Hi everyone! I've finally got chapter 7 out. It's a pretty long chapter, which makes me happy. ^^ Anyway, thanks to all those people who reviewed and favorited my story! Honestly, it makes me feel sooo good about myself. I love you all! Thank you very much!!!!

By the way, I had a writer's block on this chapter, so if you could read the comments at the end and help me improve this chapter, that would deliciously amazing! Thanks!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Previously:

"You are no brother of mine," Al's eyes blazed, "I never want to see your face again."

He didn't want to leave again – not when he had people waiting for him, even if Roy was the only one left...That only made it worth more to fight against the Truth once more.

The Tales of Germany

Ed flung himself onto the bed, sighing in satisfaction as he stared at the ceiling. He had worked up a sweat with Roy after the incident with Major Riley, had a nice dinner with Roy in the secret suburbs of Central, and he didn't feel the effects of the Gate as much as he had earlier on that day. Now that he had slowed down, his mind began turning, drifting towards one of the things that he had been trying to shove to the back of his head the entire day.

The Truth had given Ed some clues to Adonai's powers. First of all, the Truth said that his alchemy did not pass through the Gate as it did now. Did that mean it was a whole new alchemy? Or was it similar to the alchemy in Xing?

"All is one, one is all…" Ed muttered under his breath. No matter how ancient Adonai's abilities were, there had to be some connection to his own. All that was left was to find it. If he found that, he could find the key to defeating Adonai and getting back to his normal life – if he lived through it all. He just needed that one key…

Ed's left hand curled over his chest. He could feel a gradual tightening, suddenly constricting his ability to breathe. He sprang up, heaving and coughing to clear his airway. As the coughs subsided, Ed peeled away his right hand from his mouth, frowning at the speck of crimson liquid contrasting against the pale white glove.

A couple of knocks on the door and Mustang's quiet voice calling out his name sent him scrambling to hide his glove, ripping it off his hand and shoving it underneath his bed covers.

"Ed, are you alright? I heard coughing," came Mustang's muffled voice from behind the door.

"I'm fine, I'm coming right now," Ed answered hastily, almost regretting it the moment he spoke. His voice was hoarse and raspy – definitely a dead give away. A second later, he opened the door to see a concerned Mustang staring at him. Ed could see him trying to figure him out, but he just shook his head.

"Look, I'm fine. Do you need something?" he asked.

"Just wanted to see how the dorm rooms were working for you. Can I come in?" Mustang suggested.

Ed smirked at him, "You sure that's a good idea? You know of our attraction to each other. Is it a smart idea to be in the same room together?"

Mustang lowered his head slightly so that his forehead touched Ed's, "You tell me."

Ed tilted his face up, his lips mere centimeters away from Roy's. He so wanted to connect, but he could still taste the red iron in his mouth.

"Come on, you big rabbit. I can't guarantee that my room will be as nice as your house," laughed Ed, moving away and pulling Roy towards the bed.

"Rabbit?"

"Of course, have you ever heard that rabbits will die from loneliness? Aren't you the same? You left me not five minutes ago, Roy," said Ed, settling down next to Roy.

"I'm scared that you'll suddenly disappear, Ed. You can't blame me for that, can you? The last time I let you out of my sights, you were suspected to be dead and I had to live with that fact for five whole years. Of course I'll be overprotective for a while."

Ed hesitated, lacing his fingers through Roy's. "I'm sorry. It was painful, wasn't it? I know how it feels – I had to live for five whole years thinking I would never see you, Al, or anyone else again, so I truly am sorry."

"Ed…"

"I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be right back," evaded Ed. He didn't want to talk about Germany quite yet. He was still dealing with Winnie's and Alphons's deaths.

Ed slipped away, leaving Mustang to stare at his back.

Mustang sighed and lay back, gazing at the ceiling as if it would give him answer. The bleach white color reminded him of the days when Edward Elric was just as famous as he was donning those white gloves. Even now, Ed still wore them, covering the mark of his mistake years ago.

Roy could hear the water running in the bathroom. Ed was probably washing his face. He would have to take off his gloves for that, but if Roy's memory served him right, Ed was only wearing one. He quickly sat up. Why was that?

He glanced around and saw a spot of purer white beneath the colorless sheets. He tugged at it, revealing what Ed was missing, only there was something different.

There was blood on it…

What the hell? Did all that exercise rip open Ed's wounds? Why wouldn't Ed say anything about it? Mustang groaned, feeling the familiar twinges of headache coming upon him. Ed just had to make everything so complicated, and for the sake of what? Protecting himself or the people around him? It was so hard to tell now.

