A/N: Hello everyone! I'm glad to be back, you wouldn't believe how many Edwin scenes (wink, wink) I've written out for future chapters, but I just had such difficulties getting past this.

ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:

AzureVermillion: Ohhh no, I have a lot of plans for that sassy old woman (Madame Christmas) so she won't die off so soon! ;) I know…NINA T_T Thank you for the compliments! I've always wanted to write Al and Ling as a bit more on the stronger, forceful side (not too much though). Honestly thank you my friend, your amazing fanart for Lena and Greed just gave me so many lives so many times over! XD

MorbidVisionary: Of course, thank you for your reply! :3 I swear, I would marry the person who draws Soldier!Ed with a stubble *_* I have a pretty damn clear vision of that, but I can't draw to save my life haha.

Phoenix: (rubs chin) Wait, wait, Drachma reach Xerxes? You mean Xing? Isn't Xing to the east of Amestris? Ah yes I know! I have to admit, I've been a bit lazy to write "green tinged golden eyes" for Al, but I'll definitely mention it more often so people don't get confused with the 'gold' colors, thanks for the tips! :) Oh and the tidbit for Wrath: like in canon, Wrath joined the party last, but here, since he joined last, he also joined at a time when Greed was already out, so he might have HEARD of a new recruit (he put the pieces of the sins together and just deduced the last one must be named Wrath lol) but he never actually saw him or found out what he looked like since he had to hide.

Giulia: T_T T_T C-Can I hug you? (hugs tightly) Oh god, thank you so much! You have no idea how happy you made me! Thank you! I know a lot of people are put off by the slow burn, but I just can't write them without that, it would be too fast XD. Ohhh thank you! I was writing that part while running low on sleep, so I was so scared when I published it and thought people wouldn't like it, but your words give me courage that it wasn't all that bad :3 Ah, no, alchemy doesn't exist here in my story (I mentioned that in the first chapter in the Author's Notes) as for how Ed got the automail…that's mentioned somewhere between uh…chapter 2-10? I'm sorry, I forgot which one exactly, I'll write the exact chapter up once I find it! And again, thank you so much! I really appreciate your sweet words and the time you took to write the review and read my story! :)

Hyperion26: T_T Oh my sweet baby cherry, thank you so much! (bows) Thank you so very much, I feel really honored that my story gets called 'amazing', really thank you. :) I read your review today after having a really tough time (my dog suffered from cancer so she had to be put to sleep) and motivated me to finish this chapter, so thank you again :) I'm really glad you like my story so much.

NOTE: THIS chapter marks the point where things are about to go down. Not only does this represent Ed & Winry's changing relationship (the scented letter) but also how the situation is getting more dangerous with Bradley and the Homunculi (now that Bradley openly betrayed his soldiers at the border). Expect a bit more driving plots!

Scented Paper

Previously on "Letters from War"…

"General Mustang! General Mustang, wait!" a unfamiliar voice rang from behind the group, Breda and Fuery immediately crouching and readying their rifles until they saw the familiar messenger badge stuck to the blue uniform of the state military, the man rushing towards them in a panicked hurry.

Greed, Ling, Alphonse and Ed watched him curiously how he hastily searched for a telegram, Ed's heart jumping in hope for Winry's letter, but it was curbed the moment the messenger soldier gave Roy a opened envelope. Murmurs were heard among their group about the contents of the paper.

Dead silence stretched over the group the minute they all saw the expression on the soldier's face-

It was terror.

Pale-faced and with trembling fingers, the soldier pushed the opened letter to Roy.

Roy rose a brow at the opened letter, "Soldiers of lower status never opened letters, just why did this one open it?" instead of voicing his question, he unfolded the letter in his hands.

The messenger soldier's voice was a broken whisper, a crack in his voice at the end of his sentence, "General Mustang, sir…I'm sorry but…"

Roy turned the letter around to scan its contents and paused at the short sentences on the paper.

His hands shook.

"-the reinforcements won't come,"

It's been a while, but Edward can say for sure he hadn't heard Roy's voice get that quiet before, "…What?"

The messenger soldier looked distraught, his gaze reflecting the sincere distress he was feeling over the unexpected situation and the implications behind them, "I'm sorry sir, but they sent me on an urgent errand to deliver it as soon as possible."

Roy's next question caused the hairs on Edward's arm to stand, "Is a chopper waiting for you?"

