Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadow Of The Day ❯ The Inevitable Move of a Desperate Boy... Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

The Shadow Of The Day

 

Written by Salina M L
Edited by Tashi-san

 

Like you didn't see an angsty one with these two coming;) and I still say that I'm entitled.

 

I'm usually in the habit of warning people, so let's just say that this is not for those who aren't willing to have an open mind and this is post-series only.

 

So if you're sure you're ready, dive right in and enjoy!

 

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The Shadow of the Day

 

Death never takes a vacation, it never sleeps, and it never forgets.

 

It's a foregone fact (or conclusion) that one cannot cheat Death, no matter who they are. A common line in life has always been, “You'll pay me now, or you'll pay me later.” And Death is no exception.

 

It could be considered an entity, it could even be the shadow stretched out across the pavement that follows you around. When you look at it, really look at it without the scientific spin on it, have you ever wondered why it's bigger than you? Why it seems to loom over you?

 

Perhaps Death is right around the corner. When you thought that you had really lucked out this time, have you ever stopped to consider when your luck might run out? When Death strikes without a reason, how could you not think it is a greater power than humankind? Maybe all along you're the one who's being played, and Death alone decides when you will pay and how the deed will be done.

 

It's just another way in which the law of Equivalent Exchange snakes its way into life.

 

This is a lesson for those who are foolish enough to believe that they can cheat Death without a price, no matter who they are or what good they may have done, there is no exchange for the soul; what you started with in the first place.

 

Chapter 1 “The Inevitable Move of a Desperate Boy… Part 1”

 

Winry didn't even flinch as she was felt herself being dragged forward. Her mind had blocked out his screams as did the ominous slam of the stone doors behind her. The air in the place chilled her to the bone, causing a white cloud to form with each of her shallow breaths. The initial shock melted away as she looked at her the golden colour of the area, wondering why it felt like her heart was in a vice.

 

Liquid filled her eyes, which actually turned out to be for the best. She blinked a few times, the lifeless glaze in her eyes fading a bit as she narrowed them at the ghostly black arms she had already grown to despise.

 

As they slithered around her forearms, the situation finally registered in her. “What… where- where are you taking me…?” Her eyes were still vacant, and it had come with the intent of a scream, but her voice was choked and empty, lacking the optimism it usually carried. Then she snapped to it and began to try and shake her arms and her legs frantically. However, the shadowy hands had securely wrapped themselves around her arms and legs, pulling her further into the pale, yellow light.

 

She looked over her wrists, blue eyes growing wide with shock as a few tiny creatures descended upon her from nowhere. Their bluish violet eyes seemed to taunt her as they clung to her arms. “St-…” She felt something crawling on her calves and looked to see a few more of those critters latched onto her legs. “W-what are you-?!” She tried to keep her voice even, but when they started clawing at her, she lost it and followed her first instinct of trying to keep them away from her with as much noise and movement as she could muster, as if sheer volume could drive them away.

 

“STOP IT!” She finally formed actual words. “What are you doing to me?!” She squealed as the arms squeezed her harder. The whole area was empty. Nothing accept a void of golden glitter passed her as she whipped through into what seemed to her like perpetual nothingness.

 

That was until a rushing migraine hit her and random pictures of her life projected through her mind, as well as some she had never seen before. Everything. Her and Ed playing together as toddlers, Al's birth, the charred remains of the Elric's home, her remaining family and Rose, everything that had happened to her sailed through her mind faster than her mind could process it. Isn't this what happens right before you die? Then the images shifted, to some she recognized, while some she had never seen before.

 

She slowly shook her head back and forth, forcing herself to shut her eyes and hoped to will away the images completely. Quietly, a few shadowy hands slipped from her waist and slithered away from her, leaving her to ponder on what they were aiming for.

 

`You knew this would happen… you knew it would come to this…' A voice she had already grown to despise seemed to whisper over her shoulder.

 

She stilled all movement, not because of the voice, but because a few of the small spectres shuffled down to her hands, while the shaded arms grasped her own and pulled her at an even more vigorous rate while a few of them were still wrapped firmly around her waist. Her eyes shifted away from them, a few lingering tears sliding down her face as she stared straight ahead, vaguely aware that the arms which had left her earlier were steadily following.

 

Then she saw it. A part straight ahead where the yellow light split and was nothing but a blinding white light. Even the empty vortex seemed to be slightly altered than earlier and everything besides the light in front of her blurred as the arms pulled her straight into it. Then all was dark once more.

 

The next thing Winry realized was that she was falling. Through grey clouds and fog until what looked like buildings and lights came into her vision. However, the sounds of electrical sparks sounded every so often beneath her, as well as a few feet away from her. The shockwaves below seemed to be slowing her descent from what would be certain death.

 

Then all noises suddenly stopped and all she could hear was her own heartbeat, which was progressively slowing down, yet seemed to resound in the empty space as the cobbled streets rushed at an alarming rate into her vision. At this point, she couldn't tell if the shockwaves would kill her or if the fall would take her life.

 

At the moment, she would grasp either one without a second thought.

 

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The first thing she felt was cold. Not that same cold one would feel on a Winter's day, but a bone-numbing icy feeling on the side of her face and in her joints. Her eyes opened halfway, but her vision was spotted and seemed to be underwater. Winry's eyes slowly peeled open, the world slowly piecing itself in tiny increments as her vision slowly regained focus.

 

The first thing she saw was grey. It seemed fitting to how she was feeling at the moment.

 

Slowly, she craned her neck to see forward as the last of the white spots fled from her vision, allowing her to see clearly. Indeed, everywhere around her was grey. From the cement to the slightly run-down buildings on either side of her. She squinted through the darkness, trying to recognize her surroundings, but to no avail.

 

The hand lying next to her face curled into a fist, the muscle twitching from the movement as she slowly pushed herself up. She managed to balance herself on her arms, although they were shaking horribly, so she was sitting on her knees. She brought up her hands that were covered in a mix of water and blood and held them in front of her. This just wasn't possible, she couldn't even begin to calculate how far she had fallen, yet she'd escaped from it with minor injuries compared to what she should've ended up with. Hell, she shouldn't even be alive now. Hands shaking, she gazed up at the sky that looked like it was covered in a thick layer of ash. Was it those creatures who had spared her life?

 

She reached out towards the coarse wall and gripped tightly onto the surface, a sigh escaping her lips and wiped her eyes on the back sleeve of her other arm. It would do her no good if anyone saw her tear-streaked face. The pint-sized droplets of blood staining the crisp, white material of her shirt was enough as it was, and she could just imagine the kind of looks people would give her.

 

She looked forward to the exit of the alleyway, the dim lights of the streets illuminating only the edge of corridor, a few feet from where she was. She could just imagine the reaction her family would have if they saw her like that, and a lone girl walking down the street would definitely arouse suspicion.

Nevertheless, she knew that she could put it off as long as she wanted, but it wouldn't do any good. Eventually she would have to face the music and try to find her home. She had no idea how long she'd been out for, and how long she had been in that empty void. Regardless, her family would be worried sick about her, and she couldn't let them assume the worse.

 

Well, it was the worse of sorts…

 

Winry straightened her posture and smoothed out the creases in her clothes before pushing herself forward and down the alley, the resounding click her shoes made signalling her presence in the empty lot. When she reached the street, a man passed slowly by her, pushing along a tattered wheelbarrow filled to the top with dirty clothing, some kind of currency, among assorted other junk.

 

The man turned to her and jumped slightly upon noticing that she had been standing there. “Another one?” The man stated, his voice was thick with a heavy accent that Winry didn't recognize. “Though… you seem familiar, young lady. Have I seen you before…?” The man himself was dressed in a rusty-looking cloak, and was looking at Winry's clothes strangely. Feeling self-conscious, she wrapped her arms around herself and averted her eyes to the ground, taking note of a dark grey-coloured cover lying over a pile of boxes. Shaking his head one more time, which confused her further, he continued on his route down the quiet street, muttering something in a foreign language.

 

That was just the thing, it was so quiet that she could hear her teeth chattering. It was freezing and she certainly wasn't dressed for the weather in her casual clothing. As the man walked away, a bundle of papers fell out of his cart and onto the gravely sidewalk. She picked it up and was about to call out to the guy when the picture below the headline, which was also inscribed in a foreign language, caught her attention.

