Mustang left the hospital several hours later, disgruntled at the reaction Edward had given him, but expecting it nonetheless. He frowned, climbing into the passenger seat of Hawkeye's car as she started up the engine.

"How'd it go?" she asked quietly, pulling out of the parking lot.

"It was pretty much as expected..."

"Poorly," she confirmed aloud. He knew it wasn't a question, but responded with a nod of the head, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms. The car ride was silent as Mustang thought back to Edward's expression as he broke the solemn news, the pure fear that had shown through his golden eyes before becoming abruptly overwhelmed by anger. Red had tinted the young man's irises and Mustang was shocked an automail fist slammed through the wall instead of his head.

"Sir," Hawkeye asked quietly, startling her superior from his thoughts, "Do you think that he'll leave the case be?" Mustang laughed humorlessly, dropping his hands into his lap and shaking his head.

"Fullmetal?" he asked sarcastically, "No. He'll go at it like a dog with a bone, searching every nook and cranny of the country by himself if he has to. He'll tear whoever took her to shreds in less than a minute and their last image will be of the righteous anger of God staring down at them as silver and gold blur into the darkness of death." Hawkeye glances at him sharply out of the corner of her eye, startled by his callous answer. "His so called morals will fall. And of course," he says, a sarcastic sneer pulling at his visage, "That'll be if he finds her alive and unharmed."

"And if he doesn't?" Hawkeye asked after a moment, afraid for the response.

"The whole country will go down in flames."

As Mustang left, Edward growled at the door, slamming it shut. Although the staff had told him to stay in bed, he just couldn't. Not after hearing news like that. He needed to be out there, looking for her, searching everywhere he could for clues. However, he couldn't. Cough after cough, no matter what he did. He pried himself off of the floor once more, growling louder.

He paced his hospital room restlessly, ignoring the blood trickling down his chin and splattered across the room. Yet another coughing fit overwhelmed him, sending him sprawling to the floor, golden eyes burning with an intensity so deep that his gaze seemed to set the very air on fire. He hauled himself back to his feet, left hand fisted in the thin material of the hospital gown. His real clothes lied underneath of the bed, laying in wait for his escape.

But not yet. As much as he loathes to admit it, he has no idea where to go. Someone took Winry. And he wasn't there. It was his fault, all his fault once more. The world collapses around him as everyone he loves leaves him.

First Al, all his fault, from the very beginning. That damned transmutation had been his idea. All his own fucking idea. He pushed Al when he'd been reluctant, pushed Teacher into taking them on, pushed Granny Pinako to let them stay in there own house instead of over at the Rockbell's home. Even the transmutation at the Gate was his fault. Alphonse had been right, as he always was. He put Edward first, but Edward selfishly went on ahead with the transmutation. If he had listened to Al, considered his words, then they wouldn't be in this situation now.

An image of Alphonse sitting in front of the Gate, blood pouring from the chest cavity of the armor, the ribbon on the helmet (that should have been twirling gently in the nonexistent breeze) weighed down with red sticky clumps, and eyes boring into his core, came unbidden into his mind's eye.

"Damn it!" Half a second later, he withdrew his hand, his flesh hand, from the bathroom door. Splinters littered the floor and a few remained in his knuckles, drawing blood. He cursed again, making to go to the supply cabinet, but halts halfway across the room, stopped by his own coughing. He hunched over, one hand pressed over his mouth and the other pressed firmly into his abdomen, trying to keep in the lungs that felt like jumping ship. After a moment, his knees gave out and he fell to the floor once again. Stuck. Just like Winry.

She came to Central to help him because he was too useless to do anything without her. He stood, but not on his own leg. He carried his burdens, but not with his own arm, not by his own hand. She was the reason he could continue, but he almost wished she would refuse him. Disassociate with him so she wouldn't be in danger. But she refused to do that because he was 'family'. So she was stuck helping him. Stuck risking her life life time and time again for someone who didn't deserve it. And now that damned connection had gotten her kidnapped. He couldn't do anything.