That was it. Roy was done playing the nice guy. He was going to get some answers, and he was going to get some now! He didn't care if Ed was ready or not – Roy had waited for so long, was patient so long. If Ed's health was in danger, Roy was willing to be the enemy in order to keep him safe.

When Ed finished washing his face and rinsing out his mouth, Roy seemed to be asleep on his bed. A gentle smile broke out on his features and he crept towards his lover, quietly climbing over him and straddling him. He had planned to attack Roy and have a little fun. As he lowered his face towards him, Roy's eyes suddenly flashed open and he found himself underneath Roy, his arms pinned down above his head by one of Roy's huge hands.

"What are you doing, Roy?" Ed demanded.

"What are you hiding from me, Ed?" Roy responded, his tone just as commanding as Ed's.

"I'm not hiding anything!"

"Then what is this!" shouted Roy, his free hand flinging Ed's bloodied glove around in front of his face, "Did you injure yourself or what? Why won't you tell me, Ed?!"

Ed looked away, "I told you I was fine, didn't I?"

"Why don't I believe you? You know what, forget it. If you won't tell me, I'll figure it out myself," Roy growled. He threw the glove to the side and ripped Ed's shirt apart.

"In any other circumstance, I would consider this kinky, but right now, what the hell are you doing?" hissed Ed, "Let go of me right now, or I will make you let me go."

"You're going to hurt me? Why do I feel like that's not going to happen?"

Something flashed in Ed's eyes. It was as if his eyes had suddenly become a silvery gold. "You don't know what I'm capable of, General," said Ed with that same cold tone that sent shivers down Roy's spine.

"And you don't know what I'm capable of, Colonel," Mustang responded, his expressionless mask in place. Without hesitating or giving Ed any chance to act, he tore off the bandages that had surrounded Ed's body, expecting to see an infected gory wound, but there was nothing. Not even a scar.

"You had a huge gash in your side. I saw it with my own eyes – I treated it. It's only been a day. How in the world is it gone now?" whispered Mustang, running his hands over Ed's lithe body.

"I told you I was fine."

"How…? Then where did the blood on your glove come from? Come clean with me, Ed! I can't help you like this!"

"You can't help me. This is out of your hands."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm just the fucking Truth's toy. Nothing more, nothing less. I have yet to pay my prices, and this is the result of that."

"You made more deals with the Truth? What kind of deals? Does this relate to what happened back at my house?"

Ed laughed mirthlessly, his silvery eyes scaring Mustang more than his lifeless laugh, "I'm invincible, but at the same time, I'm dying. It's ironic, isn't it?"

Mustang felt as though he had been doused with buckets of ice-cold water. "You're dying? What the fuck are you talking about? Don't even joke about this, Edward Elric!"

"Any wound I receive heals immediately, yet at the same time, I am the only one who is affected by Adonai's poisonous powers." Ed stared into Mustang's eyes, "I'm dying, Roy. I'm dying until I defeat Adonai."

"What kind of deals did you make, Ed? What the fuck did the Gate do to you?"

"Even if I told you, what's done is done. You can't fight against what you can't see, Roy, no matter how much you want to."

"Are you telling me to just accept the fact that you are going to die?! You want me to accept it as the inevitable?! You have got to be fucking me. There's no way I will do that, Ed! You know that!" yelled Mustang.

"What can you do?!" Ed hollered back. "The deal has been made. Until I capture Adonai, this is the unchanging truth."

"So you're just going to accept it? This isn't like you, Ed! You have always fought against everything, proving everyone wrong! You have never backed away from anything, not even against the Gate! What changed?!"

"Whoever said I accepted this?" spat Ed, "I've got too much to lose now if I just gave up! I just have to get rid of Adonai and this is all over."

Roy's obsidian eyes seemed to pierce through Ed as he asked the one question Ed had been wondering over and over again since he received his 'mission'.

"Can you defeat him?"

Ed fell silent, closing his eyes as he whispered back, "I don't know…"

The phone rang in the room, but Mustang ignored it.

"You're probably scared, Ed, no matter how you may deny it. That doesn't mean you're weak or incompetent. That just means you're human, and as humans, we're much stronger together than we are alone. You don't have to face Adonai alone. You don't have to shoulder everything alone. I am here for you. Maes, Riza, Jean, everyone will always be on your side. You don't have to fight your battles alone, Ed," Mustang paused, "You are far from weak, Ed. You are so strong that even I feel like I'm going to be left behind soon. In this game of chess between Adonai and you, we are your pawns. Use us as you wish and let us help you win."

"You aren't my pawn to sacrifice, Roy. I've had enough of sacrifices and deaths."

"Whoever said we were going to die? My king, if your command is for us to live, we will survive for you. Stop being so reluctant, Ed. We're much stronger than you give us credit for. Just because you're so amazing doesn't mean the rest of us are dull. I mean, I didn't get my reputation as the Flame Alchemist by doing a few parlor tricks."

