Disclaimer: I am only going to post this once, so it will also apply to any chapter of this story as well. I DO NOT OWN FMA…If I did I wouldn't be a poor college student struggling to graduate. None of these characters (well, except Regan, but she's a small supporting character) are mine. So please don't sue me. You won't get much, if anything at all…Trust me
Note: Hello All! Welcome to my first ever story on (go ahead…pat yourself on the back!). My name is Erin Anderson, and I have yet to really get a chance to fill out my profile, so there really isn't a lot of info there. I do have to say that this story is FINISHED…No offense to anyone who does this, but I hate getting wrapped up in a story just to find out the author has quit writing on it, or that they have to go back and rewrite part of the beginning because it doesn't match their current storyline. I have spent almost half a year on this one story, and have actually put all of my other stories on hold because of it. I will post new chapters up either every other day, or every few days. It really just depends on how busy I am with school at the time. I should be able to post more than one or two on the weekends, but I wouldn't want to swamp you with sooooo many chapters, would I:c)
I will try my hardest to respond to comments as often as possible, but please don't hate me if I don't answer it within a 24-hour time frame. But please don't let that stop you from posting! This is my first fic on here, and I would love to hear any comments: flames and non-flames alike! Maybe as time goes on you will all begin to understand the method to my madness!
Either way, enjoy the story, and please feel free to post questions or email me if anything else arises.
P.S. This fic does contain a lot of spoilers throughout the anime, so please don't get mad if you read something and find out you haven't seen it in the anime yet….YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Chapter One
"Bye Al!" Winry smiled as she reached up to hug her childhood friend. "Try to come here in one piece next time. And please watch out for Ed; we don't want anyone to accidentally step on-"
"WHAT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY THAT NO ONE CAN SEE WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS!" Ed screamed as he stormed up to the pair. Winry smiled as Alphonse inched away from his fuming brother to climb onto the train they would leave on shortly. Turning back to Ed her smile faded, as did his anger. His face softened as he saw is friend's eyes cloud with the coming of their departure.
"Are you sure you have to leave so soon, Ed? You only just got here a few days ago. Can't you stay a couple extra? It gets lonely around the house." Her eyes looked to the ground, hoping to hide some of her sadness. She could hear Ed sigh and scratch the back of his head.
"Winry…" he paused as he saw the girl's face rise to meet his. "We, uh, really just needed to get my arm and leg worked on. As you saw, they were pretty beat up in that last battle we had. But I can tell this one will hold up much better." He raised his arm in the air and balled his hand into a fist, eliciting a small smile from the girl. She took his arm into her gloved hands and checked it over one more time before he departed. Satisfied with her work, she patted his shoulder with her right hand.
"Just be more careful with this one. I was able to use a lighter metal so it wouldn't weigh you down so much, but it's not as tough against blows as the last one. Which means you need to think before you actually leap into battle."
Ed smiled slightly, "You make it sound as though I want to get into these fights. But…as soon as I get Al's and my body back, we won't have to bug you anymore."
The girl lost her smile at his response, "Edward, you're not bugging Grams and myself. We're practically family!"
Ed looked away towards the train where Alphonse sat gazing at the two friends. Seeing his older brother turn to look at him, the younger brother raised his hand and waved. "I don't care so much for my limbs as I just want to get his body back," he said as he waved back. She nodded.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Winry smiled slightly and looked back at the boy she'd known most of her life. "Soooo…is there any possible way a third companion could join your little trip?" Her face became slightly flushed as she waited for the coming decline.
Edward turned back to Winry with a stern face, "I've said before that it's too dangerous for you to be involved in this."
"Is it just because I'm a girl? Because if I remember correctly I can even make the mighty Full-Metal Alchemist flinch with the sight of a wrench!"
"It's not that!" Edward yelled, his hands waving around in the air. "It's just…I mean…the things that we get caught up in…and the things we have to see…it's just not a place for a woman!"
Winry sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Fine, whatever you say, though I don't agree with you. I think that I would make a good addition to the group." Seeing as how Edward was not going to respond to her last statement Winry gave up the battle, for now.
"Look, just promise me you'll be more careful when you're out there. And at least write once in awhile to let us know you're still alive."
Ed nodded and boarded the train, taking the window seat next to his brother. Al leaned forward and waved goodbye to his friend. She waved back and yelled as the train began to move, "Be careful! I'll see both of you soon!"
Sitting back into his seat, Al glanced over to see Edward already staring out the window, "Brother, what do you think she meant by that?"
"Who knows, Al. It's Winry we're talking about here," he muttered, turning his head to hide some of the disappointment for having to leave so soon.
Winry stayed at the train platform until she saw the beautiful machine disappear behind the hills. Relieved, she peeled her long-sleeved sweater and gloves off and relished the sun's kiss on her skin with the tank top she had underneath. Stretching her arms out in front of her, she began the lonely walk back home. She didn't know how she was able to survive their short stay having to wear those blasted things the whole time they were there. She wished they could have stayed longer, but it was horrid wearing those things during the early summer months.
After an hour of walking, Winry was able to make out her house on the hill. Happy she was back home; she ran the rest of the way, skipping up the front steps to go inside.
"Grams! I'm home! Where are you at?" the girl questioned as she was met with silence. Alarmed, she stopped everything and listened to the house, hoping to hear some movement. Her wish was granted as Winry heard some of the tools whirring from the workshop her grandmother was in. She tossed the horrible sweater and gloves on the nearest chair as she made her way up to the workshop. Walking quietly into the shop, the teenager watched as her grandmother was finishing one of her newest pieces. Winry walked up and marveled the auto-mail. It had a simple design, but looked and felt durable enough to stand up in any situation.
