Color Theorem
Summary: And she swore the tears trailing down her face were from happiness. Really, they were. - For someone who managed to become a State Alchemist at the age of 12, Ed sure was dense.
Author's Note: I've always wanted to use Psiren if I ever made a Fullmetal Alchemist story. She's a very.. deceptive character, which I like considering there's a lot of mystery surrounding her. I guess I got my wish. Please review!
Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, Winry would be the Machine Alchemist.
008: Aquamarine
There was cheering ahead of her, loud and full of life. She paused in her step, eying the thick crowd holding up banners and signs, with some hesitation. She needed to get to the train station soon or else the train would leave her behind, again.
This had been the second time a crowd of this magnitude had held her back in Aquroya. This was also the second time she felt annoyed with it. The city itself was lovely. Bright blue skies; clean, beautiful oceans, and the fresh scent of saltwater and flowers that emanated from every street corner. The temperature was always at a comfortable level and the animals were simply adorable – she had become quite attached to the dolphins that broke through the surface of the water to greet fellow tourists like her.
But after a day in the town crowds like this would arise. They'd start out small, with minor chanting and hooting, before growing bigger and bigger and by noon the whole central area was thick with people cheering for a person called "Psiren".
Winry was slightly taken aback by the crowds enthused reactions towards this figure. Who was he? was the first question that popped into her head. It was answered by a fellow bystander, holding a sign that read 'FOR THE PEOPLE!'
"You don't know who Psiren is?!" He had gawked, "She's only the towns greatest thief! She keeps this city afloat everytime she steals something! If it wasn't for her, Aquroya would probably have flooded away!"
Flooded away? Winry had thought, curiously, wondering how a local thief could keep a city afloat. Or how stealing helped the people in the first place. Her answer came in the form of one word: tourism. It struck her how many people came to see the spectacular woman (she had figured it out eventually) make a dramatic escape and prance around the town as the police feebly chased after her, holding out this time's loot wearing a skimpy harlequin-like outfit that strangely fit her.
She had to stifle a laugh when one of the armed men tripped over her foot trying to capture her.
Winry peered over the crowd of people, amused by the scene just meters ahead: the police force were, once again, trying to persuade the crowd to disband. This only made them cheer louder, harder.
Geez, Winry thought with a giggle, this is such an interesting town! Thank goodness grandma told me to pick up these special plates for automail. She happily gripped the bag in her hand, pushing through the crowd in order to get to the station. Now, just a bit— what?
Winry froze.
The bag – it was gone!
She clenched her fist, unclenched it, and felt panic well in the pit of her stomach.
No, those parts – no!
Those plates – they're for—! Winry spun, drowning out the sound of the roaring crowd with her own rapid heartbeat. She searched the swaying bodies urgently, trying to pick out a plain brown bag. And she saw it, held in gloved hands that were quickly disappearing from her sight...
"Wait!" She called. "Wait! Stop! That's my bag – someone – oh, no," Winry jostled through the throng, shoving people out of her way, feeling anger slowly begin to control her.
She couldn't wait to get her hands on the person who dared take those parts! She felt her hand touch her waist, where she always kept her dear wrench clasped tightly, and continued to weave through the dozens of bodies that jostled her left to right, to and fro.
"WAIT! THEIF!" She shouted, dashing and reaching out for her bag, which her fingertips barely brushed. Soon she was directly behind the thief, gripping her shoulder and breathing heavily with the exertion of pushing through the frenzied crowd.
"What's this?" the thief purred, peering over her shoulder lightly. She shrugged off her hand rudely and did not stop walking. "Pest."
"Oh, no you don't," Winry growled under her breath, stepping forward to once again stop the mysterious woman. "Give me my bag back."
"What bag?"
"Give me my bag back," Winry repeated, steely. "I won't ask you again." She kept her hand on her wrench for extra measure.
"I don't have any idea what you are talking about," she said flatly, brushing off her hand. "You've got the wrong person – I only have pastries in here." She lifted the brown bag, bouncing it in-front of her like bait.
Winry could feel the blood rush to her temples, pound in her ears, as she tried to regain control of her raging emotions. The audacity of this woman!
She shoved her back, to the wall directly behind her, and stood in front of her, glaring her down with slit eyes. The woman was beautiful – she had short, luscious, light blond hair and smooth, creamy skin. Her lips were full and rosy and her cheeks had those small, pink stains that gave her the bashful look of a virtuous woman. Her eyes glistened in the scorching sun like jewels, dark and mysterious and promising something unattainable. She was a contradiction in herself - something that many men looked forward to eagerly.
Winry felt a twinge of jealousy surge through her. This woman fit the description that Al had told her a few years ago – when he and Ed had gone to Aquroya for a mission. The emotion grew when she thought back to Ed and how he had blushed heavily when Al had meantioned it once. She did not like the fact that he blushed for this ill-mannered, bratty, woman...
"Give it back," she said steadily, "I need those pieces for a very important person – it's urgent that I get these to him immediately."
"Don't we all?" she replied airily, fueling Winry's rage. The blond narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist, drawing nearer.
"I won't ask you again."
The woman stared back into her eyes, black meeting blue. The resolve in this young girls eyes made the infamous thief think of the boy she had fought years and years ago. The boy with the gold eyes and hair, determined to find that nearly magical stone which could grant thousands upon thousands of miracles.
"You remind me of someone," the woman said, voice smooth as velvet. "Someone I met long ago – a boy."
Winry felt her stomach plummet.
"His name is Edward Elric," she said easily, almost tactfully. "You must have heard of -"
"I know," Winry cut rudely, clenching her fists to muffle the rage building within. "I know him. These parts of for him and if you don't give them back I'm going to have to force you." She gripped the wrench clasped to her waist, watching her flick her eyes to the metal tool for a moment.
"For him?" she said, surprise mixing with contempt. She smirked. "So, you must be the ever-famous mechanic of his we've all been hearing about. What was your name? Wendy Bell?"
"My name is none of your business. Give back the parts and you won't get hurt." How she wanted to punch this woman's lights out... more for the fact that Ed showed more attraction to her than he ever did to, well, herself! Getting a blush out of Ed was a feat next to impossible and somehow this woman had managed that very thing Winry had been battling to do for nearly four years.
It didn't seem fair, somehow.
"How demanding," the woman smiled. "I can see how he would be interested in someone like you. He needs someone like you – Lord know's that kid bites off more than he can chew."
"What... are you talking about?" Winry asked carefully.
"I offered him a lot of things, Winry," Psiren continued, smiling at the flicker of fury that kindled in her eyes at her words meaning. "It takes a good man to refuse something most men desire for his ambitions. Even though, at that time, he was still a kid with a goal that seemed almost laughable," she finished flatly, tossing the bag into Winry's limp arms.
She barely managed to catch it.
"You're a nice girl," Psiren said, almost tenderly, before adding in a haughty tone: "But he still doesn't know what he's missing. Humph." She waved as she walked away, leaving the girl dumbstruck in her place.
Wh.. What just happened? Winry thought blankly, staring at her backside as she sashayed away.
"Don't let him go!" Psiren called, pausing in her steps, looking over her bare shoulder for a second. "Hold onto him and don't let him go. He's worth it," she smiled, softer this time, and disappeared before her very eyes.
"Is he?" she wondered, thoughtfully, watching the woman scale a building expertly and disappear over the edge. "Worth it...?" She clutched the brown bag in her hands, holding it to her chest. Her eyes rose to the flock of pelicans that fluttered across the deep blue sky, which reflected the calm waves below in it's whole. Somehow she knew he was as her chest swelled with affection.
A small smile touched her lips. "Yeah, he is."