 

The picture on the front was of poor quality, but she could easily see that it was a mass of disembodied townsfolk on the front. She swallowed the sickening knot that formed in her throat as she examined the person closest to the front, but could barely make out even the gender of the person, but the person's shape told her it was a female. Whoever took it sure didn't know much about technology. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a good look at the girl in the mess of what was probably a pool of her own blood, until she gasped as the image became clear.

 

“Wh-?” Her grip on the page tightened as she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!”

 

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“(Oma? What is all this junk anyway)?” A young boy asked, balancing an overly-stuffed cardboard box precariously in his arms, while trying to see over the obstruction.

 

“(Junk)?” The old woman walking a few feet in front of him huffed and spun around, causing the boy to bump into her. “(I'll have you know, sonny, that box is filled with antiques that my grand pappy used to treasure more than the few coins he had saved up for years, oh…).” She placed a withered hand to her chin. “(I don't believe that I've mentioned your great, great, grand pappy. Have I, Nikolaus, dear)?”

 

He rolled his eyes. “(Yes, Oma. You have).”

 

She was silent for a moment before shrugging it off and glanced up at the family cuckoo clock. “(Oh, would you look at the time).” She hobbled over to the front door and slipped on her shawl. “(I must hurry up and get the shopping done, the customers will be coming soon, we must stay competitive, even in times of inflation).” She picked up a basket, preparing for the huge bustle at the outdoor markets. “(Your parents will be home soon. Look after the shop until they come home, alright, sonny boy?)”

 

Niko shifted uncomfortably. He hated it when he had to deal with customers, they really freaked him out when they didn't get what they wanted on the double. “(… do I have to)?”

 

“(For goodness sake…)” She shook her head disapprovingly. “(You're already thirteen years old. We don't need any timid boys during these times. Your younger sister would do a better job, and she's a wee child).”

He puffed out his cheeks at that remark.

 

“(Remember to make the appropriate change, sonny, and don't forget to wash your hands before you touch the food).” With that, she closed the wooden door behind her.

 

Niko sighed, grumbling to himself as he went over to the door and flipped the sign around to show that they were open. That was until a refection on the glass caught his attention. He stopped in mid-movement with his hand still outstretched towards the sign and slowly lowered his hand. In the reflection was a girl sitting on the ground a few doors down, leaning against the side of the textured building.

 

He opened the door slowly, emerald green eyes peaking around the corner so she wouldn't notice him. He took note that she had draped herself completely in an ash-coloured cover, leaving only a bit of her face showing… but, why? Hesitantly, he slipped around the doorframe and tiptoed along the cobbled sidewalks.

 

As he got closer to her, long, pale yellow threads of hair could be seen pooling out from underneath the hood and contrasting with the its dismal colour, but nothing more was visible. In her hands was a rolled up bundle of papers held tightly against her chest.

 

He tried to be as quiet as he could, but as he came to a stop in front of her, the bottom of his shoe scuffed against the sidewalk, causing sapphire eyes to slide up to him. “(Hey, um, is everything all right, Miss)?”

Winry raised an eyebrow at him. Well, if that wasn't gibberish, she didn't know what was. “Come again?” Her tone was a little on the hostile side, even if it was without meaning to.

 

“Uh…!” His fingers suddenly felt antsy and started to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt, tugging on the seam. His parents had taught him the basics of what he needed to know if ever he came across an English person, but he was still working on speaking fluently in it, but hadn't really used it on anyone besides his family yet.

 

Winry's face softened as she felt a little guilty as she watched the poor boy unconsciously scrape his teeth along his bottom lip before biting on it nervously. She turned away from the boy and back to what she assumed was probably a rustic version of a newspaper. The image was more than a little unsettling to her.

 

“Hey, Miss…” He was suddenly above her and inches in front of her face, gripping the top of the paper. “You're not from around here, are you?” His tone didn't finish as a question, more of an empathetic statement.

 

She blinked up at him a few times before shifting her eyes down to the writing inscribed beneath the smudged title. She furrowed her eyebrows at the name.

 

“Deutschland…?”

 

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “To us… yeah, but to you, it would probably be known as Germany.” He flinched when she dropped the paper. Why are girls so jumpy anyway?

 

Germany… that was the place Ed said he had been…

 

Winry finally sank into the realization that everything was over, not just the scant chances at a normal life, but the life she had once known altogether. No more Rose along with her son and their daily romps, no more Mustang and his voyeuristic ways or Hawkeye's comforting advice, she wouldn't see her grandmother or feel the warmth of Den cuddling by her side. She wouldn't be able to be there for Al as he relearned everything, or to watch Elysia grow up.

 

And no more Edward.

 

Niko stood there, frozen on the spot. He could practically feel the sorrow emanating from this girl, who couldn't be more than a few years older than him, all in waves of cold as he stared into her empty, forgotten eyes.

 

Not forgotten, but tossed away in order to shield her from something.

 

Winry felt her eyes fill with tears again as she gazed up at the sky.

 

He furrowed his eyebrows and planted himself onto the ground in front of her. He hated it when girls cried, and he felt like he would join her too if he didn't do something to make her stop. “Please, Miss, d-don't cry.” He sniffled and rubbed his eyes. Yup, there he went again. “What's wrong?” He placed a shaky hand timidly on the older girl's hand.

 

It was the tiniest gesture, but it broke the last of Winry's defences. “Edward… I shouldn't have, but… how could you?” She whispered distantly as if she had known all along. The boy in front of her remained silent as more tears dripped down her face.

 

“It's over… all over.” Winry opened her eyes and finally forced herself to remember the nightmare that would probably only serve to haunt her dreams for years to come.

 

…Flashback…

 

Winry remembered how she felt that day all too clearly. The day when Izumi had brought Al and Wrath back to her home and when she met Rose and her baby boy. It was the day she'd been told that the childhood friend she had known and trusted for so long was actually gone. As expected, Wrath left shortly after his automail attachment. Then when Al had departed as well to continue his training with Izumi, it had almost killed her on the inside. He was the only person she had left, and at least if she had one of them, she would be fine. But no, she had been cheated by God once more, and now she had lost yet another piece of herself. That was because she knew that, even though he was just a child, he would do anything to bring his brother back. So there was a high risk that he would not return as well.

 

So it went without saying that she was more than a little surprised the day they reappeared on her doorstop, as conspicuous as they had left in the first place.

 

At first she thought she was seeing things. After all, it had only been three months, whereas, there was a time when she hadn't seen them for years. Yet there they were, Al smiling sweetly though the relief he felt was expressed in the unshed tears in his eyes, while Ed, as per usual, was standing proudly, but with a gaping grin on his face. Then his eyes slowly peeled open as his amber eyes melted into Winry's sapphire ones. For what must have been a few minutes, the three just stood there silently, even Ed, basking in each others' company for the first time since all of their turmoil began.

 

Because of the now sufficient age gap, Ed was now a lot taller than him… it was bizarre to see them together after so long, and the differences between them only added to the sense.

 

But of course, it was already an extremely strange situation.

 

She vaguely heard the voice of her grandmother asking her who was at the door already as well as a few sets of approaching footsteps. Ed looked slightly surprised while Al just smiled pleasantly. She heard a feminine gasp followed by the joyful squeal of a child. She even heard her grandmother's quiet. “Oh, god…” It was the closest thing she had heard her say that was remotely close to a prayer in a long time. Then she was heard she could actually hear the pink sparkles permeating off of Armstrong.

 

That was until Ed sheepishly scratched the back of his head. It was also then that her eyes fell to the place where his automail arm was- well- should have been. She found it extremely convenient how the early morning breeze could blow it so easily. Not to mention the way the arm of his brown overcoat swung with his casual movements. On top of that, she heard Al cough uncomfortably. The moment was awkward, but it was the familiarity of it all that put her mind at rest, but she wouldn't let out the joyful smile that was just begging to show itself and decided to act on impulse. So what did she do?

 

She slammed the door in their faces.

 

Winry sighed, leaning against the wooden door as she heard Ed drop his suitcase and pound against it. She looked up at the apprehensive expression Rose was giving her, though a humorous little smile was tugging at the corner of her mouth. While her little Adam was giggling at Ed's burgeoning hysterics.

