Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist is owned by Hiromu Arakawa, not little 'ol me. . .

Note: Kya! I was supposed to be updating my Naruto fic! NOT THIS ONE! Damn it. . .I'm sucked into my own story! I might lose my life for doing this, but, my dear FMA fans, here is another chapter to my fic. I think it's pretty good and fulfilling, but hey, that's up to you. Wait a sec. . .What's the loud noise? -Glances behind her in pure horror- ACK! It's an angry hoard of Naruto fans, and they have weapons! I'm doomed!

-Runs for her life screaming at the top of her lungs-

I'm too young to die!

Moving on, I'm sorry this took so long to get here, but I'm not the one to blame! School is! That retched place that takes away authors from their computers and forces them to go shopping before it starts, and to class when it does, TAKING UP HALF MY DAY! GRRRRR-I HATE it! Forgive me though. . .I probably could have tried writing after school, but with it being over 100 degrees every friggin day, I just feel drained at the end. . .Well, I hope you like this chappy and I'll try my hardest to post the next one at a reasonable time. (Like a week or so?) I still haven't updated my Naruto Fic after about a month. . .My fans are probably pissed as you could see above.

Chapter Seven : Punishment

Thick, dark clouds filled the sky, covering the land underneath it with a wide blanket of darkness. To those of who were outside however, had taken little notice to it, if at all. The atmosphere was much too heavy for anyone to pay attention of the weather, especially for a group of three men who seemed to be by themselves on the quiet streets of the town.

"Oh?" Tobias cooed, licking his lips and bending forward slightly," You want to have a fight? And my pet being the prize? How gracious of you, dear brother! I will make sure as to not loose then."

Edward felt a chill slither up his spine, bringing his attention to his situation, and possible reunion with the malicious man before him."Y-You can't be serious Colonel? What if-" he began, his gaze falling desperately on the raven haired man at his side.

"I will not loose, nor will I let him take my subordinate from me right before my eyes!" Roy responded sternly, his tone expressing revenge rather then protection.

Edward was taken back, having not expected a response at all, let alone one that was dripping with hate. Backing away from the two older men, Ed leaned against a building opposite of them, feeling powerless and a little mad that he was the "prize" of this battle. After all, this was a fight between Roy and Tobias, between two brothers that hated each other, how could he try to intervene? Furthermore, for whatever reason, if he were to have a fight with Al, he wouldn't want anyone interrupting him either; that alone kept Full Metal from arguing.

Mustang and Tobias stared at each other, leaving no room for discussion as the atmosphere thickened, forcing the Fire Alchemists legs forward. Charging, he slipped on his other white glove, having already put one on for the night's previous events, and brought his two fingers together. Just as The Colonel was about to let his flames sore, a large man staggered between the two brothers; his hair was pointing to the sky, blonde as the sun, and many earing and metal decorations were hanging from his ears.

Roy stopped in his tracks, both of the men taken back; even Edward lunged off the wall he had leaned against, having recognized the mans appearance immediately. The Colonel had remembered as well and jumped backwards, giving him and the man distance.

Tobias smirked, letting out a small laugh that either expressed regret or relief, and said,"Well, looks like were not going to have the chance at a proper duel today Roy! Regretfully, I'll leave you and my precious pet to this one. See you!" and with that, the sadistic man disappeared from both the Majors and the Colonels view.

Edward slowly approached Mustang, placing his hands together cautiously, neither of them taking their eyes off the unstable man.

"Y-You - The tall one - I saw you! You did it! YOU KILLED OUR LEADER!" The man with a Mohawk screamed, lifting a finger to his chest, pointing at himself,"I - Lamel - will avenge our leader and kill you!"

Roy let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, glancing down at the small alchemist,"Do you want to take care of this one? I'm tired. . ."

