Yes! Everything is going according to plan, and the problems keep coming for Ed.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I wish...

Destiny to come

Misunderstandings

XII. Snow

(A week prior to automail attachment)

Edward Elric refused to go outside. It was too cold and his automail port was too sore to even think about playing on the snow like his brother and their childhood friend. Winry had offered a special gel to help him ease the pain, but even then he could still feel tiny needles pinching on his thigh. So, he settled himself with watching them laugh and run around the snowy hill from the very comfortable couch in the living room, which was very near the window.

"Hey, Pipsqueak, be of some use and help me put all the clean clothes in the closets!" Pinako had thrown a laundry basket at him and now he was struggling under it. The clothes were all over him.

"HEY OLD HAG! WHO DO YOU THINK IS SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN BURRY HIM UNDER A PILE OF RAGS?" the ranting had come back to him in a very natural way.

"YOU, OF COURSE! THE ONLY THING SMALLER THAN YOU IS YOUR WILL TO HELP AROUND THE HOUSE! NOW GET THOSE CLOTHES TO THEIR PLACE!" she, Edward thought, was a pro at this.

"Ok, alright. I'll do it just to prove you wrong, you nag!" He headed upstairs, followed by Pinako.

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"Winry, wait" Al was out of air. He had been running for the last two hours and he was getting a bit tired. "Why don't we take a rest?" His friend looked like she could use some rest too.

"Sure Al, I guess I can give you a break!" She grinned. It had been years since the last time she had been able to enjoy a snowball war with her dear Alphonse, and she was beating him easily.

They went to sit on the porch. It was cold alright, but it brought happy memories to them. Winry just smiled at every little detail she remembered about their winters together, and Al shared with her some stories about the winters he and his brother had spent somewhere around Amestris. The mood was friendly and perfect.

Perfect! Al had been looking for a chance to talk to Winry about everything that had happened since they had come home almost nine months ago. Especially, he wanted to talk about the Edward topic. "So, Winry, how's Leopold? I hope he has recovered from the little incident with my brother." Al smiled innocently.

"He's fine, I guess" Winry smiled shyly at her friend. There was some sort of sadness in her blue orbs.

"You guess? Have you not seen him or talked to him lately?"

Sigh "I had to break up with him. I didn't wanna take this any further and hurt him even more." Al guessed she didn't mean 'hurt' as in Edward-beating hurt. He would've smiled, but her expression was dead serious.

"But he is a nice guy, isn't he? I thought you liked him?" Al kept digging.

Winry let out a bitter giggle "Yeah." She smiled at Alphonse with a guilty look "He is everything I ever dreamed of, Al. He is sweet, and caring; he likes to spend time with me and actually listens to what I say; he's smart and funny, and is always trying to make me smile." Chuckles. "Hell, he even forgave me for Edward's rage attack, saying it wasn't my fault!"

"Then, what is the matter, Winry?" Al had a fair idea of what was going on, but wasn't completely sure if she would say it.

"… he is my dream guy…Al, but I don't love him. I doubt I ever will…" Winry's deep eyes stared at the white land in front of them. "I even gave him back the earrings he gave me a few months ago."

"And what did he say?" Al was curious.

"He said he had seen it coming, since it was very odd that I never wore those." Winry sighed. Her hand went up to her ear and touched her beloved metal earrings.

"So, he figured you didn't like him that much because you didn't wear the earrings?" Al was beginning to respect the guy. He wasn't dense at all, unlike some other people he knew…

"Yeah. He even said he wished me good luck with the man I really loved." Winry looked aloof, like she didn't even notice what she had just said.

"And, does he exist?" Al insisted. This conversation was going exactly the way he had expected it to go. A smile was plastered on his face.

"Huh? Who?" Winry snapped back to reality and looked at Alphonse. Oh,no. I think I said something I shouldn't have.She blushed wildly.

"Winry, who's the one you love?" Al offered her a knowing smile.

Winry felt cornered. It was now or never. With hot streams of tears falling from her eyes, she threw herself in Al's arms. "Oh, Al… I can't hold this in anymore…"

Al was startled by his best friend's reaction. Even if he was mature for his age, he was still not fully acknowledged in the art of comforting a woman. He slowly put his arms around Winry, regretting he had brought her up to this state. There they stayed, a young man hugging his most cherished friend, who found no end to her tears.

