Braiding the Noose with Indian Rope

Disclaimer: I don't own, I don't make money from this, and I don't wanna get sued!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THIS FAR, BUT STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT YET: Rated for the three M's: Murder, Mutilation, and general Mayhem…. And one L: Language.

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Chapter 7: Of Affection and Reflection

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November 30, 1919-- 11:45 PM, Central Vantish Apartments Buildings

The dark-haired girl was sprawled across the chair on the balcony, ten floors from the ground. Her senses drifted listlessly in and out as her eyes wandered across the night. She watched as some of the lights from houses- looking like stars- flickered, and then turned off. She sometimes caught the random sounds of the city. She shivered, then pulled the thick blanket around her thin frame to keep the cold at bay, and listened to the distant sounds of an ambulance calling in the distance, a cat yowling, dogs barking, people shouting…

She was jolted out of her daze by the sound of a door slamming in the apartment.

"Paninya? Winry?" a voice, oozing with exhaustion, called out.

"I'm out here Alphonse!" Paninya shouted back, her breath turning into pearly clouds.

She heard heavy footfalls as Alphonse trudged out towards the balcony, and then saw a bouquet of unkempt bronze hair as a disheveled Alphonse stuck his head out of the door leading to the terrace.

"Paninya? Why are you out here? Your ports must be freezing," Alphonse asked, sounding worried.

"Ah, it's not so bad, I just needed some fresh air after being cooped up in that hospital for so long," she stated simply. In fact, she had been able to get used to the weather, which surprised her to no end.

He came out onto the balcony and sat down at one of the chairs next to the girl. A smile ghosted across his features as Paninya offered some of her blanket to the boy when a tremor had run though his body.

He waved his hand in refusal- deciding, instead, to wrap his hands around himself as he rubbed his palms up and down his arms in an attempt to let friction warm him. "The weather feels good. It'll keep me awake for later tonight," he answered when he saw the dark-skinned girl's questioning look.

"You're going out again, Alphonse? You just went out last night, you didn't even come in 'till morning," the dark-skinned girl protested, as Alphonse tried to appear more alert than he was, but the illusion was broken by the dark bags under his eyes.

"Alphonse, you look exhausted! Why don't you just go and get some sleep and we, all of us, can go out tomorrow night," Paninya suggested eagerly, trying to sway the russet-haired man.

"I can't Paninya! I don't have time to be tired if brother's still out there! I can't stop until I find him, even if he's already--" Alphonse stopped, unable to continue his line of thought. He heaved a deep sighed, and then rubbed his eyes tiredly.

It hurt Paninya to see that the normally optimistic boy had started to doubt. There's no chance for Edward if Alphonse has given up hope, too. It seemed like- ever since Mustang had called seven days ago to tell them the news that, while he and his unit had seen Ed, they weren't able to rescue him, or get close enough to catch the man, either- Alphonse had slowly been getting more and more depressed with each passing hour, and could only find a release from his worry by throwing himself into his search for Edward, which had only caused more worry for Winry and herself.

Paninya put her flesh hand on Alphonse's arm in what she hoped was a comforting gesture, "Al, we're doing all that we can to find him. With you patrolling the streets and me and Winry going to all the places where he's been seen and looking for any clue to where he's been taken, well, we're bound to find him eventually."

"Where is Winry, anyway?" Al asked, looking around the balcony.

"She went to go tell Mustang what we were able to find," Paninya grumbled, putting her head in her hands.

Alphonse perked up, "What do you mean, 'what we were able to find'?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh, Alphonse, I'm sorry. I really should have said 'what we weren't able to find. The bastard didn't leave anything for us to use," she said regrettably as she looked back up at him, and saw the brief flash of hope in his eyes slowly die.

"Oh. Well, then I should get going. Maybe I can look again and find something you missed."

"Alphonse, we've already looked everywhere! There's nowhere we haven't checked!" Paninya shouted angrily. She tried to grab his arm in an attempt to make him stay, but Alphonse twisted out of her grasp. The bronze-haired man began to take a few steps towards the door.

