I've had this planned out in my head ever since I finished watching COS, which sucked. So, I've changed things a little and this is strictly anime based, but a manga character will be chucked in later for fun. This is a serious story and even though I have had this idea for a while; I have found a few similar on FF, but different! Enjoy and please review. Thanks.

1. Forget Me

This was stupid.

He was stupid. She was stupid. Damn, the whole world and the adjacent one were stupid. She had let him leave again and now she knew that he was never coming back. Damn that idiot! No it wasn't just him that was stupid; it was her too.

She had attached his automail quickly in the heat of the battle but it still needed some adjustments. Winry ran her fingers through her hair as she watched Edward's back disappear in pursuit of the strange flying machine in the sky. She bit her lip as she tried to ignore the pain that filled her heart as she saw him leave again. Winry found her feet moving forward and without realising it, she was running desperately, a confused Schiezka following her at her heels.

"Winry, where are we going?" she panted, struggling to keep up with Winry.

An incredible bang made them both stop in their tracks as the ground beneath them and up above shook violently. Winry gritted her teeth and started to climb the stairs even faster ignoring Schiezka's complaints. When she got the surface, she felt the adrenaline rush through her as she saw collapsed buildings and smoke in the sky. Gunfire filled her ears as she ran down the streets. It was incredibly foolish, that she knew, but her legs continued to carry her forward at a pace that was unknown to her. As she ran, she remembered their brief and fleeting hug. How she had wanted to never pull away from his arms. She remembered his flesh arm nervously touching her and the way their cheeks brushed, a few salty tears clinging to her face. What she would have given to lightly kiss him, to show how much she had missed him over the last two years. But no, there was work to do and he needed her skills as an automail mechanic; nothing more, nothing less.

Heading towards the source of the gunfire, she suddenly found herself outside the headquarters. She stared as she saw a balloon rise high into the sky with a dark haired man standing in the basket. Her eyes fell to the ground where she saw Lieutenant Hawkeye being restrained, screaming at the top of her lungs to the man. Winry ran towards the screaming Hawkeye who twisted in Armstrong's arms and gently placed a soothing hand on the woman's arm.

Riza stopped moving and gently pushed herself away from Armstrong, straightening her uniform. "Liar," she whispered and turned away to find Winry stood next to her. "Winry? What are you doing here?"

"Where's Ed and Al?" she asked, trying to banish the tears that welled in her eyes. Riza looked up and pointed to the sky where a balloon was flying. Suddenly, from the top of a building, the stone moved shooting upwards with two figures on top; electric blue alchemy flying around.

"What's that?" called Schiezka, who had finally managed to catch Winry up.

A smile touched Winry's lips along with a small fire of burning hope inside her. "It's Ed!" she replied.

The balloon caught up with them and Winry, Riza and Schiezka watched both in fear and wonder as the three alchemists attacked the plane. Alchemy filled the sky and after long and tense minutes and exchanged glances, the aircraft eventually glided down to the ground, unsuccessfully crashing in the street. Three figures came out of the door, all of which had a few cuts and bruises on them. Riza straightened and with a few other soldiers, ran over to receive orders from Roy Mustang, who leaned heavily on Riza when she had reached him.

Winry watched as Edward leaned on his younger brother, blood on his face. Her pulse raced and she ran over to the brothers, putting Edward's automail arm around her neck as she helped Al to carry him.

"I need to...close the gate... more soldiers..." Edward rasped as he tried to escape their grips.

Winry held on tighter, as did Al. "Don't worry about that for now brother; the Colonel is setting up a guard to slow down any more ships that pass through..."

He sighed in defeat and let himself be led to the steps of the headquarters where the fighting had ceased momentarily. He sat down heavily, and Winry glanced at his automail, noticing that it had already been mistreated. She fought the argument that flared inside her as she saw his real arm bleeding and his eyes were closed.

"You look shattered, Ed," she said as she inspected the bleeding on his arm and then scrutinized the cut on his forehead.

He looked up at her through his bangs. "Yeah well when I left the other world, it was the middle of the night," he admitted. He glanced around at the sky and noticed that the light was beginning to fade. He grimaced at the thought that he probably hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours now.

Winry clicked her tongue and exchanged a glance with Al who was looking at his brother with concern. "You need to go to bed and I need to check out your wounds," Winry concluded. She turned to Schiezka who was right at her shoulder.