Ed couldn't help but feel his chest swelling with love for Roy. Only Roy could be so patient and so understanding of him. If it was anyone else, they would've given up on Ed as soon as Ed started withdrawing into himself. After all that he had gone through, Ed's shield had become perfect – an absolute defense to protect those he held dear in his heart. He had never cared what happened to him. He was a sinner compared to people like Al and Winry. He didn't deserve to be happy and no one else deserved to go through the same things as he did. No one needed to know what burdens he carried. He didn't have the right to deny anyone their joy if he could help it, and he was goddamn sure that being so intrinsic was the best choice, but Roy was suffering because of it. Roy was always left so insecure, so worried about Ed. Roy wasn't weak – he wasn't pure. He had seen his share of the shadows of this world, yet Ed was so frightened to let him in – to see the true darkness – that Roy felt useless, unneeded, and unloved.

It simply wasn't fair to him.

"I'm sorry, Roy," Ed muttered, "I'm sorry."

Mustang sighed, and released his hold on the young man and flipped around so that he lay on his back next to Ed. "What are you sorry for, Ed? You're not at fault here."

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough. I'm sorry I made you upset. I'm sorry for…"

"Ed! Stop beating yourself up. No one is blaming you for not trusting others. You lived in Germany for five years running for your life, apparently. Of course it's going to take you time to trust people again."

"I'm still sorry…"

Mustang tilted his head to look at Ed, "If you really are that sorry, then start trusting me. Start trusting us."

Ed closed his eyes, "I do trust you. I just don't trust myself."

"Why is that?"

"I'm the closest thing to a death god, Roy. I have seen so much of the Truth that I'm like a fucking encyclopedia of alchemy, and because of my recent dealings with Adonai, the Truth felt compelled to heal every wound I receive from here on out until I capture him. I'm invincible, and I'm so scared I'm going to fuck things up like I did when I was a kid. I flew too high then, and I'm going even higher now. This time, the sun is going to burn more than just wings…"

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about you dying on me from flesh wounds then. Even if you're God-like, you're still Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and that will never change. You are my Ed. You're not going to screw things up, because, frankly, I think Al will hit some sense into you before you do anything stupid. How else did you stay alive throughout the years you were in the military here?"

At that, Ed snorted, "So true."

"And no matter how high you go, I will be here to catch you. Don't be afraid to fall. You can trust me. I will cover for you, like old times, so you don't have to worry about your back."

"That is, if you actually start working."

"Is that your command, my king?" laughed Roy.

"If I'm your king, does that make you my queen?" snickered Ed.

"You'd be more suited for that role," grinned Roy, "You're supposed to be the bottom after all."

Ed's jaw dropped open. "Oh, hell no. You did not just go there."

"I believe I did. What are you going to do about it, shorty?"

"I'm going to make you eat feathers," smiled Ed, picking up the pillow.

"That's disgusting, Ed. I'm sure these dorm pillows have mold on them."

"Even better."

"Wait, wait, wait! The phone is still ringing! What if it's something important?"

"Running away?"

Roy smiled sheepishly, "Maybe, but it's a legit reason."

"Fine. Go pick it up. Just know that you have something waiting for you," laughed Ed.

Roy scrambled to answer the phone. It had been continuously ringing for the past five minutes. Either the phone was rigged to be an annoying alarm clock, or someone really needed to get in touch with the two.

"Hello, Roy Mustang speaking," said Roy as soon as he pressed the phone next to his ear.

"Roy! Why the hell didn't you pick up earlier? Do you know how long I've been trying to contact you?" came Maes's loud voice.

"Sorry, I had something to take care of. What do you need?"

"I have more information on Adonai. Can you come back to my house? We can't talk about this over the phone."

"What about…?"

"Al and Winry want to see Ed. They want to apologize." A slight pause and Mustang could hear background noises of someone talking to Maes.

"Hang on. Roy, could you give the phone to Ed? Al wants to talk to him."

"Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Whether it's a good idea or not, I need to talk to my brother. Please give the phone to him, General." Al's unmistakable voice rang with finality.

"I will, but I swear to the Gate that if you hurt him any more, you will not be forgiven."

"I won't forgive myself, General. Now please, put Brother on the phone."

Mustang glanced over at Ed, "Ed, phone."

"What does Hughes want with me?" muttered Ed, dragging himself out of bed.

"It's not Maes. It's Al."

Ed froze. He hesitantly reached over to take the phone from Roy and took a deep breath as he finally answered the phone, "This is Ed…"

Ed hesitated outside of Maes's house. All Al had said was that they needed to talk, but nothing more, and it made Ed even more frightened of what his brother had to say. He had braced himself to be hated, but yet, here he was now, lingering back so he wouldn't have to face it.