"Wait! Alphonse, you have to stop doing this to yourself! How is working yourself into exhaustion going to help anyone?! What if we do find a lead on him, but you're too tired to be any help at all?" Paninya paused when she saw his slowly retreating back linger in the doorway, then she continued angrily, "Have you even been- have you even gone to a class since he left?"

Alphonse grasped the doorframe leading into the house to support himself, whether in his exhaustion of indignation, the brown-eyed girl couldn't tell. He stood there for a couple of seconds, and then turned to face her. Paninya saw his eyes flash with an anger she had never seen before. He rounded on her, "And why would I go to school? My brother's been kidnapped and I'm supposed to think about grades?! It's only because of brother that I can even go to that school!"

"Well, you heard what Mustang said! It can't get in the papers that he's gone, and don't you think that people will start to worry when you haven't been seen for several days and there's still a killer on the loose? They'll come over here and find out E-he's gone, then that psycho will be able to kill him like he plan--"

"Don't! Just- just don't say it… I know," Al sighed in defeat. He leaned heavily against the wooden doorframe, and then slid down the panel until he was sitting.

"You know we're here to help, too? You don't have to carry all the problems yourself. You really arejust like E-him, ya know." Paninya observed, being careful not to say 'Edward'. She had been amazingly resistant when it came to avoiding his name in the house anymore, for fear of causing more depression to fall on Al or Winry's shoulders.

A tired chuckle escaped the young man's lips, "I'm normally the one comforting people in a situation like this, but now I'm a complete mess and you have to pick up the pieces… I'm sorry. It's just so hard for me, because, before, I could have just searched for him for hours without getting tired, but now I'm resenting this body for giving out on me."

Paninya blinked in surprise, "I take it back, I don't see how you could possibly be related to him anymore. He'd never out right admit that he was wrong. And he'd never say sorry about it, either." Well, he's never done that for me anyway, but I'm sure he's told Alphonse he's sorry a lot… So he's not really too terrible about that kind of stuff. But I'm sure, for me, he'd whine and complain all the way through the apology, maybe that's why I see Alphonse as such a nice guy, he's always so polite about these kinds of things.

A slight snore broke the dark-skinned girl out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see the bronze-haired man with his head back against the door and his mouth hanging wide open, fast asleep. A nice guy that snores…

The brown-eyed girl heaved a big sigh, and then walked over to Alphonse. She bent down, watching his hair move up and down slightly with each breath he took. Paninya brushed the strands of bronze hair away from the artificial breeze, and then shook his arm. "Alphonse, wake up!"

He jerked awake, and dazed brown eyes searched blurrily for the source of the voice that had called to him.

"Alphonse, I think you should probably go to sleep now," Paninya said gently.

Alphonse's head lolled to the side as he attempted to shake his head. "No, I can't," he mumbled after a moment. Then, after some effort, he managed to get to his feet, and stretch, allowing a huge yawn to erupt from his mouth as he raised his arms above his head.

"Why not? You were just sleeping," Paninya pointed out.

"No. I-I mean, I can sleep, but not for long. I keep having nightmares… I-I'm just so tired, b-but I can't help but worry," Al pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion.

Paninya's eyes widened slightly as she looked into the watery bronze eyes of the man standing in front of her. I don't know how to deal with this. It was always Garfiel's job to handle the patients when they're upset.

She blinked in surprise when she heard a low growl of frustration come from the previously sleeping boy. "S-Sorry. Sorry," Al groaned as he scrubbed at his eyes. "I-I must be really exhausted if I can't even control myself," he grumbled with a bitter chuckle.

Paninya's eyes softened and she took his hand in her metal fingers, "Let's go inside."

She steered them both inside, closing the door to the balcony on the way, and then proceeded to Alphonse's bedroom. Once inside, she let her eyes roam across the deep blue walls and rest on the fluffy down comforter of Al's bed. They continued on until they reached the foot of the boy's bed.

