Chapter 11
"Ah! How can you do that to me?!" The small store owner pointed at his, now destroyed by a car crashing into it, stall.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" The driver chanted
"You seem to be having some trouble! State Alchemist Edward Elric is here!"
"Hey, Al, are you sure this would work?" Asuka whispered to Al a few streets away. Many things had happened since the few weeks that the Elric brothers, Asuka and Winry had come back to Central, but none of those things could compare with finding out that an Ishval serial killer, Scar, was the one who killed Winry's parents (of course, they didn't tell Winry about it), and about Hughes's death. Winry had broken into a crying fit when heard and all of them grieved for him. Now, the alchemists were on a mission to battle a man called Scar, or so the Elric brothers told Asuka, so that the homunculi could show up because Ed and Al were important 'sacrifices' and the homunculi couldn't let them die. Ed clapped his hands, and the store was fixed, brand new
"Yes. Brother and I worked out this plan to lure Scar out, since he's targeting state alchemists. So making his name known, Brother can be sure that Scar will know that a state alchemist is in town and go after him" Al whispered back
"That's amazing kid!" The market owner said
"Thank you. How much would you like me to pay for this?"
"Pay? That's not necessary! Not necessary!" Ed said
"I've broken a vase that's important to me" An elderly woman held up a broken vase "I wonder if you can fix it"
"Easily done!" Ed clapped his hands together, and fixed it. Throughout the whole morning, the three of them have gone from place to place, raking the city for things to fix. "I'm your neighbourhood state alchemist, Edward Elric!"
"This too please!"
"Can you fix this?"
"Ah~! That feels good! My feet are aching!" Asuka sighed as she sat down at a table outside of a shop "And that's all Ed's fault!" she accused
"What?! How is it my fault?!"
"If you hadn't been going up, down, and all around searching for business, we wouldn't have had to walk all the way with you, dumbass blond!"
"But you could have not followed me, couldn't y-?" Ed was interrupted by a sneeze "Looks like word about me is spreading all around town"
"Sure, as flashy as you're being" Al commented, just as a car pulled up. The window rolled down, revealing Mustang
"This isn't like you, Fullmetal" he said
"Are you sure you should be out of the hospital, Colonel?" Ed asked. Mustang has been hospitalized with Havoc, after they defeated a homunculus, an artificially created human who doesn't die like regular humans do. It also turns out that the It and the woman that Ed and Asuka encountered were homunculi. The woman was actually the one that Mustang claims that he killed, proving that they can be killed.
"Maybe" Mustang answered
"I heard about Lieutenant Havoc" Ed said "Knowing Dr Marcoh-"
"Wait" Mustang interrupted him "We're drawing attention. Let's go"
"What? Marcoh's gone missing?" Ed asked when Mustang told him in an empty alley. Mustang then changed the subject to the man called Scar, how it seems like Ed is purposefully trying to lure Scar towards him. Mustang then yells at Ed, which Ed bickers back and teases him. Asuka sighed. Can't those two just shut up? They're so immature, unlike her. But then, Hawkeye cocked her gun and pointed it to the slowly approaching figure in the alleyway. The man had dark, tanned skin and wore sunglasses, as the sun was rather bright today. But his most distinguishing feature was the X shaped scar across his face, just above his nose.
"Well, he's here, isn't he?" Ed asked to no one, a triumphant smile lighting up his face. The man called Scar attacked, but the name, after being said so many times by Ed and Mustang, finally started to ring a bell in Asuka's mind, but she just couldn't place her finger on it. Where had she heard that name before? Ed and Scar immediately engaged into battle while Al brought his hands together and transmuted a wall, separating them from the fight.
"Colonel Mustang, we need your help to keep the military out of this so that they don't shoot Scar. If Scar dies, the homunculi wouldn't show up and all this would have been to waste" Al said, marking the time for Mustang and Hawkeye to leave.
