Longing and Yearning
A/N: It's time for a new Fullmetal Alchemist story. It's just a little oneshot, but I enjoyed writing it during the lovely summer vacation, which is by the way sadly over and the thing we all call torture has once again called us all to sit in those damn tree chairs, listening to a monster go on and on about something we couldn't care less about or just don't understand. I'm sure many of you will agree with me when I say that I really miss some free time!
Well enough about my little outburst. So here is a new story to lighten the day for those of you like me who do not see the light in the end of the tunnel during math class.
This feeling she felt was something more than words could describe. This constant feeling tugging at her heart and making her mind think only of one thing. Whenever she was alone it was almost overwhelming. With a loud sigh she returned her mind back to reality, to the parts lying in front of her. She mindlessly began connecting the small parts to the new port, her fingers working automatically without her absentminded mind cooperation. Whenever she let her mind travel, it immediately picked up the same feeling she had felt for years without stop. The same one she couldn't quite name yet.
After a few more hours with hard work Winry Rockbell stiffly stood up. She stretched her tired arms out in front of her to get rid of the little knots in her neck and slowly made her way out of the little workshop she and her granny shared.
It wasn't long ago the snow covered plains of Resembool turned fresh green. The young mechanic looked down at her canine companion, sniffing firmly around on the grassy ground. Winry had trapped herself in her workshop for three days straight without resting. Why? The reason lied in a certain reckless blond State Alchemist. He had returned from one of his 'missions' he so conveniently called it with a not so surprisingly broken Automail. Winry sighed in frustration when she thought of Edward Elric standing at the front porch, his left hand holding his right arm in a firm grip, his golden eyes looking apologetically at her. It was four days since he left for Central with his brother. She could feel the need to hear his strong voice and to gaze into those golden depths of his.
Den continued to drag her down the little hill towards the clear blue river that held so many of her childhood memories together with the Elric brothers. She released Den from her leash and saw the black canine dash towards the riverbed in a speed far greater than any man. As Den almost flew down the hill Winry could hear her prophetic leg as it came in contact with the soft ground, making low thuds. She shuddered at memory of her loving childhood pet half dead, lying by the road. Winry never knew exactly what happen to Den back when she was still a pup and she didn't really have a need to know. She had made Den an Automail leg as a replacement for the leg she lost. She smiled warmly at the cheerful canine that was so happily playing with a stick she had found in the high grass. She closed her sky blues eyes, letting her other senses take over for a while. The warm breeze brushed her bare skin gently and sent her hair swaying behind her. She could feel the warm sunrays on her skin and the soft grass beneath her feet.
When Winry opened her eyes she saw Den run towards her at high speed with her tongue hanging from her mouth. She crashed into her owner making Winry trip and fall face first down on the soft ground. Den looked at her with playful deep brown eyes before liking her childhood friend's face. After a few seconds Den looked up at Winry again before proceeding with washing her face. A few giggles slipped out of Winry's mouth while Den was tickling her behind her ears. When she was finished Den ran to the lonesome stick she had left a couple of minutes ago. Winry watched her with strong topaz blue eyes but her mind was elsewhere. She mindlessly played with the green grass beneath her, not wanting this peaceful day to end.
Her mind flickered between her childhood friend, now busily playing around with a helpless stick, to the two brother's wandering the world's surface, searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone. She wondered how they were doing. Had Edward busted his new Automail all ready or had Mustang sent them on one of those 'missions' that wounded Edward and his kind brother Alphonse fatally? How could she know, they never told her anything. They always kept her at an arm's length, never telling her how far they've come or what they had been up to. Maybe if he told her the truth she really could make the Automail perfect for him, or at least as perfect as prosthetics could get.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn't live this way, constantly hoping for them both to come safely home. She had to at least try to live a normal life again and besides she knew deep inside that when it came down to it the Elric's would never actually return home after they accomplished their goal. They were going to travel the world, never settling down. It wasn't in their nature to stay in one place she knew that but her heart wouldn't believe it. So therefore she was constantly waiting for them, waiting to finally catch a glance of the familiar red coat and a young boy with sandy hair walking beside him.
Den dragged her out of her deep concentration by rubbing her soft head against Winry's bare leg. Winry looked down and met Den's wise deep brown eyes. She knelt beside her childhood companion and hugged herself close to the warm canine. Den muffled her blond hair with her soft wet nose before lying her head on Winry's in a comforting manner. As Winry began to scratch Den's fur tenderly the kindhearted dog talked to her owner in the canine language. Winry gently loosened her hold around Den's neck and rose slowly. Once up on two legs she attached Den's leash and they began walking the same stroll they did every day.
The sky was turning purple by the time they reached Edward and Alphonse home. The same house they used to play in as children, the same house Ed and Al burned to the ground and the same house which contained so many memories, good as well as somber ones. She was about to turned around and walk away when something caught her eye. She walked closer to the mystical object swaying in the mild summer breeze. She carefully picked up the fragile piece of paper. Her eyes turned watery the second she saw the picture she held in her small hand. Den was looking up at her with concern written all over her canine features. She gently rubbed her head against Winry's legs, trying to get her distant owner's attention.
Winry looked at Den with teary eyes before sinking to her knees and burying her head in Den's fine fur. She kept her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. She didn't want to cry. She had promised Edward she would only cry tears of happiness at his behalf and she intended to keep that feeble promise. She let go of Den and took the precious picture in her hand and pressed it against her heart, holding it close.