“WINRY! This isn't funny! LET. US. IN!” In a much quieter and collected manner, Al was trying to tell him to stop yelling at her.

 

Gingerly, he walked up to the door and knocked on it politely. “Uh, Winry… it's just us…” He decided to start with, using his sweetest voice. “Sorry about all this. Yeah, it looks like Nii-san has destroyed his arm beyond recognition again-”

 

“Al!”

 

“… but we're back now, and… I'm really, really hungry! And…” Well, nice guys always did finish last. “I didn't ruin your work-”

 

“ALPHONSE!”

 

Winry looked thoughtful for a moment. Well, he did have a point. So she turned and opened the door slightly enough for Al to get through, but slammed it as soon as Ed stepped forward. The group heard a thump, signalling that Ed had fallen on his behind.

 

“OW! What the hell, Winry?!” His muffled voice yelled from the other side. Pinako clicked her tongue a few times before offering to take Al's jacket for him.

 

A devious little smile found its way into Winry's soft features. “Go home, shortie!” She called to the other side, trying her best to stifle her giggles. “Go find someone else to fix your arm!” That's when they all heard it. The enraged scream as the pounding on the door grew louder until he finally kicked it open with his metal foot, which knocked it clean off its hinges.

 

There he stood, sixteen years old and still jumping up and down in a furious fit. Even Den started to bark at him. That was until Pinako calmly walked up to him. “Well, I hope you're happy, pipsqueak-”

 

“PIPSQUEAK?!”

 

“Now you can make yourself busy by fixing my door!”

 

“I will assist you!” Instantly, everyone was blinded by the pink stars that seemed to be forever bound to Armstrong's person. “Edward and Alphonse Elric!” He beamed. Ed tried to make a break for it while Al clung onto Den for dear life. Unfortunately for them, they had already been engulfed by one of Armstrong's bone-crushing bear hugs.

 

“Air, AIR!” Ed wheezed, his cheeks puffing out as he turned red.

 

“Ah… I-it's nice to s-see you too, Mister Armstrong… SIR!” Al managed to squeak.

 

Winry leaned against the doorframe, letting an exasperated sigh escape her lips while Rose chuckled and went over to stand next to her friend. Adam then waddled towards them, as best he could, and squeezed in between them. “Hee hee, Mama, Aunnie Win! They wook wike a ruderbegger!” The small child giggled again, followed by the girls.

 

Honestly, some things would never change.

 

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A few days later, the first person to know about Ed's return was Izumi, courtesy of Winry. When she, her husband, and Mason arrived, he immediately turned blue and tried to make a break for the border, however, much to his and Al's surprise, she embraced them both in as motherly fashion as she could. The youngest Elric was unable to contain himself after having not been able to spill out his emotions for so long, and he broke down and hugged her back, the only woman who could've taken the title as their surrogate mother. As for the older brother, all he could do was smile softly as he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

 

It was over, and he was finally home.

 

The next morning, much to Ed's dismay, they all arrived in a mass of hyperactivity and joy. Winry had informed Hawkeye of his return and told her to pass on the news, which soon resulted in a surprise gathering at the Rockbell's. Ed of course, was more than a little pissed off when Mustang and the rest of his subordinates arrived so, taking a page from Winry's book, he slammed the door on them. That was until Mustang melted the hinges off the door, and sent it barrelling into him, which only served to tick old lady, Pinako off further.

 

Behind the Brigadier General and Hawkeye were Maria Ross and Denny Bloch. As soon as Maria saw Al, she grinned since she saw him for the first time and began running towards the door, while all he could do was blush profusely. She wrapped her arms around him and congratulated him while the others approaching steadily. Havoc wore a lazy grin across him face, along with a cigarette notoriously sticking out the corner of his mouth as Scieszka and Fuery went on to greet Ed. Lagging behind, were Breda and Falman. Roy and Riza, neither partial to outbursts of emotion, greeted Ed as if he had never been away. Which was fine with him, for he had many people to try and cope with all at once.

 

“My, my! I never knew how adorable you were.” Maria paused as the ten-year-old pulled away from her with a sheepish grin. He raised his hands in front of his face in order to conceal his reddened face. “You will definitely grow up to be quite the handsome man… just like your father.” Anyone could tell that Denny was depressed over her comment, and the group chuckled slightly.

 

Later that afternoon, Gracia and Elysia arrived to bid their welcome to the newly reunited duo. Elysia immediately clamped herself around Ed's leg, greeting him enthusiastically, while Gracia gave a heartfelt hug to him and Al in tandem, it didn't take much for either of them to realize who the child was, and Elysia was ecstatic to have another friend who was almost her age. Shortly afterwards, the four-year-old took Den and Al outside to go berry-picking and whatnot.

 

Pinako, who was used to large groups of guests, fell into her element as the hostess and prepared enough food and beverages to choke a horse. All were welcome and all planned to stay if only for a short while. They had come to see Ed of course, but it would be a bonus to hear him speak of his adventures from… wherever the hell he had been all this time.

 

However, if the truth be told, Roy couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd been certain that one of them would've ended up dead… never had he thought that he'd see them both together, and Al in the flesh, literally.

 

The Elric brothers.

 

Roy had only seen pictures of Al when he had his human body, and this was a shock as well. It was amazing that he looked exactly the same as he had all of those years ago. Except now, Ed was approximately six years older than Al.

 

While Edward went around the room reacquainting with his old friends and… assorted others that he really wouldn't call his `friends,' Al followed behind him. Every few minutes, Ed would glance back at him with an overjoyed look in his eyes to see his brother back to the way he should've been. Roy was too shocked to even ask how he'd gotten back, and didn't want to ruin the moment anyway. There would be time enough for that later…

 

The Fullmetal Alchemist was back.

 

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The alchemists in the group had a disappointment facing them. They were curious to know how Ed had made it back, but he didn't want to tell them… not right then anyway, and not with so many untainted minds within the group. He told them all about the start of a war, about there being an equivalent to all of them that he knew of. He was able to tell Elysia that there was a man just like her father and a woman just like her mother. There was no alternate form of Elysia herself as of yet, but everyone saw the smirk tugging on Ed's mouth before he stated that it would be soon enough.

 

Alphonse and Winry were sitting on either side of Ed as he went on about the things he had learnt in the world, and how it seemed that when one person's double travels to one side of the gate, something happens to the existing `twin,' which obviously meant death, so that the two couldn't exist in the same reality, though he didn't seem to know for what reason. Or perhaps he didn't want to say it while Elysia and Adam were around.

 

Winry listened intently to every word that slipped out of him, vaguely aware of the suckling sound next to her coming from Adam, who was sitting on Rose's lap drinking his bottle. Now that Ed was home, he was finally telling some things about his adventure, and she didn't want to miss a second of it, although she noticed that he was being very careful with his choice of words.

 

At one moment she glanced across the table at Riza and then at Roy who was sitting by her side. She let a small smile grace her lips. Since whatever incident had led Mustang to have an eye patch, the two seemed to have become quite close. She couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for them to become more than their current relationship, if not for those damn fraternization laws. Still, it was nice to see both of them so relaxed, Riza seemed to wear her hair down all of the time too.

 

She accidentally caught Riza's eye at one moment and immediately dove back into her meal before the older woman could question her.

 

Riza looked on with a smirk as Winry did a poor effort of trying to conceal the fact that she had been gawking at her and the Brigadier General, however unintentional. The girl really had changed a lot. Although she had never said anything, Riza remembered her all the way back from the incident involving the serial killer, Barry the Chopper. She had been so young back then, and even though the experience could have scarred her for life, all she had done was cry out of release, and for Edward of course. She was a strong girl, even as a preteen. Those things served to make her into that strong, young woman, and Riza seriously doubted that she could ever let experiences such as those hold her back for long.

 

She blinked when Pinako asked if anyone wanted dessert. Of course, assorted people like Ed, Al, Fuery, Breda and Bloch seemed to really jump the gun on that one, while Adam was busy trying to feed his pureed veggies to Den while his mother wasn't looking.

 

Riza's eyes shifted back over to Winry when she stood as well to help Pinako with the dishes and the dessert. When she reached over to gather the empty plates from in front of Edward and Alphonse, she noticed Ed's cheeks tint pink a little when Winry's hand brushed against his flesh one, and she couldn't help but smile a little.

