Reunion
Winry eyed the scar on Riza's face. It didn't match up to her unblemished version of the officer. In her mind she had always been untouchable but it seemed like this world had been beat down in more than one way. It also served as a much-needed reminder that no one was left untouched.
They must look the worse for wear but Riza didn't let on and if the subtle grin on her features was any indicator, she was just as happy to see them as they were her.
With a disbelieving laugh Winry rushed forward and found receiving arms to embrace. Jean managed to get to his feet and even though Riza shook her head Winry could tell she was happy to receive the lopsided hug offered by Jean.
After a moment of looking each other over Riza snapped back into her earlier alerted state.
"We shouldn't linger." Her face broke back into that same endearing grin. "There are a lot of people that will be happy to see you two."
Jean let out a deep breath that they were both probably holding. "Lot of people huh?"
Riza nodded but didn't elaborate. "Like I said let's move…unless you two would rather stay here?"
Winry caught the way her hand touched her gun as if she were preparing for an argument. RIza would not find one here, Winry was grinning from ear to ear.
"Lead the way." Winry affirmed.
It was clear Riza was uncomfortable with their pace and the vulnerability it gave. Jean was on horseback with Riza leading and Winry following behind. Despite the progress they had made, Winry was viscerally aware that they were entering the largest city in Amestris and the clear epicenter of the breakout. It was hard to keep moving as the buildings around them began to draw closer and the sounds of distant walkers put them on edge. It felt like they were walking through a ghost town in the rural areas of Youswell.
The back of Riza's hand came up, her halting signal keeping them frozen in place. Then she was standing again, a grin remerging on her face. "We've got eyes on us."
Ahead there were figures emerging from the shadows, only these figures walked with straight backs and carried weapons. As they got closer, Winry knew they must be friends because they were dropping their weapons to their sides and it was clear they were amongst friends. There were faces she recognized, but it seemed the reunion was meant for Jean and Riza and she the bystander.
They reported to Riza as if she were their commanding officer and that gave Winry pause. If they were answering to her, was Mustang out of the picture. That scar seemed to tell a story that maybe its owner didn't have the heart to tell. Thankfully no one had asked for her story and if they did she had feeling she would probably lie. Some things would need to be buried down and forgotten.
"Fuery? You little fucker and Ross too?" Then Jean fell silent as the last of the group came forward.
Winry smiled at the figure that had dropped the hood from her head. Rebecca and Jean stared at each for a moment before she shook her head and rushed forward nearly tackling him down to the ground.
Watching friends unite brought a smile to her face as they were led through the reconstructed gates that once protected the capital grounds. Turning to Riza she took in a breath and when it came out so did her heart.
"Edward? Al? Are they here too?"
There was that damn pity. It was a look too many people had been giving her lately. It certainly wasn't the answer she wanted.
"They're okay."
Winry bit down on her lower lip, okay wasn't good enough. It occurred to her that if all of Jeans friends were swarming him, than the Elric brothers would have already come the second they knew she was there.
"Where are they?" The words sounded so little.
"They left, weeks ago."
"Where did they go?" She asked, not sure why they would leave all of their friends and safety for that matter.
Riza reached a hand out to squeeze her shoulder. "To find you."
It should have made her feel better; it should have warmed her heart to know that for once they were chasing after her. But she was here dammit and after everything it felt frustrating and wrong that fate kept them chasing at tails. Instead she focused on the present.
"Both of them, right?"
This time the former officer grinned, "Edward got Alphonse's body back."
"Oh." Winry heard the sound squeak out of her and tried to hide behind her hand as the urge to suddenly cry overwhelmed her.
"The real question is where the hell were you two?"
Winry wiped her face quickly to look up into Roy Mustangs stance. It was so strange to see the military man wearing civilian clothing. Not just civilian clothing but tattered rags that echoed the rest of the men and women milling about. Jean came from behind, patting her briefly on the back before taking on the task of explaining the last two years.
