Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. If I did, the ending to that dumb movie would have never, I repeat, NEVER existed in a million centuries.

A/N: I would like to thank Cerulean-San and Larie-chan for being my first two reviewers! Thanks, you guys!

...This chappie may not seem too great... Please stick with me on this one, I really did try my best to make this chappie go along the path it should go...Personally, I think that my future chappies are better, but please read and review...and without flaming, too, please. ;)

Chapter 3: Startling Events

Voices floated in and out, murmuring at one interval and wholly speaking at another.

"Do you think that she's qualified? I mean, she is out on the streets..."

Qualified...?

"She doesn't hold the look of one that did such a thing yet...neither does the other one."

Wha...?

"And they're both his age, too...whoa, we should have thought of looking here for the sultan's wives long ago. They don't look half bad."

"You're right. Especially this one..." And something very light fingered her hair.

Who...wait ...

The chattering lowered for a minute.

Sultan...sultan's wives?

Her eyes shot open, right into those of two very startled men in soldier garb.

Soldiers...

Winry suddenly sucked in her breath.

No.

She shot out of bed and backed up in the direction of her work table. "Who are you?! What do you want with me?!" Her voice poured over with obvious fear.

"Now, now, don't panic." One of the men raised up his hands to attempt in calming her down. "We're going to take you to a much better place than this, okay?"

"A better place? Do you think I'm stupid?!"

"Winry...what...?" Paninya's head sleepily rose up from her cot. "Who are...they..." Her voice faded along with her sleepiness as she suddenly realized exactly who were in their home.

"Oh great, now the other one's awake too. I told you we should have just bagged 'em and left, but no, you had to confirm first!" one soldier shouted.

"Well, you never know, it's always better to be on the safe side!" the other soldier exclaimed in defense.

"Shut up!" A woman's voice cried, and a soldier suddenly took a speeding object to the head.

"What the- What was that?!" The other soldier looked at the direction the object came from, only to see the blonde he had "inspected" earlier raise her arm in a throwing position.

"Leave. Now." She spat.

"Look, miss, don't-" No more words left his mouth as he was effectively knocked out as well by a speeding screwdriver.

"Hey, you guys got the- whoa, what are you-" another soldier that had come in was now on the ground next to a set of pliers.

"Paninya, come on. We have to get out of here!" Winry quickly scooped out the rest of the tools- which amounted to two- from her toolbox as she spoke and handed a screwdriver over to Paninya, who quickly accepted it.

They both made a run for it through the entrance. Outside, they found a little over half a dozen soldiers standing there, all behind a smiling man with a patch over his right eye.

"Now, now, girls," he started with an easy tone, "don't do anything that could hurt yourselves. The sultan would not appreciate his wives getting bruised."

"Shut up!" Winry shouted again; her panic was strangely emboldening her. "Go back to wherever you came from, you stupid pieces of-"

"And he would not appreciate such words coming out of the mouth of his future bride as well. Get them," the man commanded in a stern voice.

Immediately, the seven men surrounded them, ready to advance. But even while staring back with a face filled with rage, Winry still saw, and was for a moment touched, by the sadness that lingered deep in each of their eyes... As they closed in on her and Paninya, however, she steeled herself for resistance. No matter what happened, she would never give up without a fight.

Without warning, she suddenly placed her arm behind her head, aimed, and catapulted her wrench towards the head of the nearest soldier- all in the amazing time period of three seconds or less. He went down without a sound.

Following her example, Paninya hurled her screwdriver into the head of another soldier, and as he went down, kicked the next one coming after her- hard. He fell and didn't move from the spot he now lay on.

Standing back to back with Winry, she smirked. "There's four left. Thinking what I'm thinking?" Winry simply gave a short nod in agreement.

Swiftly, they separated and made a run for it through the many alleyways that surrounded them.

"After them!" a soldier cried.

Paninya laughed as two of the soldiers followed after her. "Catch me if you can!" she called out.