 

Teenagers and their damn hormones.

 

While Riza was inspecting one end of the pair, Roy was oddly keeping an eye on the other, albeit not so kindly. He had always been logical in his way of thinking, but he was still confident that the kid would find some way to get back to his home. Roy also knew that returning wouldn't have been an easy task, after all, there was always the matter of equivalent exchange, but it seemed that he had been able to overcome another obstacle, and seemed no worse for the wear. It all seemed a bit too easy and convenient this time. Was it possible that someone on the other side was able to help him out?

 

Nevertheless, if the gate was still active, it was a serious matter. The kid wouldn't like it, but regardless, they were going to have a discussion about it.

 

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Winry blew a short breath of hair, ruffling her side-swept bangs as she grimaced at the seemingly infinite pile of soiled dishes. Having guests was fine with her and all, it was the clean-up that made her wish they would scram… or at least wash their own dishes.

 

Just then Gracia walked in with yet another pile of ceramic dishes, precariously balanced in the crook of her arms, while Elysia was following a few steps behind her for caution's sake.

 

“Busy tonight, isn't it?” She stated uneasily, steadying a teacup holder which almost slid off the top of the stack.

 

“That's for sure.” Wiping the sweat off her brow, she picked up a bottle of dish detergent and squeezed more of the green liquid than needed into the pool of hot water before filling the sink with the soiled dishes. She picked up a plate and started scrubbing it while staring off into space. Elysia had made herself comfortable at the kitchen table, happily drawing away on some blank construction paper.

 

Gracia grabbed a tea towel and came up to her side, ready to help her with the drying when she noticed the distant expression in her eyes. “Winry? Are you all right?”

 

She didn't seem to be listening and was humming a quiet tune as she made slow circles with the sponge along the outside rim of the plate as she gazed out the kitchen window towards the quiet pastures. “Winry-chan?” She tried again, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. Winry tilted her head up slightly just as the dish slipped from her loose grasp, a couple of the ceramic pieces shattering, causing Elysia to jump. She visibly winced at the loud, offending sound.

 

“Winry? What's going on in there?” They heard Pinako's voice as the room next to the kitchen went silent, except for Edward telling Al to sit down.

 

“Everything's fine, it was just a little accident.” Gracia called while carefully pulling Winry's hands away from the broken dish and placed the shards onto a few pieces of paper towel and placed them in a separate bag.

 

Winry sighed as she wiped the beads of suds off the chest of her blouse. “Sorry, Gracia-san. I guess my mind's gone elsewhere. I can't help it…” She glanced over at Elysia who had resumed working on her picture and walked gingerly over to her. “They've been gone for so long, and just when you think one of them won't come back… here they both are.” Pulling the chair next to Elysia out, she sat down next to her. Elysia smiled brightly up at her briefly before going back to work.

 

“Those boys are certainly full of surprises.” Gracia chuckled as she rang the soapy water out of the rag and continued washing the dishes for her.

 

“But, there's Ed…” She whispered softly. “I wanted to believe that he was alive, but everyone else said otherwise, they all told me he was gone. I felt like I was trapped and should've just believed what seemed to be obvious, but I couldn't and now… here he is.” She sighed, propping her chin on her hands, resting her elbows on the table.

 

Gracia paused momentarily, turning her head to the side to smile sympathetically at the teenage girl. “You really missed him, didn't you, Winry?”

 

“Of course I did.” She stated absently. “Those two mean everything to me, and then when Al left too…”

 

“You know what I mean…” She turned back around, to finish off the last few plates and glasses. “When you found out he was gone you weren't yourself. When you came to visit us in Central after you finished gaining your apprenticeship in Rush Valley, I could see it in your eyes. You really care for him, and now you don't know where to go with it…” She chuckled and added in an almost condescending tone. “I was young once too, dear.”

 

Winry had been quietly watching Elysia as the picture she had been working on blossomed as she added more colour, seemingly to make sure she used every one of her crayons. Her little tongue was poking out the side of her mouth as she seemed deep in concentration. Winry always found these little idiosyncrasies of hers adorable. “That looks great, Elysia. You're already quite the artist.”

 

“Thanks, Winry-chan!” Elysia beamed, showing off her picture proudly to the older girl, who acted as a sort of role model for her. “Wanna draw wit me?”

 

Winry just couldn't say no to the way her bottom lip was trembling. “Sure, Elysia.” She picked up a sky blue crayon and added a reflection to the surface of a pond surrounding the flower garden.

 

“You're avoiding the topic, Winry.” Gracia's tone held a slight singsong quality as she patiently awaited to hear what was on the girl's mind.

 

Winry sighed, dropping her head down to rest on her arm as she shaded in the pond. “I guess when I see him and those eyes… something about him always makes me want to put everything on hold to wait for him. I can't help it, I…” She grunted as her face tinted pink.

 

“That's what I thought…” Gracia sighed, remembering the old days when her and Maes were just dating.

 

“Nee-chan has stuff for Ed-nii…” Elysia gave a girlish, little giggle. “You gonna have any kids?” Winry immediately blushed scarlet and Gracia laughed. “Then I'll have someone more to play wit…”

 

Winry huffed and stood clumsily to her feet. “I'm going for a walk. Do you mind finishing up here?”

 

Gracia shook her head, hiding her knowing smile. “Not at all, but… would you like Elysia and I to go with you?”

 

Winry had already removed her apron and was heading for the back door, slipping a light blue jacket over her shoulders. “No, it's okay. I just need a moment to myself.”

 

----------

 

The day was giving to night in a splendour of red and dark hues as Winry looked up, smiling as she took in the brisk night air as it slowly gave way from the daylight. Although not much happened there, the country really was quite beautiful, free from smog and crowded by people. She had always loved Resembool, and enjoyed sleeping with her bedroom window wide open so she could gaze up at the stars, which shone so much more brilliantly there as opposed to in the city.

 

She turned her head to the mismatched padding of footsteps coming up from behind her and lifted her eyebrow in confusion. “Ed?”

 

He paused momentarily, before continuing to her side and stood with his back turned from before the cliff overlooking the surrounding fields and houses in the rural town.

 

She had to marvel at the sight he made, sure his handsome looks were one thing, but for her, it was times like these. With him standing proudly in his foreign, but exotic clothing and drab brown overcoat as his long hair, tied in a ponytail, fluttered in the winds. His stern expression and hands behind his back posture seemed to give a regal air about him, steeliness and inner strength that was as strong as the molten colour of his eyes and, although he loathed the mere thought of it, the powerful heritage in which he came from served to add to that sublime aura.

 

He would always hold that profound and spiritual affect on her.

 

Except, right now he was eerily quiet. Usually, she could always gauge her best friend's moods. Hell it wasn't that hard, if he was pissed everyone knew and so would some property and buildings. Right now however, she had no idea if he was mad, or pissed, or even terribly worried. His lack of reaction was getting to her and she could never sit still in this kind of intangible tension.

 

When the silence drew on, Winry tilted her head upwards wondering why Ed had been attempting to get her alone with him if he was going to do nothing but just stand there, staring off over the horizon. There was seriousness in those gold eyes, making Winry wonder what was wrong with him. He was not one to stop and think about anything besides alchemy for long amounts of time.

 

“Ed…” Winry whispered in concern. “Is there something wrong?” She immediately bowed her head, afraid that she had broken the delicate atmosphere that had recently formed around them. How odd. Normally their atmosphere was full of yelling, smartass comments, and the inevitable throwing of wrenches. She couldn't help but let a ghost of a smile tug on her lips. “Has everyone gone home now?” She tried a different approach as she reached up, absently intertwining her fingers within her soft tendrils, twirling the pieces from her position on the ground with her knees tucked up against her chest; a nervous habit she had picked up from Elysia out of all people.

 

“Yeah…” He finally spoke and her head snapped up to look at him. “Some of them anyway. Gracia and Elysia, as well as a few members of the military and General dipshit are still here.” The derogatory nickname he had for the older man seemed to slip so naturally that she couldn't help but chuckle.

 

From her position, she could make out the corner of his eyes as he still had them fixated across the countryside. Narrowing her eyes in a joking manner, she stared at his amber irises and golden hair that practically put the poor sun to shame, slightly envious of his beautiful locks. `How come it seems like the guys have all the cool features?' She grumbled to herself internally, trying to will the uneasiness out of her system.