So, this is what my brain refused to remember, huh?Ed was standing next to the window. It had not been his intention to eavesdrop into their conversation, but he had, while trying to hide from Pinako. "Edward! Come here this instant and finish what I told you to do!" The elder woman sounded annoyed. Ed snapped and came out of his hideout just to find Pinako staring at him. Her eyes lost the angry glare at the sight of him. "Kid, what's the matter?" His eyes were teary, but he wouldn't talk about it. Dragging his feet, he climbed the stairs up to his room and closed the door.

"Winry? What's going on?" Al was still rubbing her back on the steps. "You know you can tell me anything!"

"Al…" she sniffed. Her crying was dying down. She pushed Al away slowly and looked up at him. "I'm in love…even if I try to deny it… I can't help it..." one last tear escaped her eyes. Al brushed it off her face with his gloved hands.

"It's my brother, isn't it?" he ventured, earning a frown on her face and a nod. I knew it!

Winry let out a bitter chuckle. "But I've been thinking lately… you know he told me I should 'move on'?" Al wanted to slap his brother. He had gone ahead and said that! Stupid… "I told him there was no way I could leave him or you…" Winry reached for Al's hand "out of my life" she smiled at the young man in front of her. "However, I've been wondering if maybe he not remembering me is a sign of any sort…" sigh "maybe I should forget about him too…" her head dropped. A single tear fell on her knee.

Al panicked. Was she really giving up? "Winry…"

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Why didn't I see it? Ed was in a bundle in his bed. It was getting late, but not so late for him to go to sleep yet. Truth was, he had been in the same place and position for a while, finding no way to be around Winry and Al at the time being. Why am I feeling like this? It was just obvious! Al had been so mad when he had told him about the incident during the storm…

**"…I don't think anyone could like a girl with

your bad temper! And don't forget the wrench!"**

Al had been really harsh on him that night. Of course! Why wouldn't he? Having insulted the girl that Al… Ed flinched at the thought. No! It makes no sense! Edward's thoughts had been quarrelling for hours. Was his brother in love with the young mechanic? Had she confessed those same feelings to him just a few hours ago? But mostly, what did it affect him if they were in love or not? Right! Al never wanted to tell me what kind of relationship I really had with her… or why I felt like there was something more than what he told me…But then, why had Al encouraged him to spend time with their friend if he was the one who wanted to be with her? His questions found no answer, so he was down to only one option.

"Niisan? Are you feeling alright? Aunt Pinako said you have been here for hours and didn't even come down to have dinner." Al came in the dark room with a concerned face. This wasn't like his brother.

"Al" his tone was low yet firm, coming from under the covers. "Do you…" he paused, then raised from his bed, pushing the covers away and facing his brother "Are you in love with Winry?" he finally said, never taking his eyes away from Al's.

The young alchemist showed nothing but surprise on his features. That was a question he had not been expecting. So this is why he's sulking, huh? Understanding came to Al like a flash of light. As much as he liked to tease his brother, he wouldn't do it this time. "Umm… I… Niisan…" Al put on an embarrassed expression. Well, maybe he would try and tease him just a little. However, the next seconds proved that he had chosen the wrong time to be mean to Edward.

As fast as it was possible, Ed was on his feet and grabbing Al from the shirt, pushing him roughly against the wall. His eyes were dead; his frown was deep; his brain had no idea he was attacking his little brother. Alphonse recognized that stare; it had been the same back at the diner…right when his sense and reason had gone out the window.

"Niisan!" Al grabbed Edward's arms and tried to release himself. "Niisan, calm down! I was just joking!" Ed's grip didn't falter one bit. "EDWARD! Snap out of it! Even if anyone comes and tries to take Winry away, the only person she loves is you!" He said it. Winry was sure to kill him. Somehow, anyway, those words seemed to do the trick as Edward's hands set Alphonse loose. A very shaken Al stared at his brother, waiting for him to react. In a heartbeat, his eyes were full of light again, shining gold in the darkness of the room.

"Alphonse?" Edward looked confused "What just happened?" he looked around. When had he gotten out of the bed? And why did he feel so… thrilled and excited! He felt like smiling, but then he remembered the questions in his head right before Alphonse came in the room. "So, Al, are you in love with Winry?" Déja-vu. Had he asked him already?

