Disclaimer: I do not own Hagane no Renkinjutsushi or Fullmetal Alchemist in English no matter how I wish it or how much I bribe Arakawa Hiromu with.
Winry hugged herself tightly but it did nothing to warm her. She had to find someplace warm before she froze to death or drowned in the relentless downpour. Edo no baka ran through her mind every few seconds. The bastard…In the thick fog, she spotted a small coffee shop. She hurried in and sat down gratefully at a small table by the window.
She had only enough money for a small coffee, which she sipped slowly as the liquid warmth spread throughout her body, warming her. After she drained all of the brown liquid, Winry gripped the cup and stared out at the rain. What am I going to do for shelter? I have no money and nowhere to stay. You better have a good explanation, Ed, you moron.
---
Alfonse crouched by his Niisan as panic clawed his mind like a frantic animal in a cage. Niisan had been delirious for the past hour. All Al knew was that the pain seemed to come from his auto mail, as an occasional blue spark lit it up every now and then. Al always knew that adding foreign metal to extend the limbs would cause trouble one day, but Niisan being Niisan didn't listen. Why couldn't he have just called Winry sooner?
Ed screamed again and pushed himself to a sitting position next to Al. Al instinctively reached out to his brother but Ed backed away. He supported himself with his flesh hand as his auto mail limb jerked involuntarily, forcing out another scream. Ed raised his flesh hand and ran it through his hair before gripping his forehead, his nails digging into his flesh.
In Edward's tormented mind, he saw nothing but darkness. As another spasm from his auto mail coursed through him, he saw a light shining at the end of the black abyss. A figure stood silhouetted before the blinding light. Golden eyes widened as he stepped towards the woman.
"Okasan…"
---
Winry sighed and stayed at the coffee shop until nearly it closed. She was daydreaming about Ed again. I'm such an idiot, she told herself. I can think about him even when he forgot me.
She was jerked from her reverie when the coffee shop owner stood in front of her and informed her that they were closing. "Are you alright?" he asked kindly.
"Hai," Winry replied. "Gomen for making you wait to close."
"It's alright," he told her. "Miss…"
"Winry. Winry Rockbell." She had thought of using a fake name but the middle-aged man seemed nice enough. Sort of like a fatherly figure.
"Ah, Winry-san. You seem upset, are you sure you're alright?"
"Hai… just that my friend abandoned me in a huge city with no money."
He looked taken aback. "Gomen. How very inconsiderate of your friend." He shook his head.
Winry sighed. "He's like that. Good thing I know a place where I can probably stay. Gracia might be happy for the company and I would love to see Elicia again. It's about time I paid Hughes-san a visit anyways…" She got up and walked to the door. Before she stepped out in the pouring rain again, she turned and smiled at the coffee shop owner. "Arigatou for the talk."
The owner waved back as she hurried down the street. Damn… He suddenly realized he forgot to tell her about the serial killer. I hope she'll be all right…
---
Ed struggled to his feet and tried to walk towards the figure. "Okasan…"
Al shrank back from his brother. "Niisan… but okasan… okasan is dead, Niisan."
Ed did not hear him. He had to reach the woman. He didn't know why, but he just had to. And the light… the comforting warm light. Maybe when he walked into the light, he would be freed of his pain. "Okasan…" he called again. The woman did not respond.
Al was visibly shaken. His brother was calling out to their mother. The woman had died years ago and their artificial limbs and body were the result of their futile attempt at bringing her back.
Ed ran, trying to get closer to her. He did not hear the desperate "Niisan!" that was shouted after him.
---
Winry was in the rain again. Her clothes that had dried during her hours of the coffee shop were soaked once more. It was bad enough that she was cold but her shirt was now see-through, again.
Winry was feeling shifty as she walked down long blocked illuminated only by street lamps. She had the prickly feeling that she was being followed. When she reached a more populated street, she sighed inwardly before mentally slapping herself for her insane paranoia. Why would anyone want to stalk her? She had no money.
A few yards from her, Winry saw that a small crowd was gathering around something, or someone. Overcome with curiosity, she walked towards the crowd. As she neared the throng, a figure darted from it, not unlike a frightened animal and ducked into a dark alley. It looked suspiciously like Ed, but it couldn't be. The figure was much taller than Ed. Winry followed anyways as curiosity got the better of her.
The figure was hunched in the alley; a metal arm gleamed in the dim lighting as a small pool of blood dripped from the shoulder where said arm connected to his flesh. The figure's flesh arm clawed at his own face as a guttural groan escaped his raw lips. The auto mail arm, the golden hair, the well tanned body; it was Ed.
Winry ran up to him and crouched beside his convulsing form, before opting to put his head on her lap. "Okasan?" he asked. Winry suppressed a gasp and proceeded to inspect his metal arm. His source of anguish seemed to come from it.
"Oh, Ed… you baka." She stared at the rogue metal transmuted into the auto mail to extend to limb. "You could've just called…" Winry gripped the arm at the shoulder and yanked it from the metal socket, earning a piercing scream from its owner. Sense seemed to come back into his golden eyes as he blinked rapidly. Ed stared up at Winry, confused.
"Winry?"
She smiled slightly. "You do remember me."
Ed groaned and closed his eyes before answering. "I didn't forget you, Winry. I tried to go to the station, I really did but… I got caught up –" Winry placed two fingers on his lips to silence him.
"I know," she told him.
They stayed as they were for a long time. He didn't move his head form her lap and she didn't get up. They were content, each lost in their own thoughts and unaware of the rain falling around them… and the shady figures a block away that eyed them hungrily, as a predator eyes its prey.