Al and Asuka then joined the battle. All she needed to do was slow Scar down so he wouldn't beat up Ed too hard. Asuka shut away her thoughts and let her reflexes take over. Dodge, punch, drop-to-the-ground-and-roll. She didn't have to think. Her mind was on autopilot. EVA training does come in handy in more than one way. But then, she remembered...
"Hey, Scar, are you the ones who killed Winry's parents?" She reminded Ed what he was going to ask Scar. Ed caught the drift and continued
"Do you remember Amestrisian doctors named Rockbell?" He asked "Even after the order to exterminate Ishval came out, they continued to help the Ishvalans. Do you remember the doctor couple who saved you, and that you killed?!"
"Brother!" Al stopped him.
It was then, that Ed and Asuka noticed who was standing one of the many holes in the used to be fine wall. Shock masked her features. Then followed pain as Winry asked "What are you talking about?"
"Winry..." Ed began
"This is the man who killed mom and dad?" She managed to choke out through her agony "You're kidding... they were killed... by someone they helped?" She fell to the ground, her limbs filled with her grief "Why...? What did my mom and dad ever do? They never did anything that they deserved to be killed for, right?" She gripped her aching head "Give them back...! Give back my mom and dad!" She seized a nearby gun that a fallen soldier dropped and pointed it at Scar. "GIVE THEM BACK!"
Scar remained clam, not afraid. If she shot, he knew that he was skilled enough to dodge the bullet and kill her. "You are the doctor's daughter? You have a right to shoot me. Shoot me"
"Don't shoot, Winry! Put the gun down!" Ed interrupted
"You should know that you won't shoot" Asuka stated "You are not a daughter of vengeance. You are not tough enough to press the trigger, and you will never be. But even if you do shoot, you probably would either miss, or Scar will dodge the bullet because he certainly has the skill to. And after he's dodged, he's not just gonna stand there and watch you reload and aim and attempt to shoot him again. He's gonna eliminate any adversary that stands in his way. So go ahead! Go throw away your life in your stupid, blind rage!" Tears ran down Winry's face. Scar took the opportunity of confusion in the air to attack Ed, but he dodged and Scar then settled for attacking Winry instead. But in that short moment, Ed managed to get between Scar and Winry, using himself as a human shield to protect her. Al then attacked Scar with a kick, causing him to leap away and escape through a fresh hole that he created.
"Brother, you dummy! What are you doing?!" Al asked "Are you trying to get both of you killed?! Hurry up and take Winry someplace safe!" Al then disappeared, chasing after Scar
Winry continued to cry and Asuka snapped. She just couldn't tolerate that annoying crying anymore! So she followed her instincts. Asuka slapped Winry across the face, which immediately had the effect Asuka wanted. Winry stopped crying, lifted her tear soaked, half assed face to look at Asuka in, perhaps, amazement?
"How long are you going to stay like that? Do you want your parents' deaths to be in vain?! What would they say if they saw their own daughter about to kill someone they helped?! Being unable to stop yourself from picking up that gun and attempting to shoot someone, and in the end, even using Ed's life as a shield, you are alive now. Don't forget what your parents died for! They died to heal and cure the sick! Or do you want to kill your mom, dad, and the other doctors again right here?! Don't think, not even for a second, that you're the only one who suffers or that you are the one who suffers the worst pain. You think you have it bad?! There are people out there who've had it way worse!" She raised her hand again, preparing to slap this stupid infant again, but a metal hand clamped onto her wrist.
"Asuka" his voice was laced with concealed rage. His metal hand shook but he asked quietly "Can you go away? For now?"