Mustang glanced at Ed before knocking. He could see and understand Ed's apprehension of entering the house and facing Winry and Al.

"Ed, you sure about this?" he asked.

Ed took a deep breath, "Yeah, I need that information about Adonai anyway. The more clues I get, the faster I'll become free from that moronic Gate."

Roy rapidly knocked consecutively on the wooden door and within a few moments, it swung open, revealing a very tired looking Hughes.

"It's about time you got here, Roy. What took you so long?"

"If you didn't notice, it's around midnight and cabs aren't out so late," snapped Roy, "Now are you going to let us in or not?"

"Yes, yes. We have lots to talk about," replied Hughes in a hurried tone. His eyes kept flashing around, as if he was expecting someone to pop out any minute.

"Maes?"

"It's nothing. Come on in. Everyone is waiting for you in the living room."

"Everyone?" groaned Ed.

"Including Hawkeye, so don't try to sneak out of this, Ed. She will shoot you. There's already a hole in my wall because Havoc started smoking indoors."

Ed mumbled something that sounded like, "Fuck…" and Roy couldn't blame him. He could understand why Ed felt that way. Even he felt sweat start dripping down his neck at that.

The three of them made their way into the center of Hughes's house where Ed saw Havoc sitting alone on a couch with Hawkeye standing near him, her motherly gaze upon the younger blond. Al and Winry sat on the couch adjacently perpendicular to Havoc's, and though they sat close to each other, it was difficult to tell if they had truly gotten together.

"I heard you were injured, Ed," said Riza, her keen eyes missing nothing, "Though I'd assume you're fine."

Ed nodded stiffly, his posture tense and uncomfortable. No one overlooked his wary eyes staring in his brother's direction. The minute Al made contact with him, Ed's body seemed to become relaxed and confident. It was as if Ed had completely put on a new persona, hiding whatever he was trying feeling behind it.

"Al, you said you wanted to talk?"

"Before we get to what I want to say, I believe you have something to tell us," was Al's short reply.

"I have nothing to say," Ed said softly. "I made that clear the last time I was here."

"What happened in Germany?" Al persisted, asking the one question Ed had been avoiding from the start.

"Lots of things," Ed smiled, his smiling mask in place, "It was quite fun, really."

Everyone was a picture of genuine surprise, especially Alphonse. Out of all their years of knowing Edward Elric, the spontaneous spur of emotions, he had never once mastered the same detachment as Roy Mustang, and yet here he was, surpassing even the Flame Alchemist.

"Don't lie. Tell us what happened, Ed," snapped Winry, "You owe me that much."

"I don't owe anyone anything," came the quick retort.

"What is with you?" demanded Winry, jumping up from her seat in anger. "From the time you've come back, you've become a whole new person! What happened to the old Ed? What happened to the Ed who cared so much about everyone and never hurt other people if he could help it?"

Ed paused, and then with that unchanging smile, his chilling response made even Winry's mouth to snap shut. "That Ed died four years ago."

"Look, we're trying to be understanding. How can you expect us to accept what you've done to us if you don't tell us why you're acting this way? You come back ridiculously strong and fast; you have a serial killer that's after your life; and you become a different person! What do you expect us to think? The more we guess, the worse it becomes for the both of us, so start talking now, Edward Elric!" yelled Al, getting to his feet as well. The look of hurt and rage on Al's face completely shattered any resolve that Ed had.

"How do you know you won't hate me more after learning the truth, Al?" asked Ed, his eyes pleading – no begging – to not be forced to talk.

"You're my brother, no matter how horrible you may act. You've sacrificed so much for me in the past – I can only assume you doing something of the like again. Why else would you look so tormented?"

Now it was Ed's turn to be surprised. Honestly, he was such an idiot. He just had to make things so fucking complicated because he was afraid of what? Al was his brother – they had gone through hell and back together. Al wouldn't just hate him, no matter how big of an asshole he had become. Still, Ed felt responsible for stealing Al's happiness, or whatever it could've been. If he stayed or got any more involved, what would the consequences be?

"Ed, why are you hesitating?" whispered Mustang. "This is your chance to fix everything. You said so yourself – you can't fight against what you can't see. How do you expect Al and Miss Rockbell to protect themselves from whatever danger you see if they don't know what to look out for?"

"Why are you pushing this, Roy? You of all people should know about all the true meaning of withholding information."

"Not like this, Ed. Not like this..."

Ed sighed, his shoulder's dropping in defeat. "Where will I even start? Five years is a long time."

"How about you sit down, Ed?" suggested Mustang, "You're going to have to tell us anyway. You might as well start."