 

Without really thinking about it, she heard herself whisper. “I'm sorry.” For what reason, she had no idea, but she wanted to break him out of his uncharacteristic shell somehow. When he finally did turn around she was caught off-guard and stilled at the unusual expression he was giving her. There was a seriousness denoting that he was really debating something within his mind.

 

“Winry…” Ed let out a sigh, resuming his view of the pastures rather than the woman sitting on the grass. “You know, you really shouldn't be the one saying that.”

 

Winry blinked at the reprimand. It was like a tiny slap on the wrist compared to what she had been expecting. Perhaps if she waited, he would blow up at her and everything would be relatively normal again.

 

She scrunched up her eyebrows, trying to read his vague words through his eyes. “I know inviting everyone to come see you and Al was probably the last thing you had ever wanted.” Winry plucked a stray buttercup from the ground, holding it up to the slowly diminishing light. “I mean it's all over now, right? You and Al can finally relax without a care.” She brought the little yellow flower to shine underneath her chin, giggling at the old wise tale she had been told as a child, and still believed to this day.

 

Ed looked over his shoulder, smiling at the girl's childish wonder to something so inanimate and simple like a flower. She would never change. “Yeah, Winry, Al's back to normal now and there aren't really anymore threats.” It always was astonishing how Winry could simply push aside the dark tragedies she herself had suffered through alone and bounce back into her old self of squealing at tools and different automail designs, yet still gawk at the flora. He was beginning to wonder if she was her own foil. It seemed like nothing could take Winry from the simplest to the most technological of things that always gave her great pleasure.

 

“I'm glad that you two are safe… now I won't have to worry about you guys anymore.” Winry said with finality, happy that everyone she loved had the opportunity to get on with their lives without the constant threat that had always hung over them. “Wait… what about your automail, Ed?” It would be a damn shame to lose his business, but she could understand that he would want his flesh limbs back.

 

“It's fine…” He took to staring off in the distance again. “Me and Al talked about it. He's always wanted to find a way to return my body back to normal, but I was the one who started it. I wasn't going to sit around knowing that he paid more than me, and as long as he's safe and back to the way he should be… I'm fine with this.” He flexed his metal arm and looked back at the same time she turned away.

 

Winry let out a sigh, dropping the yellow flower onto the grass. It looked like things were finally going to work out for the brothers, and they would probably leave soon enough to embark on a new journey, after all, Ed could barely sit still for five minutes. She was also certain that he would want to proudly show off his brother to the many people they'd met along their journey. She was a fool if she believed that they would actually stay, not when there was a whole world out there that they could travel through without having to worry about the dangers lurking around every corner.

 

And now… they didn't need her anymore.

 

“Well… you two can pick up from where you left off. You probably have a lot of things you want to do.” She found herself tugging on the blades of grass again. She had finally realized only a small while ago that her feelings for him were more than just the concern she carried for both of them. It hadn't been an easy thing to admit to herself, she was far too practical to believe in love since she was a child, back then, it had been nothing short of puppy love. Yet what she felt for Ed was nothing like she had ever come close to feeling before. Before he had left the last time, she had wanted so badly to tell him how she felt, but all she could do was braid his hair.

 

“Right.” Ed let out a sigh. The two of them had always fought and threw dirty looks, but to be honest, he couldn't stay angry with her, hell he didn't think that anyone could be upset with her. They were just confused as what to do next; one of the most complicated scenarios life had to offer. When he and Al were on their adventures, although it was a morbid one, that was their direction. Now he felt like he had just gone awol and found himself antsy from the painful lack of activity this place brought. They had spent a long time fighting to have that threat gone and things relatively back to normal. Yet no matter what, he and his brother had always found themselves back here…

 

So… what now? Would they move in to stay with Winry and Aunt Pinako? They had nowhere else to go and he knew they would always be welcome there. Though so much had happened…would he ever be able to settle down into a quiet life again without growing bored? There was something he had to know… with eyes narrowed in determination he looked down at his lifelong support. “What are you going to do now?”

 

She was startled at his question. This was certainly new. “Hm… probably what I've always done. Dominic has taught me everything he has to offer, and I'm still honing my skills to become a better mechanic. I was thinking of doing a little travelling myself to learn all the trades.”

 

He smiled down and took a few steps so he stood in front of her. “I've never had to tell you to move forward, you just do it.” His eyes were still narrowed in concentration. “I mean…” He faltered as he fell down on one knee before her.

 

Winry gasped as he took her hand, squeezing it awkwardly. `Wha… what's he doing?' She had seen this expression before, whenever he was set on a course of action and determination ruled over everything else. It was always all about action with him. It had been the reason why Winry didn't think he would ever stay. However, right now his eyes were intense and unsure, while she felt hollow on the inside as heat rushed to the spot below her eyes and across the bridge of her nose.

 

“Winry, both me and Al have had enough of the outside… with the horror we've seen caused by the people themselves, and from what I saw when I was with my old man… I want to stay here.”

 

“St-stay?” She certainly couldn't ignore the shock and hope both intertwined in her thoughts.

 

“But…” His hand- the flesh hand he was using- tightened around hers momentarily. “It won't be the same if you aren't there, Win- well, what I'm trying to say is…” He seemed a bit agitated and Winry internally giggled, until his next words left her speechless.

 

“Will you let me stay here, with you?”

 

Winry was all but stunned that he would be forthright and ask her. She stared into his firm eyes patiently waiting an answer. Her heart raced as she blinked a few times, wondering if this was all just a beautiful dream. Was he really asking her what she thought he was asking her?

 

Well, it was too late for Ed to take it back, so Winry all but threw her arms around his neck as she rammed into him, almost shoving him backwards. “Yes!” She hugged him good and hard as tears fell from her eyes, which in turn made him blush scarlet.

 

It wasn't official, but it was the offer of a certain promise that made her heart swell with happiness.

 

After a moment he gently pushed her backwards, his face still pink as his eyes shifted away from her. She looked at the uncertain glaze in his eyes for a moment before quietly bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. His eyes widened a fraction as did his blush darken as she turned his face slightly. He looked into her velvet blue eyes for a moment, studying the serene and comfortable sheen to them as did he look at the tiny smile her lips formed… her full and almost pouty lips… he gulped as his body stirred and heat filled his lower stomach. He had no previous experience with this, he never really had the time, but something was urging him on now.

 

She hesitated for a moment and leaned away from his face, a dark blush deepening as she watched him lean forward whispering her name, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

 

His lips were soft and firm and she revelled in the first kiss that he had instigated between them. Her blush stayed in place as she heat spread throughout the whole of her body as he gently wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, leaving absolutely no buffer zone. After a moment, her lips slowly left his only momentarily before he kissed her again, this time more urgently.

 

This time Winry's eyes stayed open momentarily, until the initial shock faded. Since when was Ed so open with his emotions anyway? Did something happen to him from… wherever he came from? After she stopped thinking though, her eyes slipped closed.

 

He was pushing her back a little, but stopped before he had her all the way back. He then caught her completely off-guard when she felt the tip of his tongue curve over her bottom lip and run over both sides slowly and she responded by curving her mouth around his and allowed his tongue to slip through. All she could do was relish in the sensations he was making her feel, it was a little forceful, but she wasn't complaining about the warmth she felt pooling in her lower body as his tongue slid against hers. However, when she felt the feminine source of her hormones twitch, the heat suddenly felt stifling and the need for some personal space rattled her into breaking away from him.

 

“Win… ry?” He was panting hard as was she, but as his hazy mind clicked back to reality, he instantly became worried. “I didn't hurt you, did I?” His soft, angelic voice calmed her and she felt guilty for being so abrupt in pulling away.

 

“Oh… no, Ed. Of course not.” Winry reached out, taking his hand just in case he decided to flee from her thinking he had harmed her instead of kissed her. Her heart raced wildly at what had just occurred but she quieted herself down quickly giving Ed a grateful smile to still those wide golden eyes. “I'm fine, really, Ed.” He nodded slowly, still uncertain and somewhat angry with himself, but she gave him a reassuring smile.

 

The feeling of excitement over what just happened bubbled up once again, and with her free hand, she brushed back his ponytail, which had fallen forward, behind his shoulder. “Grandma will be happy too, I can't wait to tell her!” She sobered momentarily and smiled softly at him. “Thank you.”