The walk home was quite, the only sounds were their light footsteps on the soft grass and their even breathing. Winry let Den go when she saw the outline of her grandmother's yellow house, the house she called home and hoped that the two teenagers she waited for would call it home too. She walked silently into the little workshop she loved so much. She spent the rest of the evening in there, working on a new type of Automail, especially design for a certain young alchemist named Edward Elric.
When Pinako finally managed to get her granddaughter out of the workshop, the stars were twinkling on the clear deep blue night sky. Once dressed in her white nightgown she silently slipped out on the balcony, surveying the beautiful nature. Everything was so different in the dark. The great fields that were fresh green in the sunlight were now a shade darker. The big trees protecting the plains with their gorgeous leaves were now almost as black as the night sky. She looked up at the full moon shinning dimly down at the world. She could barely see the dark river glittering in the dim moonlight. The mild breeze made her blond hair sway around her and the leaves rustle. It was really a beautiful place she called her home. Even when everything was covered in a thick white blanket it still had its charm.
As she looked at the wonderful starry sky her thoughts drifted back to the two boys she missed so much. She wondered if they too were looking up at the mysterious night sky. Maybe Edward had fallen asleep by now but she knew Alphonse hadn't. She knew how he suffering through the lonesome night without being able to sleep, so maybe he was looking at the sky. She let her gaze linger a while longer before she turned around and walked into her room. Even though she was dead tired, sleep wouldn't drag her into the peaceful state of unconsciousness.
Den was lying beside her, resting her tired body. Winry knew her canine friend didn't sleep the way her nose twinkled when the wind blew a new set of scents into the room or the way her ears picked up every time she moved her restless body. She gently stretched her hand out to brush Den's soft fur and the kind canine made soft murmur sounds in return of her owner's gentle touch. Den had always had a calming effect on the young mechanic and Winry was soon dragged into a dreamless slumber.
The next day was just like the last. Winry had a few customers coming by for the monthly maintenance which only fueled the secret fire of loneliness she hid deep in her heart. She knew Edward didn't take care of his Automail, which probably needed maintenance by now and Al could probably need some polishing. With a sigh she stood up and helped the old man sitting in front of her up. She followed him to the door and before he walked away he laid and old but wise hand on her young shoulder and gave her an understanding look. She waved after him before walking back into the workshop to get Edward's new arm ready before he stumbled in that door with a battered Automail.
It was late evening when she stepped out of the warm workshop, a streak of grease running over her nose. She stretched her arms out in front of her as she yawned quietly. Den was by her side in seconds, brushing her black head against her owner's legs. Winry bent down and brushed Den's fur softly before calling out to her grandmother, saying she was taking Den on a little stroll.
Some minutes later they were leaving the yellow house, walking slowly down the road they know so well. Den was sniffing everywhere, taking in every scent that was different from the day before. As she was happily sniffing the dusty ground Winry let her gaze wander, surveying the horizon which was now darkening of the lack of sunlight. She felt an impatient tug at the leash and looked down at a pair of huge deep brown eyes. She sent Den a warm smile before they started walking again, this time to the deserted train station. She knew why her mind brought her here but realization didn't hit her before the train from Central arrived at the little platform. Two boys left the train, one brown haired and the other blond. Her breath caught in her throat as the two teenagers came closer.
Realization hit like a blow to the gut. It wasn't them. They looked so alike but at the same time totally different. This blond boy hadn't those strong wise golden eyes as a certain hot tempered State Alchemist she know and the other hadn't Alphonse kind brown eyes and his sandy hair. They didn't match at all but her mind had tricked her into thinking, no hoping that it really was them. But it wasn't and she was left with knowing why she was here. She was hoping they would show up, get off that train, both in flesh with a smile upon both faces and Edward would then fulfill his promise to make her cry tears of joy. She turned around with a heavy heart and walked back to the Rockbell house, her home, with Den tagging alongside her.
As they stood in front of the yellow house she let her gaze fall upon the debris of once a white house on top of hill not far from her own house. She sent the ruins a thoughtful, sadden look before she opened the front door and stepped into the warm room. After saying goodnight to Pinako she slumbered tiredly down on her bed, the little wind making her blond hair sway before settling down neatly on her back. She lay down, closing her eyes. Den was resting beside her like she always did and like always Winry gently brushed her fur softly, feeling the kind canine's even breathing under her fingers. She fell asleep with her hand on Den's chest with a warm smile on her lips.
Winry got up early the next day, starting the new sunny day with a hot cup of coffee before entering the famous workshop of hers were she spent the rest of the morning as well as the afternoon. It was this evening she finished Edward's new Automail. She had made him a new stronger Automail arm and a longer leg considering he would grow a bit more by the time they came back if he didn't ruin the newly made Automail arm. The walk with Den was much calmer, the atmosphere much more cheerful. She found herself humming the song her mother sang to her before they went into the fateful war. Even though the feeling was still there, she was inwardly happy.
A weak smile flitted momentarily across the young mechanic's face. She understood now, the feeling that was following her everywhere. She had a name for it now; longing. It was the nearest name she could think of besides yearning. She was longing for something, yearning after someone.
A/N: So what do you guys think? Please review and tell my exactly what's on your mind the minute you're done reading.
And have a nice day and good luck to all those unlucky souls out there (including myself) who has to study math day in and day out to just understand the simplest thing.
See ya later!