Red

A/N: Slight spoilers. Nothing really obvious though. Some things you will catch if you have finished the series. But the last part contains a scene and characters from right before the promised day and leaving Briggs. So if you haven't gotten that far….beware!

Post-Ed becoming a state alchemist, but definitely after the transmutation incident.

-x-

"What's your favorite color?" Edward asked, turning his head to face her. He had already tried to get up, but feeling the throbbing bruise on his forehead, he decided that that might not be the wisest choice. You would think that she would be more considerate to the fact that he was bed ridden, but that obviously wasn't of her nature.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked as she placed a new wet cloth on his forehead.

"It's just been awhile since I asked. I don't know if it's changed or something. You never say it or anything." The drugs given to him made to block the pain slurring his speech.

Winry pondered on the question for a moment. She went down the list of all the colors she knew. None of them particularly stuck out to her. She came across red and stopped. Red was the color of romance. The color of a lesson well learned; the color of the roses in the springtime, of the brilliant color of the sunset that lit up Risenbool right before it sunk into the horizon.

"I think red is." Winry said as she washed her hands with a wet cloth.

"Red? Red stands out in a crowd like a sore thumb. Why red? It's too busy."

"Too busy? Like you?" One of her eyebrows quirked upwards at the statement. If he wasn't "too busy" he wouldn't be here right now.

"Too busy for you, I mean." Edward said as the strongest wave of drowsiness from the pain reliever she had given him started to kick in.

"What's that supposed to mean Edward?" Winry's head spun around to face him. Her hands placed firmly on her hips in the international "explain yourself" gesture.

"S'othing." Edward yawned. His eyes drifted shut and in record time he was asleep.

"It's rude to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation." Winry mumbled. But her remark only met deaf ears for Edward was already asleep.

-x-

He held onto Alphonse as they walked the road of the "town" in Risenbool. It couldn't really be considered a town. In reality it was only a market place with an inn and horse stables, but the title town was what stuck when the first person called it that. Risenbool's one and only "town".

He wobbled a little as he walked, he was still getting used to walking with a spare leg. But he had wanted to get used to the "feel" of it so he and Al took a walk. The old hag had said it was the absolute best way it get used to it and get the automail used to working under his weight.

The market was busy today. Some people where getting their horses, some were getting groceries and some were just standing there gawking at Alphonse. Edward sent dirty looks to all the people that were staring and the people scattered like ants. It gave Edward a pleasing feeling of higher authority, but it pained him inside that half the reason they were so afraid was because of Alphonse.

"Brother, why don't we stop and get some sugar? I heard Granny mention that she was running low." Al asked as he stopped in front of the general store.

"Yeah, sure." Ed grumbled eyeing the stairs leading up to the front door of the old rickety store. It had been a hell of a time trying to get down the old hag's front steps in new automail. He couldn't imagine what it would be like getting up those squeaky old steps.

But with a few slow steps and a little help from Alphonse, he managed to make it up the stairs without falling on his face more than once.

His automail's weight made the wood creak louder than usual and Alphonse's clanking caused all eyes to be on them by the time they had made it into the store. Edward handed Al enough money to buy a bag of sugar and Edward leaned against a wooden post. He glared, scowled, and shot obscene gestures at anyone who dared to stare at the two. Edward was fed up with people staring at his brother like he was a street attraction or a monster.

Ed's eyes toured the room looking for anyone else who might be staring. When he saw everyone had learned their lesson he turned back to Al. As he watched Al count out the money for the sugar, a red garment hanging near the cashier caught his eye.

"Wait Al," he said as he saw him hand to counted out coins to the cashier, ready to pay. Ed hobbled over to Al, pulling a little more money out of his pocket. "We'll take that one too."

-x-

Edward spilled the black ink all over the back of his red jacket.

"What are you doing Brother?" Alphonse asked curiously.

"Yeah Ed, what in the world are you doing? You're ruining your new jacket." Winry's foot intentionally kicked his head as she swung her legs.

