Disclaimer: I don't own Full metal alchemist or any of the characters
A/N: Okay, here we go – my first full metal alchemist fanfic! To be honest I'm a bit nervous...so I hope it turned out okay...oops im starting to ramble on...anyways enjoy my story and feel free to review it!
If you only knew
The warm sunlight shone through the window and lit up the room of Pinako's automail shop. Sitting at the nearby table, Winry hunched over in her seat as she focused on repairing another set of automail. Beside her, Dan pawed at her and let out a pitiful whine. Smiling softly, Winry glanced down at him and patted his head. It was then that the door opened and Edward walked inside.
"So, is my automail arm finished yet, Winry?"
Winry looked down at the table. "I'm sorry, Edward…there is still some things I need to fix before its finished."
Edward frowned. "Really? It didn't look like a lot needed to be repaired."
"I know I'm sorry…"
"Oh well it can't be helped, I guess."
Winry picked up the automail gently and gazed at it with sadness in her eyes.
"What in the world have you been doing? You've been doing something dangerous again, haven't you?"
"Its nothing too serious," Edward tried to reassure her. "I mean we're used to the missions by now."
"I should have known you would say something like that…"
Edward scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Surprised that he overheard her, Winry glanced up at him. "I-Its nothing Ed. I'm sorry…it's just that a lot has been on my mind lately."
Edward sighed. "Okay well whenever you're done just tell me, alright?"
"Okay, no problem."
It wasn't until after Ed left did Winry let out a heavy sigh. She had lied to him. In fact his automail had been fixed two days ago since they arrived. The feeling of not having Ed and Al visit them after so long bothered Winry greatly. So she lied.
I'm so selfish…Winry bit her lip to hold back the tears.
I shouldn't have lied! I'm so stupid!"Edward's automail isn't broken, is it?"
Winry gasped hearing Pinako's voice from behind her.
"There's no point in lying to me, Winry." Pinako said calmly as she walked around the table. "I know you better than anyone else."
Winry forced herself to look into her grandmother's eyes. "I'm sorry…its just that I'm afraid of Ed and Al never returning…"
Pinako took the pipe out of her mouth. "First of all, you should be apologizing to Edward and Alphonse instead of me. More importantly, there is no need to worry. You know that they take good care of themselves."
Smiling a little, Winry nodded her head. "You're right…I'll go tell them right away."
However as she left the house, fear begun to sink in. She knew that Edward would be angry at her…but he didn't understand what she was going through. Spotting Edward talking with his brother nearby, Winry felt her heart ache.
I'm afraid…afraid of what Edward will think of me when I tell him the truth…but I have to do this…
Clutching the automail arm close to her, Winry slowly walked towards him.
"…Edward?"
Glancing over at her, Edward grinned. "Hey, Winry. I see that my automail is fixed! That's great!"
Winry avoided his eyes. "I need to speak with you…in private, Edward."
Edward seemed to be slightly confused but he turned Al. "I'll be right back."
"Okay, brother."
Following Winry behind the house, Edward stopped a few feet behind her.
"So, what's wrong, Winry? You've been acting strange since we came here."
"I lied to you," Winry blurted out loud. "Yes, your automail had a few things that had to be fixed and I repaired it…but didn't want to tell you until today."
Edward stared at her. "Its been three days! Why the hell would you do that for?"
Winry winced hearing the anger rising in his voice.
"We could've been at Central by now!"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"I don't get it – why did you lie?"
"I missed you guys, alright?" Winry nearly shouted at him. "I'm always afraid to let you go…"
"Winry…"
Chuckling out loud, Winry shook her head. "You know what? Forget I ever said anything. Here, take your precious automail!"
Shoving Edward's automail to him, Winry rushed past him, ignoring his voice calling out to her. Winry didn't know how far she had been running until she stopped underneath a shady tree to catch her breath. Opening her eyes, Winry noticed she was at the makeshift cemetery where her parents and the Elric brother's mother were put to rest.
Kneeling down at her parents' graves, Winry's eyes softened as she traced her fingers along the smooth gravestone.
Sometimes she liked to imagine what life would be like if her mother and father were still alive. It seemed with each passing day a part of her memories of them were beginning to fade away and that was what Winry hated. Lately whenever the Elric brothers would leave…the image of her parents would emerge into her mind.
"It's been a while since I've been here." Edward commented out loud as he appeared beside her with his hands in his pockets, looking ahead at the gravestones.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that," Winry apologized quietly. "I'm sorry, Ed."
Edward closed his eyes and shook his head. "Its okay. Besides I think I understand what is bothering you. I think you are afraid that we will never return…like your parents."
Wordlessly, Winry nodded her head.
"Do you remember the promise I made to you when we were kids?"
Winry's thoughts drifted back to the time when she was grieving the deaths of her parents. Sitting alone underneath a tree, Winry had been crying when Edward found her.
"What's wrong, Winry?"
"I'm alone…no one is here with me!"
"That's not true, Winry! Al and I are here!"
"But what if you leave…?"
"We'll always come back! I promise!"
Extending out his hand to her, Edward smiled reassuringly. "I've kept that promise and always will."
Winry smiled back as she was helped onto her feet. In the distance, the sun slowly disappeared beneath the clouds creating a sunset against the darkened sky. It was then as they held hands that Winry realized something that she never noticed before. His hand felt so warm…and that made her feel safe knowing that the Elric brothers would return to visit them someday in the future. That was all the comfort that she needed.