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Ed flopped down into the chair next to Winry still shaking with silent laughter.
"Ed shut up! It's not funny!" Winry fumed. Ed held up his hands… well, hand in surrender.
"I didn't even say anything!" he laughed. Winry scowled at him. She had almost had a heart attack when she'd seen him walk through that door as if nothing had happened. And he was still laughing about it.
"Ed, I swear, if you don't stop laughing you will have a wrench planted in your face. It can't have been that funny!" she growled. Ed snorted.
"You didn't see your faces. It was priceless." He smirked, finally settling downenough to resume drinking his coffee. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, Winry thought. At least he was awake. And she hadn't seen him smile properly for a long time, let alone laugh properly. Ed noticed her staring at him and grinned at her over his mug. Winry was shocked into a smile, before feeling a blush spread across her cheeks. She dipped her head to hide it.
"Brother, are you sure you should be walking around like that?" Al asked, a faint note of disapproval in his young voice. "You've only just woken up." Ed flapped his hand at him.
"Al, it's fine. From what I hear, I've been stuck in that bed for weeks. I'll go crazy if I stay in that room much longer!" he moaned. Al smiled.
"Okay, but don't push yourself." Across the room, Hughes and Roy were watching the scene, both armed with mugs of coffee – courtesy of Pinako.
"Sometimes it's hard to tell who's the older Brother with those two," Hughes commented, smiling. Roy nodded.
"Yeah, and Ed's height doesn't help," Roy smirked obnoxiously. Ed bristled.
"Hey! I can hear you General Bastard! AND I'M NOT SHORT! I've grown loads! I'm taller than Winry now; you're just a freakin' giant!" Ed yelled, irritably. He leapt to his feet.
"And another thing-" Ed stopped mid-rant, wincing. Everyone's heads snapped towards him.
"Ed?" Winry asked worriedly. She stood up quickly, moving over to him.
"I'm fine, it just twinged a little." He breathed. Slowly Ed sat back down again. "I probably just got up too fast." He said, picking his mug back up. Winry frowned.
"Well, it's probably time to change your bandages anyway," she said, motioning for Ed to get back up. He was only wearing a pair of loose pyjama trousers and no shirt, so his bandages were on display anyway. She was late changing them as it was.
"Aw, can't I finish my coffee first?" he grumbled, but got up anyway. Both Roy and Winry noted him wince a second time. Al looked up from his breakfast.
"Do you need any help Winry?" he asked, eyeing his Brother. Ed tossed his hair back – which was falling out of its ponytail – over his shoulder.
"Come on Al, I'm not that high maintenance." He said playfully.
"Your automail bill would disagree," Winry muttered. Ed grimaced.
"Come on, I want to check on that wound," Winry said ushering him into the hallway. Ed pulled a face at his brother before slipping out of sight through the door.
"Do you need any help walking?" Winry asked, watching Ed with concern. Ed frowned.
"I'm not an invalid you know, Winry." Ed said, a touch of amusement in his voice.
"Yes Edward, I know. But you're hardly in top condition right now. You don't always have to make everything seem less than it is." She gave him a reproachful look. Ed looked away.
"Sorry," he said quietly. That look was back on his face. It was as if he was remembering something terrible. His eyes seemed so… dull and quietly agonised sometimes. Winry swallowed. He seemed absorbed in his thoughts as they entered his room.
"Ed?" she said gently. He looked up startled from whatever thought had dragged that look into his eyes.
"I was wondering… did you remember anything new?" Ed's jaw tightened a fraction. It was a tiny movement, but Winry recognised that stubborn expression.
"Not really," he shrugged, "just flashes. Nothing important." He shook his head, as if to clear it.
"Anyway, do you want to do the honours or shall I?" he smiled slightly, gesturing to the bandages wrapped around his torso. Winry pursed her lips but let it drop. If Ed had remembered something, he would tell her in his own time. She hoped.
"Sit on the bed," Winry instructed as she ducked behind the bed to get fresh bandages from the drawers. Ed slumped onto the bed, flinching as he jarred his sore ribs. Winry straightened up and dumped the fresh bandages onto the bed next to him. Ed cleared his throat.
"Listen, Winry I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he began. Winry frowned.