 

Ed nodded once before he stood up, taking her hand with his own and pulled her up with him. He glanced at her and sighed a little disheartened, giving in to the fact that the best he could do is match her height. They walked back to the Rockbell's residence in silence, however, when Winry glanced at him through the corner of her eye she couldn't help but smile as the sense of flattery settled over her, given the colour his cheeks currently were. Meanwhile, her mind was jabbering on about how her family would react or how everyone else would take the news.

 

She felt a bit of elation seeing three of them just ahead, which pulled her from the oddity of the situation with Ed. Roy leaned over towards Riza, whispering something in her ear, which in turn made Riza's eyes widen and she shoved him away from her. Winry smiled and rushed over to the older woman when she turned to her.

 

“Winry-san…” She smiled knowingly at her. “How do you feel about all that's happened in the past few days? It must be fatiguing.”

 

“I'm fine, Riza, really.” She reassured the apprehensive look on the lieutenant's face as she looked around, trying to locate someone until they settled on a dim light in one of the upper bedrooms.

 

Riza followed her gaze back to the house. “What are you looking for?” She kept a hushed tone, considering that this was probably a private matter, and Roy, Edward and Alphonse were standing just a few feet away, yammering on about something.

 

“I was just looking for Rose. I wanted to talk to her.” After all, was a part of this really fair to her?

 

“I believe she said that she was putting Adam to bed and was about to turn in herself.” A change of topic crossed her mind as she smirked at the teenage girl. “Edward went looking for you when you'd left. What were you two talking about for so long? If you don't mind my asking.”

 

Winry's pulse dropped a bit, her stomach twisted at what Rose might say when she found out… but that was beside the point, right? Ed had come back, and he was staying for good this time. “Riza-san, Ed wants to stay here…” She swallowed the excitement bubbling up inside of her. “… with me.”

 

Riza's usually intense eyes softened as she reached out and placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder. “That's great, Winry-san, I'm truly happy for you. It looks like he's grown up a bit.” She gave a quick, covert glance in Ed's direction, but rolled her eyes when he started yelling about something, that something probably being a short comment.

 

“Yeah, but…” Winry frowned and made eye contact with her. “What about you and Mustang? Anyone can see that you two are involved, and you can't go behind the military's back, that's no life.”

 

“Roy and I have both decided to resign from our positions. At least until the ordeal with who will be named the new Fuhrer is over with.” She gave a reassuring nod at the stunned look on Winry's face. “Right now there's a lot of civil unrest, but perhaps one day things will settle down and Roy will be able to achieve his goal.” She lifted her gaze to the sky, smiling slightly.

 

Winry watched her silently for a moment as she lifted her hand from her shoulder. Since the time she had taken that ride on the train back to Central with the first Lieutenant, she had grown a substantial amount of respect for the woman; a respect that would make her stop to listen to her words. She always seemed to deal with any kind of situation so calmly, and if something did upset her, it had do be something emotionally distressing for her.

 

Most importantly, with the way she had spoken of the now Brigadier General, it was obvious that she would do anything to help him achieve his ultimate goal, at any cost. It was that kind of devotion that would keep them together no matter what, even way down the line when they were senile and bickering all of the time.

 

Now things seemed to be settling down into a low-profile lifestyle, the kind of life she was most used to and the only one she had really ever known. Winry smiled happily for Riza, but a small part of her heart was sullen at her own news. For as long as she could remember, all she'd wanted was for things to go back to the way they had been when her and the Elric brothers were children, so she wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. On the other hand, she had always found that curiosity got to her about the types of things they had to deal with, but none of that mattered anymore. Now it looked like things were going back to normal, well, as normal as things could get.

 

This is what she wanted, right?

 

Winry shook her head from those thoughts. “And now Al can start from where he left off. In a way, it's almost better that he came back in his ten-year-old body, it's like he really didn't miss much.” She smiled as she folded her arms behind her back and glanced up at the sky as well, lightly swaying on one heel. “It's like time, in some way, stopped just for him.” Riza tilted her head back down and nodded in agreement.

 

It would be a difficult road for Al, since he couldn't remember anything from his and his brother's transgressions or their adventure, but Winry was sure that being with his brother would help him get over it and they would be a family all over again.

 

She looked over to where Riza was staring off towards the others, and at the very boy they were just discussing, who was standing against a fence while Mustang stood beside him, draping an arm over his shoulder while trying to teach the boy some tactics for wooing a girl. Since one day he would probably grow up to be more than just an eligible bachelor, why not start young? Which would be much better than something like Havoc's cheesy pick-up lines. Meanwhile, Al was blushing madly and coughing uncomfortably into his hand.

 

Roy Mustang, the notorious skirt-chaser teaching innocent, Alphonse Elric tactics? Exasperating.

 

Winry's eyes strayed towards the voiced out explicative that came from none other than Edward, who was glaring over at Mustang, telling him not to mess with Al's head. Then Al did something that made even his brother stare down at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion. Did Al just sidle away to ask Ed for help? Instead of Mustang?!

 

Just peachy, one idiot teaching sly methods while the other was teaching useless tactics; all on a boy who would probably never use either of them.

 

There would be hell to pay tonight by many women of the town, child or adult, and there would be no living with any one of those… boys.

 

Winry really wanted to say that this is what she had been wanting for a long time. So why was her mind so full of regret? Right now she just had to go inside to talk to her grandmother or Gracia. She could slip away unnoticed for a couple of hours while the festivities were going on. The night sky was ebbing away into darkness, and the end of the Elric brother's long journey and their reunion marked a new beginning, any kind of beginning.

 

Besides, there was still the matter of speaking with Rose.

 

So while Ed was in a heated discussion- ahem- argument with Roy on how to properly ask a woman out on a date, she excused herself from Riza who just shook her head in exasperation, stating that she would also go inside soon…

 

Because of all the things they just had to argue about… who knew it would eventually turn into this?

 

Poor, poor Al.

 

She took a few silent steps backwards, away from the others before she turned, heading towards the front porch and went inside the house, which was also bustling with activity.

 

----------

 

Winry couldn't help but pause in the doorway at just what the activity consisted of, the sound of bickering.

 

Well, it wasn't really bickering, it was the sound of some of Mustang's subordinates trying to talk her grandmother into letting them move the dining room table into the living room. She leaned against the doorframe as Den came up to her and nudged her hand, so she stroked him behind the ears as she listened for a moment.

 

“Please, Mrs. Rockbell.” Breda was almost begging, as were the looks Fuery and Falman were wearing. In fact, Winry was surprised that they weren't down on their knees. “We won't make a mess. It's just an innocent game of poker.”

 

“Absolutely not.” Anyone could tell that there was no room for debate by Pinako's tone. “There will be no gambling in my house, boys.” She puffed out a ring of smoke, which had Havoc wondering why he still couldn't master that. “Besides, you'll leave a scuff on my hardwood floor.”

 

“No we won't.” Fuery nudged him to the side, seeing is how the other man was getting absolutely nowhere in their… discussion. “We'll clean up any mess we make, and we'll only have a little to drink.”

 

“A little? Do you think that makes a difference?” She removed the pipe from her mouth and glared up- well, more down at them, since Fuery and Breda were now on their knees. “Besides, there are minors here, not to mention a few small children!”

 

Havoc chuckled slightly, leaning casually against the back of a chair. “So? We'll leave the little ones out of it, but it'll be good for Fullmetal and Winry to have a little taste of adulthood.” It really was meant to be a joke.

 

Winry moved out of the way just as Havoc came rushing by, followed by a bombardment of appliances and tools.

 

Although she was an adult to some standards in Amestris, she was at home, and by God if her grandmother found out, she would have to suffer through another of her long lectures.

 

Though she was pretty sure that it wouldn't be as bad as when she'd first learned about `the birds and the bees.' An eight-year-old girl who had been hearing really weird things about what intercourse was at school, and just wanted some reassurance that it wasn't done hanging upside-down and involved an extension chord and butterscotch.

 

Well… not usually.

 

Now that was unpleasant, and she was pretty sure that Ed and Al had gotten off without knowing about it for a bit longer.

