Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Impossible! ❯ On The Way to A Smile ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Rizenbool, August 12th 1910

The days come and gone; and season slowly changed from summer to fall. The once famous green field of Rizenbool had amazingly transformed to the beautiful red and orange of autumn.

For the rest of June, nothing really happened at the Rockbells resident except Ed's daily nerves therapy. But finally, he passed his treatment. He did it faster than anyone had ever done before, thanks to his abnormally fast adaptation to his new synthetic nerves. Frankly, Winry was quite surprised that he had not been coughing up any blood -his improvement was terrifyingly fast. Thankfully, it was finally over; and Winry was very delighted to tell him that.

A week after that, Ed was ready to take his docking surgery. It took place at the first week of August and went very well with no sign of rejection at all.

Metal docking ports now neatly replaced the various colored wires on his left shoulder and right leg. Although, they were still not ready to give him his automails yet. Even so, Ed seemed happy enough-probably because he did not look like a violently abused automaton anymore.

One afternoon, after a very tiring journey from the market, Winry stormily entered the house. She slammed the door roughly behind her, dropping some carrots from her shopping basket in the process. Her breath was uneven. She appeared like she had something (or someone) chasing her.

“I swear,” she gave a tired grumble, not to anyone in particular, “I am going to ask grandma to put up a stronger fence!”

Feeling someone watching her she looked up and was surprised when she found both of the Elric brothers staring at her, probably because she had startled them.

Yes, both of them were in the living room. After a full week of staying in bed, Ed was finally allowed to move around as freely as he could with his wheelchair and all. He now spent as much of time as he could away from the surgery room. Supposedly he was sick of the white boring walls of the surgery room… Winry smiled at that.

Al was the first who recovered from his surprise and greeted her cheerfully, “Welcome back, Winry!”

He was too cheerful in her opinion, but Winry let it go. “Hi, Al!” she greeted back, picking up her carrots. Her eyes trailed along the window curtains, checking if they were firmly closed.

Ed noticed her antics. “The villagers again, huh?” he asked uncomfortably.

Winry gave a dry laugh. “It's okay. It's not your fault,” she said.

Al made a protesting sound, but she stopped him.

“No, Al, it's their fault,” said Winry dismissively. “You'd think they would have better things to gossip about except who is having automail and for what.”

“What is it that they talked this time?” asked Ed half-weary-half-curious.

Winry scrunched her face disgustedly in reply. “It's turning into a full blown gossip!” she complained in an almost-moan.

Rizenbool was quite in the middle of a fire, literally, since the village had finally realized the strange happenings around the Elric orphans. Almost a month ago, someone had managed to over-hear Ed's scream when he was having one of his nerves treatment, triggering the curiosity among the villagers.

Everyone started asking why he would need an automail. Winry didn't even know how they found out that it was indeed Ed who was having the automail. Honestly, it could have been anybody! Grandma Pinako was quite famous for her works, so it was common for them to have clients from out of the village.

But then again, in a small community like Rizenbool where everybody knew everybody, it would be something impossible if somebody from out of town came without the village dwellers noticing. So that probably lined down their listing to either Ed or Al.

But lately, the villagers even went as far as visiting the house and requesting to see the Elrics, or just plain asking some questions to whomever answered the door (mainly Winry). This annoyed the girl and Grandma Pinako greatly. Ed was rather lucky because he still could not stand and remained hidden in the surgery room.

Winry stood up after collecting the last of her groceries and moved closer. “The last time I heard,” she continued her previous statement, “they were developing a theory which involved a giant truck and a cow!”

Ed gave her a look like he had difficulty processing that last bit of information. “I won't ask,” he said finally.

Winry sighed again, “The village women would not leave it alone…” she mumbled.

Al murmured his agreement gravely.

Winry put her shopping basket to the nearby table before settling down the sofa. “What were you guys talking about?” she asked, deciding to change the subject before she got a headache.

“Nothing,” Ed answered hastily.

