Leonahari: Wow, thanks for the reviews everyone, and it was nice to hear from some of my old readers. Very detailed for the most part. I loved them.

Chapter Two: Taunting

It had taken Winry several days to heal up and get over the slight trauma that wracked her mind. Edward and Alphonse had gotten in trouble from their mom when they returned home after the incident had occurred. They had said that they went into the forest after Winry when it was made obvious that Winry hadn't come out from the trees for such a long time. They had admitted that they didn't go in after her right away because they didn't think she would actually venture out on her own.

After everything was cleared up, things seemed to go back to normal. Though Winry still feared the river, she never admitted it. Whenever she went outside she would not follow the boys down to the riverbed, and she would most certainly never go into the forest again on her own.

Weeks past, then months, until the one day Winry would never forget. Her mother and father were already seated at the dinner table when Winry and Granny had come in from the automail shop. It had been Winry's first day helping her Grandma assemble toes. Granny Pinako had said that she had what it took to be an automail mechanic, and Winry's interest in the subject seemed to have grown since she first started.

Winry beamed as she sat at the table and failed to notice the forced smiles of both her parents. Dinner passed in odd silence. Winry had told her parents about her improvement in the shop, and Granny Pinako had added a few comments to her story now and again, but overall nothing much was said.

Winry had just started to notice her parents' odd behavior when her father got up to make himself a cup of coffee after dinner had finished. Her father never drank coffee in the evening. She looked over at her mother's face and saw a deep unsettled look in her eyes.

When her father returned to the table with his coffee, he said, "Winry, your mother and I need to talk with you about something."

Winry stayed silent, unable to foresee the event to come, crossed her hands in her lap and waited for one of her parents to speak. It seemed her mother had passed a nonverbal ball to her father, who nodded and resumed speaking, "Your mother and I have been asked to go to Ishbal for work."

Winry's lips parted slightly, "To Ishbal?" She had no idea where Ishbal was located or whether it was a city in Central or a completely separate country. She had never been very good at geography. But she knew from overhearing conversations between her mother and father and Granny Pinako that there was a war going on there. She also knew that if her parents went there they would probably be gone for a long time.

Her fists balled into her dress as she said, "But I don't want you to go to Ishbal! Isn't there a war happening there?"

It was her mothers turn to speak. Her voice was gentle and soft, "Yes, that's right, and that's why we're needed there. If we don't go to Ishbal a lot of good people will get hurt and we won't be there to help them."

"Why don't they ask someone else to do it?" Winry said. She hated how her voice was beginning to shake. She pushed down the emotions that threatened to tighten her throat.

"Winry, there will be many things in your life that you won't understand until the right moment. When your father and I were first asked to go to the battlefield in Ishbal we objected, because we have you to look after," her mother's voice was calm. Her eyes reflected nothing but pride and adoration as she gazed at Winry, "However, after some thinking, we volunteered to serve on the battlefield. We came to understand that this is something we must do. Not only is it our responsibility as doctors, but also as people. Winry, when you're older you will understand that the small things you do in life will effect the people around you in a big way."

Winry wanted to disagree with her, but the truth was she didn't quite understand what her mother was trying to say. Perhaps it would come with time. With effort, she managed to keep her voice steady, "When will you be allowed to come home?"

Her father put his mug of coffee down on the table with a soft thud. "When the war ends."

It was strange. Numbness settled through her entire body as her mind froze in disbelief. Granny Pinako was staring down a pipe at her with soft eyes, weathered by years of hardships and wisdom alike. Winry barely registered the warm tear that slid down her face.

They were dead…

Ishbal. The war had ended sooner than anyone had planned, but she hadn't been informed of her parents' death until just now, after the war had ended…why?

In the notice there was no details on how they had died, just that it had happened soon after the military had sent in the State Alchemists to settle things. Winry was certain the two were linked somehow; her parents death and arrival of the State Alchemists. A deep seed of hatred had been planted, a feeling Winry would harbor for a long time to come. Throughout her mourning, she had found her thoughts turning against the military, against soldiers, and even against alchemists. Anything that reminded her of the reason her parents were no longer with her.

That was the reason she stopped visiting Edward and Alphonse. For weeks after she had found out about her parents' death, she couldn't look them in the face. Their devotion to alchemy sickened her to the core. She never admitted it to them, but for those weeks when she avoided them a small inkling of hatred had swelled in her thoughts for them. She couldn't bring herself to understand why they insisted on practicing alchemy even after they had found out about her parents death. It was as if they didn't care, like they didn't see the similarities between themselves and the State Alchemists, Winry suspected killed her parents.

In those weeks of solitude, Winry had devoted all her time and energy to automail construction. Granny Pinako was soft on her and insisted Winry shouldn't work so hard or she'd burn out. However, it was the only thing Winry could do to keep her mind from wandering to her parents' death, and she'd be damned if she let Edward see her cry again.

