Chapter Five
The events of the night had kept Ruby from sleeping. She knew what Edward would be asking come morning and she knew she couldn't lie. Instead, she decided, it would be better to tell the truth, but tell it in such a way that unless he asked specifically, she wouldn't let it slip. She sighed and got out of bed, unenthusiastically dragging her feet to the shower.
After getting dressed, she went down to breakfast. Ed was already sitting at the table waiting.
"Good morning," he said. Ruby sat opposite him.
"Good morning," she echoed. They were the first ones up, though Winry would probably be coming down soon.
"Want to explain something to me?" Ed said, more as a demand than a question. Ruby didn't respond. "Why did that damn homunculus spare you over anyone else?"
"I don't know," she said, not making eye contact with him. "Maybe because I was a homunculus at one point, too," Ed stared at her, unblinking, for an uncomfortably long time.
"No," he said finally. "You know the reason. You just aren't telling me." His words made Ruby shrink back, a subconscious attempt to hide away, confirming Ed's suspicions. "Tell me," he asked, "did you love him?" The directness of the question and the morose tone of Edward's voice made Ruby look up at him, guilt spilling over her like rain water. She looked down again before answering.
"I thought I did," she blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. "But I was wrong." She looked up to see Ed's reaction but he just stared off into the distance. An unnerving silence followed, causing them both to jump when thunder cackled above the house. "I'm sorry, Ed." Ruby stood up. "I shouldn't let myself be so fickle." She walked over to the door, tears straining to flow, and walked out. She knew she shouldn't but she had to go back. She had to face him.
"Ruby, where are you going?" Ed called. She stopped. How can she do this again? Every time she leaves things only get worse. She heard him running up behind her. "What the hell, Ruby?"
"Ed," Ruby turned to face him. "I.. I don't know what to do!" She let herself get wrapped in his embrace as lightning flashed in the sky.
"Quit running away," he said to her. She looked up at him. "Quit running away from me, quit running away from your family, all we want to do is help and all you do is run away."
"You can't help me anymore!" Ruby cried. She was desperate to tell someone about everything, but she was struggling with not telling Ed. "You helped me with my other problems in the past but this one you can't."
"Is that fact or are you so stubborn that you won't let me try?" Ed pushed her away. "If you don't want my help then just go on and handle things on your own like you were doing before." He turned around and went back to the house, leaving her standing in the rain, on her own.