I'd like to announce that with the turning of this chapter, there will BE more ACTION! I'm not sure which of you all that will please and which it won't, but it's the cold, hard truth (ubetcha). Also, I have decided on my final pairing, and the definite ending. The problem now, for me, is getting there (ha!). Anyone who wants to know the pairing (besides merodi-chan, who'll know anyway) can leave a review requesting it and I'll review reply back with the answer. It will be a spoiler, but that's up to you. The ending, however, will stay with me and merodi (when I choose to let her know). I have a lot more to discuss, so check A/N and Preview at bottom.

Enjoy!

To Heal the Wounds of the Heart

Chapter 9: Aftermath

"This is the perfect chance."

"Not yet."

"But look...this is our chance."

"I said, not yet."

"But--"

"Shut up, Pride."

"Is Wrath here yet?"

"Not yet. We can do it without him, but we should wait anyway. Those were the orders."

"Let's go now."

"I told you to shut up, Pride!"

"I think he's coming."

"Are you sure, Avarice?"

"Yeah, Wrath is almost here. So let's go."

"Pride, if I have to tell you to shut up one more time..."

"No, Envy, he has a point. I can't see him, but from what you two have said, I can tell that he's so weak, he can barely move. If we ever have a chance to kill him, it will be now. Wrath can catch up."

"Grrrrrr...fine!"

"Let's go."

"I'm telling you, I need to go check on them."

"It's not like you to be so worried, sir."

"After all we've been through together, you can't at least call me by name, Riza?"

"Very well, Roy, but it's not proper in the ranks."

"Neither are a ton of other things. What's your point?"

Riza sighed and returned to her work, leaving Mustang sitting stonefaced at his desk, thoroughly annoyed. It was past midnight; the only reason the pair was still at Headquarters was because their dinner had taken a suspiciously long time. As a result, there was extra paperwork--the bane of Roy's existence. On most other nights, if the General was still in, he'd leave the lights off, and allow the room to be suffused with the moon's light. On this night, he had switched on every bright light he could, to keep himself focused. The last thing he needed at the moment was to let his mind wander and rest upon one of the many issues troubling him. His eyes flitted over his messy desk, around the bland, white walls, and fell upon Hawkeye.

"I should still go check on them."

"Do you even know where they went?"

"Ed said he'd report back and explain to me. He also told me in private that what they were doing shouldn't take long. If he didn't come back here, there's only one other place he could have gone."

"You mean Resembool?"

"Yeah."

Riza refrained from rolling her eyes. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you so worried?"

"Because trouble just follows those two around," Roy answered, mouth clenched impatiently, "And sooner or later, something bad is bound to happen."

"Are you going to leave now?"

"Yeah." Noticing the genuine concern on her face, Roy grinned, adding, "I don't sleep much these days anyway."

"Then let's head to the station."

Standing up and sliding his desk chair back, Mustang moved around the wide desk and along the side of the table in the center, boots clicking sharply against the floor with each step. Before he reached the door, he stopped and looked over his shoulder with his one eye, smiling.

"You know you don't have to come with me, Riza."

"But you know I will."

Roy grabbed the door with one hand and swung it open, stepping into the hallway with both hands thrown up and head tilted in mock exasperation. "I know. Of course."

Riza smiled. Grabbing their coats, she followed close behind and shut the office door behind them.

In the soft gaze of the moon's light, Edward lay in a prone position, head propped up in Rose's lap. His half-open eyes gazed up, not at her, but simply at an unfocused point in the night sky. They were empty, and reflected no light, almost like the eyes of one who is dead. There was a time when those eyes were truly dead, unseeing and gazing at some unseen point in the distance. Rose remembered. It was hazy, but the memories of the underground city had not left her. With her arms wrapped tightly around Ed's body, she clutched him tightly, her lips never parting from his.

For the longest time, they were joined as one. The deep green blades of grass rustled beneath them in rhythm with the wind. The black sky, littered with glittering jewels, watched over them. The house stood in the background, completely silent.

Rose could not bring herself to stop.

This feels so right...

Those were her thoughts.

When Ed felt her tongue slip its way into his mouth, he weakly tried to sit up and push her away, but it was to no avail. All of his strength had deserted him, and after several more futile attempts, he stopped resisting completely, allowing her to control him. Her tongue continued to dance around his, and with each passing moment, she began to make soft noises, and it seemed like she herself was falling deeper into the clutches of the moment. In his weary mind, Ed was isolated.