Edward's eyes twitch, and in an agitated tone he responded,"Fine. . .Colonel" With that said, he slapped his hands together and swiped it over his automail, exposing the usual knife, and charged forward. What surprised the both of them was the shocked expression in the mans eyes, causing Ed to fall back.

Waving his arms frantically and saying in the most polite of voices,"I-I'm sorry! I was just kidding! 'Didn't think you'd take me seriously!" After his sudden outburst, with his tail between his legs, Lamel ran off into a nearby alley way and disappeared out of sight.

A tiny laugh escaped the Colonel's lips, stating,"Well. . .Looks like we don't have to worry about that one starting things up again? Let's get back shall we-" He was cut off when he noticed the sudden exhaustion in the blondes face. "What's wrong?"

Full Metal turned slowly to face Mustang, his gaze distant and scared,"Y-You were going to fight him. And you were going to have to hand me over to him if you lost! HOW COULD YOU BE SO-so. . ." Before he could finish, his body stopped him, forcing his small form forward unto the ground.

Roy jumped, running over to the boy's side and lifting him into his arms. When his exotic eyes caught a glance at the red color forming in the small alchemists cheeks, he sighed,"Since when have you had a fever?" Receiving no answer, Mustang put aside his curiosity and began to walk off toward their apartment, knowing very well both of them needed the rest, especially Ed.

The night seemed to pass quickly, causing the daylight to be something of a dreadful presence. Mustang inched his tired eyes open, leading his sight to the bed in which he had set the blonde down the night before. He became more awake when he noticed the lack of a body on the cushioned platform, and shot out of his seat, falling back into the chair faintly.

"If you stand up too fast you can get a head rush, Colonel." stated a joking, yet pleasant voice from behind Mustang. The older man spun around and locked his gaze with out-and-about golden eyes.

"Since when do you wake up before me?" Roy asked, sliding a hand through his hair and actually getting to his feet this time as he stood up.

Edward thought for a moment,"Since when do you know my sleeping patterns?" he questioned back, not answering the man's question.

The dark haired man sighed, not feeling up to a good argument, and walked over to the kitchen. Having had the blonde's eyes taken off of him, Mustang reached a hand over and placed his large palm on the boy's forehead.

"W-What are you-" Ed began, cut off by the Colonel.

"You still have a fever. What are you doing cooking?" he questioned, his expression stern but slightly worried.

The small alchemist looked down into the boiling pot of soup, at least that's what the Colonel assumed it was, and responded,"I felt like it. Is that alright with you? Or do I need your permission first? Wait, that would assume I'd ask if it was okay in the first place, without doing it just because I was hungry. . ."

Somehow, and with little thought, Mustang had connected the boy's words with the events of the previous night."Look, I know I put you in the middle of it, but that fight was very important to me-"

"It was to me too! Tobias - That monster - has done a few things that I don't like as well! Especially. . .especially..." The boy's voice trailed and came to a striking halt.

Wincing at the mention of his brothers name, Roy stared down at the blonde,"Especially what?" He questioned, Receiving no answer, continuing with,"That night I found you in the alleyway right?"

Edwards hand moved faster then Mustang could see, slamming against his pale skin as hard as it could, forcing a small whimper to escape the Colonel's lips."The automail hand too. . ." He muttered, before cut off by spats of anger.

"Didn't I tell you what happened that time already? It was a fight with some street punks! Just a simple fight!" The scenes of that night began to replay in the blonde's mind, Ed's face shock-struck, he threw his hands over his ears in an attempt to block images out."N-NO! Damn it! Get out of my head!"

Roy panicked,"W-What the-" He muttered, tightly grasping the blonde's shoulders and shaking him slightly."What's wrong?"

As if he hadn't heard Mustang speak, Ed fell to his knees, continuing to scream the same thing."Get out of my head!" The Colonel had unwillingly been forced to the ground as well and stared at the boy awe-struck.