Her arm was beginning to ache from supporting the alchemist's weight, and she let Al collapse on the goose-feather blankets. He tiredly wormed his fatigued body up to the headboard, exhaled a sleepy breath, and then Paninya went to work undoing his shoelaces.

When she had his shoes taken off, the covers securely tucked around him, and the lights turned off, she began to make her way back to the living room, but a pressure on her automail hand and a whisper caused her to turn around.

"Wait. I don't want to be alone, won't you stay for a little while?"

Paninya turned to see an innocent smile playing around his lips. She smirked in return and crawled into bed with him. It was warmer inside the covers, after all.

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December 1, 1919-- Central City

A steady grunting was heard throughout the dimly lit room, occasionally broken by a small gasp of pain, or an obscenity that was snarled out through gritted teeth.

The blond boy had already started to sweat from exertion. His muscles pleaded for the torment to cease, but the motion still continued. The chains holding him captive bit into his arms, causing a thin stream of blood to dribble its way down his flesh arm to the floor and form a thick, red puddle. But the pounding continued, forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards, as the metal bond repeatedly dug into his wrist, following the rhythm of his body, and ripping the skin on his arm in the process. The crimson puddle on the floor was growing larger and larger with each jerk of his limb.

The panting and thrusting stopped abruptly when the yellow-eyed boy heard the slight tap of shoes on concrete. He quickly turned his head to the corners of the room where the light couldn't reach, to try to find the source of a voice, as a greeting was issued from the darkness. Edward could hear a sigh come from the wraith concealed in the blackness while the man observed the situation.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that," said the raspy voice, dryly. "You'll only injure yourself more, then die of blood loss, and I have no plan for you to perish in such a horrendous fashion. Well, not yet, at least."

"Yeah, well, if you're going to kill me anyway, I don't see why I should stop," Ed retaliated, and then continued his previous tactic of shoving his arm forwards and backwards against the thick metal as he tried to force his hand out of the chains.

"So, you're just going to attempt to escape? Right in front of me?" the man retorted, and the blond-haired boy could see the slight amusement reflecting in his unconcealed eye.

"Well, either way I'm gonna die, so wouldn't it make more sense if I at least tried to escape?"the yellow-haired boy snarled at the man. At least I'm in a different room this time, and I don't have to see that bloody table everywhere I look. That might have made more of an impression if he didn't want me to run away-- Edward thought until a particularly painful gasp escaped his throat when the metal cut deeply into his wrist. He scowled, but persisted.

The man chuckled, "You'd just open your wounds, and then, even if you did escape –which is highly unlikely- you'd be running around the city, bleeding all over everyone you met. People would think you had lost your mind."

"No, they think you've lost your mind. They would know I was perfectly sane, and they'd probably even piece together what had happened and I could just go home, while you'd be thrown in jail." Edward growled, haughtily.

The magician walked into the light, and over to the chair Ed had been confined to. Ed's stomach growled hungrily when he saw that the man had a steaming bowl of soup in one hand.

The man approached the chair, and then put the hand not holding the precious liquid on Ed's wrist, to stop him from his task, "You're saying I'm insane when you keep trying to get your arm free from the shackles. You know your hand is too big to slip through the chains, and you'll only hurt yourself in the process," the man paused in thought. "And here I was hoping you'd be a bit more docile after our little rendezvous with your friends the other night. After all, you still have the marks," the masked man remarked, while running a slim, pale finger down one of the deeper lacerations on Ed's arm, resulting in an angry hiss from the blond.

"Don't! That hurts!" Ed roared, gnashing his teeth in fury. "I still don't understand why you don't just kill me instead of torturing me and wasting both our time!"

"Why? Do you wish to die already?" The man asked, stirring the broth in the bowl invitingly.