I can't deny that this feels good, but...it's not right, he thought, I can't even respond or resist. Why can't I stop thinking of Winry? I can't lie to anyone, though...no matter how wrong it seems...it feels really good.

No matter how strong and determined Edward was, even he could not resist such advances from an attractive woman--and Rose was a very attractive woman. On the verge of passing out from exhaustion, Ed fought between two choices. Ultimately realizing that no matter what he chose, he was too weak to do anything, he reached the only rational decision available to him: give in.

And so he did.

Rose broke off for the slightest second, feeling his lack of resistance. "Oh, Ed..." she said, almost lovingly. Then she kissed him once more, resuming where she had left off.

Edward's eyes buzzed for a slight moment, like the eyes of one in a shallow sleep, and then closed.

For a moment, the wind stopped, and the grass ceased its rustling. For a split second, however, one of the large bushes on the nearby plain continued. The abnormality caused Ed's eyes to spring open as quickly as his heavy lids would allow. They darted about until Rose realized that something was wrong, and let go of him. He shifted his weight until his body rolled off of her lap, but it was too late.

A forceful impact smashed his body into the ground, and an extremely shallow crater, several feet wide but only a few inches deep, appeared beneath him. Blood spilled from his mouth, but otherwise he did not move. An almost unseeable figure zipped around before Ed was tossed into the air and struck again. Instead of the ground, the air shattered from the impact. As he flew back, more blood spilled from his mouth.

"Ed!" Rose tried to cry out, but a large hand clapped over her mouth.

"It's okay, Rose. Don't be scared."

Rose turned her head to look at the man, but from the voice she could already assume who she was going to see. Her eyes locked with crimson red ones, flanked by a large X.

She grabbed a tan arm in joy and looked at him hopefully.

"Scar...is it really you?"

He smiled for a moment, until the smile slowly turned grisly. By the time Rose realized the truth, a fist struck her and knocked her the ground. When she looked back up, Scar was gone, an in his place was a pale, thin person with black clothes, a crimson tattoo on his left thigh, and long, sharp-looking green bangs.

Rose took one look at Envy and turned to scream, but before she could, a look of complete terror appeared on her face. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating, and she fell to the ground. Her mouth hung open, but she was unable to make a sound.

Soft footsteps made their way over to her location.

Pride stopped next to Envy and flashed a grin full of pure malice at her. "I couldn't tell which death would haunt you more, the scarred man, or the Fullmetal, so I figured you could watch both. How's it feel?"

Rose clutched her head and stretched out, trembling, trying to make it stop, but it was no use. Pride was unrelenting. There was sick joy in his eyes, and as he laughed, the Ouroboros tattoo on his forehead bounced in rhythm with his jaw, seemingly laughing as well.

The blur appeared next to Ed once more, and another sickening collision signaled the fifth hit. He was losing too much blood. Lying on his back, his eyes slowly moved toward Rose, then focused on Envy and Pride.

In a flash, Avarice was standing next to him. A smaller figure was standing in his shadow. Suddenly, Ed realized something.

"You Homunculi," he croaked out, "The old ones...they couldn't do this before. Something's different. You can combine your powers. Envy with Pride's mind-control...and now you...I know that speed isn't yours. It can't be."

"You're smart, Fullmetal," Avarice hissed, in his deep, scratchy tone, "I won't tell you how, but I will tell you that you are right." His blind eyes stared not at Ed, but forward.

Edward's strength, or what remained of it, was fading rapidly. Blood was still dripping from the sides of his mouth, and his eyes began to drift shut. He turned his head to look at Rose for a minute before thinking of the house, and who was inside it.

"I guess it won't be that bad to die here. I've already died once...so you could say I've cheated the system. I'm sorry, Rose, Winry...and...

"...Al..."

Avarice lifted his fist, but before he struck, another Homunculus stepped from behind him, smiling, and its identity made Edward gasp in shock. He lifted his head just slightly, terror and sadness evident on his face. He was unable, however, to fearfully whisper the name.

Only, "You look...just like..."

Then the new Greed delivered the final blow.

The darkness was annoying.

It hadn't been like that the last time. The last time, light was everywhere, almost blinding. That is what made the darkness annoying. It was all encompasing, cold, and irritating.

I guess I must really be dead this time. I don't even see the Gate.