“Calendar,” Al replied at the same time and both the brothers looked at each other.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Calendar,” Ed replied, turning back to her.

“Nothing,” said Al in chorus.

She could not hold back her snort. “Why don't you two decided first before telling me?” she teased.

The two boys looked at each other again.

Winry shook her head. “Nevermind, you don't need to tell me,” she offered nonchalantly.

Al looked relieved, but Ed frowned. “It's nothing because we're talking about calendar, Winry,” said Ed.

She had a distant feeling that he knew she was up set, but she brushed it away. “Oh? What about the calendar?” She searched the wall for the said item and found it at the usual place beside the grandfather's clock. She felt a wave strange emotion suddenly fill her chest….

She vaguely heard Ed talking to her, “You don't mark off the calendar anymore?” he asked.

She turned back to him, “Huh? Uh, no…. Not since the end of JuneI think.”

They all knew what happened at the end of June, and the three occupants in the room were drowned in their own thoughts.

Al finally broke the silence, “Why did you start marking off the calendar, Winry? I've meant to ask you since forever.”
She turned to Al and smiled, “Just for fun.”

Ed looked at her strangely and she avoided his gaze. Maybe he remembered why she marked off calendars; Al probably didn't. But then again, if she remembered correctly, Al was not there when Aunt Trisha had given her her first calendar to cross.

Brushing away her thoughts, Winry began cheerfully, “Anyway, what day is today?” she had genuinely forgot what day it was. She had lost tracks of dates due to all the hustle-bustle going on recently.

“I think it's Tuesday?” Al offered, turning to his brother.

Ed shrugged, “Who knows, I never bother checking the calendar anymore. But I think my docking surgery was on August 4th?”

She stood up, “It's been eight days since then, and I've counted.” She went near the abandoned calendar, and flipped it until she reached August. “So… today is August 12th,” she said matter-of-factly.

A sudden realization hit her and her eyes widen. Oh... August 12th already…, she thought gloomily she really had lost track of time.

“What's wrong, Winry?” she heard Al asked.

She turned to the two boys again and smile, “Nothing! Well, I better take the groceries up to the kitchen.” She picked up the shopping basket and made a move towards the door, but at the same time Grandma Pinako entered the room.

“Why not later, Winry? I think you might want to see this,” said Pinako, carrying a tool box and a strangely cylindrical piece made of plastic.

Winry put her groceries down the floor and took the plastic cylinder from the older woman's hand. She instantly recognized what it was.

All ominous thoughts flew out of her head at once. Winry squealed in delight and rushed back to Ed in a flash. “Ed! Ed, look what Granny brought you!”

Ed raised his eyebrows but evenly looked at the plastic block in Winry's hand. His eyes widen once he found out what it was, “That is….”

“A prosthetic leg!” Winry finished for him happily, the end of her sentence pitched in delight.

“Nii-san! Congratulations!” said Al excitedly.

Ed could only stare.

A prosthetic leg was very famous among the Rockbell's clients since it was the best option for anybody who did not want to have automail. The fake leg, though made of plastic, was as solid as wood but much lighter. It balanced well, making the wielder able to stand up on both legs without difficulty. It worked by the momentum given by the upper part of the wielder's body, so it did not need to be connected to the nerves. But because of that, the prosthetic leg was rather incompatible for complex movement such as running or jumping.

Grandma Pinako had moved towards them unnoticeably, and now stood beside Ed's wheelchair with a grin on her face. “I think your leg has healed enough,” she said to Ed, “Do you want to put it on, Edward?”

Ed snapped out of his trance. “Are you kidding! Of course, I do!” he almost screeched his reply. Winry didn't blame him. Just the thought of Ed standing again was enough to make her want to cry in joy.

Grandma Pinako gave a satisfied nod and turned to her granddaughter, “Why don't you put it on him, Winry?”

“Me?” Winry asked breathlessly. Grandma trusted her enough to put on Ed's first leg! She couldn't believe that the day could get any better.