Al smiled, recognizing the confused face his brother was giving him. This time, he would play it nice. "No, Niisan, I am not" he patted his brother's shoulder.

Ed sighed deeply, not really understanding why. "But, wait, is she in love with you?" that was a very important matter too.

Al shook his head and smiled at his brother "Of course not, Niisan, I'm her little brother! We're family, that's all." Al walked past his brother towards his bed and lied down, taking off his shoes and clothes, preparing himself to sleep.

Edward walked to his bed as well and lied down again. Something was still bothering him. "Al?" he called. The mentioned was already getting under the covers.

"Yes Niisan?" Alphonse answered.

"If she's not in love with you, then there must be someone else, right? Why would she cry if there wasn't?" That was the real mystery around it.

"How do you know she was crying?" Now, that caught Alphonse's attention. Had he been listening? But if he had, he should know who she loved by now… unless…

Edward turned on his side, trying to avoid his brother's eyes "I accidentally heard you two talking outside, and saw when she hugged you after you asked her if there was someone special in her life." Edward chewed on the word "special", not really wanting to say the other words. "But I just assumed she was confessing to you… so I stopped listening." He admitted.

Al had to contain a laugh. His brother was too much. He didn't remember a tad about the mechanic, but he was as jealous and possessive as ever. Though this was amusing, Al was sure he didn't want to be attacked by zombie-Ed again, so he just answered with the truth. "yeah, she's got someone special" he said, mimicking his brother's words. "But she didn't say who it was." Maybe the whole truth wasn't appropriate in this situation. Apparently, Ed didn't remember what he had told him when he was pinning him on the wall, so he wouldn't repeat it, or Winry would really murder him.

"Oh…I see" a disappointed voice came from Edward, which he tried to disguise "Well, I bet whoever he is, must love her back! I mean, she's anice girl and all! Right?" Ed made himself sound joyful.

"Sure is, Niisan. I agree with you, I know he must love her back!" Al said, trying not to imply too much into his words, but failing.

"Well then, I guess it's time to sleep, so g'night Al!" Lucky for Al, Edward was as dense as he could be.

"Sleep well, Niisan"

Ed started to feel heavy. Slowly, as he woke up, he became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on the couch, with a pillow under his head and a blanket covering him. He yawned as his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room and then began stretching, noticing how his legs went far longer than the couch. He smiled in satisfaction. Being short had always been a pain in the ass, but now he was really getting taller.

Speaking of taller, Winry had just changed his automail leg, right? What happened? Did I faint? He rubbed his face and tried to get up, only to feel dizzy and fall on the pillow again.

"Ed?" Winry was walking towards him. Her face was serious, but he could see something else behind it. She looked relieved. "Are you feeling alright? Are you sore?" She put a hand to his forehead and smiled. "Your fever is gone. I'm glad!" He wasn't sure if it was for his own dizziness or her sweet eyes, but there were butterflies flying inside him like crazy.

"I'm fine. Just my head is still spinning a little, but I'll survive." He showed her a crooked smile. "Is it always like this when you attach my leg?" it had been very painful.

A hint of sadness filled Winry's face. "Yeah, it is usually painful when I do that, but you never let it show." Sigh "You've always been like that. Never letting yourself making others worry." She was starting to lose hope. Maybe he would never remember her, or everything they went through together.

"Winry? Are you ok?" Ed's concerned eyes were staring at her. She looked really sad all of a sudden.

The young woman snapped out of her thoughts "Oh, yeah. I'm sorry, I just…" she couldn't do this anymore. "Just try to sleep again, ok? You will be totally recovered in the morning." She smiled a fake smile at him and turned to leave.

"Hey, Winry!" she stopped on the tracks, but didn't turn to see him. "Thank you." A lonely tear escaped her watery eyes.

"It's nothing. You are my best friend, so you know you can always count on me." Another tear. She fought back a whimper that would give out she was crying. "Good night, Edward." She then walked straight to her room, ignoring the piercing pair of golden eyes following her until she was out of sight.

Author's Notes: Poor Memory-less-Ed keeps messing up and acting strange v.v

Please R&R!