"You already did, about two minutes ago." She teased. Ed shook his head, un-amused.
"No, I mean… I always put you through so much, and I'm sorry. I just-" Ed was cut off by the door opening. Mustang strode into the room closely followed by Al.
"Don't you ever knock?" Ed said, irritated. Mustang ignored him.
"Mind if we watch?" he said, leaning against the wall.
"It's not a spectator's event, General Bastard!" Ed said through clenched teeth.
"Brother!" Al scolded. He turned to Roy. "I'm sorry General, please excuse my brother." Ed scowled at Roy before settling back down on the bed.
"Ask Winry, she's the one who's got to do it," Ed muttered. Winry smiled.
"I don't mind." She said, amused by their banter.
Gently, Winry began to unwind the bandages from around Ed's chest. As she uncovered his ribs, Ed grimaced at the sight of the dark bruises that had blossomed across them.
"Were any of my ribs broken?" he asked carefully. Winry bit her lip.
"We're not sure, but it's likely that at least two were broken. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can really do except wait for them to heal." She said. Ed nodded. There were only a couple of layers left around the wound on his stomach now.
"Now, it's a bit of a mess," Winry warned, "but it should heal okay. Mr. Mustang didn't burn it too much. Just enough to close the wound over." Ed rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure I can handle it. After all, I've had a lot worse in my time." He smiled grimly. Winry continued unravelling the bandages, but stopped when Ed suddenly tensed.
"What?" Winry said warily.
"Nothing," Ed lied. Winry narrowed her eyes.
"Okay, okay!" he held up his hand. "It just, um, hurt a little." He admitted. Roy raised his eyebrows.
"What did?" Winry asked confused.
"I think the bandages are stuck to the wound…slightly." Ed explained. "It's probably just where it's healing, plasma and stuff." Winry hesitated.
"Well, what do you want me to do?" she asked. Ed twitched his nose.
"Just rip 'em off," he said offhandedly. Winry looked horrified.
"Ed! I can't do that!" she protested. He quirked an eyebrow.
"Why not?" he said, grinning at her. Winry scowled at him.
"Because! Firstly, it will hurt you. Probably quite a lot. That burn is still really raw. Secondly, you're still healing. If I rip it off it's just going to take even longer to heal." Winry finished, satisfied with her argument. But Ed always had a comeback.
"Well then, what do you suggest? There's nothing else we can really do." Winry ground her teeth. He was right of course. If they wanted to change the bandages, then there wasn't anything they could do. Ed waited patiently for her answer.
"Fine," Winry snapped, "but don't moan to me about it later when it's even rawer that it is now." Ed sighed and motioned for her to continue. As she unwound what was probably the second to last layer Ed silently gritted his teeth. She could feel the resistance from where it had stuck now, but continued to peel anyway. Ed's muscles tensed under his skin. The wound slowly came into view as the layers peeled away and Winry winced at the sight of the healing skin coming away with the bandages. Unsurprisingly, Ed made no sound, but his jaw tightened. As gently as she could, Winry peeled the last of the bandages away and stepped back to appraise the damage. The wound really was a mess. The skin where the burning ended looked sore and slightly inflamed, and the wound itself was raw and painful looking. The flesh was broken and angry but it was definitely healing, and it didn't look infected. Ed whistled.
"Wow Mustang, you really did a number! Painful but effective, I guess." He grinned lopsidedly at Roy, who narrowed his eyes in reply, but said nothing. Ed wrinkled his brow before shrugging and turning his attention back to his stomach.
"I'll only bandage it lightly this time, and I won't bandage your chest. You should be alright with a thin shirt over the top." Winry said, picking up the clean bandages. Ed nodded. It didn't take her long to dress the wound and lightly secure the bandages around his stomach. Ed climbed slowly to his feet.
"Thanks Winry, I owe you one. Well, I owe you several, actually." He said smiling wryly at her. Winry flushed slightly.
"I'll charge you double for the automail," she joked, causing Ed to grimace. He stretched, and then doubled hissing over as he strained the raw wound on his stomach.
"Brother! Are you okay?" Al asked worriedly. Ed straightened a little, wincing.
"Fine, I probably shouldn't have stretched, that's all." Ed insisted.