"Hey! No kicking lady!" Ed yelled as he made sure every last drop of the available ink made its way onto the fabric below him. He scraped his finger across the rim of the glass and wiped it onto the jacket. "Teacher has that transmutation diagram tattooed onto her collarbone. I thought I should put it on my jacket to show my apprenticeship to her. Kind of in honor of her teaching us. And of me being able to do the same transmutation as she does, with the clap alchemy."

"That's not painting it on the jacket, that's dumping ink onto it and ruining it." Winry said giving his head another kick.

In response Edward clapped his hands together and placed it onto the red jacket. Blue electricity shot out of his hands and crackled in the air, reforming the black substance on the jacket.

The transmutation ended and the lightning vanished, leaving the ink rearranged so that an odd looking transmutation circle lay imprinted on the fabric. Each line lay perfectly drawn, much neater than it would have been if Ed had painted it on.

Edward grinned up at Alphonse and Winry who were each seated on the stone wall that lined the dirt road. They had watched the transmutation like an audience at a four hour long opera, bored like none of this was any new to them. Well at least Winry looked that way, he couldn't tell with Al. But then again, he never could.

"Do you think that I should have it placed on my armor too Brother?"

"Sure Al. I can just-"

"No, if you're going to do paint it, do it the traditional way. You can't always rely on alchemy. I can paint it on if you want." Winry said hoping down from the wall.

"Okay Winry." Alphonse got down off the wall and followed Winry as she made her way to the house to get some paints. She hadn't even waited for Alphonse's answer.

Edward grunted. What did Winry have against alchemy? It wasn't as if he was going to rely on it so much that if he ever lost it-as if losing your alchemy was possible-he would have a hard time adjusting. Winry acted like Teacher when it came to alchemy-well now that he thought about it Winry and Teacher had a lot in common. He shuddered at the thought of all the physical abuse he had suffered through that had been caused by both women. Oh yes, teacher and Winry were very much alike.

He bent down a picked his jacket up before he took off towards the house. He wasn't going to let those two just leave him behind. And maybe he could get Winry to let him just put the symbol on Alphonse with alchemy, but knowing Winry and her stubbornness his whole life, he didn't keep his hopes too high.

-x-

As he and Alphonse made their way down the dirt road that led to the train station, he wondered if maybe seeing the color red would cheer her up. She had said that red was her favorite color and, not including Alphonse, for miles that was all the naked eye could see.

All over the green land had been lit up in the fiery red shade of the sunset. The entire landscape was completely red. And so was he. His hair also been temporarily colored by the sunset. And from his retreating back all that showed of him was his red jacket, nearly dragging on the ground from how short he was.

He hoped that somehow this would provide some sort of comfort. But inside he knew that it didn't, that just seeing your favorite color wouldn't make up for everything she had lost. But right now, it was all he could give. In the future he hoped he would be able to give more.

-x-

"Not that old thing again," Heinkel whined upon seeing his new transmutated jacket.

"Why not? Red is a totally badass color. And since I will be saving the country soon, I want to save it in style." Edward said as he inspected the jacket for any mistakes. It was a good thing that the fabric had been long. It had been just enough to make the color for the black symbol on the back.

"Your style sucks." Darius said shaking his head.

"You got a problem with my style?" Edward shouted.

"Yeah too many to list." Heinkel turned and started heading back to the camp area. Edward's shouts seemed to follow him as he made his trip back.

Edward grunted, shaking his head as his throat relaxed from his previous shouts. Those guys have no sense of style. Nor did they respect the color red like he did.

It would be super badass (and although he wouldn't admit it kind of sweet)to go into battle wearing her color. Throughout the years he had done it, keeping a small part of her with him as he traveled. He touched her earrings, which were still located in the pocket of his trousers.

He kept a piece of her with him, however small, and as he continued on it kept him reminded of the idea of finally traveling home. But he had a battle to fight first.