Disclaimers: I don't own FMA.

A/N: Edward's POV. (Any typos, please excuse.)

Also – the Sixth A, Seventh B, refer to the classes. "A" means the advanced sessions of the grade, and "B" means the normal curriculum. Is that clear enough? ee

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The Fight

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I've always liked action. Ever since my brother could walk, we would wrestle and scrap and when I'd accidentally hurt him and he'd start to cry, and Mom would scold me for being too rough, I'd get mad and run out near the river to fight air. Every now and then, Alphonse and I, when we get too stiff from long hours of research, will take off through the dark house, running into walls and tables and chairs and corners, stumbling down the stairs howling and laughing, until we were outside in the cool night time – Alphonse will lunge at me, with an enticed smile spread on his face, and I'll block his hook and send my foot flying for his side. We'll tumble and dance, a gasped laugh and triumphant or disappointed shouts rising up into the starry sky, bare feet pounding the damp grass of our front yard.

When our muscles are no longer sore and we're panting for breath, we'll collapse in the lawn with our shoulders touching, staring up at the sky and laughing and telling each other what we thought of the sweaty rumble. Al never critiques me; I'm the one with no shame. "You could go faster," I'll say, or, "That uppercut was kind of weak. Are you afraid you'll hurt me?" He'll snort and shake his head and then smack me just for good measure, to even it out.

At school I'm known for my notorious temper. In fact, I think all of Risembool knows me for my temper. Winry says it scares her, and Al says I need to control it better. I don't care either way; I like my title and I like my temper.

My teachers are all aware that I could snap at someone's jests and an outburst could occur at any moment. When it does happen, they pull me aside and I usually spend the rest of the day in the office and walking home with Winry and Alphonse afterwards gets me nothing but reprimands.

Lately my anger has been extremely close to the surface. Maybe I've been pushing it with my studies; maybe I'm thoroughly exhausted, and I don't even feel it anymore but its there.

Whatever it is, I really don't care. I like fighting anyway.

Winry's grip tightened on my hand and she leaned on me, making me stumble a few steps. I frowned roughly, and nudged her with my hip.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I squeaked. "You're gonna knock me over."

From the other side of Winry Alphonse snickered.

I glanced at him sharply and twisted into a slight pout. I tightened my own grip on her hand and stroked her knuckles with my thumb. Al leaned forward a bit, peering over at me innocently. "Brother, two minutes, and you have to behave." That was his farewell as he ran off towards his classroom door. I glanced at the blonde girl next to me and snorted.

"Like I give a rat's ass about behaving," I mumbled. She frowned and jabbed me in the side with her fingertip.

"Hey. Your brother is just concerned."

"Well, I don't see a reason for it."

Winry jerked off of me and stared, her mouth open but her eyes dancing.

"Are you kidding me?" she shrieked, and then started to laugh loudly as she skipped a few feet in the direction of the Sixth A classroom. I darted after her, scowling petulantly.

"You guys are both against me! What is your problem?" Winry spun around, stopping short and making me almost fall as I tried to slow down before stepping on her feet. Her black slip-on shoes, bare feet latent beneath, were only an inch from my dusty, tattered boots and I grabbed her hands, swinging them up near her shoulders as she laced her fingers with mine. I leaned on her and she tilted back a little as I pressed my lips against hers for just a momentary kiss, her palms dusting my shoulders.

She flicked her eyes up to meet mine through her lashes and I broke into a grin. Her lips curled upwards into a sly smile and she giggled, opening her mouth to say something.

"Disgusting little sow!"

I felt my entire body snap rigid, my eyes narrowing and my grin dissipating rapidly into a tight teeth-gnash. My head spun around to my right where the voice came from, my stomach crawling upwards in that Pre-Temper way that it did, my heart starting to pound and my common sense starting to retreat. I heard and felt Winry take in a startled breath as she turned to look in the same direction. At least six feet away stood a girl with a black ponytail, a plaid bow resting just above her left ear. She was clinging to a Seventh B student, one with a brown cap on over his rusty-blonde wisps of hair. His lips were curled in a slight sneer. I knew who they both were.

Sen and her latest catch, Christoph.

I didn't even have to look at Winry as her grip stiffened, my hands hurting now, to know that she had a stern, livid expression on her perfect face. I could hear her screaming at me silently, Don't, Ed, don't, just stop it, just leave this to me, this is my problem.

But then that stupid bastard looked right at me and said, levelly, "Have you dirtied her innocence yet, small stuff?"

I jerked away from Winry, gritting my teeth, my lip curling up as I hissed, "You better take that back, you no-good piece of shit!" He had the nerve to step towards me, the smirk still pulling on his brutish lips.

"I'm being threatened by a level six girl chaser. A little young for that, buddy?"

And that was when I cracked.

"Bastard!" I howled, leaping towards him and swinging my arm back, landing my knuckles directly to the side of his mouth. His face jerked to the side and he stumbled a few steps back. I didn't even give him time to check to see if all his jaw was still in tact; I charged again, vaguely hearing Sen's putrid screeching and Winry's pissed-off shrieking through the mist of ire. All I saw was that worthless asshole and his dull eyes, fired up by the sudden blow.

His fingers curled on the collar of my shirt and I kept my gaze locked on his, already pulling my arm back for another hook. From my peripheral vision I saw his own fist recoiling for its spring, and I immediately sent my knee up into the soft area between his groin and his ribs, just as his hand rocketed into my mouth.

We both reeled backwards, and he fell to his ass as I skidded on mine. I leaped to my feet, enough brawls with my brother having taught me to never stay down and recover. A few seconds after I had reached my feet and was barreling towards him again, he started to climb back up. I howled as I sent my foot into his ribcage, and he rolled away, coughing, leaping to his own feet and heading my direction again.