Feeling his heart pound against his chest, a light nervous sweat dripping down his cheeks, Mustang watched Edward, his expression filled with helplessness. The only thing he felt he could do was comfort Full Metal, but since when was he the comforting type? Pulling the small, shivering form close to his large frame, Roy held Edward tightly against him, for the second time in his life.

What am I doing? Why does this kid always make me do these things? Mustang thought, ignoring his confusion by tightening his grip on the boy as if he'd vanish if he let go.

Golden optics shot open and stared at the shoulder that was pressed lightly against his face. The warmth that came from the strong arms that wrapped around him and the body that he could feel breathing against him, stopped the thoughts of Tobias flowing through his mind. Without even thinking about it, Edward had brought his much small arms around Roy and began to hold him back, closing his eyes and resting his blonde head on Mustang's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. . .I yelled at you, for the millionth time." The Major stated, unable to hold in a laugh with his own words.

The Colonel smirked, softening his grip, if only a little,"I don't care, I've gotten used to your voice at high volumes by now. I should've brought up my damn brother again, I know you hate it. . .I just couldn't help it."

Ed could hear the honesty in the older man's voice and found that any anger he had left had dissipated, grasping the Colonel's shirt with both of his hands. He was surprised when Roy pulled him away and locked his dark brown gaze with his. Full Metal was about to ask what was wrong but, before he could, he was cut off by the Colonel's smile.

"W-What. . ?" Edward asked, feeling a blush escape his cheeks as he averted his eyes from the handsome picture on the man's face.

Pushing off the ground, causing Full Metal's hands to fall from their resting spot on his chest, the Colonel got to his feet and walked to the chair he had been sleeping in and sat down, leaving the blonde with no answer.

The Full Metal Alchemist let out a breath he was quite aware he was holding, lowering his head to stare at the floor, where his hands clasped tightly in his sights. After a moment, Ed stood up and glanced in Mustang's direction, his attention quickly pulled away with the scent of fire. Gasping and practically tossing the pot off the stove at the expense of burning himself, Ed shut off the blue flames and began to fan it off with a nearby towel. Roy glanced over at the scene, laughing to himself, then walked over to the boy's aid, snapping his fingers and basically beating fire with fire.

Ed blinked, inhaling some of the dark smoke, and coughed slightly as he brought his gaze onto the Colonel.

Mustang smirked,"Can't do anything without me can you?" he quarried, taking hold of the blonde's burnt hand and stared at it."Always hurting yourself. . ."

Edward was about to argue when the Colonel's soft lips brushed against his hand, exposing the older man's tongue as Roy licked the burnt surface. Flushed and still with a fever, Full Metal winced in pain as the cold saliva stuck to his skin, causing his body to wobble somewhat.

Noticing the weak behavior, Mustang snatched the towel from the boy's grasp and tied it around his palm, dragging the blonde to the bed and tossing him on the comfortable surface.

"I don't want to see you up and about until I see that fever of yours disappear. That's an order!" The Colonel demanded, walking into the kitchen and pulling out some fresh kitchenware to cook himself; since he lived by himself, Roy had learned how to cook quite well, which was one of the reasons women loved him so much, but basically for his looks and military status. Now that he thought about it, with all the attention he received from women, why didn't have one? And why was he more concerned about the blonde alchemist he shared the room with, rather then finding a girlfriend, or even wife? Love was not one of Mustang's strong points, even with his power over women, which caused the poor man some concern while he whipped up a decent meal.

Serving the food onto two separate plates, with the proper silverware, the flame alchemist walked into the main room, finding that the Major was asleep and breathing awkwardly, but softly enough to be considered normal, or at least in his opinion. He gently rested the boy's plate on the bed stand and took a seat in the chair he claimed the previous night, slurping away on the bowl of soup he had made. Mustang's expression changed dramatically with the blonde asleep and unaware, turning into one full of hatred and fear.

