Disclaimer: Don't eat the chicken………………………………Oh! And I don't own any of the characters from this story….wait…maybe I should make one up. Oh, and if they're selling anime characters, I either want Night from Absolute Boyfriend or Vash from Trigun! They're mine! Them or Miroku, Inuyasha is too hot headed. Too much like me….Just send me a hot, nice, and funny guy. Lecher or not. Lecher would add some excitement. Wait….that happens in school. Then he'd be jealous! Jealous men are fun!

So I went to this concert with a bunch of different bands, regretfully, they were all pop bands and I am a rock fan….T-T, well, for this one group who I have never heard of (Josh Houg (sp)), I was sending telepathic messages to the good-looking bass player to look at me because I looked really hot in my new skirt and tank and I wanted to give the flirty eyes, but instead, I get the main singer (Josh Houg apparently). I was sick, he looked scary when he was singing and he kept looking at me. The two guys I was with kept laughing (sick bastards); I mean the guy was giving the 'come hither' finger. I was frightened. I spent forty dollars to be horrified. Oh, but I did make my ex jealous! He was flirting with me all day! ANYTHING TO MAKE HIM DROOL! Man, he's such a whiner.

Does anyone know if Al had his full memories after the last episode? Like, did he remember the last five years? And, how old was he, fifteen? Oh and when is Al's birthday? They bring up Ed's twice during the show, but never Al's, what up wit that?

Kikyo is dead, but Inuyasha still loves her. Love isn't that easy to forget.

Chapter Nineteen

Let's talk

The group set out early the next day with all of the members. Much to Ed's dismay, he had to ride on Kirara all day. His protests were ignored. After a while he just stopped talking all together.

"Are you alright, Brother? You haven't said anything in a while." Al looked back to see his brother in full pout.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, if you weren't going to listen to me when I was talking before, I didn't think that you were going to listen to me now."

Al sighed. "Stop it, Ed. You wouldn't listen to someone constantly whining either. Stop your crying and act like a big boy, you're not ten."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Yeah but he could pull it off as a ten year old."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT ME DOG-BOY! WHEN I LOOK AT YOU I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO THROW A STICK OR CALL THE POUND!" Ed rose from Kirara when he was yelling.

Inuyasha spun around with his hand on Tetsusiaga's hilt and made his way towards Ed. "Lousy midget, I'm gonna kill you!"

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "Inuyasha, SIT! You started it anyways, bite your tongue and deal with it."

Ed laughed. "HAH, if a woman could control me with such ease, I wouldn't be so impulsive."

Winry came from behind and hit him with her wrench, knocking him out cold. "Yes you would."

Al shook his head at the stupidity of his brother. It became clear to him that he and Inuyasha had too many similarities. Ed woke in about five minutes and sat there quietly, careful not to upset Winry or anyone else. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed the air while looking around suspiciously.

Kagome looked over at him with concern. "Something wrong, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha nodded and looked up, pointing at a flying feather. "…Kagura. I'll be back." He leapt to the top of a tree in front of Kagura. "Hello, Kagura, going somewhere?"

She smiled sweetly. "Hello, half- breed. Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious as to what evil you are doing for that scum Naraku."

"What would make you think that I would abide by his instructions? The only reason I half-ass listen to him is so he doesn't kill me before I get the chance to fly free in the wind I control."

Inuyasha smirked. "Not a very obedient servant, are you?" He glared. "If you want him dead, why don't you tell me where Naraku's castle is, hmmm?"

She shook her head "It would be too obvious." She looked down and noticed Kanna watching her interact with Inuyasha. "I'm sorry, but I'm being watched, I can't tell you anything and now I have to show the fake pretense of trying to kill you. I'm sorry." She took out her fan. "Dance of blades."

