:: Once a Mistake Again ::

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist… I wonder if anyone's ever wanted to be a hobo when they grow up...Hmmm... –Ponders on thought-

It had been a week since Edward was checked out from the hospital. He remembered watching Roy shake the doctor's hand in thanks and than give him a large sum of money. Doctor Thomas's jaw dropped and graciously returned the thanks. Edward didn't quite understand what they were talking about as he watched from the backseat of the car through the window. Winry sat next to him and next to Winry sat Alphonse. The big suite of armor took up most of the room in the car, but that didn't bother Ed. Riza sat in the driver's seat of the small car waiting impatiently with the engine running.

She sighed and grumbled annoyed for Roy having to take so long. She roared the engine in protest alerting Roy of her impatience and warning him. Before Edward knew what was going on, he fell asleep in the warm comfort of the car only to wake up back at headquarters.

It was a sunny afternoon day as he walked the streets. Al walked in front of him and Winry in front of Al. Winry had asked Edward if he would go shopping with her the day after Edward arrived to headquarters from the hospital. Reluctantly he agreed by persuasion, but he knew it made her happy for him to spend time with her. Alphonse had only gone along because he was bored. Even if Al had stayed behind, the military would keep a close eye on him. He did not find that appealing and decided to tag along.

The military had been nervous of Alphonse lately, or at least ever since he had returned to himself almost three weeks ago. Ed saw nothing wrong with his brother at first, but slowly he began to notice what the military officials where so cautious about. Al had become noticeably quiet; Ed started to become nervous at the thought. He would talk to his brother about it another time, for now he decided to enjoy himself.

They headed back to headquarters, or at least they where on there way back to headquarters from shopping. Winry carried several bags full of merchandise she had persuaded Ed to buy her. He began to grow impatient as every street turn they took showed that they were no where near headquarters. He sighed and instead watched Winry run in front of the two laughing like a small child. He had not seen her laugh like that since he was a small child himself; he smiled at her. She turned to look at them before running off again. A smile bounced off her face that hit a chord inside Ed. He had not seen her smile like that since before Aunt Pinako had died.

Edward ruminated on Pinako's death a moment than flashed it out of his mind. The funeral had passed, even If he missed it because he was trapped inside the hospital. He knew that there was nothing he could d to bring back that lost time. It was over and done and he accepted that although he still would have liked to attend. He made a mental note that on his next assigned mission he would take time to visit Resembol and pay his respect to his deceased family members.

The trio turned a corner when Ed who was still in thought, he heard Winry's voice speak out to him.

"Are you alright Ed? You're awfully quiet. Is something wrong?"

Ed blinked his thoughts and day dreams dispersing quickly.

"Ah! Oh… nothing." He said smiling. He watched as she returned the smile. He could feel the tension of an uncomfortable thought from Al and pulled his arm from the back of his head where he was resting it on. He looked up at Al than shrugged as Winry continued her play of running up ahead. Ed was beginning to tire quickly though. His patience withered away as he watched the approaching sun set.

"Hey Winry!" Edward called to her, "How much longe-"

The impact hit Edward before he noticed the pain from the blow. He paused in shock still standing as he looked up towards Al from the ground. Something in those words he said triggered Alphonse to attack him, but he did not know why. He watched the suite of armor swing its metal arm back for another hit and than the screech pounded through his head. It was the same screech that haunted him in his dreams and horrors. That horrible vile sound drummed itself into Ed's mind flooding it with terror.

Edward ducked as he saw the arm come at him and barely was able to avoid the attack as he rolled out of the way. Holding his ears he tried to clear his mind and stop the throbbing in his head from the noise.

"Al! What are you doing!!?" He managed to scream. Winry was unaware of the entire scene that lay out behind her until she heard Edward's screams. She turned quickly and watched in question until it finally dawned on her that Ed was being attacked and the boys were not just having a senseless fight.

"ED!!" she screamed and ran towards them. "Stop it Al!! STOP IT!!" she pleaded grabbing onto one of the suite of armors metal arms. But once she felt the cold metal under her fingers she realized her mistake of mistaking Al's strength and was flung foreword before him.

Al seemed to stop all motion and stood up strait looking down at her. Winry, unable to hear the screech Edward had for so long, now cowered beneath the earsplitting sound and held her head. She recoiled squinting up at Alphonse who still continued to look at her as she sat before him on the ground.

Ed had finally recovered and stood facing the suite of armor with a look of hurt hatred on his face.

"You're not my brother…" he growled at the suite of armor with venom.

The screech stopped and Ed and Winry both relaxed from the sound. Winry stood up and backed slowly away from Al. Al or the suite of armor that represented him looked at Edward. Than the screech sounded again, this time its ear splitting tone was smooth and soft.