Suddenly, he realized what was making it dark: his eyes were closed. Hesitating, he slowly pried them open, carefully inching his lids up at the most sluggish pace possible, as if he was afraid of what he might see. Bit by bit, dim light swam in, followed by colors. A throbbing pain in his chest, among many other spots, caused him to wince.

Something must be wrong. I can still see, and feel. Am I really dead?

Finally, his eyes fully opened, and several shapes were discernible, albeit marred by blurry vision and a lack of adjustment to the light.

He was back in the room. Shiny, polished wooden planks ran unilaterally towards the door on either side of him. Two beds, with sturdy wooden builds and white sheets, stood aside each other, and he lay motionless in one of them. There was a large, glass-paneled window between the two beds, but the curtains were drawn tightly shut, allowing not a single ray of light to penetrate the room.

His eyes slowly closed once again, before opening more quickly. Straining hard, he leaned to the side for a moment, lifting his right arm off of the bed. Slowly, he brought it to his face.

Metal.

Not this time.

The blankets were drawn back. He took the time to wipe his forehead with his human arm. Several beads of sweat came with it. Without saying a word, he slid his arms back and leaned forward, pulling himself up into a sitting position with a strenuous effort. After rubbing his head with his left arm, he realized that his hair was let down. He reached over for the stand on the left side of the bed, searching for the hair-tie, but instead slammed the nightstand with his metal hand by accident, causing a loud noise and a large commotion.

Urgent, though muffled, voices sounded off down the hall, coming closer to the door. Loud footsteps pounded nearer until the door swung open in a flash.

"Ed!"

Winry stopped dead in her tracks, seeing Edward sitting up comfortably, although somewhat shaken and still quite sore.

"Ed, are you okay?" She was startled, and evidently scared. In the doorway, Al stood a few feet behind her with his hands buried in the pockets of his crimson red robe. The concerned, troubled look adorning his face belied his age.

"I guess so," Edward answered tentatively. He gazed at the floor as if trying to process what had happened.

Winry was thinking along the same lines. "What happened?"

As memories of the assault briefly returned to his mind, one by one, Ed closed his eyes and shook his head at Winry. "Nothing."

In a moment, her eyes were filled with sparkling tears. "You really think I'm an idiot, don't you, Ed?"

"Huh?"

"I've known you almost my entire life. I know you, and everything about you. You never, ever tell me anything! You think I can't just look at you and know that something happened? I'm not stupid! You can't keep hiding things from me! It's not fair! Why don't I deserve to be a part of your precious little world? Just open up to me once in a while!" Her voice rose to a fever pitch before dropping to a whisper. "Just tell me, Edward."

Ed remained motionless for a moment. Then he closed his eyes in thought before smiling widely at Winry. He beckoned her over; after much coaxing, she sat angrily on the bed, balancing herself with her hands and hanging her legs over the floor. Both her mouth and her eyes widened in shock when, with much effort, Edward stiffly lifted his human arm and draped it around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Winry," he said with all sincerity. He was slouched forward, head tilted down, eyes closed and mouth turned in a peaceful smile. "I know how you feel, Winry, and I'm sorry. Al and I have both known you since we were too young to remember, and because of that, we've always been the best of friends. As a result, you've always been very close to us, and we keep you in soft spot in our hearts. You're very important to us. You have to know, Winry: we get caught up in a lot of dangerous things, and bad luck follows anyone who meets us. Sometimes we think that the best way to keep you safe, to keep anyone safe, is to make sure that you don't know anything about us or what we do. If we hide things from you...you're protected. Can you understand that?"

Suddenly, something that a great man had once said flashed through Winry's mind.

"Guys like them, they speak more with their actions than their words. They do dangerous work. They like people to be happy, and they don't want to burden others with their problems, or make them worry about them, so they keep quiet."

More tears fell from her eyes and she softly, although reluctantly, nodded. Winry threw herself into Edward, weaving her arms through his to wrap them around his back and sobbing into his chest. Edward rested his arm on her back, comforting her. After she had calmed down considerably, Winry picked her head up to look at Ed. Her azure eyes met with his golden ones.

And he smiled.

Still breathing heavily, she settled her head against his shoulder with relief, finally understanding. Ed still smiled. It was a smile meant just for her well-being; it was a smile that never reached his eyes. His steely gaze was directed at Al, who, just by seeing it, understood. He withdrew his hands from his pockets and folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorway. Winry embraced Ed one last time and stood up, wiping her tears, ready to go.