"Stop downplaying things, FullMetal." Roy said, watching Ed intently. He'd been quiet up until now. Ed looked irritated.
"It's none of your business," he commented. Roy clenched his fists.
"Yes, it is my business actually. You almost bled to death in front of me for Gods sake! You've put us all through hell worrying about you! You stopped breathing, Edward!" Roy yelled. Ed looked shocked. He rarely saw Mustang loose it like this.
"Stop dismissing things like they're nothing, and open up a little some time. We can't keep constantly guessing at what you're feeling!" Ed's eyes narrowed, and he looked as if he was going to say something, but Roy's closing question made him freeze.
"What the hell happened to you while you were missing?!" The effect of this particular question was instant. Ed's face went pale and he dropped his head. Al and Winry hovered, unsure of what to do.
"I'm sorry," Ed murmured. Roy looked taken aback. He had fully expected Ed to begin his trademark defensive ranting. Winry bit her lip. She could count on her fingers the number of times Ed had really apologised to anyone, and most of those times had been in the last few weeks. She was beginning to run out of fingers to count on. Ed raised his head slowly. His eyes had that same hollow, agonised look again. It was like some sort of split personality. One moment he was fine, but the next he was so…broken. Like he was doing his best to keep himself together. The tense situation was interrupted by Hughes putting his head around the door. He quickly took in the scene.
"Roy there's a call from Central for you. It's Hawkeye." He said, watching the room's occupants carefully. Roy nodded and strode from the room without saying a word. Hughes closed the door gently behind them. Ed rubbed his forehead.
"Brother? Maybe you should lie down for a bit." Al prompted cautiously. Ed shook his head.
"I'm gonna put some clothes on and maybe take a walk, clear my head a bit." He said. He seemed to have recovered slightly from Roy's speech. Al looked like he wanted to say something more, but Winry gently ushered him from the room.
"Come on, lets give him some privacy." She said, giving Ed a look that clearly said she'd be back to check on him. H could hear her voice receding down the hallway, whispering at Al.
"You'd better not go chasing after him if he goes for a walk either; we have to give him a break…"
Ed sighed. He needed to get out of here. He was driving everyone crazy, himself included. He quickly slipped some loose black trousers and a baggy button-up shirt. He poked his head out the doorway. He could hear Winry tinkering with something in her workroom and Mustang's low voice murmuring in the kitchen. Ed made his way down the hallway tot the kitchen. Mustang had his back to him and was still on the phone, and Hughes was nowhere to be seen. He quietly walked over to the open front door, not really caring if Mustang saw him or not.
Once he was outside, Ed felt much better. He still felt vulnerable with only one arm, but the cool breeze on his skin was calming and pleasant. He didn't really have a destination in mind, and was content with just walking aimlessly for the time being. Ed ran a hand through his bangs, accidentally freeing more hair from his already messy ponytail. He felt so messed up. He just couldn't seem to act normal whenever someone mentioned his forgotten memories. It was as if that monstrous feeling was always there, lapping at the edges of his mind, ready to surge forward and drag him down into depression. Although, depression didn't seem like the right word to describe that feeling. Despondency, maybe. Or perhaps despair.
The dark thoughts continued to swirl around Ed's mind, keeping him so occupied that he barely registered where he had ended up.
The quiet of the graveyard slowly penetrated his cold and clammy mind. It was almost like it was clearing his head. Gradually, Ed comprehended where he was. How long had he been walking? The graveyard was at least a 20-minute walk from the Rockbell house, and he couldn't even remember if he had come straight here.
A humourless puff of laughter escaped from his lips. He really must be messed up if the only place that seemed to be able to clear his head was a graveyard.
"Well, I might as well visit Mom while I'm here," Ed murmured softly to himself. The only people around to hear him were long past the capability of replying. Ed slowly picked his way over to his mother's grave.
"Sorry Mom, I don't have any flowers this time," He said softly as he walked around to the back of the gravestone. He sank to the floor, resting his back against the stone. "But I've come to keep you company for a while." Ed closed his eyes and drew his knees up to his chest, wincing as he was rewarded with a sharp pain from his injuries. He really did feel calmer here. It was weird, but the deafening silence seemed to fill his mind, leaving no room for the destructive thoughts that had recently been plaguing it. He rested his arm across his knees and dropped his head onto it. The clarity of mind was leading him to a new way of thinking. He had to uncover more memories, that was clear to him, but how would he set about freeing them? Would he have to force them out like last time, or would they start to come to him more naturally now? As infuriating as it was, Ed would just have to wait. He had been sitting here for a while now, but did not feel compelled to move. It was peaceful.
