Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Veritas Hominum ❯ Evaporated ( Chapter 15 )

Evaporated

 

“I am not getting in that plane.”

 

“Oh, come on, Rose. It's perfectly safe.”

 

“There isn't enough money in the world to get me up in that thing. I like it right here on the ground, thank you very much.”

 

Winry and Ben were laughing hysterically at Ed attempting to drag Rose into the plane. She was a strong woman, but she was still no match for Ed. Ed just grinned.

 

“But it'll be fun!” he taunted.

 

“No. It. Won't.” Rose finally ripped herself away from him and ran to the door of the house to catch her breath. “I'm impressed that it flies at all.”

 

“Hey!” Ben protested. “Those were my plans!” He crossed his arms and glowered.

 

“And mighty fine plans they were too, Ben.” Winry ruffled his hair.

 

Ben glared at Winry as he tried to smooth his hair. “Could you keep your woman in line, Ed?”

 

Ed shrugged and smiled. “You know I can't make her do anything,” he replied.

 

“Damn straight,” she agreed.

 

“Well if you all don't mind, I'm going in the house to finish cooking dinner,” Rose stated, still straightening her dress.

 

Winry turned to her, “Do you need some help?”

 

Rose shook her head. “No, I'll be fine. Just send Ben or Ed in soon so I can make one of them set the table.” She winked at Ed before heading back into the house.

 

“I'm going to go polish the plane some more,” Ben said.

 

Winry laughed. “Ben, if you keep polish the wings anymore there won't be any metal to polish left!”

 

“Eh, let the boy go. It is his baby, after all,” Ed said as he walked over to Winry and slung his arm around her shoulder.

 

“Good point,” she replied. “It took the poor boy two years to build the thing, even with our help.”

 

“There was a lot I didn't remember, but the design he came up with is pretty similar to what I do remember. He's spent so much time on this thing that I had to pick up his slack in the shop.” Ed shook his head. “I still can't believe I'm helping you build automail for a living.”

 

“Well, what else were you going to do?” she asked. “You won't use alchemy anymore. You could have gone back to the military if you had wanted to…”

 

“No,” Ed cut her off. “That was never an option.”

 

Winry leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I'm glad you didn't go back,” she said quietly.

 

“I'm glad I didn't either.” He said as he kissed her softly.

 

“Ed! Winry!” Ben came running up the drive. “There's some guy in a military uniform heading this way!”

 

Winry saw Ed begin to panic and put a reassuring hand on his arm. “If they haven't figured out that you're here by now, then they don't know you're here. Calm down.”

 

“But what's the military doing in Risembool?” Ed fearfully.

 

As he approached, Ed relaxed as he realized that it was no one he knew. It was a low-ranking soldier in a standard-issue blue uniform. He smirked a bit at the uniform. They had never made him wear the uniform; as a State Alchemist who didn't work in Central he had been allowed to wear whatever he wanted.

 

“I am Sergeant Mitchell. I was sent to investigate some rumors about a flying machine.”

 

“You're here about our plane?” Ben blurted out.

 

The soldier studied Ben for a moment before addressing the Ed and Winry. “Yes. I am here about the… plane.”

 

Ben glared at the soldier. “I will have you know that I designed that thing. Ed helped me plan it out, but I did most of the work.”

 

The soldier's stony face never changed. “And how did you know how to build such a thing?”

 

“Ben, don't answer,” Winry said sharply. “What does the military want with our plane?”

 

“The military is very interested in seeing if the rumors of a flying machine that can carry people and other things are true. It would be incredibly useful in our defense systems.”

 

“Oh no,” Ed cut in. “I am not letting the military use this for anything. I've had enough of the military using my ideas.”

 

“I have been ordered to take the engineers into custody and taken them to Central where you will be brought before the Parliament,” Mitchell replied. “This is not a choice, sir.”

 

Ed felt Winry grab onto his arm and say, “I'm coming with you whether you like it or not.”

 

He nodded and then turned back to Mitchell, “Let us pack some things and we'll go.”

 

Mitchell nodded curtly.

 

Ed and Winry packed their things in silence; their happy haze of the last two years broken. Ed couldn't help but think of the last time he'd been called to Central; he hadn't returned for over four years and he prayed that this time he would be allowed to return to his home, his family before that long. But somewhere deep in his mind, he knew that probably wouldn't happen.

 

He looked at Winry packing her things and something in his chest loosened as he realized that he might never get another chance to tell her.

 

“I love you,” he murmured.

 

Winry froze momentarily, but then she smiled softly at him and said, “I know.”

 

After they had gathered the last of their things, and said goodbye to Rose and Ben, Mitchell ushered them into the waiting carriage down the road. Together they looked through the back window, watching the life they had built together evaporate, and knowing that if they ever returned, they would never be the same.