier words echoed in her mind.

"...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 just want you to know how writing a stranger letters just may save their lives,"

Winry sighed, running a hand through her blonde hair. Her eyes lazily trailed over the words she had written so far. With a determined expression, she continued writing.

"You know, I don't think it's very polite attempting to flirt poorly with a woman you've never even met in your life." Winry snickered evilly, that was sure to rile him up a bit.

"Though I admit, Mei showed me a few pictures of Alphonse and he seemed sweet and cute. I have blue eyes if you must know, Mr. Wannabe-Sexy-Soldier," she shook her head at her own lame jab, rolling her eyes. She suddenly felt like a teenager again, writing like this, joking like this. Unbelievable.

Winry read the paragraph where Ed had explained what his unit did, like making plans, mapping out routs and the like. She rose an eyebrow in curiosity, well...that seemed interesting.

"I see, I didn't know there were rules to follow when there is a war. I realize it may sound naïve, but I actually thought that soldiers just...grab their weapons and head into battle really. That's really sweet, I think, I mean he is your younger brother after all so it makes sense for you to be protective." Winry paused for a moment, contemplating her answer.

He wrote that he wasn't really the rank of a Captain but rather that of Lieutenant General. She giggled at the part where he wrote Greed were more "dangerous-looking" and "insane".

"So, Greed is the insane, incredibly dangerous twin huh? Well, I met him but only on occasion, we didn't really hang out. And when the girls and I have had a PJ party at my place, Ling had suddenly climbed in through my window and Greed fell in right after him so I wasn't really sure what to make of them till that point. But they are alright I guess, a bit crazy but they are good at heart. Lena keeps complaining how Greed behaves like a big cuddly bear when they're alone and he hogs her all to himself. Let's just say I wasn't surprised his name is "Greed"."

Winry paused and her eyes widened for a fraction, "Uh...is his name really Greed or is that just a codename or nickname? Maybe I could ask Ed...he would know...or maybe I could ask Lena later too..."

Winry stuck her tongue out in concentration as she began to write again, "Say Ed, do you know if 'Greed' is his actual name or if it's just a codename or nickname or something? I've always found it unusual how his name was Greed to be honest but the more stories I heard from Lena, the more sense it makes," Winry snickered to herself, thinking of how surprised she was when Lena had told her how Greed was a typical cuddler, since it didn't suit his appearance at all.

"Wait, so Roy has his own unit and Ed his own? I didn't know that...must be a bit weird sharing the control...or maybe not, I wouldn't really know." She thought with a quirked up smile.

Winry snorted when she re-read the part about Kimblee being sent to a mental institution because he loved hearing things explode, "I have only met Mr. Kimblee once but he seemed nice enough. At one point he seemed kind of scary but he was the perfect gentleman to Riza and I before he was sent to the border."

Winry couldn't help but grin when he seemed interested in hearing gossip, she herself wasn't too keen on gossiping or whispering behind someone's back, but granny had always told her it was healthy to gossip sometimes about funny people, it "strengthened the bonds" she said.

Winry smirked, resting her chin against her open palm.

"Well, I thank you kindly for it, maybe I should get a medal since it looked painful...Oh! And I heard Lena and Greed were caught doing something dirty through the military lines! Is that true? She wouldn't utter a word to me about it maybe you've caught them? I sure hope so! I need more blackmail material against her!"

Winry giggled to herself, thinking what she should write next. Her gaze softened when she read the last paragraph, about how she should keep safe and greet her friends. Well, he was certainly sweet. A bit obnoxious but sweet. Winry smiled.

"I will don't worry, nothing much here that can happen to me unlike with you. So far, everything is fine. Business is going nicely, granny comes from time to time to see how I'm doing, though I just think she wants to ogle my poor assistant... Everyone else is doing good, doing their jobs and such. Oh right, I'm supposed to tell you that Ling doesn't have "doorphobia" but as Lan Fan put it "a intense hatred and reluctance to use doors for fear of someone standing behind them and attacking him" or something like that.

P.S. Not to worry soldier! I'll salute to her like a first class trained captain! *wink smiley*

Reading you soon,

Winry."

The blonde young woman sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring up at the ceiling. Den suddenly barked and when she looked down at him, he was holding his bowl in his mouth, whining softly.

Winry smiled and stood up, leaving the letter to be sent after she fed her gluttonous dog.

Greed stomped his foot angrily against the ground and tore at his hair, "Argh! I knew it! I knew the ice queen wasn't really injured! Hell, it would need another overpowered Armstrong on steroids to even scratch her!" Ling shook his head at his brother's burst of anger.

They finally arrived at Fort Briggs and were currently situated deep within the fort, inside of Olivier's office.

The same woman who claimed to be injured...hadn't a single scratch on her...

Olivier flatly ignored it, "I see my telegram reached you," Kimblee nodded, calmly assessing his surroundings and the situation at hand.

"Care to explain the telegram then?" he rose an eyebrow.

Olivier smirked, closing her eyes:" Gladly. It's true, we need reinforcements but not because of my supposed injuries. Drachma has revealed to us a new enemy, a opponent that exceeds the strength of any men they have thrown at us thus far," Kimblee frowned.

"Who is it?"

Olivier opened her eyes, her voice echoing ominously within the confines of the bunker, "His name is Sloth," she retrieved a slip of paper from the inner side of her uniform, "Physically larger than any man, enhanced speed and strength, he tires out quickly and seems to dislike work outside of his commanding zone."

Kimblee observed the photo of the super soldier, he was indeed far larger than any men standing before him, even larger than Alex Armstrong. He showed it to Greed and Ling, Greed whistled lowly, "Hm, would ya look at that," Greed frowned and Ling rose an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" he tilted his head in confusion, taking the photo from his brother.

Greed turned his head, eyes narrowed, "Nothing," Olivier rose an eyebrow at his behavior.

"You seem to know him," she narrowed her eyes in suspicion, her hand resting on the hilt of her saber in a threatening manner.

Greed scoffed at the apparent threat, "Well, I don't," he sent her a look and Kimblee chuckled.

"Whatever the case, I presume "Sloth" is only his codename?" Kimblee looked inquiringly at the blonde general.

She crossed her arms, "We assume so, but every other bit of information we could gather of him is classified. We didn't even find him in the database of the State Military. It seems as if he isn't even a registered soldier here," her gaze hardened.

Greed frowned dryly, "I doubt you will find any information on him anyway," Olivier sent him a sidelong glance.

"And why is that?" when Greed remained silent she growled lowly, "I suggest you tell us what you know, Major General," Olivier wrapped her gloved hand around the hilt of her sword, her gaze sharp and condescending.

Greed growled.

Oho...what could possibly be going on here? Does Greed know Sloth in this story? Will he switch sides? Hihi, stay tuned for the next chapter! :3

ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:

Emma: I've heard tons of stories about Yuri on ice but sadly haven't gotten to watching yet, is it good? :)

Panic: (smiles) Thanks buddy! :D Yeah you got that right (about the telepathy thing lol) ;)

QuinzMoon: Hey! :) haha that's alright really! English isn't my first language either :) Yeah, it does, I looked it up (for research) and it really does, it just has different names for it but it does exist where you can either send gifts or letters to soldiers. Aw, thank you so, so much! :3 Seriously, thank you your review brightened my day! ^,^ Hmm...well, as the author, I'm not really allowed to spoiler anything BUT I can say there will be a lot of twists in this story! ;) Thank you for reading my story and have a lovely day too! :)