The soldier's answer sent a cold shower of realization down his spine, "No, sir." the soldier swallowed, as if realizing the implications himself. Havoc's unlit cigarette fell to the ground at his feet and Ed could see the tightening of his eyes, no doubt having the urge to shoot whoever gave the order.

A shadow fell over Roy's eyes, partly obscured by his bangs and Fuery gripped the messenger's arm tightly, "Wait, that can't be, there has to be some mistake! We were told at least three troops would be sent here for backup along with supplies." Fuery's voice grew in volume until Breda gripped his shoulder tightly and pulled him back, Falman stepping in to question in his stead.

"Who gave you those orders?" from the corner of his eye, he watched his friend and superior closely, who still looked on grimly.

"I-It was an order from the office directly, s-sir."

The silence that followed was charged as was Havoc's outburst in the minutes after, "From the office?! But that's-"

"-Bradley." Roy whispered underneath his breath, straightening his posture and looking everyone in the eye.

Ed and Al shared a look with each-other, "You don't think…"

Edward looked on at Roy and Hughes, who seemed to be mentally holding a conversation simply by looking at each-other, "So, Bradley's the one behind all this? Why would he not send us backup? It doesn't make sense if he wants to win the war that he won't even supply his best soldiers with essentials!" he had a hunch why he did it, they all did, but still, it wouldn't make for a wise move, it didn't make sense.

And then, Roy turned suddenly, looking around hastily at them, "Does anyone have a still working phone?!"

Fuery quickly patted down his pockets and finally found his phone, tossing it over to Roy, who quickly punched in the State Military's office.

They were surprised to hear Roy call out urgently, "Riza! You have to listen carefully! The reinforcements we've sent for won't come! I repeat, reinforcements won't come!" the amount of distress in Roy's voice sent a spike of worry through Edward's heart, the usually more calm man not quick to worry being so concerned over something.

Roy waited briefly, listening. The air was charged with tension, Ed could feel his own feet shuffle uneasily and he shared a quick glance with his brother.

The words were distantly heard, but Riza's brain was slower to process them, those dreaded words, "What? How can that be? They should be due to arrive today." she mentally went through all dates in her head, confirming the due date to be today.

Roy glared at the letter in his hand, the paper crumbling slightly from his strong grip, "They won't, we've just gotten notice." he looked at the soldier who sent them this, he still looked mildly haunted by the fact his buddies, the military he had pledged his life to, had left him behind to die on the frontlines.

"A telegram? That can't be Roy, I wasn't informed of anything." his wife's voice sounded alarmed, slightly distraught but still had the same professionalism, despite the circumstances.

Roy's fingers gripped the phone tightly, "Riza, listen to me. Ask Führer Bradley-" and suddenly, Hughes grabbed the phone from his friend, Roy stumbling slightly from the unexpected action.

"Don't!" he hollered into the phone and Roy gained enough semblance of control to try and grab the phone back from his friend, who roughly pushed his hand against the general's face to keep him at bay, "Don't talk to him or anyone except from our group, you understand? Inform Sheska and the others of this immediately!" Hughes paused for just a split second, "Inform Gracia too but tell her everything is alright for now, we'll be heading for Fort Briggs. If anyone asks, we were still near Aerugo after Edward got injured!"

"Hughes, what is the meaning of this? You don't think what I assume it is, do you?" Hughes' lips stretched into a thin line, his own fist shaking at his side in silent anger at Riza's question.

He watched realization flicker across his best friend's face, "Unfortunately, I do Riza. There's no doubt about it now, Bradley made his move and he made it clear where he stands." Hughes looked at the messenger soldier then at his own team, "We'll try to figure things out as we go, for now don't use the military lines to call us, go to Madame Christmas and try to find out what to do, meet up with the girls as well." He clenched the phone harder, "Keep them safe for me, too." he whispered the last part before the line went dead and he tossed Fuery his phone back, who caught it with a worried look.

Havoc scoffed, gaze drawn into a grimace, "So, what now? We've been stood up, we'll have to get to Fort Briggs before any of those bastards find and ambush us here." he checked his rifle, clicking his tongue, "Barely got much ammo left for more than a hundred pigs to kill."

Hughes sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Riza will try to settle things on her side, we will do the best we can here with what we've got." he glanced over at Roy, who had a thoughtful look on his face, "What's going on in that head of yours, Roy?"