Before Winry could utter a word, the bespectacled woman spoke quickly. "You can stay at my place if you want!" she said excitedly. "It's just a few streets away and I've got plenty of guest rooms."

Winry nodded her thanks and ignored Edward's protests as her and Al lifted him to his feet again. "I don't need anywhere to stay...I need to help with the gate..." he muttered irritably as he walked with their support.

"Don't be silly brother; you're dead on your feet. We can always help in the morning," Al said, silencing his older brother.

Edward walked uncomfortably as he limped a little due to his automail leg being a little twisted. Winry gritted her teeth in sympathy for she knew that the twisted automail would be causing a terrible strain on his nerves and leg muscles. She silently scolded herself at her creation and decided that she would edit her design quickly when she was clearing up Edward's wounds.

They slowly reached the small house and Edward brushed off Winry and Al as he climbed the stairs to her house on his own, pulling himself up with the rail. He successfully made it to the top and then confidently yet slowly walked through the door into the cluttered house. Schiezka motioned that there were free rooms upstairs as she headed off into the kitchen and started work on some dinner; Al following her as he offered to help cook.

"Let me clean up your wounds now and I'll sort out your automail after we've eaten," Winry stated, as Edward sat down in an armchair.

He nodded his head and closed his eyes, resting his head in his flesh hand. Winry found a small first aid box in the upstairs bathroom cabinet and proceeded to tidy him up and wipe away the blood. His eyes remained closed the whole time as Winry's hands danced around his flesh, and only opened them when she was trying to clean the wound on his forehead. "Your hands are soft," he muttered, gazing up at her sleepily.

Winry felt her breath catch in her throat as her hands hesitated on his head. They stared at each other for a moment, before Winry pulled her eyes away and focused on the task at hand of halting the bleeding. She curtly nodded her head and continued to dab at the gash.

"'Cause you would think that your hands would be rough with all of the metal work you do..." he murmured, his eyes drooping.

Winry tried to ignore his words but found it impossible as her head started to try and decipher what he was saying. Surely that was a compliment? She chuckled silently as he fell asleep in the arm chair. When she was finished, she stood up and packed the equipment away in a little first aid box. She left it at the bottom of the stairs and headed to the kitchen where she could smell dinner. She paused in the doorway and glanced back in the chair. Edward had reclined slightly and his head was thrown back; his mouth wide open (complete with drool), and his hand was resting on his stomach which was slightly exposed. She smiled a little and then headed into the kitchen where Schiezka was dishing up dinner.

Small talk plagued the conversations and Winry couldn't help but let her eyes trace back to the door which led to the room that Edward was sleeping. Any moment she was hoping he would lazily walk through the door, scratching his head and searching for some food with his nose leading him. The leftovers were put in a bowl that was covered with a cloth which was for Edward. They were all tired, so Al retired to bed, soon followed by Schiezka who was selecting a book to take up to bed with her.

When they had retired for the night, Winry walked back into the main room and glanced at all of the books that lined the walls in organised piles. After glancing at a few covers, she picked one book up and then settled down on the sofa; Edward's light snores quietly filling the room. She had begun reading some sickly romance novel and quickly disposed of it when the text became overwhelmingly unrealistic and laughable. She picked up another book that was on the coffee table and became immersed in a story about a woman who was raped and then fell pregnant and was disowned by her family.

"Winry..." a voice choked. She looked up to see Edward leaning forward and rubbing his eyes.

She smiled and put her book down next to her. "Did you sleep alright? You might want to head up to bed; I doubt that armchair was very comfortable," she chuckled as he rubbed his neck.

He nodded and attempted to push himself up and wobbled, nearly losing his balance. Winry ran forward and grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders.

"Come on you clumsy thing," she laughed, noticing a red tinge in his cheeks. Slowly they climbed the stairs and Winry pushed the door open to the remaining guest room which was hers. She had been staying with Schiezka ever since she came to Central in search of Al. All of her equipment was here, so after flicking the lights on and showing a limping Edward to the bed, she began to arrange her tools.