He climbed back to his feet and cleaned and bandaged his hand quickly. The hospital staff would admonish him later, but he could care less. He didn't give a damn about his caretakers of the last year and a half. With a ringing clap, he fixed the hole in the bathroom door like how he'd fixed the hole in the wall from his conversation with Mustang earlier. Blood was left on the wall, smudged from his palms. He looked over the crimson smear, frown tugging at his lips. It was stained now. Just like he was.

She woke suddenly, all at once instead of slowly. For a moment, the darkness terrified her, then she remembered what happened.

Edward! she thought, testing the ropes tying her down slowly and silently Edward! Whoever took me, they can't get you! She continued, feeling a break in the ropes behind her as her pressure plates released. Quietly, she got her arms free before feeling around her. Her right arm twinged and she pressed it close, feeling gently under her port with her right hand. That part of her jumpsuit was gone, torn away. Frowning, she gently held her left hand under her nose. Blood. She was bleeding. Alone in a room, in the dark, away from friends and family, with no idea what to do next.

"Well, well, well..." Someone murmured as light suddenly flooded the room, "What do we have here?" Winry stiffened where she sat, terrified to turn her head to the door. "I'm glad that you're finally awake..." Footsteps sauntered closer, and a hand grabbed her face, forcing her to look up.

"Hello, Miss Rockbell. It's nice to meet you. My name is Kardinal."

"What do you want from me?" Winry spat, glaring at the red-haired woman.

"Oh, I don't need you to do anything Sweetheart. I'm just looking for my husband."

"And who's that?" Winry bit out, tearing her hand out of the woman's hand.

"Oh, it's someone you might know..." Kardinal drawled, stepping back and flipping her crimson hair over one shoulder."

"And...?" Winry prompted, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her husband was probably someone Edward had beaten, sent to jail for committing some horrendous wrong.

"Wolf J. Kimblee," Kardinal purred out. Winry felt her already sunken heart skip a beat. Images of blood, tunnels, mountain storms, and fading into and out of existence.

"I don't know where that murderer is," Winry spat, trying to hide her fear of the woman in front of her, "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you where he is!"

"Well, Sweetie," Kardinal purred out, "I don't exactly need your assistance. I've been getting 'help' from people for years, and every time I get closer and closer. You see, he took my son. And I want him back."

"I don't see how you telling me this is supposed to make me want to help your damn 'cause'," Winry spat back.

"Oh, that's just because I know it'll make you upset. You're so sweet..." Kardinal took a small step forward again, caressing Winry's jaw with one hand and placing the other on her right arm. Winry went to bat the woman's hand away, but suddenly, in almost slow motion, she felt her torso become much lighter on the right and a loud clang rang through the air. Eyes dilating in terror, she looked over. Her right arm had come out. Before she could comprehend what was happening, her left arm came off with the ghost of Kardinal's touch. She looked back up just in time to see a tattooed array on the palm of the redheaded woman's hand.

Terror rose to clot her throat, send her heart fluttering, her eyes darted every which way and she felt the world begin to black out, tunneling far away from her until the only thing she could see was red.

"Oh no, no, no," It was Kardinal's voice, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. "That just won't do. You can't pass out for this, Sweetheart!" The electric blue crackle of alchemy sounded and flew all around her, and time changed around her. Pain raced through her, everything bubbling, shifting, changing. Her very being seemed to explode before being slammed together again, time and time again, repeating over and over. After what seemed to be years, it finally stopped. Kardinal's laugh sounded around her, but suddenly, before anything else could go down, loud bangs sounded from all around.

"GET DOWN!" Winry's heart skipped a beat again, the military had found her! "ALL MEMBERS OF THE AMESTRIAN MILITARY ARE TO BE IMPRISONED ON CONTACT! OFFICERS ARE TO BE SHOT IMMEDIATELY!" Unfortunately, it was the wrong military.

AUTHOR'S RAMBLING REPLIES TO QUERIES AND COMMENTS

Look! A wild author has appeared! I even wrote 1,686 words! 686 words more than what I aim for.

karmadella1234: ...You forgot to give me a hug.

JazmineElric: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! XD

Kiri Natsumi-Tetsuya: Woot! ^^

199: Yay! I gots a hug! ^^ But I left out the most traumatizing talk with Edo~kun here! XD *cackles* But everyone knows what it is, right? And I'm finally done with all of my midterms! It makes me so happy! *squee*