Homeward Bound
Hiya. I'm sorry I have been neglecting all of my stories, but I have been working on this and for a while was addicted to Final Fantasy X, the bestest game in the world as of right now. This is a song fic…. Sort of. It has Ed and Winry. This takes place after the manga series ends. While you are reading this or after you have read this, watch this video: .com/watch?v=MVWy1ENiPIg&feature=related. This is an awesome choir singing the song, just in case you wanted to hear it, and if you do, please use this link; it will save you a lot of trouble when you are trying to find a good one.
It had been three years since Ed had left to head west. To tell the truth, she has really missed him, sometimes she feels like she really wants to cry about it, but yet she promised herself she wouldn't. She had to be strong and not seem weak, not to act like she needed him (which was more or less true). So far she felt that she has been doing alright with the situation, but could feel her resolve cracking.
It was a bright, sunny day. The skies where blue, only one or two clouds in the sky, the grass was green, birds chirping, and a slight breeze. All in all, it was the perfect day, but clearly not for everyone. That morning Winry got up later than usual, she had been up late working on a new design for an automail foot. She planned to try it out on Ed when he got back. Winry sighed, lately she had just felt down in the dumps, she tried cheering herself up, but didn't seem like anything was working.
"Good morning," Winry said dully coming down the stairs.
"Well don't you sound cheerful, sleeping beauty," Pinako said making remarks about Winry's tone of voice and how late she slept in. Winry didn't respond but sat down and the table and sighed again.
"Will you go to the market for me today?" Pinako asked. "I need some oil and few different food items."
"Sure," Winry agreed quickly, hopping it would take her mind off things.
"Ok, I will make you a list. Here eat your lunch," Pinako said setting a ham sandwich and a glass of milk in front of Winry.
"Thanks," Winry said and began eating. She stared at the milk glass and reminisced about how she used to nag Ed to drink milk, and it was because he hated milk was why he was so small. Pinako saw Winry staring at the glass of milk and new instantly of what, or rather, who she was thinking about.
"He will be back soon, Winry," Pinako said trying to comfort her granddaughter.
"I know," was Winry's only reply.
Winry quickly finished her lunch and went back upstairs to get ready to go to the market. She decided just to wear an old, dingy, white shirt, and blue jeans. She put some money in her pocket, made sure her hair was decent enough to be seen by people that weren't related to her and went back downstairs to get the list from Pinako.
"Bye granny!" Winry said as she walked out the door. She walked the long walk to the market being nice and slow enjoying the bright, sunny, almost cloudless day.
Ed quickly rushed to the train station, hoping to catch the soonest train to Resembool. His suitcase, stuffed full to the brim, clothes hanging out of it, was slung over his shoulder.
"One ticket to Resembool," Ed said as he approached the ticket booth.
"Resembool, eh? There is a train leaving right now so if you hurry you might make it," the ticket person said, "would you like a ticket for that train?"
"Yes," Ed said enthusiastically. "Thank you," Ed said rushing towards the train.
Just as the train began moving Ed had found it. 'Crap, I'm not going to make it,' he thought to himself. 'No, I will make it,' he said running as fast as his leg, one artificial, one not, could carry him. The train was beginning to speed up as Ed jumped on it barely making it.
"Fwhoo," Ed said to himself. "Now, to find a seat and enjoy the ride back home."
Winry finished at the market and walked slowly home, slower than she walked there. It took her about an hour to get home; she had already been gone two hours, half an hour to get there, and a hour and a half at the market.
"I'm home," Winry said as she walked through the door.
"Well, you sure did take your time," Pinako said.
"It's a pretty day, I took my time to enjoy it," Winry said setting the things down on the table.
"Well, while you were gone the mail came, you got a letter."
"Oh?" Winry asked, "Who from?"
"I don't know there is no return address or anything."
"Okay," Winry said taking the letter and heading up to her room.
She didn't even look at the envelope before she got to her room and grabbed her letter opener. She wasn't OCD or anything; just poorly opened envelopes irked her. She turned the envelope over so she could see the side with the receiver's name and address. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart seemed to skip a beat….it was Ed's hand writing.
Her hand began shaking as she lifted the letter opener to the envelope and slide it underneath it a little. It sort of seems like time stopped for a second….
"Winry! Mr. Williams is here!" Pinako called causing Winry to nearly jump out of her skin.
….okay, so time didn't stop. Winry set the letter and letter opener down and walked out of her room and down the stairs sighing.
Ed was still "enjoying" his train ride as he drifted to sleep.
(We are now entering Ed's dreams, please keep all hands inside the car at all times. Thank you ^^)
"Ed! Al!" Winry called as she ran over to them. Ed and Winry were six and Al was five, back then. "You wanna race?"
"You're on!" Ed accepted quickly.
"Okay," Al agreed.
"Ready, set, go!" Winry said and they began racing. Ed and Winry struggled for first as Al lagged behind by a second or so. Winry kind of nudged Ed and it threw him off balance. Ed swayed too far to the left and rolled down the hill side, landing face down.
"Eeeek!" Winry said seeing Ed. Both and Al and Winry raced down the hill to go to Ed.
"Brother? Are you okay?" Al asked.
"Wha?" Ed asked as he sat up. "I'm fine." He said but then realized something wet was sliding down his face. It was blood, Ed's nose was bleeding.
"Ah! Ed! You're bleeding!" Winry said. Ed put his hand to his nose to try to stop it but it didn't. The three walked to Ed and Al's house.
