Chapter 11: Unbreakable Bonds:
The dawn came, but brought no comfort to the occupants of the Rockbell home, the terrifying events from last night still haunting them. Most of which, was Edward Elric.
Ed quietly sat on the house's front porch, head in his hands. He quietly mulled over the events that had happened over the last few days, his mind working tirelessly to form a solution to the mission he had been given.
...What he wouldn't give to just throw away that same mission this very moment.
So deep in his brooding, Ed didn't notice the front door opening, allowing a blonde-haired mechanic outside. In fact, he didn't even realize he wasn't alone until she sat down beside him, an unreadable look on her face.
"Edward?"
Ed didn't face her.
"Why did you really come back? You two never told me earlier.", Winry stated.
Silence.
"...Are you just going to keep it a secret? Like before?", she asked.
Ed slowly unveiled his face from his palms.
"...We came here to destroy that homunculus. That thing was right. His whole existence is because of me. If I let him go around killing people, their deaths will be virtually my fault. It's my responsibility to kill him.", Ed answered.
Winry frowned, her eyes narrowing.
"So you guys'll just leave after you've killed it. It that right?", she asked bitterly.
Ed sighed. "Winry...that's how we are, Al & I. We don't care if we're in this world or another, as long as you and everyone else here are safe...!"
"WELL WHAT ABOUT ME!? I CARE IF YOU'RE IN THIS WORLD OR NOT!!", she screamed.
They stared at each other, tears gathering in Winry's eyes.
"I care. You guys are my best friends! I lost you guys for 16 years of my life, but I still care. I've always waited for you two to come home, but everytime...everytime you just leave me again! Why can't you guys just stay here after you've killed that thing!?...Why?", Winry choked out.
Edward stood up, his face turned to the ground.
"Because Winry, it was part of the deal I made before we got sent here, and if someone tries to break through to this side of the Gate, Al & I will be there to stop them before you get hurt.", he explained.
Ed then faced his best friend. "Winry. I don't...we don't want you to wait anymore. There's always going to be a time where we leave, & this time might actually be the last. You need to move on & forget about us...everyone would be better off anyway if they all did just that. Our job is to protect you and eveyone else in this world, and it hurts us just as much as it does you when we have to leave. This is and always will be our home, Winry. And you'll always be our best friend. Please try to understand why we do this."
Ed fell silent, sighed, & began to climb up the porch steps.
"Wait."
Ed stopped with his hand on the doorframe.
"When are you going after that thing?", Winry questioned.
"...Tomorrow.", he regretfully replied.
Winry still sat on the porch, facing the horizon. "...I'm coming with.", she said.
"What!? Winry, didn't you hear a word I just said!? Al & I don't want you to get hurt...!", Ed argued.
"I know you don't. But you guys aren't the bosses of me or my life. I'm a grown woman Edward, if I wanna go with you guys, I'll go.", she said with determination.
Winry then marched up the stairs until she was a foot from Ed, her eyes hard & a determined smile on her face.
"And besides, if you guys try to stop me you'll both get a wrench in the head.", she threatened. Then, smiling as if nothing happened, she calmly walked past her shocked friend into the house.
Ed stood rooted to the spot, still staring after Winry. Then, defeated, he slumped against the doorframe.
...He sighed, grinning at the same time.
"I'll never get rid of her, will I?", he asked himself quietly.
Straightening himself up, he trudged into the house to find Al, to concoct their plan to bring down Pride.
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Meanwhile, about 3 miles out of Resembool, Pride sat on top of a nearby boulder, clutching his right arm as if it were still just a bloody stump.
Tears ran down his face.
Tears of pain, sorrow, shame, and anger. He clawed them fervently away from his stressed face.
'Damn him!', he thought violently.'Damn that bastard! Damn him & his goddamned daughter!'
Tears still fell. Why the hell had his memories decided to butt in back there!? When he was so close to getting his revenge!?
Those memories hurt. And yet they were pleasent, comforting, at the same time.
Trisha was smiling up at him. Her eyes so full of love that he didn't deserve.
Wendy gripping his hand with the last of her strength as she died.
That horrible first year Trisha had been alive.
He & Al playing various games with Trisha, always trying to make sure she was never sad or lonely.
Pride shook his head & tried to focus once more on his enemy.
Well...his first plan was out the window. He wouldn't be able to get near Trisha now without feeling a train's worth of guilt hit him.
Pride's mind started to work...his chin resting casually on his fists.
...He gave up, sliding off the boulder & onto the dirt road. This was getting him nowhere fast.
"The only way I'd be able to equal Elric is in hand to hand combat.", he said quietly. "But I'd be weakened in seconds. Not to mention dead if that happened." He mulled over this some more, eventually coming to a satisfying conclusion.
"I'll have to kill him with alchemy. If I attack him from a distance then I won't have to worry about becoming weakened around him.", he decided this plan would do nicely, since he didn't seem to have many other options anyway.
He sighed, & started walking down the road.