The general's frown deepened, "You were right, it doesn't make any sense for Bradley to turn his back on us now, especially in the middle of the war's climax. He needs us now more than anything, betraying and angering us won't be of any beneficial use to him, so why did he choose the time to do it so soon? Why now?"

Edward walked up to them, looking livid, "I told you this wasn't a fucking good idea!" he clenched his teeth tightly in anger, golden eyes narrowing in rage, "You're not stupid Mustang! Even if I wished you were, we both know who sets the rules in this place and it's not the good kind of people." he clenched his shaking fist, "It was only a matter of time, we all knew it, but…" he fell quiet, snarling in frustration.

Roy's gaze lowered, staring at the earth, "You're right Fullmetal…we both knew it…"

And suddenly, the messenger spoke up, "Um, you're headed to Fort Briggs?"

Roy's expression softened, empathy lining the hardened features of the soldier, "Yes…" he bowed his head briefly, "I'm sorry for this."

The man shook his head, bringing his rifle forth that was slung across his back, "It's not your fault, General." He took a deep, shaky breath, "I still know…basic combat training, but I'm just a messenger." He shrugged half-heartedly, a wry grin on cracked lips, "I may not be as experienced as you, but I can provide backup from afar." He gestured to his rifle.

Roy smiled and placed a hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed, "We appreciate your assistance, considering circumstances." The man nodded and Roy turned around to address everyone else, "We'll continue on to the Fort, for now we have to trust Riza to handle things on her side."

The large group continued on, noticing how the snow seemed to grow beneath their feet as they neared Drachma territory again, the fine blanket of snow that had previously covered the ground changed to almost reaching their knees, thankfully they'd been trained for these conditions.

It had been hours since they'd received word of no backup before Edward sighed and fell into step beside the messenger soldier, "Hey uh…I know this really isn't the time but…" Ed hesitated, sweat accumulating in his gloved hands at the question that had burned on his tongue since he'd seen the messenger in the distance, "Do uh, do you have any…mail? Letters for…any of us?"

The man blinked, scanning Ed's face as if recognizing him for the first time, "L-Lieut. General Elric!" he scrambled for the worn bag slung across his chest, bringing it forward to rummage within it, Ed's eyes glued to the plethora of mails stacked within, "Right! Yes! I knew I had something!" the letter he produced looked normal to Ed, a standard one he always got from Winry.

He noticed something very different when he actually held it in his hands, close to his face to frantically scan the familiar handwriting he'd become accustomed to for the past few months.

Had months already passed since they were writing back and forth?

Not having the patience to rummage for a knife he knew he had somewhere on him, Edward bit one end of the letter and tore it open with his teeth, the military mailman freezing at the unusual sight.

Ling grinned from beside his brother, having slowed down to witness the exchange, "Aw, look! It's a letter from his girlfriend." The one sided conversation with his brother had been whispered but the blond menace still heard him.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Ed hollered and had half a mind to chuck his shoe at the obnoxious Xingese man, but Greed had already done the job for him by slamming his fist on his head and walking passed the stupefied form of his brother.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?!" Ling complained as he walked after his twin.

Edward spied a small smirk on Greed's lips but paid it no further mind when he finally registered the weird thing coming from Winry's letter.

The smell.

Ed's eyes flew open slightly, "…Perfume?"

"PERFUME?!"Maes Hughes was on him the second the word left his lips, his eyes scanning the forefront of the letter only to sigh in disappointment, "Ah…I thought it was from my darling Gracia…" he pouted sadly only to be roughly pushed away from the angry man under him.

"Get off my back!" he winced, muttering under his breath about 'crazy superiors' and 'obsessed husbands' when he gingerly clutched his letter to his face, taking a deep breath of the faint smell. The envelope kept the smell sealed within somewhat, but it was fading faster now with the harsh wind and the surrounding unpleasant smells, "It is…perfume…is this really Winry's?" an image of the young woman dressed in dirty overalls and her bandana came to his mind.

He couldn't figure out how to associate the feminine smell to someone like her.

And suddenly, Hughes was in his face again, "Ah, I see, it's from your letter lady!" he grinned like a fox, a testament to how much evil influence Roy had over him.

Edward protectively clutched the yet-to-be-read letter against his chest, ignoring the stunned look of the messenger man before them, "She's not a 'letter lady', she's my friend damn it!" Ed growled, stuffing the letter in his pocket, albeit carefully so it didn't tear, before marching on.