"Mom!" Al called as the three walked inside.
"Yes?" she answered walking in, "oh, goodness! What happened?" Trisha said noticing Ed's bloody hands, lower face, and shirt.
"Ed rolled down a hill and made his nose bloody," Al said. Trisha quickly went to get a wet cloth to wipe Ed off.
"I'm sorry," Winry said beginning to cry. "It's my fault Ed got all bloody."
"No, it's not Winry," Al said. "It's Ed's fault that he can't balance himself."
"Hey!" Ed said and Winry laughed.
There was suddenly a knock on the door.
"Oh, hello Sarah," Trisha said opening the door. "Winry, your mom is here," Trisha called.
"Bye guys," Winry said and left. One thing Ed remembered from that day was how it made him feel bad when Winry cried over him.
(Thank you for taking this trip into Ed's dreams. Hoped you enjoyed it and please come again. ^^)
Ed was awakened by the train whistle as the train pulled into the station, it wasn't the Resembool station…..yet.
'Let's see,' Ed thought to himself, 'one more stop to go then Resembool.'
Winry was finally done with her work. She had to check Mr. Williams's automail, adjust the arm on a traveler that was just passing by, fixed a ton of loose screws, and refit one kid's automail leg that was too short now. Winry sighed as she finished cleaning up her work station.
"Winry, time for dinner," Pinako called. Winry looked at the clock; it was already 6:30 PM.
"Coming," Winry called back.
Dinner took about an hour and a half considering Pinako had made a chocolate cake, just for the sake of making one. Winry helped with the dishes and then headed up to her room. Pinako noticed that she had been spending more and more time in there lately.
Winry opened the door to her room, sighing as she walked in.
"Oh yeah, the letter," Winry said noticing the partially opened letter. She opened it the rest of the way and quickly pulled out the paper.
It read:
Winry,
In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed,
when the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red,
when the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
when adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time.
Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.
If you find it's me you're missing, if you're hoping I'll return,
to your thought I'll soon be listening; in the road I'll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end,
and the path I'll be retracing when I'm homeward bound again.
Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.
In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
when the sparrows stop their singing, I'll be homeward bound again.
I'll be home soon,
Edward
Winry fell to her knees. She had promised herself not to cry, but now, she couldn't help it. It felt like there had been flood gates holding back her tears and they just broke. Winry cried and cried. She then laid down on the floor and cried some more as she hugged the letter to her chest. She ended up crying herself to sleep, curled up in a ball, laying on her bedroom floor, despite the fact it was only about 6:45.
Ed got off the train and stretched.
"Ah," he said, "it feels good to be back in Resembool." He said hello to the lady selling tickets and began the long trek up to the Rockbell's, to home.
Den perked up his ears and then ran to the window.
"What is it Den?" Pinako asked the family's dog while looking out the window. "Well I'll be darned," she said with a smile. She opened the front door and stepped out on the porch.
"Hi granny," Ed said nearing the porch.
"Are you sure you stayed away long enough?" Pinako asked sarcastically.
"Haha," Ed laughed, "I'm home for good now…..I think."
"Well, stay as long as you can," Pinako said. Pinako laughed to herself as she noticed Ed's eyes continuously shift up to where Winry's room is and back down and the around behind Pinako. "She's up in her room," Pinako said stepping aside letting Ed in.
"Thanks," Ed said smiling. Ed walked up stairs and went to Winry's room. He quietly knocked on the door, no answer.
"Winry?" Ed said slowly and quietly opening her door. He stepped in to find her on the floor asleep. His letter was still clutched to her chest and there were a few tears still on her cheeks.
"Well this is no good," Ed said. He took off his gloves and set them on the table by her bed and carefully picked Winry up and laid her in her bed. He gently wiped away the lingering tears on her cheek and then left the room and headed back downstairs.
Winry lazily opened her eyes to see sunlight streaming in through the window. She had a nice dream last night, Ed has come back and put her in her bed. She paused and thought for a second, 'You know, I really don't remember going to bed,' she thought to herself. Winry then realized that she was holding something in her hands. It was Ed's letter. She rolled over facing away from her wall. Wait; there are gloves on her nightstand. She picked them up and examined them. They weren't just any gloves, they were Ed's gloves. She put the gloves back to the table and got out of bed. She quickly brushed through her hair and on her way out of her room she grabbed her wrench.
She marched out of her room and down the stairs to find Pinako sitting at the table and Ed standing beside it talking to eachother. They both turned and looked at her when she came into the room.
"Good morning," Pinako said. "You sure did sleep a long time." Winry didn't say anything but instead raised her arm. She threw the wrench at Ed with all of her might. Ed was ready for it. With precise timing and planning her grabbed hold of the wrench stopping it about three centimeters away from his face.
"Ha! You can't get me this time!" Ed said setting the wrench on the table. Winry took about two steps forward then lunged at Ed knocking both of them to the ground, her emotions overwhelmed by her happiness.
"I'm home now," Ed said and he held her.
"You jerk," Winry said muffled into his shoulder.
"Yeah, I know," Ed replied. "I'm sorry."
So, did you like it? :3 Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? Huh? Huh? Huh? JK. Okay in all seriousness PLEASE REVIEW! I AM BEGING YOU! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you for reading and if you are currently reading any of my other stories I am sorry I haven't been updating, but I will soon, I promise!