Ed glared at him, "Your damn curiosity is going to kill you one day."

"You will be the death of me," corrected Roy, "Now sit down and start talking."

Ed huffed, that single phrase rousing the bloodied memories, and sat down on the single chair directly across from Havoc, crossing his arms and looking extremely pissed. Havoc shifted uncomfortably under Ed's glare until Roy sat down next to him. Hughes pulled up two more chairs for himself and Hawkeye, placing themselves next to Roy and Havoc respectively.

Havoc looked around nervously and out of reflex pulled out a cigarette, lighting it like it was second nature. Riza was about to shoot the foul thing out of her boyfriend's mouth, but before she even had a chance to pull the trigger, it was gone.

"You really shouldn't be smoking, Havoc, in a house where there is a child present. Hughes would kill you if Elysia gets asthma," said Ed, lightly, the extinguished cigarette in his hand.

Havoc's mouth dropped open. "H-how'd…?"

"How in the world did you do that without us even seeing you?" demanded Riza, finishing what Havoc couldn't.

Roy looked at Hughes who just shook his head, "I don't know either. Honestly, I was surprised too when I saw him move so quickly when we returned."

"Germany," replied Ed. "The atmosphere there is much, much heavier than it is here. Almost three times as heavy. When I arrived there, it was difficult to do anything. My body felt sluggish and I had problems breathing after just walking for two minutes. It was like I had been thrown underwater and was forced to adapt to those conditions, which in a way, was true."

It was just like that that Ed started his tale, "My timing there was terrible. Germany had started to rise in power and was obsessed with becoming the number one superpower there. I obviously didn't know anyone there and I couldn't survive without money, so I sought out the one man that I knew had arrived there before I did. It wasn't that difficult to find Hohenheim. Knowing him, he had gone up the ranks of the government and was acting as a personal advisor the leader of the country. As soon as we met, he used his connections to place me in the military."

"Ed," said Hohenheim, "Are you sure about this? The military here is different than that of Amestris. You will suffer if you join."

"I don't belong here. I need to return to Amestris. There are people waiting for me! I can't find out anything if I don't join! Stop patronizing me, old man! You're the fucking advisor to the fucking dictator! Who are you to tell me these things?" Ed yelled.

"I chose to become his advisor to keep myself safe! You don't know anything! Listen to me, Edward. It is because I am his advisor that I can tell you that you will only be used for their selfish reasons! You will truly become a dog of the military!"

"I will be using them for my selfish reasons as well. This is something I need to do, so just get me in, old man!"

"Fine, I'll do it," snapped Hohenheim, "Just don't lose yourself, Ed. I have seen many young men like you disappear entirely."

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'll be fine."

Ed never knew how much he would regret saying those words – to regret even thinking so naively. Germany wasn't Amestris. Not even in the slightest…

He laughed slightly, "It's ironic, isn't it? I had always hated being a dog of the military, but I still end up becoming one even after 'death', but it was there, I learned the true meaning of being a 'dog'. No one in Germany was lenient with me. No one covered me – no one was looking out for me except for myself. I couldn't freely research what I wanted and I couldn't back out of missions. No matter what the mission entailed, I had to carry it out perfectly or face the consequences. My naïve ideals served nothing more than a burden because, unfortunately, the military recognized the talents I had here. I wasn't just intelligent. After training so hard to be able to move freely, I had become increasingly more powerful, especially with my automail. They placed me in a camp where they trained all of us to become first-class assassins."

The cold, barren land filled with blood…the cries of pain of the people around him echoed in his ears, in his dreams and in his mind when he was awake. Every minute, someone was losing their sanity, losing their humanity, and losing their lives, and Ed was no different. Out of the hundreds of specially selected candidates, at the end of the camp, only Ed and a few others survived the training, though they had completely died on the inside. However, in the end, every other candidate committed suicide or had an 'accident'. They were all considered imperfect and disposed of. Ed didn't know whether he was lucky or unlucky to have survived…

"I could be a merciless killer, I could be the most successful politician, statistician, negotiator – I could be anything they wanted me to be, as long as I could slyly break into their databases to research for a way to return here. In the end, after I carried out a numerous assassinations and destroyed an entire base single-handedly, they placed me in their secret engineering program where they built weapons to kill. They couldn't risk such obvious movements anymore, and though I could commit a murder stealthily, taking down that base in such a manner was the last straw and I was quickly transferred. They didn't want to lose me after all…"

"By this time, I had become so strong, fast, and effective at killing that I couldn't even recognize myself in the mirror anymore. I had completely lost myself in the three years that I was there. I even forgot my purpose of why I agreed to do such things – I had thrown away more than my ideals. It wasn't until I was transferred that I suddenly remembered everything."

