Shared

It is always present.

A lingering trace.

A small fragment.

There is something that the two of them will always share, regardless of the thoughts, words, and actions of others, regardless of the obstacles in their way, and regardless of the contents of their hearts. Always. There will always be something.

Few realize it. Even the few who dare to suspect it quickly withdraw their suspicions. Not a soul can convince themselves of the fact, no matter how much it occurs to them.

Regardless, it is something that they, and no one else, will always share.

The pain.

Ed and Al are brothers, foremost in each other's lives above all else. And that is acceptable. There exists between them an unbreakable bond formed from years of searching without the companionship of a single person outside of their duo, and the tragedy they endured together. That is understandable, possibly even respectable.

Winry has been a part of their lives over a time spanning so far back that they no longer care to remember. She has been with them during events they could not have survived, sanity intact, without her support. She holds a very special place in his heart, in both of their hearts. The only feeling she can possibly harbor for him is sympathy, never empathy. She can never understand what he feels.

Rose can.

She has lived a life full of pain and tragedy. Her parents are gone, vanished at a very young age. What took them is unknown to everyone, but it doesn't matter much in the end. The closest person in the world to her died without warning. Her city was destroyed, tarnished--as was her innocence, self-esteem, and life. All shattered mercilessly.

But he was there. Each time she is forcefully knocked down, he gently picks her back up, even though it is in the midst of doing what is best for him and his brother.

She knows his pain.

His brother told her in complete detail about the exploits of their youth, and the tragedies they suffered. She can relate to his mother's death. She can relate to his feelings of hopelessness, emptiness and grief. She can understand his cynicism. His determination to find what he lost, to right the wrongs done to him, his strength...to those, she can not relate. But she admires him for those reasons, and she can comprehend. Save Al, no person in the world understands him like she does.

In the deepest corners of her damaged heart, she feels that he knows it as well.

The pain is something that they share, and it, among other things, draws her to him.

She is in love with him.

She has not seen him since the fateful day he challenged the inevitable for the last time, and finally lost. Regardless, she can still picture his face, remember his smell, feel his touch as they danced. She remembers.

He is isolated in a small boat, the only thing keeping him afloat in the stormy lake of his emotions. The ones he knows and love stand hopelessly on the rocky shore, surrounded by mist, unable to do a thing—but she alone is able to perceive the small bridge that he left behind, and it will lead her to him in the end.

Rose alone can reach him...and she will.

He will be back.

She thinks of him every day, and she is absolutely certain that he returns the favor in some small way each time.

It took Dante's sedation and hypnosis to coax her feelings out into the open, but they have always been there. And when she sees him again, she will make sure to tell him that.

Because she knows, deep in her heart, in her mind, and in her very soul, the essence of her being, that he will be back. She is certain that the bond between them is stronger than any, and that, if Ed ever finds the time in his long, busy, troubled life to love a woman, it will be her. She is certain that he will return.

Maybe, just maybe, that certainty is something else that they share.

Fin

A/N: Don't have much to say about this one. I just got an impulse to do a short EdxRose oneshot. I hate to be honest, but I think she is much more appropriate for Ed than Winry would ever be, even though it's commonly accepted that EdWin is "meant to be." I'm okay with both pairings, though, and I will write both without bias. I just felt like doing this, and it might not even be that good. I know it's definitely too short, but...well...isn't writing a form of expression? -shrugs-

Also, this is a reposted, revised edition. I'm not satisfied with simply one review and 11 hits, sorry to say.

EDIT: Changed to present tense. I think it fits better.

I just want to implore you all to review this. I'm thinking about doing a companion piece to this centered around Ed in Munich, if reviews demonstrate enough support to warrant it.

Thanks all.

LL