Better Days to Come

[[Chapter 3: She's gone, but she's here

Ed seems to stroll into bed some awkward time in the morning waking KiKi from a sound sleep. "Ed? Are you ok?" KiKi rolls over to face him groggily. Ed pulls the blankets up around them, "nothing I just couldn't sleep, but I'm tired now." KiKi can see that Ed's lying, and looks at him seriously. "Eddi, your lying to me what's really wrong?" he pauses and takes a breath, "Winry left, because of me… She just gets jealous so easily and well yeah…" KiKi nods her head to say she understands. "Well, sleep ok... You have that exam to worry about." Ed pulls her close and snuggles in, because he's not sure if she's going to leave too.

Al wakes up and wonders out into the living room alone, no one else is up. "Uh, Ed?" He whispers to himself. Al sneaks over to Ed's door and cracks it a little… "Oh, well ok their still asleep." He shuts the door quietly but no sooner he did, Ed and KiKi wake from well needed sleep. "Good morning sweety." Ed moves the hair from KiKi's face and kisses her cheek. "Morning Eddi…" They walk out into the living room and spot Alphonse sitting on the couch watching TV. "Hey Al scoot over will ya'" Ed mashes Al into the couch to make him slide over. "Ed, you'd better get dressed and go study your exam is tomorrow." He looks up at KiKi wanting to say no, don't worry about it. But he knew she was right and goes to get dressed.

Ed makes his way down the street and stops at the diner he ate at with Winry. He can't stop thinking about that whole argument. He's replayed it in his head now about twenty times. "She's so stubborn!" He thinks to himself over and over again like a broken record. Finally Edwards seems to make his way to the library and walks in. "Hey there Edward, I see you haven't grown any." Ed spins around flustered with the short crack. "Hughs?" Ed questions allowed, there he was Hughs in the flesh. "Hey Hughs it's been a while since I've seen you last. What are you doing back in Central?" Hughs ruffles Ed's hair and they sit and talk for a little while. "And so Mustang said I needed to be closer to Central… OH WILL YOU LOOK AT MY LITTLE GIRL SHE'S ALMOST FOUR YEARS OLD, OH HOWS SHE'S GROWNING EDWARD." Hugh's daughter's picture was being pushed in Ed's face. But this was normal to Ed because he did this every time they've seen each other.

"Yeah Hughs she growing up fast…" Ed rolls his eyes, then a he spaces out for a second or two. He sees a flash of kids running in a yard, along with him and KiKi running after them. There were two girls and two boys. "Hey, so how you holding up? The last time I saw you, you were a mess because you had to leave that girl back in Little West Grove." Ed snaps out of his zoning and looks at Hughs. "Well, I was doing horrible, but she's back… She's at my place, with Al." Hughs smiles and stands to leave, "ask her to marry you again Edward, trust me, you don't want to lose the love of your life again now would you?" With that Hughs walks out of the front doors and vanished into the crowd of people. "Ask her again..." Ed stands and decides today he wasn't going to study but go for a walk to think.

"Ask her to marry me again? What if she says no? Because I hurt her bad last time, so bad she almost died. What if I'm not cut out for family life?" So many important questions ran through Ed's mind. He wanted to be sure of what he was doing before he did it, so he wouldn't regret it. Ed took out an older pocket watch from his father and looked at the time. "Holy crap! Its seven thirty already?!" Ed turns and starts to run all the way back home, he forgot about Al and KiKi for the moment. Ed's gasping for air by the time he reaches the front door. "Hey guys, I'm ba-…" Ed spots Al sitting all alone, on the floor watching TV again. "Al, where's KiKi?" Al looks at Ed sadly, "she went back home today… She didn't want to say goodbye because she thought it would hurt you to much and that you would beg her to stay when she really couldn't." Al points at a letter, written and placed on the desk by the front door. Ed rips it off of the table, his heart racing, and his eyes tearing because he didn't get to say goodbye.

Dear Eddi,

I'm sorry I have to leave you, but I can't stay. My family needs me at home and I'm not sure I could go through all of this again. Before when you left I thought my life was over but then I heard about your successes and I found you again. I wish things were different, I really do. I took the flowers from the vase to remember you by again, I love you Edward Elric… Don't forget me and I won't forget you, promise.

Forever and Always,

KiKi

Ed looks frantically over at the vase; nothing was left except for a single red rose. "You guys are playing with me right?!" Ed races to his room, all her things were gone and he fell to the ground. He can't help but feel like his heart was ripped from his chest. "NO, NO, NO, NO!? It was going to work this time… I was gonna make ends meet, I was gonna tell her to stay!? I was gonna ask her to share her life with me again!? AL!!!" Alphonse standing there, seeing his brother falling to pieces and breaking down made him feel like he was useless like he couldn't help with the pain Ed was feeling inside. Ed face was saturated with salty tears. "Brother, it will be ok… You'll be ok I know you will… Brother?" Ed had stopped crying and looked at the picture of her and him together at the flower market. He grabs it, "No Al, I'm going to get her. I can't take not being with her again." Ed stands and goes in his room to pack a bag. "Al, let's go, It's time to hit the long road." Ed walks out, with Alphonse in tow, Central train station is calling.