She heard him strip down to his boxers as usual and she pulled an apron on to cover her blouse. She brought a small tray across with the required tools and flicked the bedside table light on. Edward remained silent as she started her work, carefully inspecting every bolt and screw. The minutes ticked by slowly and Winry felt her concentration falter as she tried to diverge her attention away from the muscles on his chest and stomach. She exhaled in annoyance and managed to complete the finishing touches on his arm. Silently, she moved down to the end of the bed and began to inspect his leg, which was slightly twisted. Her thumbs pressed along the skin that connected with the metal, trying to get a reaction out of Edward. When he grunted a little, she glanced up to see him biting his lip. She understood that the area she had just prodded was the area that needed a closer examination.

"Ed, I'm really sorry, but I am going to have to take the leg off and put it back on again, once I've had a good look at it," she said, standing up and stretching.

He nodded and closed his eyes. "Just get it over with," he mumbled, his arm covering his eyes.

Winry nodded curtly and quickly detached the limb and moved it under the main light so she could have a good look at it. Immediately she could see that one of the barrels had twisted which had resulted in his limp, but also there were a few scratches and dents, which made her assume that her automail wasn't entirely to blame of the pain it was causing. Deciding that a lecture on automail care would be inappropriate, she simply fixed the leg in silence and then re-attached it carefully.

"Ok, it's done," she sighed, wiping her hands on a cloth and quickly putting her equipment away.

"Winry...come here," Edward mumbled from the bed.

Pausing in her tracks, Winry turned and pulled off her apron, throwing it into an armchair. She sat down next to him on the bed. There were several minutes of uncomfortable silence as they just sat next to each other. Winry's mind raced, but stilled at the thought that this might be the last time she would see him.

"You're going away," she said, not as a question.

He shifted beside her. "I have to."

"I know. I'm glad I got to say goodbye to you," she replied.

"Goodbyes are so...final," he said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Well isn't this final?" she hissed and then fell into silence. Turning to him, she lightly touched his flesh hand that was resting in his lap. "Just don't forget me, ok?" she whispered.

His eyes turned to face her. She found it very difficult to read them, for they concealed so many secrets, although at the moment, she could tell that they were confused. He leant forwards a little, his eyes flicking between hers and her lips. She did the same and before she knew it. She felt his lips lightly touch her own. They pulled away much too soon, and Winry closed her eyes biting her lip. Her mind screamed at her to get up, walk away and never look back. Her heart beat heavily in her chest and as soon as she was about to lean forwards to ignore her mind and kiss him again; his lips crashed onto her own making her gasp. He kissed lips over and over again and she did not stop him.

Her tongue lightly traced his lip and his mouth opened to let her in. Gasping, she moved closer to him and he enclosed his arms around her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He gently pushed her down onto the bed and he began to tug at her clothes, his hands fumbling with her buttons on her shirt. She pulled on his belt and their clothes fell to the floor. Their eyes traced each other, both of them self-conscious, until Winry reached up and pulled him to her, wrapping her long legs around him.

Shivering under his touch, Winry let her hands roam all over him and his arms wrapped around her; the cold metal harsh on her flushed skin. They discovered each other and silently realised that neither of them were kids anymore, but had become adults over the past two years. They were not hormonal teenagers anymore but hormonal young adults. Winry's hands were spread like stars on Edward's back as they rocked, gasped and breathed together. She kept her eyes open the whole time and he kept his open too; their gazes always locked. In the dead of the night they whispered each other's names.

When they had climaxed together and collapsed into each other, Edward wiped away the hair off her sweaty face and kissed her long and hard, remaining inside her. When he hesitantly slipped out of her, they both sat up on the end of the bed. Winry tucked her legs up to her chest in a fetal position and rested her head on the top of her knees, trying to hold back a sob. Edward got up and flicked the light off and then came and sat down next to her. After a few moments he took her hand and squeezed it. Winry rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, and became angry when silent tears escaped from her eyes. He looked at her through the darkness and sighed deeply.

"Please don't cry," he mumbled.

"I trying," she replied strongly, but the tears wouldn't cease.

"You know, I am glad that I meant something to you other than my automail. My human parts are interesting too, aren't they?" he said.

She chuckled and lay down on the bed. "I have always found you interesting in general," she sighed.

He lay down next to her and they climbed under the duvet as the chill of the night began to surround them. They looked at each other through the dark canopy of night, and in the distance, a few gun shots could be heard. He rested his flesh hand on her warm cheek.

