Hypnotized To Murder

Disclaimer: I Don't Own FMA In Any Way.

Rating: PG—PG-13 Due To Bad Language and Blood.

A/N: If this is late; I'm extremely sorry XP Hope you enjoy, though! ;)

As for the last sentence in my last chapter…I think I confused it a bit -nervous sweat- my bad…I think it wasn't as much 'metaphorical' as much as it was…'hypothetical', I guess I'll say.

:P I'm currently not sure; I leave you guys to decide :)

F----------------M----------------A

Ed stared at her blankly for a moment. "Dead? Winry, what do you…" he trailed off for a moment, finally realizing what she meant. He widened his eyes in understanding.

"You're already dead" he said. "Because I 'killed' you…and when I go to Dante…she'll think you're gone" he explained, air quoting 'killed' and swiping his hand across his neck in the 'knife through throat' manner with the last phrase.

Winry held her hands behind her and smiled sweetly as she nodded once.

Ed shrugged, unsure of the mechanic's plan. "I don't know…it seems a little…risky" he told her, still uncertain.

"You, my Alchemic friend" Winry began, poking Ed's nose, causing the Alchemist to flinch slightly. "Worry far too much" the blonde mechanic finished.

Ed shrugged quietly and looked to the ground. Suddenly realizing how close Winry really was to his body, his cheeks tinted the tiniest of pink across them.

"Fine" he agreed finally. "You can come" he practically muttered it as he looked away, a slightly scornful look on his face.

Winry mentally celebrated.

Ed ruffled through his pocket and pulled out his watch. Quickly looking at the time, he put it away once more and turned around to face the front door. He pulled the necklace in his hand up to his chest and clenched it tightly, the small pendant hanging under his fist.

"C'mon" Ed ordered.

"Dante's waiting"

F----------------M----------------A

The two teens were currently in the forested area of Resembol. Ed was hiding behind the trunk of a tree as was Winry, somewhere nearby. Apparently, Dante had moved from her position, considering they passed it already and she was not there.

Where could she be? Ed asked himself. He looked over at Winry and then gestured for her to come to him.

Winry looked around a bit, obviously taking safety precautions, and then walked, carefully, over to him.

"Stay alert" Ed told his friend. "Dante should've been right around here…since she's not here, she's obviously moved. That leaves us vulnerable to her finding out that you're still alive" he explained quietly.

Winry nodded in agreement.

"Hold on" Ed commanded. He peeked to the side, looking for sign of Dante; he saw no one. "Let's move" he ordered and, abruptly after, began running to a new hiding spot; it wasn't safe to stay in one spot for too long.

Winry, surprised by Ed's quick action, quickly followed, trying her best to be swift but silent, like her partner. She was somewhat succeeding, but Ed, whose obviously had more experience at being shifty than her, was doing a much better job for someone wearing tough, heavy combat boots.

But, for a mechanic who was ignoring the pain of her healing wounds, she wasn't doing so bad herself.

Ed suddenly bound left, swiftly turning around and letting his back hit the trunk of a tree.

Winry was, once again, surprised by Ed's swift action but managed to turn right and hide up against a nearby tree herself, cringing a little from her wounded stomach.

Ed looked down to the damp soil beneath them, undoubtedly caused by the recent rain. He was thankful, nonetheless, that it was wet but still dry enough to not allow him or Winry to slip.

Got to love Resembol's soil! He thought, smiling humorously in spite of himself and his and Winry's current situation. His smile melted slowly as he remembered Winry. Carefully, he looked over at his mechanic—no! His best friend; yeah, that sounded better to Edward.

As he was looking at her, she was looking around cautiously; obviously trying to keep her presence hidden from Dante, if she was around.

The worried look he was giving her didn't go unnoticed.

Winry soon felt Ed's eyes burning through her soul. She looked over at him and their eyes met for a second as she immediately looked away. Blushing lightly, she dared look back at him; he was still staring at her.

What's wrong with him? She asked herself worriedly.

Ed wouldn't look away from her; even as she looked at him. He was lost in his own thoughts for few seconds before shaking his head a little and looking away, keeping the current task at hand in his mind once more.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds and finally releasing it. He opened his determined golden eyes and jumped out from behind the tree, continuing his run.