Just as Winry had started to get used her new life as an appetence mechanic, another terrible disaster struck home. A pandemic had surfaced that summer in Amestris and Trisha Elric had fallen ill. Edward and Alphonse were devastated, and Winry decided to buck up and shove her own insecurities aside to support them in every way she could. It was at that time she realized her grudge against alchemy had blinded her. She had forgotten that even as devoted as they were to alchemy, Edward and Alphonse were still just Edward and Alphonse.

Winry could deal with her grudge against the military and alchemy another time. Edward and Alphonse would need her support and she vowed to be there for them. It was then that she remembered her mother's words and finally understood what they meant. Even though her personal interests conflicted with Edward and Alphonse's alchemy, her pride was a small price to pay. She would make that small self sacrifice for them because she believed it was what her parents would have wanted her to do.

Four years later…

"Al," Winry said as she stood beside Alphonse on the hillside that overlooked the valley of Risenbool. The sky was lit up in all sorts of fiery colors. In the distance, a train was idling in the station, ready to steam towards Central at any moment. Beside her, Alphonse shifted in his metal body. The suit of armor to which he had been caged rattled slightly, "Mm-mmm?"

"If Ed passes his examination…does that mean you two will leave town?"

Alphonse was silent for a moment before he nodded, "Yes."

"Will you come back and visit Granny and I?"

Winry heard Alphonse's head turn towards her. "Of course we will."

"In that case, don't go and get yourselves into trouble. Now that you're in the…military…I guess you'll be thrown into a bunch of dangerous things," Winry said quietly. She had force the word military from her throat and she was certain it sounded cold.

"Don't worry about us so much, Winry," Alphonse replied warmly, "Ed knows what he's doing. He wouldn't put up with any military orders unless he thought it would lead us to getting our bodies back. You just have to trust him a little more."

Winry knew he was right, but… "He's just so reckless. It's hard not to worry."

Alphonse chuckled a bit at that. He and Winry both knew it was true, but in the back of their minds they also knew that now matter how reckless Edward was one of them was always right behind him and he always seemed to bounce back.

"Anyways, Winry, it's getting late. You should go back home before it gets too dark," Alphonse said as he stared over the valley. The train in the distance blew its horn. A puff of steam rose into the air above the station as it started to roll forward, leaving Risenbool behind. Winry looked at Alphonse curiously, "Aren't you coming with me?"

Alphonse didn't move. The image of the red sky over the valley seemed to have captured all of his attention. "I'll meet you there in a bit."

Winry nodded, knowing well enough that even if she asked what he was thinking he wouldn't share anything with her. So, she gave him a smile and left.

The night was warm and quiet. Winry made her way across the little bridge and glanced out over the river, shivering involuntarily. That accident had been the starting point of many terrible events that year almost like it had caused them. Winry believed things happened in threes. First, her near death experience when she had tumbled into the river, then her parents' death and then Ed and Al's mother's death. All in the same year.

Winry paused at the center of the bridge and rested her arms over the railing, looking straight down into the depths of the water. The river hadn't slowed its pace since then. She remembered the pain and fear that had traumatized her for weeks after.

Winry had revisited the unpleasant memory a few times in the past, mostly to remind herself of how close she had come to death. It made her appreciate and acknowledge how fragile life really was, and after her parents died she had convinced herself that there must have been a good reason she had survived it. Winry believed strongly that everything happened for a reason. She hadn't survived the river purely by luck. She believed there had to be a good reason she was still standing. At this point in her life, she thought perhaps it had something to do with Ishbal. If she had died, her parents would have been broken and not able to take the Ishbal mission. If that had happened many innocent people might have died because there would have been no doctors there to treat them. Maybe then, her parents would still be alive…

At that thought, Winry shook her head. She couldn't think of those kinds of things. Her parents would have gone to Ishbal whether she had died or not because just as her mother had said before that their personal interests were insignificant compared to the greater good.

Then, her memory wandered and repainted another image in her mind. It was the image of the odd, green-haired man who had saved her. She wondered about him from time to time. His strange appearance and social awkwardness seemed to stick out in her memory like a sore thumb, and even though she had never seen him again she was appreciative of him. She couldn't help it.

She couldn't even remember if he had a name. She hadn't thought to ask, hadn't thought at that time that she may want to find him again in the future just to thank him.

And then there was the part she didn't understand no matter how much she went over it in her mind. Had the man who had dropped her off with Trisha Elric and the man in the forest…had they been one in the same? Even now, Winry couldn't ground herself with an answer and could only push the thought aside with a shrug. Perhaps she had hit her head on a rock – that part was a little fuzzy after all. Besides, who in the hell had natural green hair and violet cat-like eyes. It was just too weird.

"Good evening, young lady."

