The alchemist's return

By Fearel and Artemiskey

Disclaimer: I do not own fullmetal alchemist

Hey i'm Fearel. This is what I think happened after conqueror of shamballa. please read and review but don't be two hard on me as this is my first fanfiction. Even though this is under my account It is really a coauthored work by me and my friend Artemiskey. Please forgive any spelling or grammar arrears on my part. So go on read and injoy!

This chapter

Riza-By Fearel

Winry-By Artemiskey

Chapter1 Reunion And Farewell

The Gateway.
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.
Those who pass through it may find themselve
in an alternate world to their own.
But in those days read believed
that the risks involved were just too high

Riza ran toward the rapidly descending zeppelin. From down on the ground she hadn't been able to get a clear view of what was happening above her. Down on the ground… where He had left her. She shook her head to clear it. No time for that now, no time for the worry that clawed at the back of her mind, no time for anything but running. She had to get to the dissenting zeppelin had to make sure, make absolutely sure that he was okay.

She had seen the mass of alchemically made stone heading for the zeppelin, had seen not one but two blonde heads aboard it. She knew it meant, Edward, he had finally managed to return from beyond the Gateway. Then she had watched as the Generals course converged with that of the 2 brothers. She had seen the gouts of flame, which could mean only one thing, appearing around the zeppelin's sides. But then the flames had stopped. She had seen the larger piece of the zeppelin pull away under its own power heading for the whole in central city from which it had emerged, leaving the smaller piece to fall to earth. She had told herself that he could just as easily be on board the still airborne piece of the zeppelin, but somehow she was sure that was not the case, and so she ran.

She came to a skidding halt on one side of the crumbled ruins that had not so long ago held a market square thriving with life. On top of the water pooling around the fragments of the fountain that had once contained it, lay the remains of the smaller bit of the zeppelin, which she had been chasing. It was then that she heard the clank of metal footsteps that had become so familiar to her over the course of that long and extraordinary day. There were 4 of them, and they were coming from the opposite side of the square. Riza raised her gun and aimed it at the nearest of the 4 metal suits. She cursed inwardly for as she had raised the gun she realized that only 3 bullets remained. She had spent the rest of the bullets from this, and every other gun she had on her in the fighting earlier and except for the 3 bullets already loaded she was completely out of ammunition.

It was then that another sound distracted her. The sound was the scraping and clattering of metal similar to that of the footsteps of the approaching armor but this sound was coming from inside the pile of scrap metal that had once made up part of the zeppelin. As Riza watched part of the metal was pushed aside by a white gloved hand and a familiar head of raven black hair poked itself up out of the rubble Roy…

He did not see Riza; he was facing away from her toward the oncoming menace. As he tried to scramble quickly out of the rubble so as to meet the oncoming armored soldiers head on, he slipped on the water pooling out from the base of the destroyed fountain. He fell forward and, instinctively and without thought put his hands out to break his fall. He landed lightly on hands and knees and jumped quickly to his feet, but the damage had already been done. His gloved hands were soaking wet.

Riza's relief at seeing him alive and well turned to fear as she saw his hands splash into the water, but as always she controlled herself, suppressing the fear and concentrating on what must be done. She raised her gun and fired twice dispatching two of the 4 armored soldiers advancing on her superior but now came the problem. The two remaining suits of armor were advancing purposefully upon him, he was unarmed and helpless and she had only the one bullet left. She had to do something, she have to stop them from hurting him, but she couldn't take them both down with a single shot unless… Riza took a second to aim very carefully; she couldn't afford to be off not even by millimeter. Yes that was it she had the gun aimed just right she fired and the bullet slid straight through one of the eye slits in the nearer suit of armor and into the flesh of the man inside of it. He fell backward knocking into the armor behind him and pinning it to the ground with his weight.

As he heard the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire and his attackers collapsed nearly simultaneously in front of him, Mustang turned slowly around. He knew who he would see when he did and yet it seemed incredible to him how perfect her timing was. It had always been like that but even now he couldn't figure out how she managed to always appear whenever and wherever he needed her most. His black eye met her brown ones as he finally turned to face her fully. They stayed like that, staring at each other for a long moment before he broke the silence. "Well lieutenant" he said softly "it seems that you have saved my life once again."

Winry sat in the ruins of the capitol building at Central feeling numb

She knew what Ed and Al had done. They had chosen to go through to the other side of the portal and now they were gone forever and never ever coming back.

Why did they always do this to her? They always left her behind! As a kid, because she was a girl, when they left, because she wasn't an alchemist and now. Now she was left behind because she wasn't up there with them.

She didn't know the last time she would see Ed was just to give him his automail she spent the last two years putting together, knowing he'd be back.

But as soon as he left to fight, before Winry could even chase after him, she and Sheska were attacked by a few of the suits of armor. Sheska somehow had a pistol and began nervously shooting at the suits of armor- and surprisingly hitting a few...

Winry had thrown some of her tools at them, then realizing that she could use her wrench to unscrew some bolts, and using her mechanical knowledge, she got behind some and caused them to collapse.

Then she picked up her case and she and Sheska began to walk back to the main plaza outside the capitol building.

Now hours after they had traveled back through the portal, Winry sat, just sitting. Processing everything. She felt guilty; she had promised Izumi that she'd take care of them. She felt sad; because now it wasn't just Ed, now it was Al too. She had lost both of them. But what bothered her most of all was that she didn't know if they were still alive.

"Winry?" Sheska said touching her shoulder.

Winry looked up.

"I think you should go back to Resembool and I think I should go with you."

Winry just nodded.

The next day they boarded the train to Resembool. Soon they were at the station and walking back to her house. As they got to Ed and Al's house, Winry broke into tears.

"Winry. It's okay." Sheska said crouching down to where her friend kneeled in the dirt.

"No. It's not okay! My two closest friends are gone! Both of them!" Winry sobbed, "and I'll never see them again..."

Moments later they reached Winry's house.

Sheska knocked at the door.

"Winry! Sheska! Back from central so soon? Where's Al?" Panako said when she answered the door.

Winry broke down into tears again.

"I think we should talk after Winry goes and cleans up." Sheska said.

Winry went to the bathroom and quickly began trying to dry her tears.

She could hear Sheska telling her grandmother everything.

"We were in central when a portal opened up, and these huge suits of armor came out, and we had to fight them, there was a huge battle. We saw Ed, he had come back through the portal, but in order to bring the intruders back, and make sure it never happened again, he had to close the portal, on both ends. So he went through and Al went with him."

"Winry is going to have a hard time living with that." Panako said.

Winry walked out of the bathroom and turned to her grandmother.

"I'm going to go work now... don't bother me unless it's necessary." she said then went to her room to change and then went to the shop.

Winry examined her designs for Ed's most recent automail and then she saw some places where she could make it even better.

And so she began to build.

Ed would be back. He'll find his way back. He will always come back.

Next time: Ed and Al meat Lust and Scar and begin there travels in search of the Nuclear bomb. Wile back in Amestris Mustang begins to try to put Central and his own life back together, but not everything is as peaceful as it seams!

So how did we do? I'd love to find out so please review!