It wasn't until he got to the Rush Valley part that she began to feel uncomfortable and when he paused she knew he was waiting for her to fill in the gaps. What gaps were there to fill? Telling a group of former military members felt like opening up old wounds. Instead Winry stomped over details, erasing the pain and leaving only the structure of a tale she found easier to tell.
Once they had caught up on a lot of details Maria Ross took over explaining what was going on at the capital. They were led to the mess hall and given a stew of sorts, nothing that could be compared to her grans, but man did it taste good after weeks of barely anything. Bellies full and voices near hoarse from talking Winry was about to follow Maria to a sleeping wing of the old capital building when Jean caught her hand.
He was still uneasy on his feet, but looked a lot better with a full meal in him.
"You're not leaving are you?"
Winry held up the blanket in her arms that they had been given. "Going to try to get some sleep actually."
"Not what I meant." Jean frowned, "Tell me you aren't going to run off tomorrow to follow those boys."
Somewhere in there Winry thought there might be actual concern but all she heard was unwanted advice. "I told you, I'm going to find Ed and Al. Now at least I know they're in Resembool."
"And what happens when they find out you aren't?" Jean challenged. "You think they'll stay? You can't chase ghosts Winry."
Winry scowled, "Why do you care?"
His face scrunched up and then he frowned, the lines disappearing. "You're needed here."
Winry looked around in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"You're a mechanic and a doctor, didn't you see how many people around here have makeshift crutches or are laid up? The people here could use your skills and expertise."
That was a low blow, using other people to make her feel selfish. "Why do you care?" This time her voice was softer than before like she almost didn't want him to answer her.
"I care about you Winry." He sighed, "We've been through a lot, I owe you my life."
"And?" Winry asked, feeling uncomfortable saying it out loud, but it just came out.
"And…" He looked a bit leery of her. "I think you know how I feel."
When he walked away Winry put a hand over her mouth, feeling stupid. There were so many things she didn't understand about this new world and a big part of that was herself. She didn't know who she was anymore. Was she the strong woman that saved lives and rescued friends, or was she this naive little girl trapped in her stupid, childish dreams. Those dreams of marrying her best friend, living in Resembool, being a world famous automail engineer, most of those dreams had died the day the dead rose from the earth. The rest had been shadowed and forgotten after the events in Rush Valley.
Maria was eyeing her closely and Winry pretended to be asleep once her head hit the cot, that way she wouldn't have to explain.
The next day Jean had come to find her, and seemed appeased that she wasn't prepping for a long voyage. Winry had scowled at him and reminded him she wasn't a child. But his original words had struck her, she was needed her and until she could figure out how to do it alone she would have to delay running off after Edward.
It was easy to stay busy, there were quite a few men who had automail that needed servicing and she had been able to scrounge up some material to start repairing the damage that had been done. She let herself feel bitter about the loss of her favorite wrench for only a moment before trying her best to get a new one.
For the most part they had done well in the capital. There was a mix of soldiers and civilians, but no one seemed ready to point out the obvious, the place was not meant to house that many people for a prolonged period of time. The locker rooms of the former barracks on the grounds required them to have scheduled bathing and bathroom usage times. But it seemed as if the group as a whole had banded together to survive. Everyone had a job of sorts whether it was washing clothes and doing the mending or helping to cultivate crops growing in what used to be the parade grounds.
"Different than you remember, huh?"
Winry looked up as Riza fell into her stride.
"Well, the last time I was in Central this place was run by Bradley."
Riza nodded, "A lot has changed."
There was something she didn't want to ask, but the more she looked around the more obvious it was. They were her good friends; she should have been there. "What happened to Gracia and Elicia?"
The older woman touched her scar for a brief second, her jaw sticking out a bit before she just shook her head. "Another time."
Neither said anything as Riza led the way through different rooms and passageways until they were in what looked like the old barracks hospital ward.
"You can stay or you can go, that choice remains with you Winry. But if you choose to stay, I think you'll find we could really use you here."
