Never Too Late
Disclaimer: I Don't Own FMA or the Song Never Too Late. FMA Belongs to Hiromu Arakawa and the Song Belongs to Three Days Grace.
Rating: PG—PG-13 Due To Violence, Blood, Bad Language, Angst, and Suggestive Themes.
A/N: Chapter 9 :D
F—M—A
17-year-old Edward stared at the scene from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. He smiled as his plan was falling into action. It was a bloody battle…everyone was killed; from some Homunculi to people who were planning evil towards citizens. Of these included a man by the name of Kimbley, an escapee from prison who used tattooed transmutation circles on his palms to turn humans into bombs. He had been working alongside the Homunculi, of which included two that went by the name of Envy and Lust. Both were worthy adversaries. However, the situation was perfect; there was blood and carnage everywhere, making anybody who passed by believe that everyone on that battle had died; including himself.
Hanging his head low, he walked deeper into the alleyway, allowing the shadows to make him disappear. He curtained his golden eyes with his bangs and pulled his braid over his shoulder and set it free from the small, black string that held it. His golden, blonde hair fell over his shoulders and he quietly continued on his way, just as he heard devastated screams behind him in the scene he had just left.
"The Fullmetal Alchemist is gone!"
F—M—A
1 Year Later…
Winry Rockbell, now 18 years of age, had been on her usual routine of working on Automail for customers when she got a phone call from Izumi Curtis's husband. He stated that she needed to come to his home as soon as possible, for there was something he needed to tell her in person. Winry asked the man if he could tell her what it was over the phone but he refused, saying it was of great importance. The Rockbell sighed and agreed, finally. She boarded the first train to the Curtis residence and arrived within a few hours.
When she stepped off the train, she then walked into town and soon found her way to the residence. Knocking gently, the door soon opened to a tall man with dark eyes and a brown beard. Winry looked up to him and smiled.
"Hello, Mr. Curtis," she said kindly. The man's expression never changed as he stepped aside and allowed the young Rockbell to enter. Winry walked in and looked around the home of Izumi. It was a very cozy setting, with photos hung on the walls and placed on the shelves in frames. There were sofas in the center of the room that were a creamy white in color with a table in the center of them with the same color and more pictures upon it.
"Please, sit down," she heard the husband say in a deep voice. She smiled and sat down on one of the sofas in the living room and made her herself comfy.
"So," Winry said as she looked up to the man who stood at the side of the couch she was sitting on. "How's Izumi?" she asked with a smile on her pretty features. The man looked down to her; his expression stayed serious.
"She's resting but she told me to tell you this as soon as possible…she thought that you might be ready to hear it today," he explained, his voice becoming somewhat sullen. Winry raised a curious brow at him.
"Ready? For what?" she questioned. Mr. Curtis looked away from her and to a picture at his side of Edward and Izumi when the Elric was training with the woman when he was younger.
"Ms. Rockbell," he said with his voice full of sadness and nervousness. "Several months ago…we learned of something horrible…something that has to do with your friend, Edward." Winry's eyes widened before she looked away; she missed Ed greatly, as it had already been two years since they had last seen each other. She wasn't ready to admit that to anyone, however; she ended their friendship and she now wondered if she should care about what had happened to the Elric. Even though she ended their relationship, however…she never stopped worrying about him.
"What is it?" the girl asked as she looked back up to the tall man. Izumi's husband sighed sadly and looked to the blonde mechanic once more.
"Winry," he began slowly. "I'm very sorry to tell you this…but Edward Elric was presumed dead as of last year." Winry's ocean-blue orbs grew in size and her breath got caught in her throat. Edward…was dead?
But…it can't be…he can't be dead! Tears formed behind her eyes and soon pricked them.
"W-what?" she managed to choke out as her fists clenched tightly and her eyes dropped sadly.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Rockbell…he was sent on an assignment and his body was never found…he, himself, never came back to his commanding officer…he was presumed dead after several weeks of no one seeing any trace of him…" Winry's tears finally fled from her eyes at this and she covered her face with her eyes.
"He can't be dead!" she said sadly as she held herself tightly and clutched her eyes closed, more tears streaming down her face. "How…how could he die and just leave me like this…I can't believe he's actually gone." Her worst fear was coming to reality; it finally happened.
Edward was gone.