Ed could feel a damp chill beginning to seep through the thin trousers and mist lightly at his arms. He ignored this, however, keeping his head buried in his arm. He couldn't have been out that long anyway, or someone would have come looking for him by now, and dragged him back to the house. It would have most probably been Winry, too. Ed smiled into his arm at the thought of his automail mechanic. Thinking about Winry always made him feel a little warmer, despite the amount of wrenches she regularly chucked in his direction. Lifting his head, Ed let his chin rest on his arm. What time was it? The sun was weakly attempting to shine through the clouds, but was losing the battle. Ed glanced upward and lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
He could see the sun behind the thick layer of cloud. He could also see that it was pretty high in the sky. He judged it to be roughly around noon, maybe a little after. Ed frowned. How had he lost track of time so easily? He was pretty sure he'd left the house just after breakfast time, and it felt like little more that an hour had passed, yet it was clearly at least around 2 o'clock. He rubbed his forehead, toying with the idea of going back for lunch. He was sure Al would be worried by now, if that much time had passed. Ed leaned his head back, closing his eyes.
I'll go back in a little while, Ed decided. He liked it here. It was calm, and he felt a bit less… wrecked. He could feel himself drifting into a light sleep. Maybe I'll dream some more of my memories free… Ed thought drowsily, before letting the darkness take him.
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Winry sighed, setting down the automail hand that she was working on. For the third time that minute, her eyes drifted absently to the clock on the wall above her head. It was nearing 3 o'clock and Ed still hadn't come back from his 'walk'. Normally, Winry would just leave him to it, but with Ed in the state he was now, that didn't seem like such a good idea. She bit her lip and rose quietly to her feet before making her way through to the kitchen. To her surprise, the kitchen was not empty.
"…we should get going now, I don't like how late it's getting." Roy was saying. Al nodded.
"Yes, but we probably shouldn't tell Winry." As she walked through the door, Roy and Al broke off their quiet discussion, identical expressions of guilt on their faces.
"Tell me what?" Winry asked, confused by their shiftiness. It was then she noticed that they both had their coats on. And the door was open. Al shuffled his feet slightly.
"Um… Hi, Winry," he mumbled. Winry narrowed her eyes.
"You two are going to look for Ed, aren't you?" she asked, though the answer was obvious. Roy, who didn't look quite as guilty as Al, nodded. Winry pursed her lips, but said nothing, instead choosing to merely pick up her jacket off the back of the chair. After she had shrugged the jacket on, she folded her arms.
"Come on then," she said tilting her head towards the door. Al stared at her.
"I thought you told me not to chase after him earlier." He said, confused.
"Yes, but it's been hours. As much as I want to respect his privacy, he is still injured and one-armed." She replied, worrying her bottom lip. Then she scowled.
"Why were you two sneaking off anyway? It's not like I would have stopped you if you wanted to look for him." She said, still frowning. Al's expression cleared.
"Oh, it's not that we were keeping it from you for that sort of reason!" He said, "I just didn't want you to worry anymore. I thought that if we brought Ed back, it would save you the worry of having to look for him." Winry sighed, smiling at the sweet boy.
"Come on," she said, "let's just go and find Ed. I'd rather I knew where he was."
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Ahh! I finally updated! I am really, really sorry it has taken me such a long time to update! And this chapter's not even very long! Gah, I understand if you all want to pelt me with wrenches right now… XD
Sorry not much happens in this chapter either, but I'm planning to update again tomorrow, so the story will (hopefully XD) progress more soon.
Um, I'll gladly take any criticisms or thoughts on this story, as always, and thanks to all those who take the time to review! It's much appreciated, really! :D
(Oh! Is anyone watching the new Brotherhood FMA anime? It's so epic! :D I love the manga, so I'm glad they've made a new anime to follow it!)
Anyways, thanks for reading folks, and I'd be mucho appreciative if you'll all review this chapter! :D
Ciaossu! XD