Ed stepped into the heavily guarded doors to see huge machinery and hear the buzzing of voices and equipment working in the background. He saw a flash of a familiar colored hair and he unconsciously approached the young boy. Memories flittered across his mind – the ugly, the beautiful, and the longing…

"Al?" asked Ed.

Brownish eyes stared at him, "Do I know you?"

Ed cleared his voice, "I'm sorry, I'm the newcomer. I'm Edward Elric," he introduced himself to his little brother's counter-part. He knew that this wasn't his Al, but it was close enough. Ed had been so lonely, so lost, that anyone would do in his pitiful little world.

"I'm Alphons Heindrich," smiled Alphons, "But call me Al. Everyone else does."

Another nostalgic figure came rushing by, yelling, "Al, get back to work!"

"In a minute! Newcomer!" Al shouted back.

The golden, long-haired, blue-eyed beauty stopped in front of him. She was just wearing a black sports bra and khakis, but her figure definitely didn't make it look bad. "Newcomer? Hi! I'm Winnie Stonebell. Who are you?"

"Edward Elric," Ed smiled. Two familiar faces – two of the faces he had wanted to see the most.

"Nice to meet you, Edward."

"Ed, please. And it is nice to see you too, Winnie," Ed responded, smiling for the first time in three years.

"Alphons Heindrich and Winnie Stonebell were my partners for the project. Their personalities, speech, mannerisms all reflected Al's and Winry's from this world. We couldn't help but feel drawn to each other. We even decided to room together, renting a house for the three of us. Even as we grew closer, I constantly wondered why such generous souls were working in a place that was creating the weapons that caused all the deaths around us, but I learned later that they didn't know what these weapons were used for. They had been lied to by the government into thinking that they were 'saving' lives. Of course, they didn't go through the same things as I did, so I knew more. I never wanted them to find out the truth either. If they could just stay pure and innocent, it was enough for me to keep on living a lie in front of them, no matter how difficult it was."

"Unfortunately, Winnie had fallen in love with me and was constantly poking and prodding around in my past. At this time, I was still carrying out secret missions along with my project – mostly assassinations – and Winnie had followed me one night. I had to tell her everything after she saw me covered in blood and she, in turn, told Al. They never turned away from me though, no matter how dirty I was. In fact, they started conspiring against the government, trying to find a way to free all of us. I warned them against it – the military had strictly forbidden any information to leak through. Every time someone did, they ended up dead, but Winnie and Al never listened. Slowly, they brought back my humanity and I began fighting against the military's hold on me."

"I guess it was my foolishness that led to the massacre afterwards. In my fourth year there, I was sent to kill a little girl who looked so like Nina. I just couldn't do it and I ran away. Winnie and Al accompanied me, but now the military was on our tail with every intent to silence us. We managed to avoid them for a while with my skills, but they caught up with us and there was a scuffle. Only two of us managed to get away alive."

"Winnie! Wake up, please!" cried Alphons, dragging her limp body away from Ed. The bullet that was meant for Ed had buried itself in Winnie's heart.

"Why…?" breathed Ed, the guilt and remorse building. Winnie was dying, all because he wasn't careful enough. Why didn't he notice the soldiers hidden in the shadows?! His instincts had never failed him before! Why now, at such a critical time?!

"Because…" Winnie whispered with her last breath, "I…love…you…"

That was all…her eyes closed and her body completely relaxed in death.

"Winnie! Winnie!" sobbed Alphons.

"Winnie…" whispered Ed, his entire body and mind numb, "Winry…"

"Winnie sacrificed herself to save me and we had to leave her body behind in order to save ourselves. Alphons never recovered from it, for he had loved Winnie longer than I had even been there. He never forgave me, but he still stood by my side in Winnie's memory. He often told me that he was only helping me because Winnie would have wanted this. He shouldn't have done so. He should've known that death and misery followed me everywhere. He didn't survive another fight, killed by the very weapon that I had created."

"Al, hang on! I'll get some help for you right now!" Ed yelled, trying to stifle the flow of blood from Al's stomach. Why in the world did he had to create a weapon whose bullets would explode upon impact? Now Alphons was dying from it!

"It's…too late," coughed Al. "Ed, I know we had our differences, but you have always been like a brother to me. Live, Ed. Live for Winnie and me…"

"You're living with me! Don't give up now, Alphons Heindrich!"

Al choked out blood, "Run, Ed. Run and survive…"

"Al!"

Ed slowly withdrew his hands. They were covered in Al's blood – covered with his guilt and sadness. He brought them to his chest and clutched them there, curling over Al's body and sobbing his heart out.

He had lost everything that had mattered in this world – he had lost his little brother.