Winry glanced up from the depths of the river to meet whoever had greeted her. Her eyes landed on an average-looking middle-aged man with brown hair and brown eyes. He was suited up in fly-fishing gear and carried a rod and tackle box. Winry's mind whirled for a moment, "Uh – you…I mean, hello."

The man smiled kindly. His eyes were warm. "I hope I didn't startle you."

Winry turned to face him, gazing deeply into his face. Was her mind playing tricks on her? She realized that she was just staring at him and decided that she should probably reply. However, before she had the chance, the man spoke again, "Oh, wait, aren't you Miss Winry Rockbell, Pinako's granddaughter?"

Winry blinked, "Y-yes."

"Oh, well, you sure have grown into a beautiful young woman," he said, and Winry pushed down a blush, "Last time I saw you, you were only about this high." He gestured with his hand as he held the tackle box and rod in the other to a spot just around his stomach. Winry was quick to notice his hand was made of automail. Though she could only see his hand from under his long-sleeve shirt, she knew that most automail attachments to the arm extended to the shoulder where the best nerve source was – since it was closer to the spine.

Winry realized he was still talking, "Your grandmother is a real genius. It was five years ago now since I was last in for a check-up, but she fixed me up so good that I haven't had any problems at all. Her products are worth the money."

"Thank you, she'll be glad to hear that," Winry managed a smile and finally asked the question that had been buzzing around in her mind, "Do you mind if I ask what happened?"

The man paused a moment and looked like he wasn't going to answer. Winry got the feeling she had insulted him in some what, but then he nodded politely and started to explain, "When I was younger a wound in my left arm got infected and the doctor had to amputate it. I had lived my life with only one arm up until seven years ago when I discovered your grandmother's talent for automail construction."

Seven years ago…and before that he didn't have a left arm at all…

Winry felt confused by what her memory was presenting her with and the information this man was offering. They didn't match up. Winry could swear this man had been the same man who had carried her from the forest and to Trisha Elric after she had fallen into the river, but…

She remembered the feeling of being in his arms. Both had been real, not automail. She would have been able to feel the hard metal through his shirt. But that was impossible. If this man was the man who had brought her to Trisha then she would have been able to pick up on that detail. Automail arms weren't the most comfortable.

"Do you go fishing here very often?" Winry asked suddenly.

The man chuckled, "Every chance I get!"

"You don't ever remember saving a little girl from the river, do you?" The question had escaped before she could pull it back and after it had left her lips Winry realized how timid she sounded. She doubted it was him, so the question felt and sounded stupid.

The man's expression changed as a few unasked questions passed through his eyes as he looked at her, "Sorry, I don't remember…"

"It's okay, never mind," Winry felt heat rise up in her cheeks, "I should probably head back now. It's late."

"Sure," the man nodded, "greet that Grandmother of yours for me!"

Winry smiled and left him standing on the bridge. When she entered the house Granny Pinako was at the kitchen table reading a newspaper and smoking her pipe. She barely glanced over her glasses at Winry as she entered. "Wasn't Al with you?"

"He said he'd catch up," Winry replied simply and came to stand next to the table. She looked down at the paper Granny Pinako was reading and saw headlines about some small town called Lior. "Leto?"

"They're saying he can perform miracles…idiots." Granny Pinako commented. She seemed amused by the story, "I guess people there have never heard of alchemy. I'm sure the military will be all over this when the time comes…" Then, she looked up from the paper with a curious expression, "Winry, is something wrong?"

Normally her Grandmothers perceptiveness wouldn't have caught her off guard, but Winry so far off in another world that she had forgotten to hide her puzzled expression. "I ran into a man on my way back –," She suddenly realized that she had never asked his name, "and he said to give you his regards. Apparently you built him an arm five years ago and he wanted to thank you for it. I didn't get his name though…"

"What'd he look like?"

"Brown hair, brown eyes, average looking, middle aged…"

"I don't remember…" Granny Pinako took a puff from her pipe and tapped it a couple of times into the ashtray, "I have so many customers it's hard to keep track of them all. But, I'm glad to hear after all these years that arm's working for him."

Winry smiled. She knew that without a name Granny Pinako would never be able to pull a file on him. Even with the time line the man had already given her it was obvious he was not the one who had saved her. It was odd though…she had been so sure it was him. He looked identical to the man she remembered.

She bid goodnight to Granny Pinako and headed upstairs to her bedroom for an early night. She couldn't shake the feeling of anxiousness and frustration. Anxiousness because she had a feeling something was wrong. Something didn't sit right with her. She had been saved by one person so why did she have two different images of him in her memory? It didn't make sense.