 

“I told you guys that she'd say no.” Maria was calmly sipping a cup of blackcurrant tea as she watching her co-worker's feeble attempt to persuade the old woman. “Besides, you know that you would make a huge mess. Men…” She shook her head. “They just have to destroy everything.”

 

“Hey, I resent that!” Denny frowned from his seat next to her. “Not all men are like that.” Hell, he had to say something. The loins of men nationwide were on the line here!

 

“Sergeant…” She paused momentarily and looked over at him slightly surprised. “They're talking about letting a couple of young teenagers drink.”

 

“I'm not defending that!” Denny huffed. “It's-”

 

Winry sighed in exasperation. It seemed like wherever she went today, she had to deal will one set of ridiculous antics after another. Although, it was nice to see everyone in such high spirits. Now that there were no longer any real threats in the world, everyone could finally live more comfortably. She gave Den one last scratch behind the ears before pushing herself off the doorframe and made her way up the stairs.

 

When she reached the top of the stairs, she quieted down, knowing that certain younger parties were probably already asleep. However, the good thought was almost spoiled when she rounded a corner and stopped dead when she almost plowed Rose over.

 

Winry managed to catch a few towels and a bottle that slid off the top of the stack of baby-related things she had in her arms. “Nice catch, Winry.” She said uneasily as she straightened the remaining supplies. Winry grinned at her as she made sure the top of the bottle was screwed on tightly. “Looks like Ed's staying for good this time.” She stated with a smile, making her way over to an open window at the end of the corridor.

 

“Yup… now that he and his brother are reunited and as normal as he wants it to be. I guess even Ed needs some down time after all that.” She sighed as she placed the towels in the hallway linen closet.

 

“I meant, he's staying here with you.” Shaggy, pink bangs fanned off to the side as she turned slightly.

 

“Wha… how did you…?” Winry was startled to hear Ed somewhere outside screaming at presumably Mustang. She rushed over to Rose's side at the open window. She couldn't believe it, yet she could. They were still yelling about the same thing, though it looked like Riza, and even Al had already gone inside. At the way Ed was wound up, she actually wouldn't be surprised if Roy went in too and he didn't notice.

 

“Well, Winry said she likes me! So I probably DO know what I'm talking about, Colonel SHIT!”

 

The blood rushed into her cheeks as she looked away in embarrassment while Rose simply giggled. It was also inaccurate to call him `Colonel,' but old habits die hard. She coughed trying to regain her composure. “Actually, Ed's just lucky that I like his pretty, amber eyes.”

 

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Winry, you know you're not fooling anyone.”

 

Winry folded her arms across the windowsill, resting her chin on top of them. It was true, He didn't just say he was going to stay, he wanted her to stay with him too, and frankly, she didn't quite know what to do with that. The way he seemed to settle back, but still have that longing for adventure reminded her so much of the young boy he used to be. It was all a sense of deja'vu really. She had grown accustomed to the very fitting metal exterior he had put up that she'd almost forgotten the boy he used to be.

 

“Winry…” Rose's soft voice called over to her. When her sapphire eyes slid over to her she continued. “I know what this is about…”

 

She pulled herself up so she could stand at eyelevel with the young mother. “I just wanted to know if you're okay with this. I mean…” She shifted uncomfortably, even if it was a topic that was never breached. “I knew you liked him, and I sort of had the feeling that you saw me as competition…”

 

Even after all this time, Rose couldn't help but nod slightly. “I did… at first, but not anymore.” She glanced over to where Ed looked about ready to begin round two of Fullmetal vs. Flame. “When I heard about where that young homunculus was being taken to, it sounded like a great place to raise a child, but I also felt obligated to tell Ed's remaining family about what had happened to him.” Her eyes darkened as morbid memories resurfaced. “To see him die, then brought back was a lot to take in, then he left again. I remember when I told you and your grandmother the story. I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be so sad over the death of one solitary person. But…” She focused on the expression Winry was now wearing. It reminded her so much of that time, even if it wasn't that long ago. “You kept a mutually sad expression, but I could tell the news broke you, plus you were a girl around Ed's age who seemed to know him so well…”

 

A tense air settled over them momentarily until Winry spoke up quietly. “Not as well as you may think…”

She furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”

 

“Rose…” She sighed. “You got to know him… both of them while they were on their journey. Through all the major parts at that. You were even there when Ed made his final choice.” She placed her hand on the whitewashed windowsill as she kept eye contact fixed with her. “You were there to support him when he needed someone the most… after he lost his brother.” She bit her bottom lip, how she would've loved to be the one to comfort him during the painful moment that topped his childhood mistake.

 

“I know where you're heading with this…” She gripped onto the fabric of her long skirt. “But when he and his brother were reunited, what did they do? They came back here… to you and your grandmother-” She heard Den bark and laughed. “Yes, and of course Den, but mainly you.” She enunciated for obvious reasons.

 

Winry sighed in defeat, Rose certainly did have a point, but she still couldn't shake the lingering feeling of sadness at the thought that they might have been isolating themselves from her. “The point is that nothing is carved in stone, and I don't want to lose our friendship. I don't want to go through with it if you feel bitter about everything.”

 

Rose shook her head. “Winry, I will always care for him because he helped me get back on my feet and was there for me when I was at my absolute lowest, but I don't like him like that anymore. Just as a good friend.” She lowered her voice as the quiet chatter of the occupants came closer to the stairs. “The only thing that matters to me right now is my son and Lior along with its people.” Though in truth, she knew how much Winry meant to both of the Elric brothers, and that she probably couldn't compete with her.

 

Winry opened her mouth, but thought better of it. What could she really say to that anyway?

 

It was late by that point, so they both decided to call it a night. The house seemed quieter now, and she assumed that everyone would be turning in soon, the silence suggested that even Ed and Mustang had given it up… or perhaps Ed had finally snapped and killed the General once and for all.

 

As she placed her hand on the brass doorknob, she felt the rush of a chill work its way through her loose clothing. She felt a knot form in her stomach as the urge to say something more became apparent. “Hey, Rose…?” She started out of the clear blue.” The other woman turned from the room where her son was sleeping soundly. “Good luck… with everything I mean. With the reconstruction of Lior and stuff, um…” She cleared her throat and turned once more to her. “There's no question in my mind that you'll make a great leader and a mother…” With that, she closed the door behind her with an almost resounding click.

 

Rose didn't say anything or even move for a moment. She had never really had many friends, just friendly acquaintances around Lior. She had always questioned the way she had led the remaining villagers out of the decimated town, but knew almost nothing about being a leader. The only people she had ever trusted were Kain and then the Elric brothers followed by the leadership skills she admired in Scar. Then after what she had learned about `Lyra,' it certainly made her question her judge of character. Then of course, she met Winry and her friends and family, who had taken them in and opened the doors for a better life for her and her son. She was really going to miss them all.

 

“Thank you, Winry… for everything.”

 

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Winry sat in deep contemplation at the head of his bed. It had been a few days since Mustang, Hawkeye and the other military personnel had returned to Central, as well had Izumi and her group returned to Dublith. Now as the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, giving off a dark glow to the pastures, Al was at the station bidding Gracia and Elysia goodbye. Even Rose was planning to return to Lior in the morning.

 

They had been spending a lot of time together lately, which puzzled her to no end. To be sitting here at his back once again was definitely a sense of deje'vu as she wound his hair into his notorious braid- though it looked much better when she did it for him.

 

Ed felt very relaxed. He didn't realize how much he liked having his hair played with. People paid others to play with their hair and up until now he couldn't understand why. Not that there was ever anyone around who could, and most wouldn't let just anyone play with their hair. It was in this moment of peace that he asked her something he wanted to for awhile.

 

“Winry?”

 

“… hmm?”

 

He could tell that her mind was elsewhere. “Do you remember back in Rush Valley?” You said you would train harder to become a better mechanic, but you never got to tell me why.”

 

She finished his braid. Her hands dropped into her lap and she sat still. She had to give him credit; he'd remembered even when she wished for him to forget. She had cried again and he must have got irritated by it. She still hadn't answered his question. He turned to face her but she did not look up. It was over now, so why not tell the truth and not have to face him for awhile.

 

“I thought…” She began. “That if I could make the best automail you would stop looking for a way to get your real arm and leg back. Then… you would come home to me, but…” She sighed. “That was then, but I understand that you'd want your real arm and leg back.” She chuckled a bit, remembering the time of their first visit in three years when she thought it was insane for him to even think about giving up his automail limbs.