"I'll go clean things up."

"You do that," Ed replied, feigning a grin and a good mood that was not his. She turned and left the room, her shoes clicking against the floor as she proceeded down the hall, growing smaller and smaller until she descended the stairs and disappeared from hearing.

Al turned to his brother.

"You were attacked."

"Yeah."

"By?"

"Avarice and the other Homunculi."

"I see."

"Hurt like hell."

"Must have."

"I wonder why they didn't kill me."

"Maybe they thought you were dead already."

"It sure felt like it. I don't know how I lived."

"You're pretty durable."

"Yeah."

"I found you in pretty bad shape."

"How long have I been out?"

"I don't know how much time has passed since they attacked you, but it's 9 a.m. right now."

"What about Rose?"

Al's eyes flitted regrettably down the hall. "She's in pretty bad shape too."

"You mean the bastards actually assaulted her, too?"

"No," Alphonse shook his head, "It's like her mind's been shattered. She can't focus, and she keeps calling your name, and..."

"And?"

"And saying 'Scar!'."

"It was Pride, no doubt."

"Most likely."

"We're gonna have to leave soon, Al."

"I know."

"When do you think is best?"

"As soon as you're feeling better."

"Isn't that a little soon?"

Al made as if to leave the room, but stopped. Although he wasn't facing him, Edward could see rage burning in the almond-gold eyes that looked so much like his own.

"They nearly killed my brother. No matter what else, I'm going to make them pay, at least, for that."

Then he departed, leaving a solemn Ed in his wake. The Fullmetal Alchemist, still feeling Winry's lingering touch, exhaled deeply and fell back into his pillow, closing his eyes.

No matter what they did to me, I've still got to thank them to some degree: I really needed the sleep.

Edward awoke much later, feeling the soreness in his chest, back, legs and throat, and noticing specks of dried blood spread across his bandages. The curtains were drawn back, finally allowing light to enter the room. Ed made his best guess and settled on a time somewhere between 4 and 6 p.m. He was propped up comfortably on several pillows, adding to the sensation of floating he was already feeling, as well as feeding the odd feeling that he was in a hospital.

He turned his head slightly, spotting a plate loaded with cold lunch and a half-full glass of water resting side-by-side on the nightstand beside the bed, and smiled. Winry had probably left them there. He then attempted to sit up, huffing and exerting himself mightily, straining, until he pulled himself into an upright position. In doing so, Edward felt and remembered once more the wounds on--or more accurately, in--his body. After stopping to let the pain subside and think long and hard about the injuries, he formulated an incomplete theory about Avarice that he realized would have seemed unbelievable before he met the Homunculus. He declined to summon Alphonse, however, thinking it best to keep his ideas to himself for the time being.

Ed slipped backwards until he was once again resting amongst the white sheets and ruffled pillows, almost sinking into the bed. Knowing that he needed to heal as quickly he possibly could, he closed his eyes in an attempt to quickly fall asleep again, in the process doing his best to shut out the world around him.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shut out the loud knocking that began to sound on the front door.

They stood in complete silence on the furthermost point of solid ground, brooding in the usual foreboding manner as their cold, empty purple eyes slowly scanned what lay before them. They were unmoving, yet tensed, slouched, but ready, quiet, although focused. Water lapped endlessly against the stone barrier they rested on, slapping the wall with each coming and going of the current. Above, dark storm clouds enveloped the sky, and below, large shadows enveloped the ones by the water. There were two of them, a stark contrast to the numbers of their usual group.

As they continued to gaze unfazingly at the water, what lay in and beyond it, and their surroundings, one spoke out.

"I've been told that, aside from you, she is the last one left from before."

"It doesn't matter to me, but, yeah...she is."

"Why would she come here?"

"Maybe with all the water, she felt at home. Like I know."

"I've also been told that this is where it will happen."

"Yeah, this is the place."

Neither spoke for a moment, as the sound of the water took over. They turned to look at what was left, and who was left, before returning their gazes to the water and sharing smiles--though one smile was much more sadistic than the other.

"Do you think they know?"

"Who? The people here, or them?"

"Everyone."

"Whether they do or not," the sadistic one replied, "There's absolutely nothing any of them can do."

"Yes..."

The younger, although much older-looking, one paused for a moment, before formulating his thoughts into words.