Winry and Edward held there ears once again finding the current screech worse than the rough one before. Ed staggered back in pain only to fall backwards as Al lunged at him again. He didn't even bother to resist the suite of armor as it hit him again this time in his human shoulder. His head throbbed and he barely felt the blows until he heard a crack, and his human arm, not the prosthetic one, bones shattered. He screamed out in pain and held it with his prosthetic trying to stop the agony of it any way he could. The splintered bone inside his arm broke through his skin and stabbed out in all directions. He gasped as he tried to breathe a steady breath of air only to find he lacked the oxygen he needed. Expecting another blow he flinched; his mind was full of noise when his eyes where closed, but as he opened them everything suddenly slowed and quieted. He feared that he had gone deaf for a moment.

He looked up only to see Winry's back. She faced Al and stood between him and Ed. It was as if time had suddenly stopped. The once blank eye sockets of the armor slowly began to fade back showing the light of the soul inside. The armor backed up.

"Winry….." Ed said in a quite whisper.

She stood absolutely still until she turned her head around and smiled weakly at him. Ed watched the suite of armor stop backing up and recoil, that was when he noticed that the light inside the armor had faded once again, and this time he had a feeling that it would not come back. he whispered to her quietly not letting his eyes leave the suite of armor. He began to sit up. Winry looked at him in question.

"I said run Winry!" Edward's voice was beginning to show panic.

She shook her head.

"I'm not going to leave you here!!" she returned the tone but hers without the panic.

Edward sat up and saw that the suite of armor's sockets where now completely black and bottomless. The hovel of the soul no longer showed and Edward thought for a moment that a demon inhabited the armor now. The armor ruthlessly began to run at them.

"WINRY RUN!!!" Edward screamed in alarm. His eyes widened in fear, but by the time that Winry turned to look, it was too late.

The suite of armor swung back its arm smashing the side of Winry's head and knocking her to the street. Ed put up his automail arm in defense ready for the attack upon him, but he was mistaken of the armor's intentions. Hearing Winry scream, he bolted up and staggered in pain slightly not expecting the rush that over came him. He cringed as his arm bled all the way down only to let his blood drip from his fingertips. He watched as Winry fought the armor off with one of the many wrenches she carried. Even at a time like that he still always wondered where she kept those things. He began to run towards Winry and the other armor, when he had to duck as the wrench went flying towards his head. The armor had knocked it from her hand and swung at her once again across the head. Edward glared at the armor and ran faster. He jumped on the armors back. He heard Winry's screams and pleads become weaker and soon he began to fear for her life. Holding on to the armors back with all he could, he knocked its head off from its shoulders. Ed had no time to think. The sounds he heard would terrorize him for the rest of his life, this he knew for sure. He quickly began to reach inside the armor searching for the blood seal that bonded what ever now inhabited the armor to this world.

The suite of armor had no mind. He knew his brother was gone and never going to return. Why? He did not know that. Putting his automail fingers to the blood seal rune and holding on to the armors back with his broken other one; he grounded the fingers into it scratching the dried blood seal away. Six years of his brother flashed through his mind and than the armor stopped moving. He began to feel the armor tip backwards and jumped quickly off, he was not willing to be crushed by the mass of metal.

He couldn't think of anything else to do, but he had done it anyway. He stood in shock and looked down at the armor. The armor that once was his brother he had shared so many memories with and wasn't his brother that had tried to kill him. He was silent. Not believing what he had seen, he knew he could not hide the truth, he had killed his brother.

After realizing the truth he committed, all noises seemed to switch on as if it was controlled by a light switch. He turned feebly towards Winry and clumsily scrambled towards her. He froze as he saw her and nearly broke down. The side of her face bled, and her chest looked crushed as it was also soaked in red. There was so much blood that Ed thought some of it might have been his own. He stood before her horrified and than lifted her up in his arms and embraced her softly. Her arms and legs were mutilated as he held her bloodied body close to him. He wept silently for her hoping that she would be alright. He shook as he stood holding her tightly. Repays of the scene once passed and the screams of terror echoed through his mind. All the thoughts and sounds just caused him to firm his grip. He flinched as his hurt arm throbbed reminding him of his injury but he would not let that bother him.

Looking around desperately he found where he was. It was not to far from the hospital that he had been a patient to not to long ago. With the knowing thought that he must help her, and the fear and absolute terror that he would loose her, he ran off as fast as he could towards the hospital, the sky darkening from the fading sun from above.

((Stories not over yet!! Well not for another 3-4 chapters. I finished writing it all out and everything, I just have to get time to type it all up. I really hope you have enjoyed this story so far. If you're interested in seeing an edited version, I will be posting chapters on You can find my profile by searching ' Scenro '. I really hope to receive feedback on any of the chapters until now and the future ones. I would like to know what I should change, what should be kept, and so on. So please send me a PM (private message) or submit it in a review. I would appreciate it greatly. Of course we can never forget what an author would really like out of there readers. A REVIEW!! So please Review this fanfiction!! ))