This story drew me in right up till the end. The style which you wrote was this was brilliantly done. Edward's voice, and the tension are what makes this story great. Good work.

I thought it was a parent/child thing, personally, but I liked this. It was awesome. I especially loved this line: "The real truth was that I wasn't up to handling her disappointment." It really shows how much Ed values Izumi's opinion and tries to please her. It stood out. I also loved the "beat Ed to a pulp" scene. Not because Ed got beaten to a pulp, but because it showed such a range of emotions. Bitterness, frustration, desperation, etc. Totally awesome.

On a more nitpicky point, I noticed you kept spelling Winry as "Winly." Maybe you did it on purpose or something but I thought I'd point it out anyway, in case it was some sort of mistake. There's nothing wrong with spelling it that way, of course, it just seems a bit odd is all.

Anyway, great story. *favs*

Startling. It's well thought out, and you're explanation at the bottom is close to what I got from it.

Honestly, it never crossed my mind how semi-abusive Izumi is... But, it makes sense.

Oh... I believe I read this on Scimitar Smile a while ago (and loved it there), so now that I've found it here, I've decided it's long overdue for me to sing it's praises. ^_^

I really like how you've explored the whole dynamic between Edward and his teacher - I believe how you've done it is very believable and very in-character (the most in-character Izumi I've seen in a non-canon work! :D )
I mean, Ed not wanting to face his teacher's dissapointment - the fact that Izumi knew the whole time...(haha, you cannot escape the wrath of Izumi-sensei!)... Very nice. :)

I think it's an odd style - switching back and forth from the "present" to the past, but it works. ^_^ (which reminds me - if Ed and Al weren't Izumi's students, I think that the regular beatings they go through would seriously be considered child abuse by our modern standards, eh? :P )

I also quite liked your explanation that Al cried out because of how quickly he was moving, not because he was hurt in any way (I always thought that Izumi's beatdown must have been much more ineffective against an invincible suit of armor than against poor Ed).
Oh, and there were many lines that just... stuck out, for me, as being particularly awesome - your opening sentence, for instance, and the one were Ed realizes that the kitten is safe, but he most definitely isn't. :D But my favorite line(s) were most definitely the following: " "Have you ever wanted to bring someone back from the dead?"
With those words, I threw down the gauntlet.
And with one punch, Izumi picked it up. "
Brilliance! XD
Oh, and the "And that's when she hugged me" line is extremely wibble-worthy as well. :D

So, in conclusion... your story = awesome. Your characterization, grammar, style = all awesome. Oh, and you yourself, for writing such a wonderful piece = awesome. ^_^
Rock on! XD

Wah! I didn't realize you had this posted on FFnet - I read it over at scimitar smile first, and loved it to death! :) If you get several reviews from me over the next week or so, I hope you don't mind. Hehe.

Anyway, as I mentioned, I absolutely love this story. The pace was very nicely handled; the out-of-order scenes worked quite nicely, since you organized them SO well. The characterizations were masterfully done, and I felt like I really was reading an official extension of the series. Thank you for sharing this wonderful piece with us! I enjoyed it immensely. :)

That sounded (if you can use that with writing) like it hurt. Gotta feel for Ed and Al. They've been through so much ** it ain't funny.

You're one-shot, story-to-be...what ever the hell it is, it's good. Makes sense. Nice job.

I loved it. Very well written. I don't usualy write reviews. But this was written well. The time change worked wonders. you reall captured the characters perfectly. Nice job.

This glimpse into Ed's mind is very tastefully done. Well written, I've found another author that retained what English class is about. Just a side note, its spelled Winry, not Winly. There is no L in the Japanese languge. The sound they make is like a slurring of the R and the L which is probably why you thought her name was spelled Winly.

One of the most intelligently described "screen scenes" I've ever had the pleasure of reading - the most interesting part is actually the author's notes at the end! Thanks!

Why doesn't this story have more reviews? It's amazing! The skill, the characterization, it's all wonderful! Thank you for sharing it with us!

Wow. So much powerful description. So many lines that brought tears to my eyes. I think I love you.

I liked your interpretation of this scene. Good look into Ed's mind as Izumi beat the crud out of them. YOur explanation at the bottom also helped. Keep writing and update soon!

*applauds* Very well written! I've been watching FMA non-stop whenever I can (a friend has the series and our work schedules aren't always compatible) and we just stopped on the episode Ed is recalling.

Your description of the Teacher/Student relationship is an excellent one as I, like many others I'm sure, took the ending embrace as more of a Parent/Child reaction. I think I like your conclusion more.

BTW, I like your Handle *gryn*

Great story! I think your interpretation is dead-on. You caught in words what I felt while I was watching that scene. 'The absolution of the dojo' is a great way to put it. I got through my hardest year at college because of my karate classes. Izumi beats the tar out of the boys because it's a way of telling them where her judgment of them, at least, starts and ends, and she's giving them a less poisonous form of the pain they seek as their just punishment.

Unfortunately, I don't think it really worked for Ed. There are some responsibilities you can't escape. But it did seem to lance the pain a little, didn't it?

why did you rate this R? it could easily pass as pg 13! then people would be more likely to read it and share the joy of wonderful writing!