"Tell me more about her, and...him."

An annoyed Roy Mustang and a slightly fretful Riza Hawkeye, donning civilian attire, stood on the front step of the Rockbell house with their coats in their hands. Roy continued to slam his gloved fist against the wooden door without relent, more angered at having to wait than anything else. After what seemed like eons to him, a chair skidded loudly inside and hard footsteps made their way over to the door, which quickly opened.

Catching sight of her guests, Winry gasped and embarrassedly stepped aside, allowing them in.

"Oh, Captain Hawkeye, I'm so sorry for making you wait!"

Riza smiled comfortingly, setting her and Roy's coats down near the door. "It's alright. We really weren't waiting that long."

"Yeah, of course we weren't," Roy moaned sarcastically over his shoulder, "And I'm glad you were the only one who actually stood there and waited, Captain."

The effect of the General's sarcasm did not last long on either of the two women, as they wasted no time in indulging in a conversation that included the usual how-are-you's and I'm-fine-thanks' while Roy stood to the side. When the reasons for their unannounced visit became the subject of conversation, Mustang finally saw his chance to jump in.

"We came to see how much trouble the brothers had gotten into," he said bluntly.

"I don't really understand what you mean," Winry replied with a confused expression.

"They said they would report back to me after they went to take care of some business," Roy shot back, "and I intend to hold them to that."

The fact that he was anxious and agitated shone through brightly in the form of his folded arms and wildly tapping foot.

"What he means to say is that he's very worried about them," Riza finished, to the General's dismay. Roy's anger quickly elevated and he stomped into the living room to take a seat. Hawkeye shook her head. "We were hoping that you might have seen them recently."

Before Winry could assure her that the Elrics were present, a clunking that could only be identified as shoes on hardwood floors sounded, announcing the arrival of another.

Alphonse, missing both his coat and gloves and bearing a clouded expression in his eyes, stopped in the foyer, forming a human triangle between himself and the two women. He then made a sharp turn to his left, into the kitchen, and filled a glass with water. As soon as he had appeared, he was gone, without bothering to even acknowledge the presence of Winry or her two guests. Al began to ascend the stairs, but was halted by Winry.

"Al, is that for Ed?"

"No. He has one."

No further words were exchanged, as the younger Elric disappeared into the second floor with the glass, which was obviously for Rose. From the living area, Roy's voice echoed.

"Why would Ed need his brother to bring him a drink?"

Winry smiled falsely for a second, before turning to think of an answer. When none came, she flailed her arms frantically, trying to distract Mustang, but it was for naught. He rose from his seat, smoothing out the vest he was wearing and making his way back into the foyer.

"That can't be good. Show me where he is."

Left with no options, Winry nodded in defeat, and led the way up the staircase.

"What the hell?"

The slumbering Edward was rudely awakened by Roy's shout, which had been emitted upon his entering the room. In a split second, he was beside the bed, tugging at the collar of Ed's shirt and pulling him close. The angry look on his face masked his concern as he barked out questions.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to sleep," Ed sneered, "And what the hell are you doing?"

Mustang growled before letting go of Edward's shirt, dropping him back into the bed. He turned sharply on his heel and nearly strode out of the room before stopping suddenly and whirling around.

"This isn't funny, Ed! For someone who's almost twenty years old, you're still such a child!"

"Heh. And what do you know?"

"You hide things from people and you act like everyone's out to get you. You think all of it helps, Ed, but it doesn't! When are you going to learn?"

"Like I said...you don't know anything."

The two men stood on opposite sides of the room; the younger, bedridden with injuries both physical and mental, gazed fearlessly at the older, who stood with his shoulders tensed and his fists clenched in helpless frustration. Both were framed against the classic backdrop of the one room in the Rockbell house that the brothers really owned, unmoving, not unlike game pieces in an eternal stalemate. The sun's light illuminated half of their bodies, and cast the other halves into shadow.

Roy gave in first.

"You're right. I don't. But if I did, and you actually swallowed your pride long enough to ask for my help...I'd do my best to give all I could."

Ed's mind flashed back.

"I'm not chasing you because I was ordered to. I'm doing it because I'm pissed. Now...why the hell did you two run away without asking for my help first?"

He remembered the conversation they had shared in the car, as well, in the last moments they would see each other before Envy killed him.

With a smile, Ed sat up and extended a hand towards Roy, turning it in a thumbs-up.

