Winry didn't finish repairing my automail until after dinner. I passed the time before dinner sitting in front room of the shop trying to amuse myself. It was harder than I'd realized entertaining yourself when you're alone. It had been months now since Sister had first joined me and I'd forgotten what it was like to be so alone. It made me miss Sister terribly. I felt a pang in my heart when I realized I'd done what I hadn't want to do- I'd gotten attached to her. I can't do that, I can't cling so tightly to her because I'll lose her just like I lost Sloth mommy. But even though I shouldn't want her, a part of me was happy that did. Some part of me was glad that I had someone who I missed, that I had found more family.

It was kind of confusing. While I was sitting there trying to decide if missing someone was a good or bad thing, the girl with automail from before came back. "Did the cane work out okay?" She asked me.

"Yeah."

"So," she peered down at me from her spot on the front counter, "Are you a friend of Winry's?"

"She made my automail," I replied which wasn't really an answer to her question.

"I'm Paniya. What's your name?"

"Wrath."

"I've never heard Winry mention a Wrath." Paniya was looking at me closely like she was trying to see in me or something. "You know, you kind of remind me of someone," I felt my stomach drop; I had a feeling I knew who she was talking about. "You only sort of look like him, but you both have the same limbs missing…" her voice kind of trailed off. She was talking more to herself then to me. "Are you Edward?" she asked suddenly her voice sounded pretty unsure like she didn't think I was but decided to ask anyways.

I don't want to think about him. "NO," I yelled. I don't want to be him. There was a time when I did. I thought if I took his life I could be human. But it didn't work.

Paniya shrugged. "I didn't really think you were him, but you have the exact same automail that Ed had."

I wished she'd stop taking about Ed but I pretended like it didn't bother me. I shrugged, "It's his automail." I told her, "Winry gave it to me because it fits me too."

Paniya leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "Do you know where Ed is?" she asked, "Winry won't tell me what happened. She gets teary when I asked her and I think he might be dead or something, but she's making new automail for him. She writes him letters too. She sends the ones she writes to Alphonse but she never sends the ones addressed to Ed."

I shrugged again, "He's gone." I told Paniya, letting her decide whatever she wanted to.

"I thought so," said Paniya to herself. "Poor Winry, she hasn't accepted it yet." Paniya went into the back and left me alone in front.

Eventually it was suppertime. They invited me to join them. It was the four of us at the table: me, Winry, Paniya and the gruff man whose name was Dominick. It was really uncomfortable. Winry would try to ask me questions about what I'd been up to, but was afraid of my answers because she didn't want me to reveal too much. I don't think she wanted Dominick or Paniya to know that I'm a homunculus or why Winry and I know each other. So her questions would come out weird. Doninick stared at me most of the meal. I hated his stare, it made me feel uncomfortable and I fidgeted a lot. Paniya talked when Winry wasn't. She spoke just to cover the silence, told us stories about stuff we didn't care about. But Paniya also paid close attention to me and Winry, she hung on every word I said.

I didn't really answer Wirny's questions. I'd shrug or give her one word answers. I nibbled at my food and waiting for the meal to end. Finally it did. I helped Paniya with the dishes while Winry finished my automail.

Winry's voice sounded tired when she reattached the automail. "I managed to completely clean out both limbs. Some of the wires had been corrupted and had to be replaced also…" I tuned her out and stared at the ceiling instead.

The sharp pain of her reactivating the automail brought me back to reality. Because of my homunculi healing abilities my body was able to adjust quickly and almost instantly I had full function back. I wanted to be gone from the strange shop then and there but Winry grabbed my shoulder and pushed me back down. "We are going to go over the basics of automail maintenance," she informed me. "Pay attention Wrath, I don't want to ever see automail like this again."

She got out an automail kit and began to demonstrate. I paid close attention because the better I did my maintenance the longer it would be before I would have to see her again. When she had finished she gave me the kit to keep and told me I could spend the night. I didn't want to stay, but Sister had said to wait till they were all asleep so I agreed.

I lay in bed and waited till I thought they were all asleep. Then I tiptoed to the front room.

"Leaving so soon?" Dominck's voice startled me.

"Yeah," it was the only thing I could think to say.

"Not even going to thank Winry for her hard work? She spent a lot of time on your automail."

I had thanked her, hadn't I? I couldn't remember. "Tell her I said thank you."

He was doing the staring thing again. "Not going to say thank you yourself?"

I didn't know what to say I just really wanted him to stop starring. "I have to go."

"Go then." He told me turned to leave the room but then faced me again and added, "Don't forget the kit she gave you." He pointed to the place where I'd left it. "Do your maintenance." He left the room.

I picked up the kit which I'd forgotten. "Sorry Winry," I whispered. I don't even know what I was sorry about but I felt like I had to say it. And then I left.

I made it about halfway down the alley before Sister appeared. She was hiding behind the crates again. "Ready?" she asked me.

"Let's go." I told her. We walked all night. It was late morning when sister laid down to sleep under the shade of a tree. I lay down too but I didn't sleep, instead I stared back the way we'd come; Rush Valley was just a spec in the distance.

Sorry about the long time between updates. I have a bunch of reasons, but I won't bother listing them all. I will say that I'm going to take the test I've been studying for this week so hopefully I will have more free time to write soon.