"I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," he whispered honestly.

Winry swallowed and nodded. "I understand that," she said slowly.

"Do you...Winry do you love me?" he asked suddenly.

Winry's eyes widened and a blush crept to her cheeks. After a moment she let her lips fall on his and then she reluctantly pulled away. "I always have, always will," she replied.

"I love you too," he mumbled looking away. Her throat caught, and this time she sobbed into his chest.

"At least I know before you go," she said.

"Don't look for me," Edward said swiftly.

There was silence as a trickle of anger bubbled up inside her. It looked like he had already made up his mind.

"I'll wait," she said and he flinched and looked away. Winry tried to ignore the feeling of dread inside her, but instead remembered something. She sat up quickly and leant over the side of the bed where her trousers lay on the floor. She reached inside the pocket.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked.

Her hand gripped something cold and she pulled it out. Her hand opened in front of him to reveal his silver pocket watch. She flicked it open easily and showed him the engraving in the side.

"I thought you might want it back. Soldiers in Leore found it in the rubble," she said simply.

He took it in his hands and lay back down, his eyes tracing the engraved letters. After a moment, he snapped it shut and forced it back into hand.

"You keep it," he said strongly, his jaw set.

She nodded and put it on the bedside table, and then settled down next to him. His arm snaked around her and she kissed his mouth, blinking back tears and then rolled over to try and let sleep come to her, but she was desperate to stay awake to enjoy his company. He wrapped his arm around her, his torso pressed to her back and his breathing slowed and soon Winry's eyes drooped and she fell asleep.

She was sure that he felt him go. So sure that she felt a light kiss on her forehead. Sure she felt a drip on her cheek. Her eyes snapped open and Winry saw the room was empty. Her clothes had been folded and placed on the armchair in the corner of the room and the curtains had been opened. She was still naked, and she slowly climbed out of the bed and pulled her clothes on, only then did her eyes fall to the pocket watch on the bedside table, where a little note sat.

'forget me, Winry', it said, in Edward's rather neat scrawl.

Winry placed her head in her hands and took a deep breath. She then snatched the watch and the note and stuffed them into her pocket and pulled on her jacket, quickly brushing her hair. She ran down the stair and glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing that it was a few minutes after six. She turned on her heel and ran back up the stairs and knocked on the room that Edward and Alphonse were supposed to have been sharing. After no answer, she opened the door to find it empty, as if nobody had stayed there for a month.

Moving down the corridor, Winry banged on Schiezka's door and burst into her room, making the sleepy be speckled woman sit up suddenly.

"They're gone!" Winry said.

Schiezka pulled her military clothes on and together they ran out onto the empty streets. Winry ran as fast as she could towards the headquarters where a select amount of soldiers stood guard. She approached one of them and shook his arm.

"Please, I need to see Colonel Roy Mustang!" she said quickly.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but he is closing the gate in the underground city and nobody is permitted to-" the solider said, but Winry had already turned on her heel and was making her way to one of the passages that led to the underground city.

Nearly tripping several times, Winry raced down the steps to the hidden city and searched the city from her higher up vantage point. She saw flames erupt from one part of the city and began to run towards it, ignoring Schiezka's complaints. Winry ran around the corner of a derelict building and halted in her tracks to see Mustang destroying the gate but snapping his fingers. She ran forwards and Hawkeye grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her going any further. Winry gasped, she hadn't seen Hawkeye appear at all.

"Has he...? Ed?" Winry panted, looking up at Hawkeye.

The stern woman nodded and glanced at Mustang. "Ed has gone to the other side to close the gate. And Al is missing, which means that he went with him," Hawkeye said gently.

Winry shook her head and watched as the gate finally disappeared.

"That means they can't ever come back, doesn't it?" she whispered.

Mustang collapsed to the floor, making Hawkeye let go of Winry and run towards him. Winry followed and watched as he passed out on the floor from exhaustion. Her eyes darted to the remains of the gate, knowing exactly what Edward had done. Her knees buckled and even though she had a strong thought that he was going to do this; it was still a shock that he had left her behind, and this time it was for good.

Chapters will be long, I apologize. Also, I hope to update this about once a month, because I don't want to rush it and I want to keep the chapters at a reasonable pace. I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated. Some time will have passed in the next chapter...until then, sayonara.