"I'll get you Tobias, no matter what it takes. . .I won't allow mothers mistake to walk this earth any longer, not after the way she treated me!" He whispered in a tone of aggression, glancing at the bed to make sure he hadn't awoken the boy.

"Even if you don't say it, I know what he did to you. . .It's not like it's the first time. . . ." Mustang mumbled, directing his words at Full Metal but expected no response.

After what seemed like hours, Edward once again regained consciousness, turning over in his sleep to see Roy as he had been the first time he awoke that day.

"How can he look so innocent when he's asleep. . .Then wake up and be so - so, well, himself? I don't get you. . ." He muttered, slowly sitting up and positioning himself Indian style, finding that he began to stare at his hand.

Blushing heavily, Edward shook his head in attempts to forget what Roy had done, but seemed to linger on the memory with a dreamy look in his eyes."I really don't get him. . ."

"Don't get who?"

Ed's heart jumped out of his chest, causing the poor boy to fall off the bed and land directly on his face, butt sticking in the air. When he looked up, he found that Mustang was watching him with an amused expression plastered to his face.

"C-Can't you give a guy some WARNING before you say something! I was thinking and you just-UHG!" The blonde steamed, using his knees as support and getting to his feet, his words both incoherent and rushed.

Roy snorted,"You're such a spaz, you know that? If you weren't so busy talking to yourself you might've noticed that I was looking right at you." He argued, watching as the blondes face contorted.

Edward blushed bright crimson, stomping his feet against the ground as he yelled, letting his arms flap frantically like a suffocating bird. After a few minutes of listening to himself ramble, the blonde finally settled down and sat, cross-legged, on the edge of the bed, with his arms crossed in sync with his legs.

"So. . ." Ed began, looking everywhere but at Roy, making the Colonel smirk with approval of his obvious annoyance towards the blonde.

"So? We should probably make the announcement of the relocation of these people, before you start pushing them onto the train with brute force for reasons they don't even know. What do you think?" Mustang replied calmly, smirking even wider when he saw the Major twitch.

Finally bringing his eyes to meet the other man's exotic optics, Edward replied through clenched teeth,"That sounds like a plan. . .Bastard..."

With hours of effort, and plenty of complaining, the Ishbal people of the town finally started to evacuate the premises and head off to the train platform. The hassle it took to get each one of the former inhabitants a ticket was enough to ware any normal Major and Colonel out, but for some reason, the two of them were finding strength in each other. . .Or basically their rivalry had kicked in and neither of them would show the other that they were tired. The sun was on the verge of setting when the entire population was within the train, either mad or pleased about the relocation.

Ed was about to step on the train when the Colonel's hand grabbed his collar and forced him back onto the platform, confusing the small alchemist greatly.

"W-what the hell was that for? All because I'm younger then you doesn't mean you have to get on first! Or is this about rank-" The blonde began, cut off by the mere expression emitting from Mustang's face. "What's wrong?"

"We're not getting on this train. When this one leaves, another will soon replace it and head in the direction of Central. We will be taking that one." The raven haired man replied, his voice stern and that of a military man.

Amazing . . . He can go from a child to a Colonel in seconds! Wait a sec - Edward pulled himself out of his thoughts when the other man's words finally processed.

"What do you mean? I thought we had to take them to their new home! Didn't the transcript say anything about escorting?" The blonde yelled in anger, obviously devastate that the tortured people on the train wouldn't be within his sights and possibly in danger.

Roy sighed,"There was nothing about such a task, so calm down Full Metal. Wait here while I have a talk with the "back-up" Central sent us to make sure of the passengers safety." with that said, before Ed could argue, he walked off and pulled a group of men off to the side.

It was strange, Edward hadn't even noticed their presence until that moment, and that was slightly startling to the blonde. Am I losing my touch? How come I didn't even realize - Hold up - Ryan - I mean, Tobias, wouldn't have anything to do with that. . .Would he? He thought to himself, allowing his mind to off into a tangent as to how Roy's brother could manage it. It was only when the loud whistle of the train echoed throughout the station that the boy realized he was on the other side of the area, his suit case in hand.

