"What is it Al?"
"Why do you think Winry's oracticing alchemy"
"What do you mean, Al? She's an alchemist! It's only natural for her to practice alchemy."
"What I mean is..." Alphonse hesitated for a while, fearing that Winry in the other room was awake and listening. He whispered to his elder brother: "Winry's parents were killed by Colonel Mustang, remember?"
Edward thought for a while. His thoughts were ragged by the rain. He knew too well that she knew that an alchemist killed her parents, but would that stop her from practicing alchemy? His heart pounded for some reason. Alas, even his brilliant mind cannot comprehend this conundrum.
Thunder roared, and distracted ed from his train of thought. So much philosophizing gave him a headache.
"I don't know Al..." Ed slumped in his bed. "I just don't know"
Al was silent. But Ed knew that he was thinking something.
"You think too much Al" Ed yawned. "Good night."
"I'm just worried about her. Well, good night... brother"
Morning came like a promise. The storm had passed, and the morning sun was brightly shining through the windows. Ed woke up to find Winry cleaning the transmutation circle she made last night with a wet rag.
"Let me do it for you" Ed's then wooden hand felt awkward against Winry's flesh. It startled her a bit, but she forgot about it when she looked at Edward's golden eyes. She smiled, and stood up.
"Thanks. I still need to deliver this arm to my customer in town. I'll work on your arm when I get back." Winry said.
"Sure." Ed didn't look at her; he was more concerned at cleaning the floor.
The moment winry stepped outside, she sighed. Even when the morning sun was warming her body, her heart felt awfully cold. As she walked, heavy thoughts occupied her mind. Somehow, she was concerned for Ed and Al, going on their dangerous missions in search of the philosopher's stone alone, just the two of them. She wondered if she can make a difference. She wondered if she could help...
She wondered... if she could recreate Ed's arm... Not in automail...But in flesh.. Not with ordinary means, but with a means that she and Edward both know and can use... With Alchemy.
The thought spurred her... It made her mind whirr even faster... She started trying to figuring out how to do it.. Remembering all she read from the alchemy tome, she started running excitedly. Delivering her packeage without delay, she began to sprint to her house. "yes... it's possible... I can give him an arm... a leg of flesh!" She thought.
For the first time in her life, She didn't think like an automail mechanic at all. The whirring, squeaking, gyrating of gears and bearings were nothing to her... It ws all new... It was all so simple! She can theoretically make Ed whole again... She would help them achieve their goal, and possibly, make them stay permanently in Risembool sooner.
XXX
Unbeknownst to her, two beings were observing her.
"So it seems blondie over here is falling neatly in our trap" said one of them, dressed in black, arrogantly smiling.
"Don't be too excited. We still have to find out if the Elric idiot would be able to do it." said his companion, who was similarly dressed as him.
"Don't be silly. With hormones flying around like that, the philosopher's stone's as good as ours! Silly humans..."
The female homunculus looked at her colleague.
"What're you staring at?" Envy asked.
"Nothing... I just found something very iornic, that's all" Lust continued to look at the ground below her.
"Geez. I never really understand you, you know?"
"You should get back to surveillance, Envy."
"Can't someone have fun around here?" Envy grumbled and transformed. "It's time to pay the Rockbells a visit."
XXX
"Hey Al" Winry said from the threshold of a back room. Al turned to winry.
"What?"
"I need a favor to ask of you."
"Oh. Okay." Al stood up and followed Winry to the back door. Winry was on the floor with the alchemy book in her hand and a chalk in the other. She was drawing another transmutation circle on the floor.
"How do you transmute orgamic matter?"
"Pardon?" Al said. "Why don't you ask Ed? HE's the state alchemist here."
"Why don't you want to tell me? IS there some sort of conspiracy between you alchemists?" Winry said teasingly...
"Well, that's not it.. It's actually very complicated you see..." Alphonse was waving his palm as if telling Winry to calm down.
"Oh... I see now. ALPHONSE ELRIC, IF YOU DON'T TELL ME RIGHT NOW I SWEAR I'M GONNA..."
"Oy! What's the ruckus about?" Ed was at the door.
"Err... I guess I'll just...leave you two alone." Alphonse excused himself and went out.
"Winry... what are you doing now?" Edward asked.
"Well... you see..." Winry's mind raced to find an excuse.
"Winry? Winry?" Ed's words didn't reach Winry, who was frantic in thought.
"WINRY?"
"WHAT?!" Winry shouted. Then she turned beet red and apologized for raising her voice.
"Is that pork in that transmutation circle?" Ed asked, pointing to the middle of the circle. There was, indeed a rather large pile of pinkinsh meat on the floor.
"Oh... That? Well, you see, pork contains the almost the same proteins and fats found in human flesh so I figured it'd be a clever substi-" She closed her mouth with her hands.
"Oops."
Ed gave her a calculating, probing look.
"N-no Ed! It's not what you think!" She started flailing her arms up and down, to no avail.
"Winry, what are you up to?"
Winry conceded. She knew nothing could escape Ed. She sighed, looked at the ground, and began stringing the words necessary for an explanation. She was bowing in defeat; after all, she wanted it to be a surprise.
"I wanted to make you an arm and leg of flesh instead of one in automail. I know it sounds weird for me to replace my cherished automail with living tissue, but..." Her sentence was cut off by Ed's finger.
"I can't let you do that."
"How come?"
"I can't let you face the dangers of this sort of stuff. I know you're an alchemist and--" Ed tried to talk sense to her.
"But--" She began. But Ed finished her sentence first.
"But you are my mechanic. Your purpose is to fix me when I am broken. Do you understand? Besides, I would have done that a long time ago, if I had just got the Philosopher's Stone."
The Philosopher's Stone... That elusive object that seemingly made everything possible.
Tears began to flow down Winry's face. "I want to cater to your living parts, Ed!" She sobbed.
"Please Winry... don't cry"
Winry was silent. For a brief period of time, Edward Elric, the normally calculating, analytical, though somewhat short fullmetal alchemist, lost sight of reason. He wrapped his arms against the crying lady, and pressed his lips against hers.
They kissed. To Winry, it felt like it lasted forever.
The homunculus that was silently watching them was amused. "I didn't see that coming." Her purple lips curled to a smile.
"My..my... What have we here?" said a voice. Winry and Edward broke apart from each other and looked at who was at the door: Pinako Rockbell.