 

She had seriously hoped that `to me' had meant little to him and she cursed herself for letting it slip. It wouldn't have stood out back then so why would it now. After a moment of silence she felt a hand push her chin up. She had a moment to look into his eyes, before he kissed her softly on the lips, just like before.

 

He wasn't sure why he had done it. At the time it was the best way for him to express his emotions as well as the best thing to do. So he was god awful with words, which male wasn't? Even Winry knew he could never speak of what was going on inside his heart or mind. A kiss, very spontaneous for him, seemed best. It was short, but left Winry with a shocked look on her face, touching her fingers to her lips as she gazed at him so… lovingly.

 

Ed shifted slightly, knowing he could take no more. He leaned his head towards her and claimed her lips, touching them hesitantly again with his own. Winry's lips softened and parted slightly as he kissed her, returning his growing passion.

 

Their kiss deepened and Winry felt light-headed, but didn't care. She could feel Ed bring his hand to her chest, experimentally cupping one breast as he pressed his lips harder against hers, making her shudder as she felt her nipples harden through the thin material.

 

He leaned over her, kissing her over and over as he gently slipped off her shirt and undid the jacket around her waist before slipping her pants off.

 

Ed dropped his head to her breasts and opened his lips, taking in the nipple between them. He sucked carefully on the tip, letting his tongue slide around its peak. She felt so good. Smelled so good. She even tasted good as he took her nipple gently between his teeth, and the sound of her voice as she moaned his name over and over…

 

She's had her fair share of conversations with women who were a few years older than her when she found that curiosity got the better than her. She had also been told that most women don't have an orgasm on their first time, and usually lasted for… well, not very long. But as she gazed up into those golden eyes of his and ran her fingers through his equally golden hair, she felt her face warm and her body stir in response.

 

Now it was completely different, with her being pressed like this against his firm chest in the closest contact they had ever been in, she could've almost climaxed right then.

 

He leaned back a bit and pulled each of his own articles off with plenty of less ceremony that almost made her chuckle out loud. Once he had removed his boxers however, she couldn't help but let curiosity get the better of her as her eyes shifted to what was between her legs. She immediately blushed redder than a human heart and more than she had ever before as she looked back up into his eyes, but wasn't really surprised to see that he hadn't noticed.

 

Ed could feel the growing warmth and wetness between her legs where he was settled. Her breathing was erratic and her heart pulsed as though she was running a race.

 

He gently shifted her, bringing her downwards until he could pull himself completely over her. He watched in almost a trance as her hands came up and undid the knot of her pink hairpiece and pulled out her elastic, causing what looked like a sea of wheat to cascade over the pillow and her shoulders. Her eyes were bright with passion as she looked up at him.

 

“Ed…” Her voice was a whisper as she reached up with one hand, running the tips of her fingers along his cheek with made the bridge of his nose redden.

 

Pulling down her panties the rest of the way, he made the boldest move he thought he could do at this point as he reached down, slipping his flesh hand between her legs to the source of her excruciating heat, cupping his hand over it. The gauze of her panties was wet and warm, allowing the scent of her arousal to reach him. He shifted downwards, pulling at the only fabric that remained between them.

 

Winry moaned again as his palm pressed more firmly against her and a warm moisture coated his hand in response. The musky scent coming from her womanhood drew him in. She slid her hands along his chest, stroking and tickling him before she let one hand slide from his chest to his stomach. She moved it in tentative circles across his skin and glided her hands towards his back.

 

He could feel her fingers pressing into his lower back, coaxing him downwards. He didn't resist, letting his hips come between hers. The throbbing of his member was actually hurting at this point and he gritted his teeth a bit, grabbing onto it and pressed the tip against her opening.

 

He knew to be careful not to take her too quickly and pressed his member downwards a bit until he was able to slowly slide inside of her. She continued to pull him into her, stopping only when he could go no deeper. Only he was just partially inside of her as he met resistance, which would mean her barrier.

 

Amber eyes lifted to hers as he felt her body shiver suddenly. “I don't want to hurt you, Winry. Are you sure?” He bit back a groan as he felt his body just aching to slam his hips into hers, but he kept his arms strongly in place.

 

“Ed…” She bit her bottom lip slightly. “Trust me, I'll be fine.” The pressure on her lip increased as she bit down a bit more. She was painfully nervous about what it would feel like, but she wouldn't stop now. Not when he was finally opening up to her like she'd always wanted, and in turn, she would do anything for him.

 

Nodding once, in one careful movement he slid all the way into her. A squeal of pain escaped her lips and a few tears stung her eyes as she arched her back, crushing her breasts against his chest which almost sent him insane, but he broke out of his haze and held her body close.

 

“Winry… I won't move, I promise.” Despite the fact he could feel her warmness all around himself. It was sending him insane with desire and want but he held onto her firmly. That was when he felt. The feeling of something wet trickling down between them. At the first instant when something just comes to mind, Ed thought it had been more of the results of her pleasure, but as the reality of what he was aware happened to a girl on their first time kicked in, he winced regretfully. Yet he couldn't stop himself as he looked between them and cringed regretfully for her.

 

Had he been expecting something else? He knew a girl bled on their first time, but for some reason it didn't truly click that it was actually blood. A substance caused from pain for what should be pleasure. “Winry…” He shuddered as the reality finally sunk in. “I'm really sorry.” What he felt next surprised him though. The feeling of her hands wrap around his tense shoulders as she yanked him down, further into her. He blinked in shock as he looked down at her, and into her eyes that were now feverish as her features relaxed.

 

The feeling of her surrounding him was like nothing he had felt before. Something inside him told him to move against her, letting his shaft advance and retreat into the slick warmth of her womanhood.

 

Each time he pulsed, Winry moaned his name in a dreamy fashion. Her sounds added to his own arousal and he began to move more quickly, falling into a rhythm that she began to match with her own movements. Her hips tipped and pushed towards him with every thrust. It was the friction, something about the friction it had to be. The area was sensitive so she knew it should be painful, yet it was combined with a sensation in her stomach that made her body writhe like this and the feeling to be nothing but pure pleasure.

 

He could feel her heart racing, hear her breath coming in ragged gasps as she reached the pinnacle of ecstasy. He began to move faster until he exploded with pleasure, spilling his seed into her as her body clenched around him. Winry gasped in sheer delight as he pushed into her one last time, his shaft stiff and swollen inside her. He held himself inside of her as he kissed her, feeling a mix of sticky moisture trickle down his thighs. His tongue forced its way between her lips, searching the warm moistness of her mouth and groaned with pleasure as he felt her squeeze herself around him.

 

He slowly moved away from her, causing her to moan in an added sensation. As he fully pulled out of her with a wet sound, he shifted his weight to one side so that he lay next to her, looking into her eyes.

 

“That was…” There were no words to describe what he had just experienced with her.

 

She chuckled as it seemed they had just fallen into one of those stereotypical speechless periods that first-timers usually had. “Yes, it was…” She smiled softly, gazing up at the ceiling and the midnight prints cast in from the window.

 

“Winry…?”

 

“Hmm?” She looked over at him, her eyes soft and shiny in the light the moon cast through the window.

 

“I'm glad that it was you I got to experience this with you for the first time. I don't think I would've had it any other way…” He paused, looking for words to describe what he was feeling. “I felt warm… and comfortable.”

 

Winry smiled to herself, wrapping her arms in front of her chest as the coolness of the room pricked at her skin. The blush she had worn the whole time lessened to a mere glow, though it didn't disappear completely as she still felt warm liquid slowly dripping backwards along her thigh, as she knew it was probably mixed with a bit of her blood. Only she didn't care about that, not even the dull ache she felt up between her legs.

 

She quietly rolled over on her side and pulled her body until she was pressed against her. She wasn't oblivious to the little satiated grin just begging to show itself as she slung her arm over him, resting her hand on his chest.

 

In turn, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer, feeling Winry relaxing in his arms, her heartbeat and breathing returning to normal as she snuggled against him until they both fell asleep like that, lulled by the sounds of crickets chirping as a cool breeze whipped through the small town.

 

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“First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.”

 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. It belongs to Hiromu Arakawa and all of those other Anime related companies.

 

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