F—M—A
Later that day, Winry went off to visit Edward's grave. Mr. Curtis had told her that, because he was a State Alchemist, his burial was held in Central in the Military cemetery. His body was never found but a tombstone stood with his name upon it. She made it to Central and found her friend, Cheszka near the Military Headquarters. The two then went to the cemetery and walked around. There were a few officers there and the two friends asked where they could find Edward's tombstone. Just like when she was twelve, they were eventually pointed in the right direction and they soon stood before the gray stone.
Tightly clutching a bouquet of flowers in her hand, Winry was the first to step forward while Cheszka stayed behind her and respectfully stared down at the grave. Kneeling down before it, the Rockbell placed her flowers upon the grave, along with many other that had been there, and then read the stone.
Edward Elric
Fullmetal Alchemist; determined, strong, and loyal, may his soul find peace on the other side.
1905—1922
Winry sighed as she read the words upon the stone and lowered her gaze. She silently prayed for him, hoping that his soul truly did find peace. She remembered his face suddenly; his infamous grin and the subtle smiles he would give her. She smiled herself as she remembered this before hugging herself and thinking back to their childhood; they were so happy then. It seemed that their journey together had finally come to an end; she would never see his face again…she could never see his smile, which she treasured so much. Her hold became tighter as her memories continued forming in her mind.
As she lost herself in her thoughts, Cheszka suddenly heard a loud sound from above, like a struggling engine, and her emerald eyes widened nervously when she looked to what was coming towards them.
"Winry," she breathed.
"We have to move."
F—M—A
He sat there in the shadows as he leaned against a tree that stood near his burial area. He liked to come to his own grave to get some silence and just think. Today was a day like any other; he had nothing better to do and decided to sneak into the Military Cemetery and sit in his favorite spot, where no one could see him but he could see everyone. His hair, which he had grown accustomed to dying a darkish green, was beginning to fade back to its original gold. He smiled when he saw that the roots of his hair were changing back to normal; he took a great pride in the color of his golden hair but, ever since he was 'killed', he was forced to hide it behind the green dye he used.
The winds came around and played with his mostly-golden hair as it also ruffled the leaves of the trees surrounding him. He leaned his head back on the trunk of the tree he was leaning his back on as he sat on the grassy ground and listened to his own breathing for a while. After a few minutes, however, he was surprised to suddenly hear footsteps coming up near him. Making sure he was well-hid, he looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened at the scene taking place.
His childhood friend, Winry Rockbell, was walking up to his gravesite, with a bouquet in her hands while her friend stood behind her. His golden eyes increased as he laid them upon his blonde friend. It had been only two years…but she looked so amazing. Her blonde hair was up in a bun while she wore a white blouse with a brown jacket over it. She was wearing brown pants that reached below her knees and white two-inch high-heel boots. At her waist, he could see she had a brown utility belt.
Those two years had done her good; she looked so beautiful and he found himself staring at her. But she was at his grave, placing flowers in respect. He sighed at this; even though he could never speak to her again, at least he knew that she cared about him enough to visit his grave and even pay her respects. He smiled sadly before frowning and holding himself tightly. He looked over his shoulder once more and continued staring at her beautiful form, silently enjoying her presence.
However, since he was so caught up in his thought of her, he couldn't see as a large red jet suddenly came down towards them. He finally noticed when Winry's friend, Cheszka, suddenly grabbed the blonde Rockbell and pulled her out of the way. His golden orbs widened nervously as he stared at the red jet coming down in his direction. As strong as technology had gotten in the past two years, he damned the scientists who had decided to slack off with this one jet.
F—M—A
"Winry, we have to move!" Cheszka yelled out finally as she rapidly bent down and grabbed the blonde by her wrist and then pulled her to the ground. The mechanic groaned in pain but was grateful as she watched what happened afterwards.
The jet crashed on the ground and slid on it, destroying several tombstones in its rampage, including Edward's. Winry looked up as it took out said tombstone. Her eyes widened and her muscles tensed as she stood up from the ground where Cheszka had pulled her.
"NO!" she yelled out sadly. She tried to run towards it but her friend grabbed her and held her back. "That's Edward's grave!" she cried out sadly
"You'll get yourself killed!" her brunette friend warned.
