A/N: EdWin...might be a little ooc, but I hope you enjoy it anyways.
Ritual
It was one of his many rituals.
Many people he had met in his travels had superstitions. They knocked on a doorway before entering a room. Some didn't leave their house with out a certain article of clothing. His custom was not one of superstition, false hope, or anything of that nature. This process kept him sane.
Edward never cried. He had sworn not to show that weakness to the world—it had already seen him at his lowest, he couldn't hit rock bottom. He had loved ones to protect; a quest to fulfill. He did not allow himself to wear his heart on his sleeve.
Which is why he had this tradition. His emotions would poison him if he bottled them up inside. Like swallowing acid—even if he miraculously survived the process of ingesting the toxin, it was sure to destroy him later. Edward Elric was no fool. He never thought of doing something like that; it would only become an impediment later.
The time he had available for this was painfully limited. For some reason, the teenager just could go about this cleansing unless he was home, in Resembool. Perhaps it was the calming scenery; maybe it was the people. Maybe it was both.
He also needed a certain type of surrounds to enact his tradition. More specifically, he needed the lake not a mile from Winry's house. He hardly realized when his feet took him to the lakeshore, anymore. It was programmed into him. It would remain that way until this quest was over, for good or ill.
He felt the water around his ankles as he lowered himself into its cool liquid. His automail prevented him from going beyond a five-foot deep area. The young alchemist allowed the water to saturate his clothes, pervading all his being. He barely remembered to keep his head above the water. He wanted to let the gentle waves take him away…away…away.
However, his mind knew the dangers of continuing; he stopped. He began thinking of the many atrocities his latest venture into the world had impressed into his mind. The horrible truths that had been cruelly revealed to him in the encounter. The sad truth that he could not share his feelings with anyone, for fear of involving them. All the emotions he bottled inside rose to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him.
This was why he needed the tranquility of the water surrounding him. The strange cool feeling numbed his body, allowing his spirit to focus on the sentiments he felt like he was drowning in. In the depths of his mind, he rejoiced, thankful for this cleansing tradition. His consciousness did not recognize this joy, instead focusing on the feelings he was confronting.
He let the negative memories force him to despair. He was vaguely aware of water forming in the corners of his eyes. He ignored the sensation. He rode the surge of his subconscious to its peak; his despair reached its pinnacle. However, the pain was momentary, and he felt the throb in his chest lessen as he reminded himself of his blessings.
This was his tradition. He went to a secluded place; faced the emotions he hid from the world; and sorted through them. He had found long ago that if he acknowledged the pain to the point where it threatened to crush him, the negativity subsided, leaving him cleansed. It was this 'cleaning' that had allowed him to keep his sanity.
There was only one problem this time. His 'secluded place' was intruded upon. A young girl crested the hill, searching for her friend. She soon found him; her eyes were trained for finding the troublemaker.
"Edo!!" she called, heading towards his location on—no, in the lake.
His back went rigid as he heard her voice. She could almost sense his uneasiness as she approached him. Something was different; he hadn't responded to her call yet. She reached the shore of the water, staring at his blonde head bobbing in the waves. She hesitated, and then plunged into the lake after him.
The water was cold. She ignored the urge to pull her foot out of the water. Ed was more important. Winry was willing to help Ed at any time, in any way. Steadily, she approached her friend.
He realized her presence too late. By the time he'd snapped himself out of his self-induced daze, she was two feet away. Desperate to hide all traces of his weakness, the teen quickly plunged entirely under the waves, disappearing from her vision.
Shocked, the distressed automail mechanic strained to see beneath the murky surface of the lake. "Edo? Edo?!" Her voice became more desperate as time expired.
Ed was not in the best situation, either. He was holding his breath as long as possible, but was rapidly running out of oxygen. He had few options that would cover his breakdown, but he had to try. An idea came to the dog of the military as he surfaced a foot away from Winry. He didn't like the idea, but it was the best scheme he could think of.
Her whole entity relaxed as she saw him rematerialize. Ed looked slightly oxygen-deprived, but there was no physical damage that Winry could see (of course half of him was concealed by the lake). She noticed his eyes were somewhat red—lake water could do that to one's eyes—and, wait, was that a blush on his face?
"Edo, what were yo—?"
He interrupted her as he enacted something he knew he'd regret later. Maybe it was male hormones, or perhaps it was the vulnerable moment she'd found him in. Or maybe it was that he'd finally embraced his feelings toward his mechanic.
Whatever the reason, Winry's mind reeled in response to the utterly unexpected thing Ed threw at her.
One minute, Edward had been a foot away, staring at her like she'd interrupted some holy time; the next, he had gripped one hand to the back of her head, underneath her ponytail, pulled her close, and narrowed the gap between them. She was barely aware of the blood rushing to her face, his flesh hand on the hollow of her back, coaxing her closer, and her pulse racing as her heart pounded in her chest.
Then the moment ended. He released his grip on her and walked away, leaving her in shocked silence. Had…Ed just…kissed her?
The idea was not completely alien; after all, the boy always managed to surprise her.
Edward walked away, hiding a smile. He really enjoyed this cleansing ritual of his…
A/N: I hope that you enjoyed it! Please review! -bows-
arigatou gozaimasu, chibi neko-dono, for editing!