Lumina- I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Busy with school work, as many of us are, I'm sure.
Disclaimer- I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, well, we'd have more than 51 episodes.
Chapter 3- Ghosts of the Past
"And you're sure, absolutely positive you're going to be okay on your own?" Edward asked his younger brother, who nodded in response with a large smile plastered to his face. Ed knew that by the time he and Winry arrived back to the house, it would be absolutely spotless, not that this was a bad thing. Winry loved coming home to a new decorative style. And anything that Winry enjoyed, Ed had the tendancy of enjoying too.
"Everytime you guys leave for Central, you ask me that, and everytime I have to answer, I tell you I'm sure I'll be fine. Has there ever been a time I haven't been okay?" Ed laughed at this question and shook his head.
"I trust you," Ed replied, patting Al on the shoulder as he continued to laugh. Winry stepped outside the door, holding a suitcase and dragging it down the walk towards Edward and Alphonse, as Ed gave her a huge smile. "You want me to get that for you?" He asked, not giving her a chance to answer. Ed had already pulled the suitcase from her hands. She smiled back at him, liking how the day was going so far.
"Thanks," She said, leaning over to give Al a hug good-bye. He returned the embrace, lightly patting her on the back as he did so. "Take care of the house." Al nodded. "And bye the way, I really like the color blue this month..." A grin appeared on the younger Elric's face as he waved to the retreating couple, walking down the path towards the train station.
---
The train ride wasn't something that was too enjoyable for the couple.
Bumps bothered Edward as the train practically bounced around on the tracks. It was suprising it didn't tip over, but Ed expected that if it would have, Winry wouldn't have been too happy about the walk. Already it was a day's trip from Resembool to Central. They didn't need to exagerate the point by having to walk as well. The train shook again, and Ed's cursive L turned out a bit more loopy than it was supposed to, an extra and unnecessary line of ink going off the side of the page, a bit of it almost spilling onto the seat of the compartment.
Winry sat across from him, reading a romance novel. She was really into those, Ed noticed, as he tried in vain to make the line unnoticable. After all, there was more than one reason the two were traveling to Central.
Of course, the first and foremost reason they were going was so Edward could treat Winry to one of those luxurious dinners, which he wasn't exactly sure she enjoyed. Winry was odd lately, often acting the opposite of what she usually did. And the second reason... Well, Ed wouldn't ever want to discuss the fact he was still in the Military, still under the rule of that bastard Roy Mustang, and couldn't help but want to curse his name sometimes.
Though he would have to admit Roy was one of his better friends, rather than his superior. He let the two brothers in on a number of secrets that were supposed to be completely confidential. Ed would thank him for that someday, just that today probably wouldn't be that day. Trying to finish his report was the first matter at hand.
Edward was busy concentraiting on making the letters blend together in his head, and on that piece of paper, almost as though he could use telekinesis to do so. Everything was becoming blurred. He was concentraiting a little too hard, until another bump of the train jarred him out of his thoughts, in this way, the paper crumpled to the floor as Winry shook from the other compartment, losing her balence as she sat and flying into his lap. Luckily enough, he caught her.
"I'm beginning to think maybe this train isn't the safest of the bunch," Winry complained as she regained her lost seat, this time next to Ed. He picked up the report and smoothed it over, trying to make it perfect, not wanting to have to rewrite it all over again.
"Beginning to? I've thought so for the whole ride!" Ed replied, angrily shoving the paper into his suitcase. Winry could see the fury bubbling up inside. She flinched when he slammed the suitcase shut and turned back to her, staring at her fear as she leaned back against the window of the small compartment. "What's wrong?" He asked, not looking nearly as confused as he was.
"You just... Slammed that really loud is all," Winry replied, unconsciously settling herself back down next to Edward, a look of fear still plastered to her face.
"Sorry," Ed muttered, "But this train is really starting to piss me off." And so it would for the next two and a half hours.