A man with dark hair, streaked in gray walked in then, his glasses refracting the light for a moment before Winry got a good look at him.
Riza gestured between them. "Dr. Stevenson, this is Winry Rockbell. She might be staying with us for a bit, figured you could use the help."
The doctor nodded his head and reached across the table to shake her hand. "We could use the help. Do you have any expertise?"
Winry nodded, "My parents were doctors and I helped my grandmother perform automail surgeries."
The older man shrugged, "Alright then; follow me. We've got a few patients that need their bandages changed, think you can manage?"
Winry glanced over at Riza before agreeing. "I can manage."
It was late by the time she fell into the makeshift cot, feeling dead on her feet. It had been an exhausting 24 hours but she was grateful for the distraction and for once she felt as if she were doing something of value. Even though she knew the nightmares would come, she let the exhaustion pull her under.
The sound of shouting broke her out of her sleep, jolting her up. Looking around in the dark she heard the screams and stumbled to her feet. There were several other voices in the room as each person woke. As a candle was lit Winry looked around and tried to spy where the sounds were coming from.
Poking her head out the door she nearly ran into Riza who was marching down the hall with a large gun resting on her shoulder. Riza paused long enough to point her in a direction. "Report to the infirmary, Dr. Stevenson is going to need your help."
"What hap-"
"Just go!" Riza barked.
Winry followed the orders, secretly wondering when she had enlisted, but It was the look on Riza's face that made her rush despite her slight annoyance at being treated like a soldier.
Her first thought upon entering the room was that there was a lot of blood. After that she took in how many bodies were laid out, each one withering or clutching at their blood-stained clothing and limbs.
"We need to amputate." Dr. Stevenson locked eyes with her as a few others began to work around them grabbing needed supplies. "If you're going to be sick go, if not, start working."
The man on the table was convulsing and Winry just stood frozen, her eyes wide. Suddenly his hand reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Kill me."
Winry could only watch in horror as the man grabbed the knife from Stevenson's hand and drove it through his own skull.
Stumbling back, Winry could feel the specs of blood on her face but there was no time to process anything because there were others being brought in and while the whole room felt like it was spinning, somehow the urgency of it kicked in instinct and she was wiping her forehead and following as Stevenson walked her through each case.
"You did well."
Winry nodded, not truly accepting the doctor's compliment because she wasn't sure she had.
A herd was coming, that was all she made out while eavesdropping. Winry had seen a herd once while coming from Resembool to Dublith and a second time in Rush Valley. They were terrifying alone, but in large numbers they were unbeatable.
A part of her wondered if this was a sign that she needed to leave, but another part scrubbed at the blood on her clothes and felt an odd feeling of being needed and necessary. Winry was confused and scared, but something told her that staying was the right thing to do.
"What is it?"
Alphonse was grinning, "It's one of those handcars Ed!"
"Still not following."
The younger Elric brother jumped up, blocking the sun with his hand as he stared down the tracks. "You don't remember playing on one of these as a kid? I mean Its not easy, but it will be a hell of a lot better than walking."
Al motioned for his brother to hop onto the small platform with a large teetering handlebar. "They use these to check the railroad tracks for debris or loose rails. Come on, I'll show you."
Edward reluctantly jumped up, dropping their bags next to his feet. "Now what?"
They each took a hold of the bar, one on either side. Alphonse pushed his side down, instructing Edward to pull up on his side. It barely moved along the tracks at first but once they began to roll it began to take less effort. The moment carried them along the tracks quickly, the breeze following through the air.
Edward should have been relieved to find a quick way back to Central, but he wasn't. He should be relieved they only found Grans body, but he wasn't. His younger brother could be as optimistic as he wanted, but Edward wasn't sure leaving was the right idea.
But it was too late now, as the hills of Resembool fell to the distant horizon they had said their goodbyes and there was no turning back now. Alphonse was right, they had friends in Central, they had a chance to make it there. Resembool was now just a graveyard of lost loved ones and burned down houses.