Pinako's grin turned mischievous, “You want me to do it?”

“No!” Winry replied quickly, “I'll… I'll do it!” Her hand shook as gripped the plastic leg strongly. She turned to Al, “Al… can you get that wooden bench?” she pointed to a tripod near the corner of the living room.

Al was too excited to question the order and quickly crossed the room and back again with the bench.

Winry turned to Ed, “We need you to sit on that.”

Ed nodded and Al helped his brother change seats. The air suddenly felt tense but exciting at the same time, making all the three children feel anxious. But for once, Winry enjoy the feeling very much. After a while of struggling Ed was finally seated on the wooden tripod.

Winry moved in front of Ed and got down to her knees. She balanced the plastic leg on the ground so it could stand; on the upper end was a plastic cap. It was supposed to be pinned to Ed's thigh dock. She looked up at Edward, “Ready, Ed?”

“Do you really need to ask!” Ed answered in breathless anticipation.

Winry shook her head. He was as eager as she was. With shaking hands she put the thigh plastic cap and slowly pushed it over Ed's metal dock; it slid in smoothly. She felt like her heart would burst from excitement.

She searched for a wrench inside the tool box that Grandma Pinako had put down beside the bench. When she found the one she needed, she started tightening the screws. She didn't know how much time had passed; only that it felt like ages. When she finally finished with the screws, beads of sweats already covered her forehead. She lifted her arm to wipe them away.

“I can stand now?” Ed's sudden voice startled her.

She looked at him, “Slowly, you're not balanced yet. We need to adjust the length first!”

“I don't care, I want to stand,” Ed replied but obediently wait for Al to help him stand up, Winry remained kneeling beside him, waiting until he was on both feet before continuing her duty.

To adjust the length of the leg was easier than fitting the plastic cap to the metal dock. The prosthetic leg was equipped with a sliding gear so they only need to pull or push the lower part of the plastic thigh. To tighten it, there was only one big screw. Winry quickly finished the task.

She felt her leg lose its power. She crumpled to floor; a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her heart finally calmed down and she suddenly felt lightheaded. She did not understand why she suddenly felt so spent, there was nothing exhausting in fitting a simple plastic leg to somebody.

“You okay, Win?”

Her heart jumped again and she looked up. She was looking up to Ed… and he was standing. She felt like being poured with warm water, her chest tightened with emotion. When she finally opened her mouth to reply, her voice came out intense, “How do you feel standing up again?”

He grinned.

She could not remember the last time he had grinned like that. She could not remember the last time he had grinned at all. Most of all, she could not remember that her stomach had ever done flip-flops when she saw him grinning.

His grin stayed and he offered his left hand to her, palm turned up. “Need a hand?” he asked cockily.

The action was so unexpected; or rather uncharacteristic of him that she stared at the offered hand dumbly. She studied his form; he had never looked so tall. He had never looked so pleased.

She felt her own smile began to grow. “Yes,” she replied, taking the hand. “Yes,” she repeated silently.

Winry didn't think Ed had ever looked that steady, even when he lost his balance as he tried to pull her up, sending both of them down the floor once again. Everyone in the room laughed out loud and Winry realized that she had not been laughing that hard since the whole thing started. And for all its worth, it had also been a very long time since the room was filled with those happy laughs.

And there, between the happy laugh, cheerful teasing, and gasps of breath, she could feel the spark of hope began to grow. At last she could feel it grow… bigger… brighter… and warmer than ever. Finally everything started to fall into place.

It was indeed the best birthday present she had ever received.

---

Winry was in the Elric's home, helping Aunt Trisha tidying after their evening meal. She had stayed by the Elrics for three days, ever since her parent's departure to Ishibal War.

Winry did not dare to return to her house. She was afraid that her parent's absence would be too hard for her to bear and would make her cry. She had promised her parents she would not to cry. So she had accepted the boys invitation to stay overnight without hesitation, it seemed to be the perfect solution… the perfect hiding place.

“Winry,” called Trisha with her gentle melodious voice.

