Sorry I've been gone so long everybody! I wound up getting tons of work to do and…well, I was lazy. Also, I had a pretty bad writer's block, but that has been fixed. I neglected to mention that, in fact, Winry and Ed are in their earlier twenties, as is Al. Sorry for the wait… Also, by the "Father" character, I mean the main villain of the FMA manga. Anyway, back to the story!
Chapter 8
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Winry sat quietly at her bed in the Dragon's Claw Inn, brushing her blonde hair.
She smiled. It had been a tiring, and yet wonderful day. Though she didn't trust that Greed fellow very much… "What's the problem between him and Envy…?" the mechanic wondered. Shrugging, Winry made to get up off the bed, when a soft knock was heard at the door. "Coming!" she called, moseying over to the pine door.
Unlocking the door with a small brass key, the blonde came face-to-chest with Envy. "I need to talk to you." he whispered urgently, as the clock struck ten. "All right." the mechanic whispered back, stepping aside to let her boyfriend in. The green-haired boy padded over to a rotting, mold-covered chair and straddled it. "Are you listening?" he asked quietly. Winry nodded, slightly worried about what would be coming next.
Envy smiled slightly, then frowned, and whispered even quieter than before "Greed's been killed." The girl gasped. "What?! By whom?" Envy shrugged. "No idea. It was all over the papers though. Some people said it was a girl, others said it was a boy. He had amber eyes." he explained, emphasizing the words "amber eyes" pointedly.
Winry gasped again, horror in her eyes. "You mean…it could be…" she choked out. Her Dark Angel nodded solemnly. "Yes. It could be Fullmetal Pipsqueak." In frustration, the mechanic shook her head. "No. It couldn't be Ed. He would never kill anything!" she cried. Leaping from his chair, Envy clamped his hand onto Winry's mouth. "Shh. Sssh. Keep quiet, we don't want to wake up anyone!" he hissed. Fearfully, the blonde nodded.
"Now, there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about." he said with a grin. "What is it?" the mechanic asked as Envy lifted his hand away from her mouth. "Weeell, I've got something I wanted to give you back in the forest, but that didn't seem proper."
Slowly, oh so slowly, the boy produced a gunmetal-grey box from behind his back. Bending down on one knee, looking candidly up at Winry, he asked "Winry, will you marry me?" as he opened the box, revealing a lapis-lazuli-encrusted engagement ring. For a moment, the blonde girl was lost for words. Finally, she whispered "Yes, Envy. Yes, I will marry you."
Outside, the blood-red moon began to slowly sink into the mountains…
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Ed gingerly flexed his automail arm as he stood in front of Pinako's grave.
"I still can't believe she's gone…" he whispered to Al. Al nodded. "I know, Brother. I know." he replied, patting his brother's back. "You don't mean just Granny, do you?" the armor queried sadly. The alchemist nodded. "Winry's probably in danger. They could have gone to Dublith, perhaps. Or maybe even…to their Master." he shuddered, attempting to shield his body from the howling wind. "But I can't stop searching for her. My automail may not be in the best of shape, but at least it's in one piece. I'll find Winry no matter what." Edward vowed, staring up at the stars that twinkled merrily above them. Al nodded again. "I'll come with you, brother. I promise you."
Their vows solemnly given, the Elric Brothers headed back to the silent Rockbell home.
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The next day, Winry stumbled blindly out of her creaking, uncomfortable bed, grabbing her newly-washed dress (she still wore it through the entire journey) and shoes. The pajamas she was given by the innkeeper's son were made of scratchy grey wool, far different from the silk nightgown she had at home. "Time to sh-sh-shower…" she yawned, making her way to the built-in bathroom that was located near the doorway. She turned and smiled at the sleeping Envy who lay on the floor, curled up in a ball. "Sleep well, my Dark Angel." she whispered with a grin.
Suddenly, as she watched the green-haired boy sleep, a old memory resurfaced from long ago…
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"G'night, Granny!" Winry called as she ascended the long stairway that led to her room.
Her feet felt like lead, and her arms were sore from the game of tag she had played with Ed and Al that afternoon. Her trusty wrench in hand, she at last reached the top of the stairs, and entered her room. The small space was unlit, and covered with toys, screws and tiny machines that clicked and whirred. The eleven-year-old smiled. The little objects were always able to lull her to sleep. Pottering over to her neatly-made bed, Winry brushed the creases off her lavender nightgown and flopped onto her soft bed, feeling the comforter mold with her small body.
"Pssst. Winry. Are you sleeping already?"
Winry leaped up from her bed in shock, using the dimming light from the window to find the owner of the voice. A familiar golden-eyed young boy lay curled up in a ball beside her bed, face scrunched in concentration. Edward smiled, and clapped his hands briefly. "Good, you're awake!" he laughed, hopping to his feet. "What are you doing here?! Al must be worried sick!" the young girl whispered in worry. "Nah. Al knows I came here in secret." Ed reassured her with a grin. "I still think it isn't right to just sneak into people's houses…" Winry complained. The amber-eyes boy pouted "Party pooper."
The little alchemist flopped onto the bed. "I just wanted to play with you…" Edward whined. "I don't want to right now, Ed. Tomorrow." Winry commanded, pointing at the window. Sighing, the boy slowly opened the window, and said over his shoulder "Tomorrow night I'll have a surprise for you. Ask to stay up later than usual, okay?" The girl nodded, and ushered him out the window. With a sigh, she slid off of her white bed and fell asleep on the hard wood floor.
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With a downhearted sigh, Winry shuffled over to the shower, blocking all thoughts of Edward from her mind.
"I will not think of him as that little boy anymore. The night after that, The Accident happened…" she murmured to herself, feeling tears prick at her eyes. Opening the bathroom door, she padded onto the cool tiles and locked the wooden door tightly. She was not going to think of Edward any more. She was a different girl now—in the company of a better man than Edward ever would have been.
She didn't hear Envy's satisfied chuckle over the roaring sounds of water pelting her skin.
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I'm sorry it's been so long! R&R please!