Inuyasha dove for the ground near everyone else. "Run! Kagura is coming and Kanna is near by." He looked to Kagome. "Watch out for that mirror, Kagome. Destroy it if possible." He looked to the men. "Save yourselves and the women. Don't worry about me, Kagura won't kill me, she wants me to kill Naraku, she wouldn't give up her freedom." Kagura's blades came down between Inuyasha and the group. "Bitch! Watch for the mortals!" He unsheathed his blade and flew above the trees. "Watch it, if you send something at me, I'll just send it back at you."

Kagura shook her head. "I'm going to send an attack at you, just, please hit me with a milder attack."

"I'm not making any promises! Wind Scar!"

Kagura allowed herself to be partly hit and flew off with her clothes in shreds. "Meet me in the town of Ojici; I'll have someone fill you in."

Inuyasha raised his blade. "Don't kill anyone or it'll mean your life!"

Kagura looked back with a smirk. "I'll look around for someone who's already dead."

Inuyasha watched her fly off and jumped down from the trees. He looked around and ran in the direction of the group's scents. He found the in a stand-off with Kanna. Miroku, Ed, Al, and Kirara stood in front of the women and Shippo. Inuyasha ran next to the men. "What did I miss?"

Miroku smirked. "Nothing yet, this is what we have been doing, we're waiting for her attack."

Ed seemed to focus on something. "What's up with that mirror?"

Inuyasha covered his eyes. "Idiot, don't look into it, she'll steal your soul."

Winry walked up from behind the men and started walking toward Kanna. Sango and Kagome tackled her to the ground.

Sango slapped her face. "Winry, what the hell are you doing?" She looked into Winry's eyes. "Guys, Kanna has her soul!"

Ed looked outraged; he transmuted his arm into a blade and ran towards Kanna.

Miroku yelled after him. "That won't work; she has a shield around her!"

Kagome shot an arrow, hitting the mirror square in the middle, releasing a burst of light and cracking the mirror. The light enveloped Winry and sent Kanna flying upward, having her land on a feather, and fly off.

Ed knelt next to Winry and shook her shoulder lightly. "Hey, Win…? Are you okay, Win?"

She opened her eyes slightly to see eight pairs of eyes on her. "What happened and why are you all looking at me like that?" She sat up and looked around. "Where's the small girl in white?"

Ed looked at her critically. "She's gone; she tried to steal your soul in her mirror."

Winry looked surprised. "Oh, well, if that's all."

Ed glared at her attempted nonchalance. "Winry, you need to learn how to better protect yourself!"

She yelled defiantly. "I'm sorry, I didn't learn how to fight in combat by a personal teacher for a year on an island and unlike you; I have not been running around our country fighting random threats!" She got up quickly and tried to get away from him. He grabbed her arm to hold her back.

"Winry, that's not what I'm saying. Do you know any way to protect yourself?"

She looked confused.

"…guns, swords, numb chucks…anything?" He looked desperate.

She sighed. "Make me a gun and I'll protect myself. I have fairly good aim. I mean, what's the difference between rubber bands and bullets." She laughed, not expecting him to know how to make a gun, but was shocked to see him grab a piece of metal from his bag and make it into hand gun, much resembling Hawkeye's. She smacked the back of his head sharply. "Where the hell did you learn how to make a gun!"

He smiled sheepishly. "Um…ah…let's just say it's a newly acquired skill." He looked to Al as they both faked laughs.

Winry sighed and rubbed her head. "If you keep thrusting yourself into these dangerous situations, you'll need two more automail limbs. With the way you're acting, one would guess that you had a metal brain." She sighed again and looked away. "With so much weight hanging off of you, you'll never grow…not even another inch."

Al had to hold Ed back from attacking Winry. Ed calmed and thrusted the gun towards her. "I'll make you more bullets later." He walked away with Al following.

Everyone started setting up camp after Winry had woken. The battle had taken longer that expected.

After Al and Ed had wandered a safe distance from camp, Al decided to pry into Ed's sudden bad mood. "Brother, why are suddenly so moody?"

Ed looked at Al like he was an idiot. "I don't like the idea of Winry in battle! She shouldn't have to protect herself! That should be my job!"