I chanced a wild glance to the side and saw Sen cowering with some of her stupid supercilious friends just a few feet away, saw Winry screaming, but not hearing what she said. I wanted to tell her to go after Sen, go after the fucking whore, but Christoph's foot impacted my stomach and sent me flying backwards with a yelp. My shoulders hit the ground first and I slid, my feet flying over my head as I tumbled in reverse.

Aching and drawing in hissing breaths as I stifled groans, I staggered back to my feet and snagged him by his collar, imitating exactly what he'd done to me earlier. "Listen!" I snarled into his face, boxing his ear to block his attempt at a hook. His forearm smacked mine and he howled in protest.

"I don't care about your fun little times," I barked, sending my knee back into his solar plexus. My heart was racing in excitement. I was dizzy. All I heard was my fist impacting his face and his moaning and my screams. "I could give less than a shit about your pompous Seventh B, because it's not my fault you're bored out of your mind after being there the past two years. I bet it gets tiresome, doesn't it? Doesn't it, you bastard?"

An uppercut hit me in the jaw and my head snapped backwards. I stumbled back, holding my face and hunching forward. I had clawed at his collar so hungrily that I'd ripped it as he sent me away with his knuckles. My hand was balled up on the blue cotton and I looked at it, trembling with suppressed ranting as I uncurled my aching digits and let it fall to the ground near my feet.

I looked up just in time to see him lumber to me, seething, blood pouring out of his nose and trickling from between his clenched teeth. Christoph gave me a rough shove and I flew backwards, skidding on the ground and feeling something – a stone, a stick, something – shred at my temple. I came up on my elbow, preparing myself for a block or an opening, and stared up at him with what I could feel looked like homicidal intent.

"Shut up!" he cried hoarsely, his voice trembling as if he were about to let tears flow. Blood from his mouth sprung out and a few droplets landed on me. I smeared them off, lip curling as I spat a mouthful of my own into the dirt. Everything ached, but dully. I knew it would start to pulse and make me miserable in just a bit but my temper always numbed everything.

"Shut up," he said again, standing there with quivering, clenched hands, and then he turned and stalked off.

"Sorry," I called after him malignantly, a proud, toothy grin plastered on my dirty face. From the corner of my eye I saw a teacher darting after him, and the rest of the world started to return. I heard the fuss of (probably) half the school gathered about us, noticed Winry hurrying towards me with another adult. For a fleeting second I wondered where Alphonse was, and then noticed he was right beside Winry. I finished my "apology" with a loud laugh.
"Sorry," I repeated volubly as the teacher hurried to intercept Christoph's fractious stomping. "I guess some people just aren't lucky. That's okay, I'm sure one day you'll find someone. Too bad she won't want you, after Sen or some other one of you little girlies gives you a disease!" Sen hurried to Christoph's side but he shrugged her away. She sent me a look that was just as malicious as mine, and then stormed off with her little minions. Winry screeched something towards them, and they squealed and ran off like a flock of birds scattering after a loud noise. I snorted, added, "I hope you'll graduate this year, asshole!"

To that I got a smack on the side of the face, thankfully the one where the idiot hadn't socked me. My eyes widened. Abruptly I was back in reality, the fog of rage completely evaporated. The principal had his arms hooked under mine; he had slapped me to get me to shut up. I glanced around, realizing that all of sixth and seventh had accumulated, and at least five teachers; three teachers were handling the other half of the fight, surrounded by most of Seventh B and a few mingling retards from Sixth A and B, the ones who looked up to the dim-witted jock like he was their savior.

"I can't believe this." I turned my head. My neck was sore. Staring up at my teacher, who had come out of freaking nowhere, with wide, innocent eyes, I muttered with a slur (thanks to the bloody lip and aching jaw and the blood still running out of the corner of my mouth), "What?"

"I can't believe you, Edward." She sighed, covering her face, shaking her head. Alphonse was trying to wipe the blood off my cheek and chin.

"Ow!" I hissed, and then mumbled an apology as he withdrew with a perplexed, furrowed brow. Winry kicked my shin as the principal started to lead me off. Yet another teacher appeared and was trying to calm the crowd down. "Oh, great, I get attacked afterwards, too," I groaned, spitting at the dirt again. I left a trail of tiny blotches of maroon. Winry was staring at me, intensely, with a mix of worry and ferocity in her eyes. Her mouth was in a tight frown.

The door to the office slammed behind me and I blinked a few times, pain starting to make my muscles stiff but trembling, my mouth starting to clot up. I coughed and some beadlets of blood sprayed everywhere, to which I gave my principal an apologetic little smile.

"How are you today, Wardell?" I said as sweetly as I could, as he sat me down on the bench in the lobby of his office. He looked at me sharply and jutted his jaw out as he put his hands into his pockets. Winry waved at him idly, looking slightly apprehensive, and then sat down beside me; I could feel her inspecting my face with her eyes as she clutched my arm, obviously more concerned about my injuries than the fact that Sen had called her a female fucking pig.

"I'm fine, Elric. Hello, Al. How are you?" Mr. Wardell smiled at my little brother warmly as a teacher left him at the bench. She looked to him and then me then shook her head and pushed back outside.

Alphonse sat beside me and sighed heavily. "I told him to behave." He smiled brightly and, if I wasn't already swelling, I would have gone slack-jaw and exclaimed, Since when have you two gotten so close? Maybe they both read my thoughts because they both chuckled. Winry even smiled and giggled as she brushed some hair off my forehead to examine where some sharp little fucker on the ground had caught me.

Sometimes I think the world is really against me or something.