What else was there to live for?

'Live Ed, live for Winnie and me…'

He couldn't die yet. He couldn't just end everything right there. It would only mean that Alphons and Winnie had meaninglessly died.

He had to live…to suffer and repent for all that he had done and taken. For all the sins he had committed…

He was once a sinner and would forever remain a sinner…

"I spent the last year in Germany fighting for every minute of my life. I killed so many people that I was always covered in blood, and it no longer was just the military that was after me anymore. The government had placed a huge bounty on my head, and stupid people came seeking wealth and fame. I couldn't let them go and risk being caught. I had too much too lose because I had finally gotten a tip from my father that he had discovered a way return me here."

"I secretly met up with Hohenheim and he managed to bring me back, along with all my memories and skills. I have to live everyday with the fact that I killed Winnie and Alphons with my stupidity. Everyday, I have to live with the fact that I killed innocent people in cold blood. It makes me think every single minute I am living now, what if I never showed up? Would Winnie and Al have lived? Would they have gotten together like they were supposed to? Would all those meaningful lives I took have accomplished something larger?"

What if I stayed here? Would my presence screw with the wheels of fate?

"Now you know the whole story. Do you feel like you need to dig up any more details?" asked Ed quietly, not making any eye contact with anyone.

Silence had fallen in the room. No one made a noise or movement. All eyes were captured on the young, anguished man. No one had expected this – the Fullmetal Alchemist who never killed had become an assassin?

Slowly, Ed raised his golden eyes to look at Al. "Al, I have seen the Truth more times than I would like to say, but I know that if I never committed that sin, if I never chose to revive our mother, your destiny wouldn't have been twisted as it is now. You were always meant to be with Winry, and Winry was always meant to be with you. You two will only find true happiness if you are together."

"What would happen if we weren't?" asked Winry.

"Let's just say, history will repeat itself. Look, I'm not pushing you two together. You don't have to. You have the right to choose your partners. I'm just saying that being with me – even being near me, is not a good idea. Winry, you don't really love me. Remember your childhood feelings for Al? Remember how that suddenly changed when he lost his body? Just think back – Al has always loved you. Why not give him a chance?"

Winry looked at Al, and then back at Ed. She closed her eyes, searching her soul and heart. She remembered those happy days where everyone was still together and innocent. She remembered being lost in those golden eyes, but even more so by the gentleness of the brown eyes of Al. When was the last time she truly looked into Al's eyes? When was the last time she looked at Al like he was truly 'human'? She had been so hung over Ed – hung over his admirable determination and perseverance and his automail. Could it be true that she had been mistaken? That through the years that Al had been a suit of armor, she had forgotten her love for him over the fact that Ed was more human body-wise?

She opened her tear-filled eyes, "I'm sorry, Al. I'm such an idiot." She couldn't believe how shallow she had become…She had always loved the two of them, but she couldn't decipher if it was brotherly love or true love. It was difficult to see past the armor and remember what Al had truly looked like or see the gentleness that she had fallen in love with. "Will you forgive me?"

Al smiled, "You have nothing to apologize for, Winry, but I do." He turned to his brother, "I'm sorry I overreacted earlier. Once I calmed down, I knew that you acted that way for a reason, though I never expected what you told me, but Brother, you're such an idiot! Don't you dare think that you being around will end up screwing us up! Nothing was your fault! It was just bad circumstances!"

"Everything was my fault! I let myself become too involved!"

"You were lonely! Of course you'd let yourself become close to people!"

"I am a murderer! I had no right!"

"You didn't choose to become one!"

"I did! I chose to kill people just so I could return here! The Gate only deemed me 'sinless' because it doesn't see into the world of Germany, but I am no different than the Homunculus who created the Philosopher's stone!"

"Edward Elric, you are nothing like the Homunculus," said Mustang, his voice hard, "You never enjoyed killing and you would never commit a murder on a pleasure whim. You may have killed numerous of people, but I have too. Does that mean I'm the same as you? Does that mean we're just as bad as King Bradley or Envy?"

"I…!"

"You killed to survive, but you're paying the price with your nightmares, am I right? You will never forget the faces of the people you killed – that is the consequence. That is what makes you human."

Ed flinched at the mentions of nightmares. Mustang could only see the surface of Ed's fear of sleeping. He may have killed people in a war, but Ed killed people before the war even started. That had to be more scarring…

"Speaking of prices," Ed murmured, his instincts telling him to prepare for something, "Winry, could you fix my automail soon?"

"Of course. I have all my stuff with me right now."

"Good. You think you can fix everything in a couple of hours?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Oh, nothing much," shrugged Ed, "But I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot of furious battles from here on out."

