A/N: Okay, let me just get this out: this is my first fan-fictional writing piece EVER. Like, seriously. This idea is obviously not mine (ALL BELONG TO THE GODDESS HIROMU ARAKAWA), so please don't kill me for it. I really don't have the creativity to think of my own fanfic ideas as of now, so I'm just starting to practice on actually WRITING, okay? This one is based purely on episode 22 of FMA: Brotherhood or the last chapters in volume 12 of the manga. It's one of the scenes that had affected me the most strongly (dude, I cried for like, hours) and I could really write about it! So here it is, I guess. Ummm...feel free to critic! I'd love to know what I need to improve on. :)

As always, DISCLAIMER! Quotes/characters/story belong to Hiromu Arakawa (and the song belongs to the artist of the "Let it out" song, too), so only the writing belongs to me. Hopefully, I'll have my own original ideas of fanfiction in the near future.

"I've heard the Elric brothers are in a fight."

"Where?"

"…a State Alchemist killer?"

"He's still alive?"

Whispers and rumors floated around the streets as Winry Rockbell hurriedly tried to catch up with every one of them. Panicking, she suddenly remembered the distant image of her parents' backside as they left for the war — and then she remembered the Elrics'…"Why do they have to look the same?" she thought frantically. Yes, indeed — why, oh why did that image have to appear inside of her head again? She tried too hard to mentally erase it, but it did not work. More panic stricken than ever, she brisk walked even faster toward the voices and the sounds of alchemists fighting.

Finally locating the area of the intense alchemy battle, she struggled to get past the crowd of people who were watching the fight from afar.

"Are those kids okay?" one of them asked, rubbing his head.

"Come on, what are those officers doing?" yelled another anxiously.

"Excuse me — please let me get through —" said Winry, squeezing past the two men. When she could finally escape, she ran as fast as she could straight to the battle scene.

"Hey! It's dangerous over there!" someone called out, but Winry did not care. She was not about to let the Elrics out of her sight for any more second. Adrenaline rushing through, her senses became keener and she listened closely for the voices of the brothers. It seemed to take ages and ages, not the few seconds that it actually took, until she heard the one voice she was looking for.

"Certainly —"

Her heart stopped. Ed was still alive, and from the sound of his voice, he was shaken yet functioning just as normally as she had last seen him.

"— we alchemists have been making mistakes."

What on earth was Ed going on about? Weren't the brothers just in a middle of a fight?

"But that doesn't mean we're going to acknowledge what you're doing!"

She could feel the situation tense even more as Ed continued: "Scar, there is something I want to ask you."

There was a slight pause.

"Does an avatar of God coolly take the lives of doctors who devote themselves to the people?"

Another pause. Somehow – somewhere inside of her – Winry could already feel what was coming next. She unconsciously took a step forward, holding her breath. She could barely see Al taking a notice of her and calling out, "Wai—" as Ed continued, "Do you remember a married couple of doctors from Amestris named Rockbell? They went forward in the Ishval Rebellion, and even after the order of annihilation, they continued helping the people of Ishval."

"Wait, brother—!"

"SCAR!" screamed Ed, his face twisting in the utmost fury as he addressed this question to the dark-skinned man who was watching him with an indiscernible expression. "Do you remember the doctors who you were helped by and who you killed?"

"NO, BROTHER—!"

"Ah!" Slowly, Ed turned around and finally took into account of Winry's presence in front of him as he was preparing to fight Scar. He looked at her with complete shock and guilt as she gazed back, eyes widening. Time seemed to stand still as realization finally washed over everyone in the scene.

"What—what do you mean…?" stammered Winry. She could barely feel anything around her anymore. Everything seemed to blur. "This person…he killed mom and dad?" Ed watched her in angst as her eyes clouded and her face became unreadable. "No way…" Winry's voice shook even more. "They were killed by someone they saved? You killed…my mom and dad?"

At this point, only Winry's soft, shattering voice echoed through the stillness. Scar did not say a word. He merely looked away and then back at the girl.

Winry took this in as affirmation. "You don't deny it?" She seemed to lose her balance and then finally collapsed on the ground, looking straight ahead but not seeing anything precisely. "What did mom and dad do…" Her voice became more and more clear — "…what did they do that made them deserve death?" she called out in justification to herself more than to her opponent.

