Ed's eyes darted back and forth as he watched the trees pass by the train. Winry picked up tickets for a private compartment in hopes of getting a chance to talk to Ed. Perhaps maybe she could try to make him feel better. Winry sat across from Ed with her head hung down and her thumbs fiddling as if she was having a one person thumb wrestling match.
A million thoughts ran through her head at every moment. She constantly questioned in her mind if she made the right choice in coming. She wondered if she would get in Ed's way. He has become such an independent person. She still couldn't seem to find a reason for Ed's sudden avoidance towards her. She wanted so many questions to be answered.
After a few minutes of pondering and many minutes of chilling silence, Winry finally spoke up. "Ed?" she questioned softly. Ed made a small, almost inaudible 'hm' noise in return. Again, he refused to speak to her. "Ed, why won't you talk to me. It's as if you're avoiding me! I know you lost your brother but that doesn't mean you should shut the whole world out!" Winry said, in an unusually harsh tone.
Ed turned his head away from the window and looked at Winry. He gave her a look unlike any other she had ever seen. His eyes glazed over with sadness while his face contorted in the most subtle frown, yet he looked more depressed than she had ever seen him. It was a look that was beyond the point of tears.
Winry quickly realized what she said and the how she said it. "Ed... I-I didn't... I'm s--"
"Don't apologize. After the other night I guess I wouldn't let myself confide in you, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't want you to worry about me."
She was shocked that she had gotten an answer so quickly. "You made me worry more by not saying anything, Ed."
"It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Again, I'm sorry," Ed said, looking at his feet.
Winry thought for a second to find the right thing to say. "No, really, it's fine. I have one other question for you though," Ed looked up as she said this, "Did I make the right choice? That is, I mean in coming with you. I'm afraid you think I'll get in your way and mess things up."
Ed's mouth curled up a bit. "I would never think that. We've been friends since before we could walk. It's nice knowing that I still have someone to stick by my side. You could never get in the way or mess things up," Ed said, emphasizing the 'or' slightly.
Winry smiled at him and felt relieved to have that off her chest. 'He's changed so much. After all this, it's like he's another person.' She felt the train slow its speed and listened as the train whistle blew. The train station came into view and the churning of the wheels came to a prolonged stop. Winry and Ed pulled down their suitcases from the compartment above them and descended off the train. Ed began struggling to carry his suitcase to the exit.
"Need some help there, shrimp?" said a man from behind.
Ed dropped his suitcase and whipped around to face the man. He reared up his head into the mans face and began yelling at him. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY BUG THAT ESCAPES THE WRATH OF A SHOE BECAUSE HE'S SO SMALL HE FITS INTO THE GROOVES AND CAN'T GET SQUASHED!" People surrounding him began staring. "Ed stop it. People are staring," Winry muttered.
"Hey kid, I never said that," the man said as Winry held Ed back. 'Maybe he hasn't changed so much...' Winry thought to herself as a pint-sized alchemist tried to wriggle free from her grasp. The man walked away after mumbling a brief curse word towards Ed. Winry released Ed and picked up her suitcase.
"Hey, look. Someone's wanted for burglary. Says here that he's been seen burglarizing the whole city..." Winry said, pointing to an old-fashioned "Wanted" sign.
"Probably just some idi--" Ed turned around to face the sign and his mouth dropped. His eyes opened wide. "T-Thats him. That's the man that did it. That night we were trying to stop him from robbing this marketplace near Central. It doesn't say his name! Damnit!" Ed said, shocked yet extremely frustrated.
"Come on. We're going to Central. First things first," Ed said as he yanked the sign off of the wall and shoved it into his pocket. He grabbed Winry's arm and dragged her behind him.
"Let's go."