Asuka couldn't believe it. He was taking the crying infant's side? She broke into a sprint and ran as fast as she can back to the hotel while Ed tried to calm Winry down after she started a new crying fit. How does she still cry like that?! Winry's what? Fifteen years old? She's older than Asuka by more than one year and she still bawls like a baby?! Why, Asuka stopped crying ever since she was four! She went through a living hell during her childhood! Did Winry see her parents' death for herself?! Did she walk in on her parents committing suicide when she was four years old?! Right now, after Winry cried everyone a river, she can either build a bridge and get over it like how Asuka built one and got over her mothers death, or she can just jump in and die! And Winry's not alone like Asuka is. Winry has her granny, Al and Ed... How dare he?! How dare he take that crybaby's side?! How could he not understand what Asuka wanted to get through Winry's thick skull when she slapped her? How does he even put up with her damn crying?! But even under all of Asuka's rage and anger, she still couldn't help but feel jealous once again, but this time of Winry for having such good friends that would do so much for her. They would defend her when she was being offended. They would pick her up when she fell down. They would comfort her when she was sad and needing a hug. They would do the things for Winry that Asuka wanted her friends to do for her, if she ever made any.
The door of the hotel room opened, hours after night has fallen, revealing Ed and Al in the doorway. Asuka sat on the couch, not turning to look at them or to greet them.
"I'm not going to say sorry for what I did back there" She said instead
"I'm not asking you to" Ed said "But what I want you to realize is that Winry isn't as tough as you might think. She is very fragile inside because she lost her parents at a very young age and has suffered pain that many people has not."
"Are you trying to suggest that I don't know what Winry's going through?" Asuka asked quietly. "Believe me. I have gone through way worse than she will ever go through" But she suddenly stopped, jumped up from the couch, and started yelling at Ed "Why am I telling you this?!" But she calmed down again. "Okay, okay, I'll go talk to her"
Asuka walked out the room, went to the door beside hers and knocked. "Hey, Winry, can I come in?"
No answer
So Asuka tried the door knob and found it unlocked and walked inside. Sitting on the couch was Winry, with Ed's red coat draped around her shoulders.
"Hello" Winry said, not turning to face Asuka. Asuka made her way to the back of the couch, leaning on it, facing away from Winry
"Winry, what I wanted you to understand was that your life story is not all that rare. There might be always new situations, but the main plot is basically the same as many others'. Let me tell you another story that's truly rare and painful though: Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had a mother. She loved her mother very much, but one day, it turned into a nightmare. It turned into a living hell where the little girl couldn't love her mother anymore without paying for it by being constantly crushed under grief and anguish and the weight of the love. But she chose to love her mother anyway, even though she had to pay. She wanted to cure her mother's sickness, but the line between truth and myth is sometimes difficult to see. As much as she wanted it to be true, to believe that she could make her mother right again, it was nothing but a myth. But yet, she participated in this myth, she created it, perpetuated it, but in the end, another dreadful day came, and she found herself paying dearly for loving her mother. The grief and weight of the love no longer crushed her. In the end, it buried her. See, Winry? You have people who share roughly the same pain as you. You have comrades here. We will support you in whatever you can't do alone, even if it takes force. So don't strain yourself too much... Winry"
Moments of silence followed after Asuka finished but Winry was deeply drawn into the story, even though it was extremely vague and unclear and she doesn't understand it and she accepts what she thought was Asuka's way of apologizing anyway.
"Asuka" Winry broke the silence "Do you want to try some of the apple pie that I baked? Gracia taught me how to" And Asuka found herself sitting on the couch, apple pie slice in hand, as Winry chatted merrily with her once again. Though Asuka would never admit it, she wanted to be somewhat like Winry. She wanted to cry big. She wanted to cry so long and hard that when she stopped, she would have long forgotten what she was crying over. But Asuka wasn't Winry. Asuka was Asuka Langley Sohryu. She has decided to grow up and not cry anymore long ago, and even if she did let herself cry, she would never be able to forget that fateful day, when she opened the door to her mother's bedroom and saw through her four year old eyes exactly what was hanging from the ceiling, no matter how much she wanted to. She would never forget the grief and weight of the love she had to carry.