"GIVE THEM BACK!" Winry screamed. She raised her hands to her ears and closed her eyes, unable to let it sink in. "GIVE BACK MOM AND DAD!" she cried, tears flowing out.

Ed gave a little gasp as he watched her, guilt becoming more and more evident in him. He watched her struggle through her emotions. He watched her as she slowly reached towards the gun next to her, her entire body visibly shaking in fear and rage at the murderer in front of her.

"Wait, Winry…! Don't…not that!"

"Winry!" Al called out.

"Please don't, Winry!" Ed shouted in desperation.

Scar continued to watch the girl's tear stricken face as she slowly raised her hands, pointing the gun at him. He suddenly remembered something — a flashback — I understand how you feel that you must seek revenge, his master's voice said in his head, but revenge only grows even more seeds of revenge.

"Don't shoot, Winry!" Ed warned. He was panicking, and he knew it.

"You shouldn't hold something like that! Winry!" Al jumped in.

Scar paused for a moment and then said to her, "So…you're the doctors' daughter. You do have the right to shoot me. However, the moment you shoot, I will see you as the enemy!"

"SCAR!" screamed Al.

Ed's face contorted in rage. "BASTARD, IF YOU PUT A HAND ON WINRY, I'LL KILL—"

"You'll kill me?" Scar replied just as forcefully. "That's fine, too! The cycle of hatred cannot stop until either side falls! But do not forget! The first one to pull the trigger in the civil war was from Amestris! It was your people!"

Winry sobbed even louder. Everything seemed too blurry to be recognized.

"Hurry up and put the gun down! Winry!"

"But…mom…and dad…" cried Winry in a small voice.

"If you cannot shoot, then leave this place," Scar commanded. "You are in the way—" He raised his arm, preparing for an attack towards her —

"GRR! DON'T SHOOOOOOT!" Acting on instinct, Ed sprinted towards him, jumped over his arm, and landed in front of Winry, his arms spread out in defense of her.

Still looking up at Scar, Ed lowered the gun in Winry's hands from behind. Al reacted fast enough to attack Scar, and the battle of the alchemists continued. As Al created a slight diversion from his opponent, he yelled back at Ed (who was blank at the moment), "STUPID BROTHER! What are you doing? Hurry up and take Winry somewhere safe!"

Ed turned around and gave Winry, who still was not recovered yet, a pleading look.

"I c-couldn't shoot…" she stammered. Winry could not help but feel that she was being weak and pathetic — how could a girl, who had the complete right to take revenge — not be able to shoot even her enemy — even just once?

Ed closed his eyes. "Please don't shoot," he told her softly. "I'm begging you." He knew how she was feeling. He knew that she was feeling helpless — weak — unable, and he had to persuade her out of it.

"B-but…" More tears fell as Winry clutched her eyes and bent her head down, unable to look at Ed properly. "He killed mom and dad…and he was about to kill you and Al, too…" As a matter of fact, she had never felt so helpless in her entire life. Where had all of her strength gone?

Ed opened his eyes again. "Winry…" Ed started, thinking. He took her still shaken hand away from the gun. "Didn't you help deliver a baby and saved a mother and a child back in Rush Valley?" He pointed her index finger forward, counting — "Didn't you give me an arm and a leg to stand up with?" He counted two more of her fingers outwards.

Winry gazed down at her hand, her eyes still filled with tears. The gun finally fell down, landing with a crack heard audibly in the silence. "Your hands are not those that kill people," Ed told her sincerely. "They're the hands that help people live!" He glanced back down, tightly clasping her hand, and understood. Winry was not weak. She had rescued him from being incapable of this — of protecting the ones he loved the most — she was, in fact, his savior.

Winry couldn't take it anymore. "Wahh…wahhh…WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Every single feeling — whether it was desperation, anger, fear, or even thankfulness — gushed out of her as she latched tightly onto Ed. Ed's arms closed around her protectively, and he let her cry out all that had been held in for so long. He gazed into the distance with a reminiscing expression and thought, "This…this is what revenge brings."

Let it all out, let it all out

You don't have to act so brave

I'm so full of weakness

I may lose my way a little

But I'll walk, I'll walk with you

That's the one thing I'll never change.