"I don't care!" the Rockbell yelled out as she tried to get out of her friend's restraint. However, suddenly, the beat up and destroyed crimson jet stopped as it hit a rather big tree; its speed had slowed down and the tree managed to stop it. She watched as the debris from the impact began to die down and she suddenly wondered if the pilot of the vehicle was injured. To answer her question, a man with brown hair quickly stepped out of the smoke, staggering and coughing from the fumes. Her and Cheszka immediately went to his aid and made him lay down.
However, the debris soon was falling completely and Winry could see another form. She looked down to the man who had come out of the debris only moments ago.
"Was there someone else with you?" she asked the man softly. He shook his head weakly.
"That jet has a one-man cockpit," he coughed out. Winry stood up and continued staring at the form. The debris finally died down and her eyes widened as she saw the form had golden blonde hair. There was only one person she knew with hair like that
It can't be, she thought, unbelieving. She held her fist to her chest and kept staring at the form as they struggled to try and get up. Then she remembered; Edward's body was never found. Was it possible that he was still alive? Anxiously, the Rockbell stepped forward until she stood in front of the person. It was a male with long hair, mostly golden. The young man managed to get to his knees and then placed a metallic hand on his sore head; Winry's eyes widened as she immediately recognized the Automail as her own.
"E…Edward?" she asked, her voice full of nervousness. The blonde jumped slightly and she noticed his muscles stiffen. He clutched his metal fist and silently cursed himself. Slowly sliding his hand down to his side, he forced himself to look up into the girl's blue eyes; the eyes that had haunted his dreams for so long. Once her eyes met with his, however, Winry's eyes grew again and she stared at him, shocked.
"Winry…I…" he didn't even know what to tell her. What could he tell her, after all? He was supposed to be dead… he lowered his gaze away from her, ashamed and worried over what the blonde would do to him. Suddenly, he was knocked off his train of thought when the Rockbell suddenly knelt down in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly as if holding on for dear life. Ed rested his chin on her shoulder and he felt his eyes widen and his cheeks get warmer with every passing second.
"Edward…I can't believe it…you're actually alive…" her hold around him became tighter and the Elric heard her sniffle slightly at his side. Becoming nervous at this, he pulled her away and held her by her shoulders. He saw eyes already filled with tears and his eyes widened nervously
"Winry, ah, please, don't cry!" he begged nervously as his fingers pressed themselves into her arms more tightly. He continued watching her, hoping she wouldn't cry over him again…especially after so long. The mechanic looked up into his eyes and she laughed and smiled silently. Edward raised a brow at this. "W-what is it?" has asked with his voice still edgy.
"You're blushing," she told him as she felt her own cheeks begin to heat up. At her words, however, Ed's eyes widened and his already-crimson blush deepened. Even so, he managed to smile at her slightly as he watched her laugh silently.
"Winry…" he mumbled contently. He stood up and offered his hand to her. Winry looked to the metal hand before looking up to him, her smile growing. Gently, she placed her hand in his and the Elric carefully wrapped his fingers around her hand. Then, he pulled her up to her feet, accidentally pulling a little too hard and making her fall forward. To keep them standing, he took a step back and wrapped his arms around her waist while the mechanic did the same to him. Winry blushed but then immediately pulled him into her embrace once more while burying her face into the warm crook of his neck. Ed stiffened his muscles as he stared at her through the corner of her eye, obviously confused.
"I missed you, Ed…I thought you were gone…" the Elric allowed his muscles to drop as his arms stayed around her small form as well. It was gentle at first before his fingers once again pressed themselves into her flesh, brining her closer to him. It was when he realized just how much he had missed Winry the past two years; just how much he had longed to hold her so close to him so that he could literally fell her skin against his.
"Me too…I thought I could never see you again," he said as his face found its way into her blonde hair. They stayed like that for several minutes, hoping that time could stop in that one moment so they could stay close to each other forever. But Winry soon pulled away and looked up into his eyes, a smile across her beautiful face. Her hand slid down to his flesh one, making Edward smile and blush.
"Let's go home."
F—M—A
A/N: Raise your hand if you think this is over -a bunch of people raise their hands- WRONG!! XD I still got ONE chapter to go! :D I figured I'd add a little to the already-awesome story that this is based off ;) So, until then, please R&R, no flames ;) thanks!