Al (mentally) smiled and laughed. "Brother, you take on way too many responsibilities! Winry is capable of protecting herself. She thinks too much like you!"

Ed scoffed and turned back towards camp.

Al watched his brother his brother leave suspiciously. "And where do you think you're going?"

Ed shrugged as he continued walking. "Back to camp; you bore me."

Al was aghast. "I'm the boring one! You are the one who would rather sit in a library reading alchemy books instead of playing with Nina, Alexander, and I in the courtyard during the snow or even your birthday."

Ed continued walking. Stopping just before camp to see Winry firing rounds into a fallen tree with a target scratched into it with a knife. All of her rounds hit the target, all in the areas labeled 5 to 1 (10 being the worst, 1 being the best). She cursed silently as she ran out of bullets. Ed looked to her with a smirk on his face. "You'll never get a man with a mouth like that, or at least not a man of any value."

She put her hand on her hip. "I'm not too worried about that. I think that if I want a good man, I'll have to act like myself all of the time, if a man likes that and is drawn in, great, if not, I'll have to go to certain circumstances to get the man I want."

Ed stole the gun and set it next to the fallen tree, clapping his hands and refilling the gun with bullets. "This should last you for another round. Call me when you need more." He meandered off towards Inuyasha next to the fire. This was met by a curious glare from Inuyasha. Ed held up his hand. "…Truce?" Inuyasha gave him a high- five.

"I didn't know we were battling."

Ed looked to him like he was insane. "…but earlier?"

"That's just how I act. I assume that it is the same for you, am I right?"

Ed nodded. "I just wasn't quite sure how you worked yet."

Inuyasha sighed. "What do you need or want to know?"

"How old are you, really?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in thought. "Do the years I was sealed to a tree in a sleep like spell count?"

Ed thought for a moment. "Sure."

"Okay then…um…I'm two hundred." Inuyasha nodded in confirmation.

Ed was shocked. "You're really that old!"

Inuyasha nodded. "My dad was older when he died and Sesshomaru is older than that."

"How much?"

"Dunno. I don't talk to him."

"Why?"

"He's always hated me for being a half- demon." Inuyasha's ears sunk. It reminded him of the fact that no one liked him when he was really young.

Ed stopped in thought again. "What was your mom like?"

Inuyasha thought for a moment and smile softly. "She was beautiful, kind, strong, smart, and loving. She was a noble lady of a prominent family and was highly respected until she had me. She would have died repeatedly for me. She would have given up her life if it meant I would never again be bothered by the town's citizens. She always comforted me when I was harassed or upset. She had the most beautiful singing voice; it could shine through everything that had happened in the day."

Ed smiled. "She sounds so much like my mom; save for the nobility part." Ed looked to Inuyasha critically. "Were you really bothered that much when you were a child?"

Inuyasha smirked. "The life of a half- demon is not an easy one. For the most part, humans and demons ignore their connection to half- breeds and they hold disdain for them. When I was little, I avoided going into the village, I would mostly hang out in the woods by myself. I had no friends. But, that didn't really bother me until mom died. After that I had to fight more and I became more…savage. I didn't talk to humans or demons until I found out about the Shikon jewel that Kikyo carried and got connected to her. Before that I fought to get people's respect, so they would leave me alone, but then mom was alive so it didn't matter, but after she died, I realized how alone I was without her." He laughed to himself. "Before then, I thought that I was alone, completely alone." He shook his head in silence.

Ed looked concerned. "Do you want to stop?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, what else do you want to know?"

Ed looked serious. "What was your connection to Kikyo? Like, was it the same as your connection to Kagome?"

Inuyasha frowned. "I thought I was in love with Kikyo, but it isn't the same as it is with Kagome. With Kikyo, my heart still felt some what alone and cold, but, with Kagome, I feel light and carefree. With Kagome, it's a lot easier to smile and be happy. With Kagome, I know I'm not alone." He laughed and smiled. "Thanks to Kagome, I have friends."