Glancing upwards, Ed noticed Mustang walking casually at his side, obviously the leader to wherever they were headed. "Where are we-"

"To a phone booth. I need to check in with the "head" to make sure that we have permission to leave this place." Roy replied quickly, cutting the boy off for the millionth time, but luckily with no negative side-effects.

In a matter of minutes, Full Metal was leaning against a wall of the ticket clerk's office, staring at the passing clouds in the darkening sky as he waited for Roy. With 10 minutes of zoning out marked off Edward's Things To Do list, the blonde watched the Colonel sulk from within the phone booth to an empty place on the ticket clerk's wall. The expression the man wore had changed from "I'm the boss, obey me or die" to "If you talk to me I'll snap my fingers and watch your burn, but will allow you to blame it your death on me". The small alchemist was at a toss up whether or not to speak, saved the trouble when the taller of the two spoke.

"I've received permission to leave and head to Central, preferably immediately. Something's. . .happened. . ." Mustang exclaimed, his voice both weary and professional.

Edward wondered for a moment, staring up at the large man in question."What. . .happened?" He asked, aware how unlikely it was he'd receive an answer. Just as he suspected, the Colonel kept his mouth shut, once again leading as they walked back to the main platforms that allowed entry onto the trains.

It was a nerve-racking hour, and one of the most quiet ones in Ed's life, as the two of them waited not-so-patiently for the train to arrive. Once the large transportation device pulled into the station, however, the mood lightened with the peaceful atmosphere of an empty train compartment. Full Metal sat in a seat of his own, resting his feet against the one opposite of him. While Roy enjoyed the empty space with his same, cold look plastered to his face. Ed had decided to let go of all thoughts concerning what the hell the Colonel meant by "something happened" and would enjoy the trip in peace. . .Yeah, like that would happen. For 90 percent of the ride, the blonde contemplated the meaning, but unfortunately came up with nothing. With 10 percent free of thought, Ed glanced at his commanding officer and noticed that the man was asleep, feeling rather tired himself, but he was one of those people that couldn't sleep after someone said something so. . .mind boggling. The caused the rest of the trip to be quiet, and filled with soft breathing of only one of the passengers, while another snored. . . .To Ed's dismay, loudly.

Soft, golden eyes met with the sun of a new day, unaware they had even been closed. "I actually slept?" He muttered. rubbing his eyes of their tired looks and examined the train compartment, noticing the Colonel still asleep, and still snoring quite audibly. For a moment the blonde considered letting him continue to sleep in peace, but after the hell he put him through by saying what he did, the boy wasn't about to let it go without some form of revenge. Quietly, (Though, over the noise Roy was making, Ed could have played the drums, with no sense of rhythm, and still not have woken him up) Full Metal trailed into the buffet cart and prepared a small bowl of water, carefully walking back. When he returned, making sure the Colonel was still asleep, he slipped the bowl of water at the foot of the seat and carefully dipped the raven haired mans hand in the water, leaving it there to soak.

The Colonel should have stayed sitting up, instead of sprawled out like this. . .Works for me though! When I hear him complain about pissing his pants my day will officially have been "made". Ed thought, a devilish smile escaping his lips. The blonde happily walked back to his seat, sitting down just as the train's brakes screeched to a stop. The process woke up Mustang, and caused the man to jerk his hand from the bowl of water, to Ed's displeasure.

"W-Why was my hand in bowl. . .of water?" Roy asked, searching the compartment for the small alchemist.

Leaving his eyes averted, Ed sighed and replied,"I was bored. . ." and left it at that.

Before the older of the two could argue, the conductor walked into their cart and announced that they had arrived at Central and to please leave the train so the other passengers may be on their way. It was strange how, when they had that certain driver, he would always have them leave before anyone else, but the two of them had become accustomed to it.