---
Central was one of the most busy places you could ever end up at in your entire life, or so Winry thought as she followed Ed through the many groups of people and towards a motel building. Honestly, he should have ended up at the military headquarters first, but who would really want to carry two suitcases around an area as large as Central?
As they passed the many stores, filled with automail and pieces to enhance it, Winry couldn't help but worry as she stared down one of the alleyways. She knew she wouldn't be able to see the one she'd been in... "You okay?" Ed's voice cut through the noise of the crowd.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just getting a little tired is all..." Winry replied, trying to come up with a good excuse for her sudden lack of hyperactivity. Usually when they took a trip to Central, she was overly ecstatic, but now she only seemed to be having the worst time of her life, letting off morbid, cynical, depressing auras as she spoke to the blond alchemist who was trying so hard to please her.
"Too tired to go to dinner tonight?" Ed asked, an antihopeful tint in his voice. Winry knew what he was getting at. She always knew when he wanted something, and she also knew it was best not to displease him. Putting on another fake smile, she shook her head.
"Never too tired to eat dinner with you, Edward."
That made Ed smile.
---
"So where do you wanna eat?"
Winry looked over at the blond alchemist, who was busily looking through a phone book and recalling all the different restaraunts he had visited in his previous years of being stuck in Central. And believe me, he'd been there a lot. "It really doesn't matter... Whatever your budget will allow, I guess." She had to turn her head when she thought she heard Ed laughing, and she had.
There he sat, on the bed, the phone book slowly sliding towards the floor as he went into hysterics. "What!"
"Come on Winry, you know I can afford anything. It's your choice. Anywhere you wanna go. Now where's it gonna be?" Winry thought hard for a few moments. There weren't many places she'd been to in Central, and she would have rather liked to try something new. And so she suggested the restaurant across the street from Headquarters. Anyways, Ed still needed to drop off his paperwork.
---
It was another hour and a half before Ed and Winry were finally seated. Part of the depletion of time came from Roy and Ed getting into one of their little fights, ending with Ed storming out like a rabid animal, grabbing Winry by the arm and dragging her back to the motel so she could get herself ready for later that night. She hadn't really done much though.
Mostly changed into a nice dress, a long pink one with white flowers on the bottom, where there were slits up to about her knees. Ed, on the other hand, didn't seem to go for the formal thing too much. He hadn't changed his clothes at all.
And Winry couldn't understand it. He still had every other girl in that restaurant staring at him, lusting after him. She could just tell. It made her angry to think that her Edward Elric, and hers alone, would end up getting so much attention. Another thing she couldn't understand was why she cared so much after the guy had raped her. He'd raped her. And she loved him.
Or did she? She couldn't decide whether she went out with him in fear or because she felt the same way. She didn't even know how he felt.
Again she looked at Ed. How could people possibly act normal in a place like this, Winry thought as she watched Ed being admired by most of the other girls at the restaurant. One of them was looking at him and giggling, pointing at the alchemist as her friend did the same. And yet Ed didn't seem to notice, his eyes transfixed on Winry as she batted her food around, probably trying to imagine her with her hair down. Winry could only wish to learn how he kept himself so care free.
"Something the matter?" Maybe Winry had been concentraiting too hard on how to be careless, or possibly it was that Ed had finally noticed she'd just barely touched her food. Instead of answering right away, she moved on hand from off the top of her lap and placed it on top of his, causing the alchemist to blush. She shook her head, also blushing.
"No... Everything's perfect." And everything was perfect, even all of the girls staring at ed with enthusiasm. They just made Winry feel more pleased with her situation, that she was with the famous Fullmetal Alchemist and they weren't, that they were all sitting there, completely jealous of her, just as they should be.
Since she finally had his full attention, she stood up, taking his hand with her. "Shall we go for a walk?" Ed, completely ignoring the fact she hadn't eaten, stood up, and nodded. Anything to please her.
They walked out the front door with every other girl huffing in anger. One girl in particular rolled her purple eyes as best she could, and followed silently behind.
Lumina- How was it? Sorry I took so long. What's up with that 'girl' in the end? I just gave it away... Reviews please!