Pinako smiled at the girl's reaction, "So I take it that you approve? See, this old hag still has a thing or two up her sleeves." She hummed lightly as she handed the limb to the younger girl and began to clean up her mess.
Holding the gorgeous limb carefully in her arms, she stroked it with her right hand. "It's so beautiful…" she chimed in a dreamy daze. After a split second she snapped out of her dream. "Did you already pack the two limbs I had set out? Who knows when he will need another one…"
"Yes, child. I already packed those. I also have another bag full of nothing but parts; I figure you could make another three or four limbs out of those if you needed to."
"Thank you so much! You didn't have to do all that…"
"It was no problem, Winry. What would this old woman do if you children fell apart on me?"
"Though it still doesn't make up for your bad jokes." Before she could ask any more questions, the older woman began talking.
"To answer your next question, yes, I already have the other one packed and was just about ready to put this one with it before you showed up. And your boots are also finished. I think those were the simplest things to create. I wanted it all to be a surprise, but sometimes things don't always go as planned…"
Noticing the silence after a few moments, Pinako stopped her cleaning and turned around to see Winry clutching the finely crafted arm to her chest; her bangs covering her eyes. She reached a hand up to wipe the girl's misty eyes and was relieved to see her smile slightly at the warm gesture.
"What's wrong, child. Is there something wrong with the arm? If so, there's no need to cry. I can fix it shor-"
"No…no, it's not that Grams. This is a beautiful arm; better than even I could make. I'm sure it will get a lot of use when it's needed." Winry took a moment to wipe the rest of the wetness from her eyes. "Do you think he's going to be angry with me? I think I should have told him before I left. I hate lying to him…"
Pinako's eyes softened as she realized whom Winry was talking about. She placed the last of her tools up and beckoned for the girl to follow her to the kitchen. Once there she began to boil water for tea. Not wanting to spill any liquid on the arm, Winry placed it on the dining room table, sat down next to it, and welcomed the warm drink given to her a few minutes later. The elder woman sat and contemplated for a few minutes, silently sipping her own soothing liquid.
"Yes, it is true that you will have lied to him. You have to think ahead to what he may feel. His feelings will be hurt, his trust may be dented, if not broken." Winry lowered her head, feeling shame cover her like a dark and suffocating cloud. "In fact, it's also true that you have already lied to him. So that must also be taken into accoun-"
"But Grams," Winry interrupted, "he didn't need to know-"
"You asked for my advice!" Pinako said, raising her voice slightly, and promptly quieting the teenager. "Now, where was I? Oh yes. What do you think he's going to say when he sees what happened? What will he think? What could possibly be a reason that one of his best friends would lie to him in such a way?"
"I see your point. He's going to hate me…" Tears began to spring to the girl's eyes once more.
A few moments of silence went by as the girl silently wept to herself and Pinako looked out the window towards the sunset. The elder woman could hear Winry pick up the spare limb and begin to exit the room to finish packing.
"I don't think he will hate you."
Winry turned around to see Pinako slowly get up from her seat and walk over to her and pat her left arm. "Even though he is known as the 'Full Metal' alchemist doesn't mean he isn't still a human. Yes, he will be hurt deeply at first, but I believe that after he finds out your reasons he won't be angry. True, I am still upset over your decisions after all of this, but that is not going to stop me from supporting you." A moment of silence surrounded them as the young girl processed the information. "He'll get over it. But if he doesn't, then send him back here and I'll pound some sense into him for you."
Winry smiled at her grandmother, kneeled down, and hugged the woman. "Thank you so much Grams. For everything. If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened then."
"It was no problem, child. Now, isn't it time you went and packed? You have an important test coming up in a few days and you need your rest."
The younger girl nodded and ran to her room to finish packing. There weren't many things besides her tools and parts that she needed to take with her, save for a few childhood memories. She dug through her drawers for an appropriate traveling outfit for when she left, and placed it on the end of her bed, along with the coat Pinako tailored for her. She never realized the older auto-mail mechanic could also sew such a beautiful garment. She placed what few clothes she would take with her in a small suitcase, and then walked over to her bookcase. All the books were on auto-mail that she memorized years ago when she began helping her grandmother with the shop, so she wouldn't need to bring those along. She placed her favorite wrench, the one she took everywhere with her, in with her clothes. In front of some of her books stood pictures of when she was younger. She picked up the few pictures she had of her parents, before their lives were taken during the Ishbal conflict, and placed those first in her suitcase. Their lives were all so happy then. Ed and Al's mother was still alive, and her own parents were still on this earth. Human transmutations never crossed any of their minds.
Shaking her head to clear it of thoughts, Winry went back to the bookcase to retrieve the pictures of the brothers and her. These were before Ed and Al tried to bring their mother back after she died. Before they had to leave me…
She lovingly grazed her favorite picture with her right hand. It was taken when her and Ed were about 9 or 10 years old, shortly before his mother became ill. They would often go sit on the hill by the river and watch the sunset, talking the entire time about the world outside of Rizenbul: what other people could be doing, and what it would be like to visit those places. They had vowed to travel together when they got older to see those sights. There they sat, watching the sunset. She was tired from their running around that day, so she leaned her head on his shoulder. He was hesitant at first, but relaxed and placed his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Neither of them heard Al sneaking up behind them. He quickly snapped the picture and ran as fast as he could, with Ed closing in on his heels. Shortly after that began the battle of which brother would marry her.
Winry laughed quietly to herself at the memory. She placed the cherished memories next to her parent's photos and gently closed the suitcase.
I'll be seeing you soon Ed…