Upon leaving the train, heading to the exit, the blonde glanced up at his commanding officer and noticed the same cold, distance glare had returned from the previous day. Sighing to himself, the boy remembered about what had kept him up the night before and once again thought through the hidden meaning.

Somehow, beyond Full Metal's comprehension, Mustang had noticed and stated,"You'll find out when we get back to my office. I'd rather not discuss it here. . ." That was about as much as he said within the time it took to get from point "A" to "B".

Edward's heart was racing against his chest as they slowly closed the distance between themselves and the Colonel's office door. He had no idea why, but the idea of "something happened" suddenly came to mind as including him, and in an important way. That alone caused the small alchemist to become nervous.

Before he knew it, the two of them were inside the pale office, the bright sun blocked by an off white curtain, and staring each other in the eye as they sat across from one another.

"S-So. . ." Ed began, keeping his nervousness underneath a well placed mask."What is it that was so important that we had to come all the way to Central for you to tell me?"

Roy, resting his chin on his entwined fingers, sighed heavily before he replied,"There's been an accident, and it has to do with a friends of yours."

The first person that came to mind in the blonde's head was Al, and it was apparent that the Colonel noticed.

"Your brother is fine. He's currently stationed at the hospital with, well, this file here-" Mustang handed Ed a folder that held some pictures and a large pile of paperwork,"- is self-explanatory."

With a nervous sweat beginning down his cheek, the boy took hold of the folder and slowly pealed it open, his eyes widening from both shock and fear. Paper clipped to the front page was a picture of a blonde women; half of her face torn off, revealing the muscle underneath, and her clothes stripped to the undergarments, exposing a sentence, that couldn't be read from the picture, carved into her body from the chest to the lower stomach.

"How did she get like this?" Edward questioned, his voice surprisingly quiet, with his bangs falling into his face as he was no longer able to hide his expression.

The raven haired man took in a deep, not-so-relaxing breath and prepared to explain."Well, we aren't sure of the detail exactly, but from what doctors examining the body can tell us, there were signs of struggle. . .Which means-"

"Which means murder, right?" Edward interrupted, throwing the Colonel off guard.

"Y-Yes, murder."

"How could this have happened? Who would want Winry dead?" The blonde asked himself, his voice trailing off to a tone that sounded like it'd break.

Roy stared at the still form before him, taking in the features that explained what the boy was thinking."Would you like to see her? I'm sure Alphonse will be there. . ."

Edward thought for a moment,"F-Fine. . .He'll probably want to see me anyways."

With no more further discussion, the two of them left the office in complete silence, allowing the Colonel to think things through without the worry of responding.

This isn't right. . .Normally he'd be shooting insults and excuses at me, somehow making it my fault, but he isn't. . .Maybe it's the shock? His mind questioned, his eyes going from the blonde boy to the area infront of him with only seconds in between each glance.

"You know. . ." Came a voice from the Colonel's side, causing the man to nearly jump."Winry was always like a sister to me, despite us not being related. I knew from the moment we met that she'd end up with Al, and that probably made me like her even more, knowing she'd make him happy one day. But. . .never in my wildest dreams-" He winced when he said the word "dream", remembering the one he had that had all his loved ones die,"-did I expect something like this to happen, especially to her."

Mustang found his eyes staring at the small alchemist, nearly causing collisions with numerous people he walked by, but avoided it by inches. For one of the first times in his life, the older man had a loss for words and that unnerved him.

It took less then a half of an hour to reach the hospital, which held a heavy atmosphere over it as the Major and Colonel entered. It was only when they reached the desk that Edward found his voice.

"W-Where's Winry? Winry Rockbell!" He asked, his voice both loud and concerned.

The nurse behind the desk stared at him for a moment wearily, then pointed down the hall and said,"The room to the left after you turn the corner. Alphonse Elric is in there as well, so you might want to wait-"

"He's my brother! And she's my friend! There's no way in hell I'm going to wait out here!" Ed spat, turning on his heels, and stomped off into said direction.