She expertly and effortlessly ducked and flipped over the many obstacles that she knew would hinder these paths, using up almost no energy at all. When she stopped and looked back at the men panting several feet behind her, she couldn't help but smirk. It felt so good to have metallic legs.

As she turned around, however, she was suddenly knocked hard on the head, causing her to fall to her knees. As her world turned dark, she saw the man with the eye patch, sword drawn.

How...?

Winry was not faring as effortlessly as Paninya.

Having real legs instead of mechanical ones meant more energy being used up. But since she practically knew this place like the back of her hand, she had an advantage to go along with that disadvantage.

She ran to the left when she reached a fork in the path, knowing full well that the right one led straight to a dead end. The men following her were just turning the corner when she dove straight into a hole in one of the walls, which was hidden by piles of junk and garbage.

"Hey! Where'd she go?!"

"I dunno, its like she disappeared!"

Though safe for the moment in the deserted building that had been right next to the alley, Winry barely breathed. Any unwanted sound, and the soldiers would be onto her like dogs on a bone.

There was only one problem though. She was quite sure that Paninya had taken the route that also led to this building. Since she had legs made entirely of automail, she should have been here a long time ago. Where was she?

As Winry worriedly contemplated over this, she suddenly heard a new voice alongside those of the two soldiers'. "At ease, gentlemen. What happened to the girl?"

"We're...not entirely sure. This alley looks empty, but we're pretty sure that we saw her turn this corner."

"Then that means she must still be in the area." The man with the eye patch looked around.

"Listen, girl," he called out. "You may be safe for the moment, but your unfortunate friend here isn't."

"Win...get away," a voice groaned raspily. She gasped. 'Paninya!'

"If you step out of wherever you're hiding, I promise that no harm will come to her."

"Sir...you don't mean..."

"We can't kill her, she's a candidate for a sultan's wife!"

Without hearing anymore, Winry hurriedly stepped out of her hiding place. She saw Paninya held up by her short hair, a scimitar held to her throat. Her breathing quickened out of fear. "Don't hurt her," she pleaded.

He smirked considerably. "Smart choice, young lady." The soldiers moved forward and went on either side of her, each taking a firm hold on one of her arms.

"You two!" the leader shouted out to two more soldiers that had caught up with them; supposedly Paninya's pursuers. "Take care of the ones that had fallen. We'll take these two to the palace." Saying so, he easily flipped Paninya over his back and headed towards his destination.

Winry bent her head in despair as they led her to her inevitable doom.

The doors to the sultan's audience hall stormed open.

"Your majesty, we have very good news tonight."

"...Two brides in one finding, Grand Vizier Bradley? You outdid yourself this time."

Winry, whose head was facing down at the floor, slowly raised it to see the owner of the voice that had just spoken.

There, before her very eyes, was the man who would kill her.

The sultan.

He was seated on his throne, legs crossed, and with his head propped upon his fist in an almost nonchalant manner. His eyes, she could see, were the color of burnished gold, and his hair, which fanned across his shoulders, was a golden blonde. His whole body was covered in full robes and trousers befitting one of royal rank. Winry was quite surprised to see that his right hand was one of metal- and poorly designed in comparison to some of her own works, she couldn't help but note.

Though she hated to admit it, especially since she was in the situation she was in right now, she subtly acknowledged that her "murderer" was quite handsome, even with what appeared to be an automail hand.

"Yes, Sultan Edward, we were quite lucky this time," continued Vizier Bradley. "However, these two gave us quite a hassle. There are about five unconscious men that are still being tended to."

"Really..." Sultan Edward glanced at Paninya, who was barely regaining consciousness, and then turned his gaze on her. Winry glared back at him defiantly as their eyes locked. The sultan slowly narrowed his eyes, then broke away.

"Seeing as how the other one is mainly unconscious, I'll marry this one first." He pointed at Winry. "Have her prepared by the servants. I'll just have the wedding tonight."

The servants took her away.

A/N: And there you have it. I hope this chappie wasn't hopeless or anything, and...please review:)