Hughes grinned widely, "Oh come on Ed my boy! Don't you know the significance of a scented letter?" he jogged up to the younger male, grinning from ear to ear, "Let me tell you of the time my sweet Gracia and I were so young and in love, while I was courting her she used to send me letters sprinkled with her perfume and it was the best thing I'd ever received! I've kept them all of course!" Hughes wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye, "In this time and age, letters may have grown outdated, but the feelings and thoughts behind them are timeless, they're just as real as when the person is standing right in front of you." He looked down at the blond, "Keep them close to you, Edward." He patted Ed's breast pocket, the pocket where he stored the majority of their letters, almost knowingly, before going off to Roy again.

Edward swallowed, hearing shuffling behind him, "Uh, so this 'letter lady'…she signed up for the program, didn't she?" the man had a small smile on his face, "I met my past girlfriend like that too." He grinned.

Edward huffed, looking down at the sweet-smelling letter, before he carefully folded it and slid it back into its envelope, tucking it into the inner pocket of his jacket, next to his breast pocket.

He stopped, sighing and turning his head slightly, "Say uh… you said 'past'…what happened to her?"

The messenger smiled, but there was something sad in his eyes, "Well, you know the phrase 'don't kill the messenger'? Apparently, they're the ones who always get killed first." He laughed out loud and Ed felt just slightly disgusted with how the man laughed, but curbed it down. Many soldiers tried hiding or coping with trauma differently, some tell bad jokes.

Despite the harsher terrain and his legs feeling like heavy weights as they dragged through the thick snow, Ed's thoughts were still on Winry's letter, opened but unread in his pocket.

What could she've written to spray some perfume on it? Did she know what it meant? Did she do it on purpose? Maybe she was spraying herself and some of it accidentally got on the letter?

Ed shook his head, trying to shove those thoughts for later tonight. They were nearing their territory, which also meant enemy territory at the border, they had to be on the lookout now more than ever, especially considering Kimblee's injuries.

Kimblee!

Ed looked forward, looking wildly until he spotted the bomber walking stiffly next to the Xingese twins and he couldn't fight off a twinge of suspicion, "How comes Kimblee hasn't said a word at all for the last two days? He's usually not as bad as Ling, but he's not so quiet either." Ever since his injury, Kimblee had been acting weird.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose.

Maybe it was all in his head.

The dead silence that had filled the library was finally disturbed by hushed panic shouts, "What the hell?! What do you mean no reinfor-hmpfh!" Lena's enraged outburst was promptly silenced by Riza's hand slapping firmly over her mouth, listening in for any signs of footsteps outside before she took her hand away.

"I understand your feelings, believe me I do, but we can't compromise our position." Riza's gaze traveled to the still unread textbooks spread out on the table, "Several soldiers will most likely visit the library in the afternoon, after lunch is over. I suggest you try to find out what you can until then, make sure to clean up thoroughly after yourselves and leave no traces behind of what we did here." She looked at Sheska, "I trust you will follow through." She nodded her head before the younger woman could answer back, briskly walking out of the library.

Winry was holding onto the table tightly, her eyes wide and scared, "W-wait, what did Riza mean? She said reinforcements weren't coming, don't tell me it was…" Winry paused, unsure if she should say it outloud or not, her wildly beating heart sounded so loud in her ears she was afraid she would accidentally scream.

Lan Fan swallowed thickly, her own distress visible in the tightening of her fists and her unfocused gaze, "Yes…it was them." She shared a concerned glance with Mei, who hugged Xiao Mei close to her chest, her hands shaking in fear at the prospect of something happening to Alphonse.

Lena slammed one book shut, groaning loudly, "We can't stay here!" she attempted to storm out of the library but Winry caught her wrist in a death grip.

"W-wait, what do you mean?! Riza said we had enough time to still read through a few books until other soldiers come here, we have to take the chance!" the blonde mechanic's eyes were wide in distress and Lena shook off her grip, her hands sweaty from the nervous energy she felt ever since hearing the news.

"I can't stay here!" with that, the brunette fled the room.

The library was quiet and after what felt like an eternity, Rebecca tapped Sheska's shoulder, who jumped from the unexpected contact, "Here." She gave a thick book into the woman's hands, a particular page was opened.

The text reflected off Sheska's glasses.

