Chapter 14: An Only Child's Feelings

Arriving in Central by rail, Winry is met at the platform by Major Armstrong, who breaks the news that Edward is laid up in a clinic. Elsewhere, in East City, Colonel Mustang phones Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, and their easy banter shifts to the Scar investigation. Roy reports the recent sewer blast and the unidentified corpses recovered there, one of which might belong to the Ishvalan killer. Since many now read the murderer's silence as proof of his death, the two agree the Elrics' guards may soon be pulled. Hughes warns that Roy's growing reputation could see him summoned into central command, cautioning him to gather loyal allies before making enemies. Hughes hangs up, only then realizing he never mentioned Ed's hospital stay, and shrugs it off.

At the clinic, Winry frets over Edward and blames herself for the automail breakdown that supposedly put him there. Unaware that a missing bolt was the true cause, Ed clumsily reassures her that none of it was her fault, and she gratefully lets the worry go. As the two slide into their usual squabbling, Alphonse rises and walks out without a word, startling them both. While repairing the arm, Winry hears that Al has seemed distant and lost in thought for days. Hughes then drops in, and after meeting Winry, announces that the brothers' bodyguards will soon be released. Ed is thrilled, but Winry, who never knew Ross and Brosh were guards, is alarmed at the danger her friends have been courting. Insisting she find lodging for the night, she is instead cheerfully hauled off to stay with the Hughes family.

Maes takes Winry shopping for his daughter Elicia, who turns three that day, and introduces her to his wife Gracia and the little girl, who welcome her warmly. Over the celebration, Winry confides how much the brothers' secrecy and reckless life frighten her. Hughes explains that men like Ed and Al bottle their troubles to spare those they love, trusting that the people close to them understand without being told, and promises they will speak up when they truly need her. The next day, before Winry and Maes return, Edward tries to lift his brother's spirits with small talk. Joking that Al is lucky to have such a big frame, he accidentally strikes the exact nerve Al has been nursing, and as Winry enters the room, Alphonse erupts, shouting that he never asked for this body.

Winry reaches Central and is escorted to Edward by Armstrong. Mustang and Hughes conclude that Scar may be dead and that the Elrics' protection detail will likely end soon. Winry repairs Ed's arm while remaining silent about the sabotaged bolt, and spends the night with the Hughes household during Elicia's third birthday. Hughes coaches Winry on the brothers' habit of hiding pain. The chapter closes as Alphonse, stung by a careless joke, finally explodes at Edward over the body he was forced into.

This is where Edward's dislike of milk first comes up. Izumi and Sig Curtis make debut cameos in the background as Winry reaches Central Station, likely the same visit during which they later say they met Van Hohenheim, hinting that Hohenheim may be in the city as well. Roy notes that numerous bodies surfaced at the site of Scar's underground clash with the homunculi, probably homeless residents of the secluded area. The receptionist logs Hughes with the number 13420, whose meaning is unclear. The events here fall two weeks after Chapter 9.