After getting into bed she pulled the covers around her tightly. Is this how Edward and Alphonse felt when something they desire is just beyond reach? They wanted to get their bodies back and there was nothing in the world that would stop them from achieving that goal. All Winry wanted was to clarify the event from five years ago. It was bothering her to no end. Every time she felt she was over it and had forgotten it, the memory would rise up into her conscious again to taunt her.

Maybe she was just going nuts...

Winry sighed and nuzzled into the pillow, trying to get comfortable. She felt the sigh clear her mind and she forced herself to stop thinking about it. Chances are they would work themselves out in the future. She would just have to be patient.

Envy mustered all his strength to not laugh in the girls face when she suddenly asked him about his arm. He could see she was totally confused. It was funny how humans could hold onto memories for so long. Did they really have this much of an effect on them? Pathetic. This was just great – oh, shit, he'd have to come up with a story now…

"When I was younger a wound in my left arm got infected and the doctor had to amputate it. I had lived my life with only one arm up until seven years ago when I discovered your grandmother's talent for automail construction." Well that was just pathetic. He hoped she wouldn't ask him how he had gotten the wound in the first place because he would have no fucking clue, and after that he'd suppose he'd have to fake brain damage or something just as sad to excuse him from not remembering.

He watched her look at him with some sympathy and he suddenly wanted to rip her pretty little head off. However, he also noticed the confusion deep within her eyes. She was thinking deeply about something and he had a suspicion of what it was about.

He had been sent back to Risenbool to collect information on the sons of Hohenhiem, and especially after finding out that they had attempted human transmutation Envy was more than certain Father would line them up to become sacrifices. They had seen the Truth. Unfortunately this meant he wasn't allowed to kill any of them including the gearhead friend of theirs, Winry Rockbell. She could be of use to Father as collateral if things got messy.

Fortunately for him, there was nothing against fucking with her mind.

So, when Envy had seen her walking back from the station he decided to have a little fun. He had turned himself into someone she'd remember from five years ago. He figured she'd notice the fake arm and he knew that would put a kink in her memory of him. His thoughts were confirmed when she right out asked him if he'd remembered saving a little girl from the river, and he almost snickered. Instead he gave her a half-assed answer,"I'm sorry, I don't remember…"

Neither no nor yes. He wondered if she'd read into it that much.

When she left him, Envy couldn't help but watch her disappear into the darkness. He had had his little bit of fun, but something wasn't right. It wasn't enough. After that day five years ago Winry Rockbell had become number one, aside from Edward Elric, on his list of people to taunt.

Part of this had to do with her association with Hohenhiem's sons. But the real reason was still unknown to even Envy. All he knew what that she pissed him off that day when he dragged her from the river. First he thought it was because she had survived the river before he pulled her out. He was disappointed that she had been still alive because he had wanted to put her body on the riverbed where he knew the Elric boys would find her just to see the looks on their faces. Instead, she had been alive and his plan had deflated.

He could have just thrown her back into the river and waited until she died and tried again.

But he didn't.

Instead, he had brought her back to the town and left her in the care of Hohenhiem's wife. The thought to throw her back or kill her hadn't even crossed his mind, which is why he was so pissed. The blue-eyed gearhead had outsmarted him somehow, had manipulated the manipulator into keeping her alive - as a fucking five year old girl! A few weeks after that Envy had not even hesitated pulling the trigger on that little bitch in Ishbal. Now that had been exciting. But why didn't he kill Winry Rockbell? He wouldn't have had to do anything. He could have just left her there on the dirt to slowly fade away, or he could have even just stepped on her neck to make it go faster.

Envy knew why in a sense. His fucking brain froze up at the sight of her. He didn't know what the hell to do even though he had planned the whole damn thing out ahead of time. He could remember pulling her out of the river by her scrawny little arm and tossing her onto the dirt with the full intention of killing her then and there. Then, his mind just went blank and he saw her lying there motionless and weak, fragile and suddenly the only thing he wanted to do was keep her eyes open and on him - and to this day he still didn't understand why.

And now that he finally got his fucking brain working again, his logical thought pattern he so prided himself for, Father had given out his orders. She was now untouchable along with Hohenhiem's sons.

"Hello," echoed a voice causing Envy to start. He almost slipped back into his usual form. He had completely forgotten that he had been staring off into the direction the little bitch had gone.

Still pissed off the memory of his weak moment, Envy turned to the intruder who happened to be the armored Alphonse. This pissed him off even more because he couldn't vent his anger on him. If it had been a regular villager they would have been seeing red.

Forgetting his current act, Envy spun on his heal and headed toward the station. He could feel Alphonse watching him and when the armored boy tried to ask if everything was all right, Envy promptly growled, "Fuck off!" and left. He would be heading to Lior as soon as possible. After stopping in Risenbool, Father had wanted Envy to fix things in Lior.

Alphonse stood there in shock as he watched the angry fisherman disappear down the hill towards the station and sighed.

"I guess he didn't catch anything…"