"No! I'm just wondering why you haven't killed me, yet!" Edward exclaimed, his eyes following the spoon's progress through the thick soup with interest. "And I know it's not just because you want to 'have fun with me', or whatever you're trying to preach! You said before that we had met at one time, then you got really angry, but I don't remember you at all!"

"As if I really need an explanations for the things that I do. Besides, the papers have classified me as insane, you should just believe them, hmm?"

"I don't believe that… Well, I believe that you're insane, but I think you have another reason, too." The blond recalled seeing the anger in the man's eye the other night. How long ago was that anyway? "I just don't understand why you killed all of those girls if all you wanted was to see me suffer."

"Well, I suppose I could tell you about the girls". He paused in stirring the stew, and then raised the spoon to Ed's lips for him to take a sip. Edward did so hungrily. "For you see, when I'm on stage, it's such a wonderful adrenaline rush to pretend to saw someone in half and then put them together again. But actually sawing someone, it… hmm… it's magical… And I suppose part of the whole murdering business was to get your attention."

Ed coughed on the next spoonful, then, when he had gained control of his vocal cords, he asked, "'My attention?' But why me?"

"Always so persistent with that question now, aren't you? Why, why, why… I suppose that's what makes you a good scientist. So, if I tell you, you won't whine about it anymore?" Edward nodded adamantly through a big mouthful of soup. "All right, if you really want to know, I'll tell you, so at least you know why you're going to die by my hand."

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December 1, 1919—10:53 AM, Central Headquarters

Three pairs of military boots stomped down the long hallway towards the large wooden door. The blond woman at the head of the group signaled for the small group to stop while she knocked on the door. When there was no answer she knocked again.

"Sir?" The red-eyed woman asked, turning the elegant brass knob. The door silently opened revealing a dark interior, and the trio walked in, the two at the back of the group more hesitant than the leader.

As their eyes adjusted to the blackness, they saw that heavy satin curtains- which wouldn't let the light enter the room- covered the windows. They let their eyes scan across the room, finally coming to rest on a large dark lump- almost blacker than the rest of the room- that they were barely able to make out as the shape of a person.

The blond walked across the room briskly and tore open the curtains, making a hiss of discomfort echo across the room from the two others. The woman, now able to see clearly, looked between the stone faced, white-and-black haired man and the mousy, brow-haired woman, and then towards the desk where the person-shaped shadow had been.

She sighed in frustration as a slight snore escaped the lips of the dark-haired Fuhrer. "Please excuse him, he was up late with discussing what had been found at the hospital with Ms. Rockbell," she explained, while walking over to the desk, stopping only when she was a few feet away from the man.

"You aren't going to shoot him, are you?" Sheska asked nervously. Riza wasn't listening to the green-eyed woman. Instead her eyes softened as she peeled a paper from the side of his cheek, and then slid her fingers through his black hair.

It was embarrassing for the two to witness such an intimate moment, especially since it was coming from the trigger-happy, no-nonsense woman in front of them. Hawkeye seemed to realize their discomfort, for she cleared her throat and barked sternly, "Sir!"

"Nuh… I dun wanna wake up yet… Come back t' bed Riza, we can snuggle if ya wan' …" Roy mumbled his reply, a sleepy smile playing on his mouth. Hawkeye pursed her lips; her cheeks turning slightly pink, while Falman and Sheska both averted their eyes.

Mustang jolted out of his seat when a resounding thwack of hand slamming into the desk met his ears. "Sir, I'm here to discuss our current situation with you, we'll discuss that later, though," Riza announced, firmly, with a hint of future punishment barely concealed in her tone.

Mustang looked around at the others and immediately resorted to a business-like tone, "So, what's the reason you came?"

"Well Sir, we've found something that might help with the investigation," Sheska said tentatively.

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Sorry this chapter is way late… I don't even have an excuse, except a bad case of writer's block… Sorry, again…

Although I'm hoping to have the whole story finished by the end of the year (if anyone should want to know…)!! So yay!! Maybe…

Please review! It makes me happy when I see what you guys think! And it gives me a bit more motivation!