Winry turned to the older woman and smile, “Mm?”

Trisha returned the smile, “I've got something for you…” She handed Winry a pink table calendar and a pink pencil.

Winry stared at the small calendar confusedly. It was very cute, with drawings of white fluffy bunnies on the corner of every page. The calendar had two cross marks over the third and fourth of November. She looked up to her aunt expectantly.

Aunt Trisha smiled down to her, “You like it?”

Winry nodded.

Trisha's smile grew warmer. “Do you know that marking off the dates will make time go faster?”

Winry blinked.

“Here, let me show you….” Trisha gently took Winry's had that was holding the pencil and gently guided her to make a nice big cross over the fifth of November.

Winry could only stare.

Trisha gave her a motherly smile, “Some people look too much to the past that they forget that they still have to go in front of them.” She gave Winry a hug and continued, “When you're waiting for someone, it's not good to let your feelings blind you, time will slow down so you'll feel like you're waiting very long.”

Winry tilt her head to the side, not really understanding what her aunt was saying but determined to catch every word. “So if we cross off the calendar… time will go faster?”

Trisha smiled, “If leave all the waiting to the calendar, and pay more attention to all around us, time will go faster.”

“Really?” she asked hopefully, now clutching her precious pink calendar. “If time goes faster, then Mom and Dad will be home soon?”

“Yes, I believe so,” Trisha replied gently.

Winry launched to the older woman and kissed her cheek, “Thank you Aunt Trisha!”

Trisha giggled and gave the little girl one last hug before letting go. “You're welcome, Winry.”

Winry grinned.

“Winry!” a cry came from the stairs that lead to the second floor. Winry turned to find Ed moving towards them.

“Ed!” Winry smiled and met him halfway.

Ed pouted, “We're waiting for you upstairs! I thought you wanted to play cards with us?”

Winry giggled, “Sorry!” she then turned to Trisha, “Good night, Aunt Trisha!”

Trisha smiled at the two children, “Winry, Edward helped me choose that calendar for you.”

Winry blinked and turned to Ed, “Really?” her voice pitched in excitement and Ed winced. “Thank you, Ed!” she moved to gave him a hug but Ed stepped back in horror, his face strangely red.

The older Elric turned to his mother, “Moooom! You promised not to tell!”

Trisha only gave her son her motherly smile.

Winry tilted her head cutely, “Why won't you tell me, Ed? I will always thank you! I don't understand….”

Ed's face grew redder and he put one hand in front of him, waving it furiously. “Ah… Uh.. Uhm…,”

Winry scrunched her nose and frowned. “You're turning red Ed, do you have a fever?” she asked in concern. She moved to put her forehead to his (her mother used to do that), but Ed desperately moved back again until he hit the wall behind him.

“D-don't touch me! I hate girl's disease!” he cried frantically.

Her concern broke, “Whaaat!”

“Girls have cooties! Don't come near me!”

“I told you I don't have girl disease and you agreed!”

Still plastered against the wall, Ed cried back, too flustered to actually think of what he was saying, “…Just because you're always playing with wrenches and wires! You don't act like a girl!”

That did it. Winry reached inside the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a shiny new wrench. “Eedd!” she sang dangerously.

Edward barely had time to gulp loudly before scurrying upstairs with Winry hot on his heels, screaming bloody murder.

Trisha only sighed with a smile and finished tidying up. Then she reached inside her apron's pocket and took out a blue pencil. She made her own big cross over the calendar hanging by the kitchen's cabinet.

“Another day has passed, anata…” she whispered quietly with a secretive smile.

A/N: I thought I wasn’t going to do flash backs in this fic. =p But I felt I had to put it there. And it seemed appropriate, now that our favorite three children remembered how to laugh again, D they would start to remember the happy little details of their past life. hope you enjoyed it!

Anata : you. (though many wives called their respected husband ‘anata’. I think it’s equal to ‘darling’ or ‘honey’ or something like that… you’ve got the picture. p)