Beautiful
The three of us – my brother Alphonse, me, and our childhood friend Winry – would always eat our lunches together in school. Today's not so different, either. It is like those other lunch breaks from last year's or last, last year's when a ritual of eating, talking and going back classes would happen. Oh, have I mention that she loves to ask me random things? So here she goes again, asking me one of those random things as Al left to fetch water from the fountain. She'd always been curious, asking for my opinion, ever since. However, there was something odd with her question today.
"Say Ed," she called excitedly to me after gazing somewhere.
I threw her an annoyed look which wanted to say, 'What is it this time?' but it failed to reach her. How naïve.
"Isn't a girl beautiful when she's staring out the window..."
If I saw my reaction to her, I could have laughed at myself. My eyes wanted to pop out of their sockets – isn't it a good thing I am done with munching?
"...sun rays beaming on her face and wind playing with her hair?"
It hit me that maybe she really is bored. I tilt my head and so did she; both are trying to imagine the girl scenario. Of course, I am playing along with her tiny guessing game. I don't have anything to do except maybe wait for Al and we can leave – but for a second or so, no word came from her.
"Don't think so," I try to bring her out of her imagination, "why'd you ask? You bothered or bored or... something?"
Winry smiles her sheepish smile, closes her eyes, and excitedly shakes her empty lunch box. "Nothing!"
Her tiny squeal makes a strange impression on me just as Al approaches as. We leave right after to our rooms.
As my class moves to the next room of our laboratory class, I pass by her room- and I have to shake my head a little when I saw her. Her eyes are staring out as her head is propped in one hand. She is beside the window, and it is a sunny day. Just a mere second later, the wind comes to play with her locks.
I paused midway in the corridor for I had to stare. Now, I know as I feel my face and its warmth.
'Rationalize' is the first comprehensive thing to seep my mind. Why is she not listening to her professor? This is not like her – she always listens to the higher-ups, to the adults. She said that to him one time that you have a lot to learn from those older. So you have to listen. Now look who's talking?
But then again, I might admit to what she asked earlier. Such scenario is indeed beautiful.
Time passed since the first odd question she asked that I remembered. This day, we have only the both of us to share our food. Al isn't able to join us because he has some other things he needs to do. Well then, this might be good for m-- us. Oh scratch that. This may be a good thing time to talk by ourselves.
"Hey. Care to share your lunch?"
"Hey yourself," She looked rather absorbed in her food that she refuses to look at me by the time we reach our usual lunch spot. What's with her? She got 'those days?' My hand almost found her shoulder, until she faces me – quite. Can't see her face though.
"Say, isn't a girl still beautiful? When her face is all puffed up from crying and her eyes swollen red?"
She looks up and tears run down her cheeks. Cliché as it is, I see her face and I am speechless. I'm broken the moment she started to cry on my shoulder. But then, I peek at her face and still, she is beautiful in a very odd way.
I have to remind myself that this beauty should never let be seen by my eyes again. For it invokes another eerie feeling I hate. Pain.
Winry asked a lot more of these questions each time she could. Of course, for each time she did I just look at her and affirm what she asked. This narcissist girl...
It is a fourteenth of the second month of the year. For the first time in several years I am ready and confident- I'll win her.
She is waiting for me at the usual shade under the tree where we meet right before we head home. It is an effort to hide all the roses and gifts behind me, much less stop turning red or pink or whatnot in the face. Al owes me a lot now – I have to beg him not to screw this up. I am going to do this once in my life. He finished teasing me until I threaten him things he never dreamt of telling --
"Ed." she silently calls. Oof, almost drop the flower!
"Win?" I answer automatically. I succeed to hide things, perhaps, and she looks at me.
"I know now who are you talking about."
With her eyebrows knitted, she asks again, even without answering me. "Isn't a girl forever beautiful even if she breaks my heart apart?"
Geez Winry! For ruining my timing, thank you! You know I'm not one to -- wait, what did she just -- my jaw drops, I never knew and I wouldn't like to expect this would be coming.
"No, let me-"
She turns sad. "You know the girl with pink bangs and brown hair?"
I can hardly recollect vague images with me being tensed and all, until I see the face. Cute and serene, a typical woman, it is Rose- she's the one who ran away from me, crying. She brought me chocolates this morning. I had said sorry to her, and then Winry's name. Seemingly understanding, she smiled and ran away.
"What about her?" Truth be told, I am scared to hear what's next, so I continued talking, anything to make her stop.
"You have always been narcissistic."
She peers at me.
"Always describing yourself in odd ways."
Her eyes widen.
"You wouldn't want to hear all my answers to your thousand questions, would you?"
I look at her, and she did the same. My heart is pounding.
With trembling hands, the roses and the gifts appears before her. I'm deeply embarrassed but she is stupefied.
"Say, isn't a girl the most beautiful when she's surprised like that? When a boy she knew as a friend or even a brother suddenly comes up to her…and confesses?"
The tears were showing, again.
"You have always been beautiful."
She shook her head, tears swelling down. "You don't understand…"
I shook my head. "I do."
"That girl, Rose…" she sobs, and I from the I did not quite catch why I am still alive. "She broke my heart this morning."
Disclaimer: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi/ Fullmetal Alchemist is Arakawa Hiromu's. She owns the characters, I own the plot for this crack. Please look at the border separating the two.
A/N: After a few months and a random rereading of this fanfiction, I realized that I forgot the disclaimer and the indication that this may be set in AU. This time, I hope you have a clearer picture of what was happening. Maybe the earlier version of this was vague, alright. If you have time and concern for a an amateur writer like me, please drop a review, and it would be better if it would be a constructive kind. Till the next time.
~raven-eyed-lass