"It's nothing," he stated with finality, before settling back down, "I'll be better ready to go by tomorrow. I promise I'll tell you then."

It seemed, for the time being, that Roy would have to be satisfied with that. Most amazingly, he seemed to accept that fact. Assuming that Ed, who had laid down and rolled over, therefore turning his back to Mustang, Hawkeye and Winry, was already asleep, he forewent the formality of a salute and simply departed the room, with Riza silently close behind.

Winry was left standing alone by the door. For a moment, conflicted, she simply gazed at Ed, whose unmoving form was cloaked in the yellow-orange light of the late-day sun. She gracefully glided over to the other bed in order to sit on it directly across from him. The troubled look on his face caused a concerned one to gradually spread across hers.

Sitting there watching him, it dawned upon Winry that the whole ordeal, the whole series of events had brought to her attention how deeply she cared for both of the Elric brothers, although foremostly Ed. Her lack of ability to help them, and to understand her feelings, frustrated her to no end, and so she simply sat and watched.

After what must have been half an hour, she spoke, to a seemingly empty room.

"I really do care about you, Ed," she softly said, standing up to go, "And I just want you and Al to be safe and happy."

Before she could move to leave, there was a brief shuffling sound and Ed's left arm extended from the blankets; his hand wrapped around her wrist and slowly pulled her back to sit on his bed. Even though her lower body was facing away, she was able to turn her torso to see him.

"Don't go, Winry."

The words had an astoundingly resounding effect on her. She smiled at Edward through tears of compassion. Though his eyes remained closed, and had never opened, he was obviously awake--at least for the time being.

"Don't go."

"I won't, Ed."

She sat silently with him for nearly fifteen minutes, his hand never letting go, until she was absolutely sure that he had fallen back asleep.

Winry brushed aside Ed's long, golden bangs and softly laid a kiss on his forehead. In that moment, the connection between the two that only they could ever share was felt, seen, and heard, silently, all at once. She then stood and closed the curtains between the two beds before leaving the room with a smile on her face.

"If we're all going to leave tomorrow, like you said, I need to get things ready," she whispered as the door shut.

With the touch of her lips still fresh on his face, Ed grinned lightheartedly for the first time in a long time and shifted position, this time fully intending to actually fall asleep. He suddenly felt much better, and felt right at home in the comfortable bed, suffused with light as rich as his eyes.

"Okay."

A/N: Well...this was originally designed to be a 10K word chapter full of surprising plot turns. As a result of me having a project and Merodi apparently busy, I've slimmed it down to 5K, effectively cutting it in half. As an unfortunate result, all of the plot turns are contained in the second half, which will become Chapter 10. Because of the changes, the title of Chapter 9 was changed, etc. and all that. I hope nobody is really disappointed, because at least this means you'll all be getting an update much sooner than expected. I don't really have any other notes. Just read and please review.

Also, because it's just more professional, after this chapter I will do away with Review Corner and simply Review Reply any of the few who review.

Review Corner (Ch. 8)

salazare - I'll do just that. Thanks.

totallyinlovewithed - Simply because he was handling it just fine. As you notice, he did it all by himself. Al was there only as a backup and last resort, and Rose and Winry simply can't fight.

Demon Lord Sesshomaru - I aim to please.

DJ Cara - Well...I know you're kidding, but just so you know, check the ch. 8 A/N for my answer to that. It makes me happy to hear you love it.

Merodi-chan - Definitely good to see you reviewing. I knew you'd come around. XD

Kanashii.Umi - Appreciate the review. It's not EdxRose...at least not yet...or maybe it won't be...possibly...hmm...I guess you can sense my general unwillingness to reveal. Royai is always a good recourse for guilt. "You're really, really good!" -- that comment more or less made my day/week/chapter. And as I said to you yesterday, I strive to make it Ed and Al again, like in the series, not just Ed-blah...etc.

Everyone review chapter 9 and make me happy! Please! It can't kill you, so oblige me!

Also important to note that because of some troubles Merodi is having and has had, Kanashii.Umi has become my new pre-reader. Not to worry, though, she's just as smart, meticulous and involved in this story as Merodi was, so hopefully things won't change much.

Preview - Chapter 10

Clean up and leave without a trace. It's the way Ed and Al have always done it.

(Plus, more Homunculus action, and shocking plot revelations!)

See you all soon!

LL