Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist, or any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Hiromu Arakawa. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any original plot ideas.

Tied Like Branches

A/N: Pre-FMA.

He knew she was crying again, screaming his name, but his attention was solely on the road in front of him as he ran. Dirt flew up into the air behind him, causing Alphonse to cough and sputter as he followed quickly behind. He turned back for a moment, noting how his brother looked worried. But Edward carried on, running right up the hill and around the side of the house where he jumped and hid in the bushes.

"Ed? Brother, where are you?" Alphonse shouted. He must have looked away when Edward had hidden himself in the foliage.

The older boy scowled, poking his head out and over the leaves. "You dummy!" he hissed, waving at Alphonse. "Be quiet, or Winry's gonna find us!"

Alphonse nodded, quickly running towards the bush and crawling underneath.

"Brother, why are we hiding from Winry?"

Edward turned, giving him a push. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. "Because she's a stupid girl," he huffed. "Winry said that we're lucky our dad only went away, because it means he's probably still alive. But she doesn't know anything." He turned away from Alphonse. "I hope he's dead."

For the longest time, Winry had been upset about what had happened to her parents. And, whenever it came down to something that reminded her of them, she'd go and chastise him about hating his dad. So far as Edward was concerned, it wasn't any of her business.

So, to get back at her, he'd gone and taken the thing that meant the most to her.

"Ed, is that...?" Edward turned to his younger brother, just as he took the cloth figure out of his hand. Alphonse looked at him in shock. "It is. Brother, why would you take it?"

It was the doll she'd been given last Christmas. The one Uncle Urey had bought for her.

He grabbed it out of his brother's hand, whacking him with it. "Nobody asked you!" Edward hissed, and he crawled out of the bush, not bothering to turn back for the sandal he'd lost.

Now where would he go? Where would he hide? He could hear Winry coming up the hill, out of breath, but still shouting at him and crying.

He looked at the doll in his hand, suddenly ashamed. What was he doing? Rather, what would he do with the doll if he were able to keep it away from her? Hide it? Bury it? Burn it? Throw it into the river? Alter it with Alchemy?

What would she look like if it were to disappear?

"Edward, I hate you!"

Edward turned, golden eyes meeting Winry's sky blue gaze, tears rolling down her red cheeks. She always looked like that when she cried. Hands balled into fists at her side, lower lip sticking out, eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't something he liked to see.

Winry screamed at him again, charging and swinging her hands at him. But Edward didn't move. He just stood there, head bowed to the ground, the doll held limply in his small hand.

He didn't even feel her strike him, feel her fist plow into his nose. He didn't even know that he was crying too, and bleeding, right onto his bright orange shirt.

She kept on howling at him, bringing the guilt to pull him deeper and deeper within.

"Here," Edward sighed, holding the doll out to her. "You can have the stupid thing. I don't want it anyway..."

He looked at her, surprised to see that she was just staring at him, hesitant to take her doll back. She probably thought it to be another trick. Edward grimaced, shoving it against her chest with both hands.

"Just shut up and take it, all right?"

What an idiot he was, trying to make her miserable, make her cry. She hadn't had any right to say the things she had, but neither did he. Winry didn't know what it was like to have a father who was never around because he hadn't wanted to stay with his family. All she knew was that her parents, two good people, had died doig something worthwhile.

His father, Hohenheim, or whatever the hell his name was, was just a jerk. Some washed-up loser who had just walked away.

When Edward looked up again, he saw that he was sitting on the swing, legs dangling just above the ground as he swayed back and forth. He'd behaved so poorly, making Winry cry. He hated to think such a thing, but he was just as bad, if not worse, as his jerk father.

"Edward?"

"Go away, Winry," he snapped. "You don't have to rub it in."

Her shadow drew closer to him, her hand resting on the rope of the swing, bringing it to a stop. She touched his hand.

"Ed, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I know you didn't ask for your daddy to..." Her arms flopped around his shoulders, hair falling into his face. "I'm sorry..."

He sighed, leaning into the hug. It was more his fault, especially for retaliating as he had. "Me too."

She laid a gentle kiss on his cheek.

There was a sound from above, a giggle, as Alphonse promptly dropped out of the tree. He'd likely followed Edward to the swing. The younger boy grinned, pointing finger at his brother and friend.

"Edward and Winry, sittin' in a tree!" he sang, dancing in a circle. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The two of them turned, glowering at Alphonse before Edward let out a battle cry. His brother promptly started running.

"Get back here, Al!"

"What for? Are you gonna hurt me, or are you gonna make me kiss Winry too?"

"You idiot! I didn't kiss her! She kissed me!"

"That's not what I saw!"