Roy glanced at the nervous woman and reassured,"He's just worried. . .Don't take it personally."

Hearing the man's deep voice, the nurse was instantly in a "swoon mode" and completely forgot her troubles. Mustang let go his thoughts on how potent his power over women was and silently followed the fuming blonde, stopping infront of the room door.

Edward faced Roy and asked,"Can I go in there alone?" his tone was sharp and threatening.

The Colonel nodded and muttered,"I don't really have a right to see her anyways. . .Dead or alive."

Disregarding the older man's words, the small alchemist trudged inside slowly, shutting the door behind him. The room was dark, with only one light shining dimly in the corner that revealed Al's location. Ed immediately felt bad when he noticed that his brother hadn't even bothered to look at him, or move for that matter. Reaching out a hand, and softly placing it on his younger brother's shoulder, the boy stared down at the mutilated figure that used to be his best friend, and sister.

"A-Al. . .We have to be strong and get through this. I know she meant more to you then anyone, but if we break down now, you know Winry would just beat us to a pulp!" Edward said, trying to make his brother speak, or at least look at him, but nothing happened.

"She really would beat us up, wouldn't she?" said a quiet voice, making the blonde jump.

Smiling with relief that his brother had finally acknowledged his existence, Ed replied,"Y-Yeah, she would. How about we go back to our apartment? This is too depressing to look at."

Al nodded slowly, standing his large, metallic body onto it's armored feet, and walked to the door, holding it open for his brother. Full Metal walked passed the younger boy and waited for him, finding Al staring at the deformed figure longingly. With a feeling of guilt filling him, the blonde tugged at his brother's leather hand and dragged him down the hall, ignoring Roy's presence.

The Colonel sighed and walked inside, closing the door behind him as many had done before him. Taking a step inside, snapping the lock to keep his privacy, Roy sat down on the stool that Al had been on moments ago. His dark brown eyes stared at the mutilated women, pulling the blanket down to further examine. Mustang had slipped the sheet to rest below her chest, looking wearily down until the letters "hment" caught his eye, changing his expression completely. It trailed underneath the blanket, obviously carved into the skin, from the chest downward

"This must be what the file was describing. . ." Roy spoke to himself, pulling the sheet to the women's ankles to reveal the entire sentence. As he read it through, his exotic optic widened in shock, stumbling backwards onto the stool. The sentence etched into Winry's body read:

You disobeyed, My Pet, and thus you deserve punishment

The Colonel was unable to tear his eyes away from the bloody scars, "T-Tobias. . ." he muttered, throwing the blanket back over Winry and dashing out of the room, and entire hospital. When he escaped, Roy leaned against a tree outside the large building and slowly slid down the object's surface.

"What am I going to tell Edward. . . ?"

After Talk!

I Survived! (Unlike Winry) Of my first week of hell-I mean-School!

Sooo. . .After all this time I finally finish this chapter-YAY! I hope you all liked it, and hate Roy's brother even more now. If you like him for killing Winry, you aren't going to like him for long. . .I can guarantee that! OH! What do I mean? I can't tell you yet or I'd ruin a lot of the story for you, and I'm not about to be mean and do that. If you find any mistakes while reading, you'll have to forgive me, but they'll be fixed when my editor finally gets to this chappy and reads through it (She's reading my FanFic for the first time and editing as she goes - She's on the fourth one I think.) So no worries alright? Hmm. . .Is there anything else to say? Oh - I know! Thank you all for reading and please REVIEW. --I love reading reviews so go crazy and type whatever's on your mind, don't hold back! For all of you who threatened me to post, it really inspired me to go forward, but also scared me on how you people can become so hostile. . .I was slightly amused/frightened. -Sweatdrop-

Well, now to answer reviews and welcome the new people who read my story to the realm of Cruel Alchemy! Love you all and see you next chapter! (BTW - I'm only answering reviews from chappy six. If I haven't answered reviews from other chappy's it's cause I'm lazy, forgive me.)