"What do you mean?" asked Hughes.

Ed's strangely silvery-gold eyes sent shivers down Hughes, Riza, and Havoc's spines, but his response was even more unnerving.

"I may be a murderer and a despicable person, but I will be damned before I let anyone else die before me again. My time is running out, and Adonai is waiting for me. It's time I ended this petty fight."

"Unfortunately, it won't be that easy," said Hughes, his glasses glinting in the light, "Remember how I said I had something I discovered? Adonai has apparently created a personal army with whatever the hell alchemy he uses – an army of chimera. All State Alchemists will be rounded up today at noon to battle them."

"Chimera?" questioned Mustang, "As in, the mix between humans and animals? Or animals with animals?"

"No one really knows. They just have witness reports that the chimera looked extremely similar to humans."

Al and Mustang shot a look at Ed. They both knew his disgust and fear towards human based chimera. It reminded him too much of Nina, but Ed's emotionless face never changed. Not even a trace of horror.

"Ed, what are you going to do?"

Ed's head was spinning. Why would Adonai create chimeras? Adonai was powerful enough to wipe out the city. Why would he need to use tools? And why chimeras? If his alchemy was so abnormal and potent, why not create more powerful creatures? Unless…

"My power grows weaker with each moment Adonai Negrescu runs loose in Amestris…"

Did that mean Adonai's powers were tied with the Truth's? As the Truth grew weaker, did that mean Adonai's would as well? Something clicked in his head. What if Adonai was one with the Gate in the first place? It made sense! That was why the Truth and Gate couldn't bring him back on their own. They couldn't fight against themselves! That was why he didn't obey the rules of alchemy today. He didn't need it. If Ed could transmute without a circle, Adonai could do so much more. Just a simple connection with any part of his body would set off a reaction. Still, a snake could not live without its head or its body, and he was dying as fast as Ed was. He didn't have much strength left, but the longer he stayed in Amestris, the weaker both he and the Gate would become. However, if that did happen, alchemy would cease to exist, which would mean that Ed would be long gone. Ed had an uncanny feeling that Adonai was only killing high-ranked State Alchemists to see who was powerful enough to stand up against the Gate and save him from perishing. Unfortunately, Ed was the only one in Amestris that could help him, and Adonai knew this. Ed was also the most unwilling to help. Ed could only conclude that the chimeras were only a distraction while Adonai tried looking for a way to survive and get rid of Ed without interacting with him. If Ed got past them, he had Adonai in his hands.

"Ed?" called Mustang, waving his hand in front of Ed's face, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Sorry, what?" he responded, his eyes focusing.

"What are you going to do?" Roy repeated.

At this, Ed couldn't help but feel the triumphant smile spread across his face. "What I always do. We fight our way through."

Havoc sighed, "I was worried you would say that…"

"Hughes, how many chimera are reported to be in Adonai's army?" Ed continued, his intelligent mind forming strategies already.

"Hundreds," Hughes responded.

"How many State Alchemists are available?"

"Quite a few. Almost all the enlisted men."

Ed's bright teeth flashed. "Good."

Al whimpered, "I never liked that look on your face…you're going to wreak havoc, aren't you, brother?"

Ed laughed. "It's time to break free and go wild."

At this, everyone groaned.

Ed merely laughed harder. Adonai was going down, and Ed was going to make sure of it.

Adonai would never touch his loved ones. History would not repeat itself, now that Ed had figured out Adonai's secret.

The hunted had become the hunter. It was definitely time to kick some ass.

Hope you all enjoyed chapter 7! I have to say, I have quite a few difficulties in this chapter. One: to get Winry to somehow fall in love with Al and give up her love for Ed. I have no idea how I did on that, so if someone could give me pointers or some comments on that, that would be awesome! And two: Did that part describing where Adonai's powers make sense? Did it contradict with something I said before? I'm totally writing this spontaneously, so I'm not planning ahead, which would normally result in contradictions everywhere. If there are contradictions, PLEASE tell me.

Overall, this chapter was so ridiculously hard to write, so I am sorry for taking so long getting this out. Oh, and Ed is ridiculously fast because the atmosphere is lighter in Amestris than in Germany, and his body was conditioned to move quickly in Germany, therefore in Amestris, he's at least three times as fast, in case you didn't get that. I pretty much just breezed through that...

Anyway, now that I've finally gotten Ed's time in Germany over, I can finally write about that parts that I have thought of before - I love fights and action, though I'm pretty bad at writing them....

Chapter 8 will hopefully be coming up soon. I promise that it'll come soon. After December, I'm going to have so much time to write and hopefully finish this story, so please bear with me once more. ^^

Again, please read and review!! Reviews always make me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside. ^^

~ Kanae Yuna ~