Ed sat pensively. In many ways he was like Inuyasha. But, Inuyasha's life was filled with much more misery and he could laugh and smile lightheartedly. Ed had always pitied himself and Al, but here was someone with worse experiences than he had waded through and he could still continue blissfully. Ed didn't understand. He had been too busy reading Tucker's alchemy books to read the ones on psychology.

Inuyasha looked at him. "What about you, eh? Now, you have to answer the same questions you asked me, save for the last one, just tell me about your connection to Winry."

Ed glared. "Didn't we already go through this?"

Inuyasha smirked. "I wasn't listening."

Ed sighed. "I figured as much." He sat in thought. "I'm fifteen, born in 1899. …Um…My mom was sweet, smart and kind. She cared for us and put us up on pedestals. We were her life and she was ours. She was our light, our source of power, and our source of strength. She went on like she didn't miss dad, she went on like she wasn't sick when she was suffering. She died to protect us from pain of watching her suffer for years and to protect us from feeling alone." He stopped and looked to the ground.

Inuyasha looked with curious eyes. "Your Dad left you and your family when you were really little, then?"

Ed nodded. "Al was a toddler. I was two, I think. He just left for no reason. I just remember one day he wasn't there and Mom was trembling and crying at the kitchen table reading a letter over and over again."

Inuyasha looked at him. "Do you want to stop?"

Ed sighed. "Would you mind?"

Inuyasha smiled. "I've had a long time to cope with my loss, you've had four years. I say you tell me later."

Ed had a sad smile on his face. "Thanks, Inuyasha." He sat in thought for a moment. "Do you still want to talk about my connection to Winry, though, or anything but my mom?"

Inuyasha thought for a moment. "What about your limbs, what is the story behind them?"

Ed glared. "You really weren't paying any attention, were you?"

Inuyasha shook his head thickly. "…Nope."

Ed sighed. "When we attempted to bring mom back, I lost my leg and Al lost his entire body for this nonhuman beast. I sacrificed my arm to attach Al's soul to a nearby of armor. Winry and her grandmother are automail mechanics, making it possible for them to create this." He lifted his arm. "They saved me from bleeding to death." He looked at Inuyasha happily. "But, having metal parts is a lot more convenient than having flesh, sometimes. I can use this as a weapon and the arm never tires. There are no muscles so it is easier to run for a long time and it is easier to test my endurance."

Inuyasha smiled. "Sounds a lot like demonic powers; that's why I so long to become a full demon."

Ed frowned. "Yeah about that; why would you want to become a full demon like your murderous brother?"

Inuyasha looked at him like he was crazy. "Not at all like Sesshomaru; like my dad. He was a great demon. He controlled all of the western lands. He was second to none. It's like Miroku is fond of saying, ' That's just how men think… you think you can at least do what your father can and you hope that one day you'll surpass him. For boys, a father is their most influential role model'. I have defeated one enemy that he could not, but I am still not as strong as he was. My father was all demon; so, I think about it as 'if I want to beat the old man, that's what I have to be as well.'" Inuyasha looked at him. "Don't you think that way?"

Ed shook his head. "I know I'm a better alchemist and I know I'm better person; I always come back."

"Should you really be so cocky? How do you know that you're a better alchemist?"

Ed's demeanor hardened. "I am a bit of a prodigy. I have a natural thirst for knowledge, anything around me I take into consideration and I learn from my mistakes. Hoenhiem did not; he abandoned us, he abandoned the State, and he abandoned his friends. I have never done that."

Winry came from behind him and hit him with the butt of the gun. "What do you call leaving Grandma and I for four years! It took you four years to come back and you came back in shambles! You were missing your automail arm and Al was in pieces! After that it just kept happening. Al would be in pieces and you would have something important wrong with your automail, or worse with your flesh!"

Ed looked at her tears with no emotion. He felt guilt but said nothing until she glared at him. "That's not abandonment."

"Then what the hell is it!" Winry shook with anger.

"If I was abandoning you, I wouldn't have called, I wouldn't have returned, and I wouldn't have cared."