Alchemical Romance

Chapter 1: Finding the Path

Continental Calendar: 3.Oct.18

"… Edward…" Winry Rockbell whispered under her breath. The tall blond stood staring out the window of her automail shop. She held a circular hunk of metal in her right hand. "Eight years ago, you carved a date into this watch, eight years… Ed… please come back home… please"

Berlin: October 10th 1925

It was a cold night, unnaturally cold for October, and a train was approaching the station. The night was split by the light from the approaching train, revealing people waiting for their loved ones to come off the train. A man sat on a bench with a light brown cloak on, not seeming to care about the train.

As men, women, and children stepped off the train, they appeared to all look alike, one figure stood out from the rest of them. This figure had a single smirk on the right edge of his mouth. "Nii-san!" the figure from the bench suddenly yelled, looking at the lone man. "Al, keeping up the place while I was in America?" Al nodded and rushed to grab Edward's bag. Ed held up his hand and grabbed his own bag.

"Ed, what did Fritz tell you in America?" Al asked as the two walked away from the station.

"Ah, same old crap. Mocking Fritz's voice 'America this, America that.' end Nothing to help us get back to 'Shamballa.'"

Al paused for a second, and hesitated to talk.

"Al… what's wrong?" Ed asked pausing himself.

"Edward, today it was eight years ago since… well." Al stopped to let Ed say what he would.

"I know, it's been looming over my head all week, but let's forget about that, just for a little bit… besides, I just got back!" Ed's mouth smirked up again, "Let's go get some grub with Noah!" As he started to walk again he suddenly spun his head to see Noah running up. "Ha ha, well speak of the devil."

Inside a diner the three sat and discussed matters of the world. Then, without meaning to, Al spoke the words Ed didn't want to hear at the moment. "Ed, I wonder how Winry's doing right now." Ed stopped eating and dropped his fork. He just stared off, then his eyes closed and he put his face into his hand. "Nii-san, I'm sorry, I didn't-" He was cut off by a wave of Ed's hand. The tear running down his cheek was wiped off with his white glove.

"Al, don't worry about it… I promised myself I wouldn't cry, but I guess I broke that promise, it's just that… well I may be twenty, but I'm still the boy at our mother's funeral inside… Al, you and Noah go back to the apartment, I'm going back to the river where we met in this world, remember?" Al nodded and left the money for his and Noah's portion of the tab. As they walked Al and Noah embraced hands and Ed thought to himself, "Dimmitt, I'm twenty, and still haven't hooked up… Winry, I guess I'm still waiting for you." He then stood up and left the rest of the money.

Ed walked alone down the river where he and Al sat two years ago. Ed felt a drop of water hit his forehead and looked up to see rain falling from the sky. As a drop rolled down his cheek he realized that it wasn't a drop rain, it was a tear. He continued walking as the rain fell faster than he had seen since he left his home in Resemboul. He paused near a pillar, directly in front of the river and just gazed past his drenched blonde hair into his reflection.

"Winry, I know you can't hear this, but I miss you… So much has happened and, I just need you. I swear to you, I will get back to you… if it's the last thing I do before I die… please wait for me… I've almost solved the riddle." Ed finished and walked away.

Ed approached the room to his apartment and knocked to ensure that he wasn't intruding on Al and Noah. He stepped into the two-bedroom apartment and walked down a hallway towards his room; on his way he looked into his younger brother's room to see him and Noah sleeping peacefully. This brought a smile to his face as he continued to his room. Once in the room he took off his temporary automail that he made after he learned from his father, and attached the limbs that Winry gave him just before he left.

Sitting down at his desk he reached in and grabbed out a book with papers that seemed to be crammed into it in haste and a bottle of Whiskey he picked up in America. He opened the book to reveal some alchemy notes.

After two hours of working and drinking, Ed was fairly smashed and was a wreck. He put up his whiskey and got up to sleep he fell out of the chair, slicing his left hand on the edge of the desk. As he stood up, holding his bleeding hand a drop of blood fell onto a piece of paper that had his transmutation circle on it.

As Ed started to walk away he heard a noise that made him stop dead in his tracks. As he turned around he saw the paper glowing with a bright yellow and blue alchemical light. The paper began to fold into an origami swan. Ed ran to the table, now forgetting about his hand and gazed at the swan he had just created. A single tear of joy ran down the side of his cheek as he ran to tell Alphonse.

"Al, wake up!" Ed said to his brother, trying not to wake Noah. Al looked up and said nothing. Ed signaled to come with him and his younger brother crawled out of bed and into Ed's room.

"Ed, what was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?" Al asked.

"Al, answer me… please… do you hate me for all that happened?"

"I already told you that I could never hate you…"

"Yeah, well I want to make it up to you anyways, I can get us back home." Ed said grinning.

A tear came to Al's eye and he looked Ed in they eyes, "Thank you, Ed. Thanks."

To be continued.