Sin of Wrath

Riza walked along the halls, straight towards her office.

How could the reinforcement troops be immobilized? What happened? Who gave the order?

In the back of her mind, Riza knew exactly what sole person had the authority to deal that order, but she tried not to dwell on the thought, it was too soon, too soon for Bradley or his super soldiers to turn their backs on the military. Something was amiss, she would get to the bottom of it.

"Excuse me-" Riza stopped short, after she accidentally bumped into someone, lost in her thoughts as she was.

"Ah, good day to you Lieutenant General Hawkeye." A sickly smooth voice greeted her and Riza didn't need to look to know who the owner of the honeyed voice was.

Lieutenant General Raven.

She bowed briefly, "Lieut. Gen. Raven, nice to see you." It wasn't nice at all but pleasantries were part of the job.

The older man grinned widely, chuckling, "Oh on the contrary, it's a pleasure to see you." His eyes roved over her figure from head to toe and Riza tried not to notice the action, "We work in the same building and yet my eyes rarely get to enjoy the sight of beauty such as you." He covered his mouth coyly, "Oh how rude of me, you are a married woman, are you not." He chuckled, a sickening sound that sent Riza's stomach churning.

If only the thought of the wedding ring on her finger protected her as much as the gun strapped to her hip from this lecherous fool-

"May I request to invite you to a nice cup of coffee? It's almost time for lunch, a shared meal between friends is highly welcome, don't you think?" the look in his eyes served to tell her lunch wasn't the only thing on his mind and Riza's gaze quickly fixed itself towards the general direction of her office.

"My apologies sir, but there is still important documents that need sign-"

His broad hand found her back and gently pushed her towards the other direction, his office, "Oh dear, oh dear, it looks like you could use a bit time off work." The too large grin on his aging face remained, "Important documents, you say?"

Riza held her tongue from saying something inappropriate to the sleezy man, "Simple transfer files."

Something changed in his eyes then and his gaze moved forward, "You mean the reinforcement troops scheduled for General Mustang?"

Riza's step faltered, her heel digging into the ground only to be forced forward by the push against her back, her eyes flying open in surprise, "You… knew…" her heart sped up in alarm.

There was a deep throaty chuckle, too high to be controlled, but too aggravated to hide it's sinister nature and the fingers pressed against her back dug into her spine more forcefully. Her hand slowly moved to the gun at her hip, until she noticed the eerie smile on the man's face.

"Of course, I did." A dark chill slowly trickled down her spine, like a coiling snake ready to strike, "I issued the order." The hand fell from her back and Riza's breath caught in her throat as the man walked forward slowly, "We can't send anymore soldiers to the battlefront. We need a certain amount of men here for safeguarding as well as performing their duties to the country." His hands clenched into fists at his lower back.

Despite the implications of his words, Riza still said, "But sir, the dispatch troop should have already arrived, General Mustang is in dire need of supplies and new soldiers, the South still has soldiers to spare."

Raven suddenly laughed in mock embarrassment, waving his hand, "Oh? Is that so? My mistake, Lieutenant General."

His retreating footsteps were the only thing Riza's ears picked up aside from her own erratically beating heart.

He had beaten at least half of their forces and he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

Buccaneer impaled an unfortunate soul on his mighty automail claw, "Ha! If you think a couple of headless fools will be enough to take me down you've got another thing coming!" he tackled three soldiers dead on, stomping them to the ground while evading a spray of bullets from an invisible soldier hiding behind the thick storm.

"Show yourselves you cowards!" the whole squadron of soldiers was now nowhere visible, Buccaneer had cleared at least a hundred of them, maybe more, but where was the rest?

A sudden shrill sound made him roar in agony, clutching at his ears, his military issued phone blaring at his hip, Olivier's voice booming clear through the noise, "Buccaneer! Head to the Fort immediatel-!"

A deafening sound made his senses go numb before his whole body felt weightless, he registered the icy chill on his face, the sting of the snow as it whipped past his bare skin, he also felt pain from somewhere, his ears, his legs, he didn't know.

And suddenly, his eyes focused into vision again.

He was soaring through the air, there was smoke where his previous position was, he was heading straight towards the forest.

Buccaneer wrapped his arms around his head and tucked his legs into his stomach, ignoring his screaming muscles as his body hit something solid and he fell to the ground.

Unmoving.

I'm sorry this is so short, but the next chapter will be a little bit more action packed.