Kyuubi-chan's Review Reply!

Fading wind: Sorry I used the name Tobias on such an evil person, but it's the first one that came to mind, heh. Thank you for loving my FanFic to "bits" and I'm glad you're not 'an American ditched in an foreign country', because that would be bad, and I'd have to assume you stole some poor (Or not so poor) Chinese persons computer and ran off with it to read FanFics as you fought to survive in the strange land. . .Sheesh, I sure can go off on a tangent when I feel like it huh? Lol. Well, thanks for reading and please continue to love my story, makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

Shinigami Akumu: I liked your review, and how long it was! You got the reaction I wanted, where Roy and Ed were brought closer together, and then again not. That's EXACTLY what I wanted! I think I did that to this chappy too, hmmm. . .I only watch anime in Jap. too, it definitely is more fulfilling that way and "Nii-san" verses "Big Brother" wins in my book any day. In the English version of FMA, they didn't make Al say "Big Brother", instead he called Ed by his name. . .AL DOESN'T DO THAT! Grrr. . .made me so mad, plus the sucky voice actor too; that's like insult to injury! Any who, thank you for sticking with me and my slow-to-update FanFic, even if the only one that took sometime was this one, heh. I hope to see you return!

Shadow Vampiress: No, Ed never CAN catch a break. . .Well, maybe later, but not now, that's for sure! Thanks for reading! -Adios-

br14nn4: -Pokes her head out of her Picky box costume- Yesh! My planned worked! I'm back in Pocky and hot man world! Hey br14nn4! Have you healed from that fall? That's what happens when you kill a +cliffy, you yourself get "cliff hanged". Okay, that was a stupid pun, but I thought it up just now and actually laughed at it. . .I'm easily amused! Thanks for loving my story, that's always a good sign on my part, lol. I hope you enjoyed this chappy and won't kill the cliffhanger this time. . .It's bad for ones health.

Random Person: (Who was with br14nn4) Uh, are your ear drums okay? If you've gone deaf, that might be for the better when she goes insane again! Thanks for finishing her review!

Sorul: Ever heard of TMI? Or do you just like to announce to the world when you have to use the W.C.? Well, thanks for reading Edward (WooT, I'm Roy!) and I hope you like this one! Oh, and BTW, Katie'll be editing this FanFic along with you, so if you miss something, she'll catch it! (I feel special with two Adits)

Mija: -Gladly accepts the smiles and huggles- Sankyuu for reading my fic and welcome! I don't mind that you reviewed at the last chapter, I do that too! As long as you like my story, that's all that matters. . .Oh, and do you happen to still have your nails? I mean, you said you bite them, and this chappy, I'm sure, made you do just that. Sorry for ridding your fingers of their nails!

kat: Is the Ed/Roy Relationship going to deepen soon? Hmm. . .probably, but I like to keep you all waiting for it! I think I did deepen their relationship a bit with this chappy, what do you think?

Amora Llanowar: I'm so happy you like my story so much, that makes me uber happy! You even reviewed twice! Awesomeness! When you said "a story that makes sense", does that mean you've read FanFics that don't make sense?

Kishi Hisaki: Your reviews made me laugh with the repetitive "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god". You even called me a genius, and that I thank you GREATLY for, but I'm not a genius. Here's the next chappy, did you like it?

CuriousDreamWeaver: Sankyuu for reading and yes, GO ROY! Now, only if Tobias wasn't in the way making everyone's life hell, they might actually hook-up! lol.

Aeralis: Wow. . .I think Satan took over your body for a second their. . .Or maybe it was Edward after someone called him short? We may never know. Doitashimashite -Bows deeper then you did- I loved your review despite your minor possession. Please continue to read!