Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Impossible! ❯ The Path of Repentance ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Rizenbool, July 10th 1910

Winry stared at the door, thinking about the message Grandma Pinako had just asked her to give to Ed. She was worried … or scared, or maybe both, she couldn’t decide on which. She did not think that Ed was ready.

After a full week of feeling nauseous (side-effect of the sedative), he had only begun to eat solid foods a few days ago; they should have given his body more time to regain its strength before they took the next step… well, at least in her opinion. Her Grandma said he was fine, because Ed had not complained one bit and appeared healthy.

She had a distant feeling that he was faking his health. He had not complained about the inconveniences from the various colored wires that were now sticking out from both his right shoulder and left thigh; even though Winry had deliberately put him in the most uncomfortable position. How could she not think that he was not genuinely healthy and okay?

Winry entered the surgery room, bringing a tray of breakfast, and saw the two Elric brothers engaged in a light conversation. She smiled, “Hi, guys!”

Both boys looked at her, Al stood up from his seat near the hospital bed. “Hi, Winry!” he greet her back.

Ed did not say anything, his eyes searched the breakfast tray in alarm. Only seconds later, he groaned, “Winryyy….”

Winry turned to the older Elric and smiled. “What?” she asked innocently as she approached the bed.

Ed only glared back to her, annoyed.

Winry laid the tray on his lap. It was a chiffon cake this morning, along with the usual tall glass of milk. Yes, milk; and a fresh one, mind you. Despite the all too often response she couldn’t help but smirk mischievously. “Thought I was going to give up, did you?” she asked, grinning.

Ed reached for the cake and began munching. “No. But… a tall glass! You know I can barely swallow one gulp!”

She shrugged.

Al had pulled another chair and now the three of them sat in the sun-lit surgery room, watching the blonde boy eat. Winry began to talk to Al about the cat he had kept in the warehouse secretly for the last week.

Ed finished his cake, and turned to wage a glaring war with the milk. The white liquid only stared back at him innocently, glimmering slightly in the sunlight.

Winry grinned as she stole a glance at Ed. She didn’t know why she enjoyed teasing and picking on him these days. She should have been more sympathetic, or something… she didn’t really understand.

After quite a while, Ed finally swiped the glass of milk and took one gulp. He quickly slammed it back to the tray and made faces, “Pleh!”

Winry beamed, “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? I told you you’d get used to it!”

Ed only managed to give her a dry look for he was busy sticking out his tongue and making puking noises.

“Good boy,” she replied, standing up and patted the top of his head.

Ed swatted her hand and glared, “Oy! Don’t do that!”

Winry held back a laugh and took away the tray.

Al sighed at the antics of his two best friends.

A few steps from the door Winry stopped, “Oh right.” She looked over her shoulder, “Grandma said that you’re ready for nerve stimulating. She wanted you to decide when you’re ready to do it.”

Ed turned to Al and gave his younger brother a long look. “I’m ready now,” he replied seriously, turning back to her.

Despite that she had been expecting a similar answer, Winry still felt the familiar chill crept up her heart. She tried not to show it and slowly shook her head, “Not after you ate, Ed. We much prefer to have your stomach empty.”

“Why?” both Ed and Al said simultaneously. The two brothers looked at each other and Ed grinned. Though Winry couldn’t see Al’s expression, she knew that he was also grinning.

She felt a smile grow on her face. The Elric brothers, strangely for siblings that were not twins, were proud if they had small coincidences like that.

Winry cleared her throat, “We’ll do it tomorrow, I’ll tell grandma.” She turned away and hurried out.

… and thus she had avoided another hard question.

Winry sighed and leaned back against the closed wooden door. She tilted her head and watched the ceiling.

She had avoided lots of questions from both of the Elrics these ten days. It was hard, not knowing what to do. She still had not decided if she should tell Ed everything or just keep some discouraging details secret.

She didn’t want to lie to him. Every time she kept things for herself, her heart screamed to do otherwise.

She hated being so indecisive. She wished she had confidence like Ed. He was so sure of himself; making hard decisions without hesitation… his decision to have automail, to enter the military, to not turn back. Was he not afraid of regrets?

She knew he was in regret for what he had done; it was quite unbelievable that he still had the courage to make decisions after the last one turned so dreadful.

Shaking her head, Winry absently studied the wood-pattern on her ceiling.

Maybe…maybe that’s why he had shut everyone off before. Maybe that’s why he had turnedhis back from the world.

He must have been very afraid… so afraid to return back to the world where he must face the consequences of his sin, to the world where there were more hard decisions to make.

Her eyes burned, ‘Oh, Ed….’

But he came back.

He had found a tiny light of hope and grasped it strongly. He came back with his head high, and so determined to make things right again.

That was so… admirable of him; his courage to face his sin. And so stupid of him, to try to take everything to himself… every guilt, every pain, every hard decision… he did not even leave a room for Al to argue.

He insisted to have so much on his shoulder… was he in pain?

It hurt her, that even now when he had picked himself up, she could do nothing to help him. She couldn’t even tell him that forcing himself that much was a wrong thing to do; she was too afraid that he would slip into another state of depression.

Winry’s eyes trailed to the barely-drunk tall glass of milk.

Instead… she wanted to be strong for him. She wanted to help him carry the burden he had put on himself. She would make sure that he could continue walking down that muddy path he had decided to take.

Shakily, she put the tray on top of a nearby side table and took the glass into her hands.

‘This is for Ed,’

She finished the rest of Edward’s milk in one big gulp.

OoooTBCoooO