Winry saw this and ran after him as well.

Ed began running to a pair of trees, fairly close together. He quickly leaped onto the right tree, used his legs to leap on the trunk and away from it to the left tree. Using the same trick, he leaped up to a branch in the right tree, wanting to get a better look around form a higher perch.

Straining to stay up there, he looked back to see Winry; she swiftly hid behind the trunk of a tree next to him.

Winry looked up at him.

Ed looked back ahead of him. His eyes widened as he saw Dante, some twenty meters away from their position. He looked down at his mechanic.

"Winry!" he yelled in a quiet tone. The girl looked up at him.

"Dante" Ed mouthed as he pointed to where Dante was.

Winry's eyes widened and she looked over and saw the elder woman and then looked back to Ed.

"What now?" Winry asked, quietly.

"Stay here" the Alchemist mouthed his reply as he pointed downward.

Winry nodded.

Ed turned his attention back to Dante. Carefully preparing himself, he jumped down to the ground. He ended up with his legs bent but he quickly stood up fully and looked ahead, determinedly.

After walking a few meters towards the black-haired woman, he finally decided to reveal his presence.

"Dante!" he called out, almost demandingly.

Dante widened her eyes curiously and turned around to face the voice that had called her. She smiled at the teen, humbly. "Well, if it isn't the young Prodigy. Good to see you're back" she said kindly.

Ed walked up to her and bowed, respectfully, though unwilling, and then stood upright once more.

"Did you take care of you little friend and brother?" Dante asked.

"Yes; they died a…exceptionally bloody defeat" Edward replied maliciously as he clenched his Automail fist in front of him and grinned victoriously.

Dante chuckled evily. "Good" she praised him. "Now you can make me my stone without any distractions" she explained, obviously excited.

"Of course" Ed granted, falsely. "I have but one question before we begin, though" he said curiously.

"Well" Dante contemplated. "You've done your part…I guess you do deserve that much; what is your question?" she agreed.

"I feel nothing but to be in your best interest, Dante" Ed began, misleadingly talking his way through but sounding rather convincing. "Which is why I worry…how exactly do you plan for me to make you your stone?" he asked, fake worriment in his voice.

"Glad you asked, my young Prodigy" Dante replied as she walked past Ed and stood a few feet behind him.

Ed's eyes never left her.

"Sacrifice" Dante told him casually.

Ed's eyes widened, but he turned stern, nonetheless. "How so?" he forced himself to ask, though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

F----------------M----------------A

Winry watched as Ed jumped off the tree branch and commenced walking towards the mysterious woman known as 'Dante'.

As soon as she was sure he was far enough, the mechanic quietly moved from tree to tree, obviously wanting to follow the elder Elric.

Soon enough, the Alchemist reached the woman and she was hiding behind a tree trunk nearby, listening to every word the two said to each other.

Winry knew very well that Ed was just acting as if he was still hypnotized. He was doing a rather convincing job of lying his way through this conversation, incredibly enough.

"I feel nothing but to be in your best interest, Dante" the girl heard Ed say. "Which is why I worry" he continued. "…How exactly do you plan for me to make you your stone?" he asked the female Alchemist.

"Glad you asked, my young Prodigy" Dante replied as she walked past Ed and stood a few feet behind him.

Winry noted that Ed's eyes never left the woman for a second.

"Sacrifice" Dante replied casually.

Winry, once again, noted that Ed's eyes widened but once again turned stern.

"How so?" the convincing question had the tiniest bit of forcefulness, as if Ed was forcing himself to ask the question.

Suddenly, the air around them turned bitter; almost tense.

"Why Edward, I thought it was obvious" Dante said mischievously as she turned and faced the Prodigy once more. Her violet eyes suddenly held the evilest of looks in them.

"You are the sacrifice"

F----------------M----------------A

A/N: I'm so perfectly evil! -Naughty grin- HAHA! XD Anyway, not much else I can say right now :P please, do me a BIG favor and R&R, constructive criticism, no flames :) thanks!