Brief Commentary:
Now that school's out (HORAH!), I realize that I've missed RNFYE. :D Yup yup yup...super glad the next chapter of FMA came out - I'm right back into the obsession now - ED/WIN FLUFF GALORE ALONG WITH -OMGSHIT- AL IN DANGER. D: -le shot- I'm so glad that these scantalated chapters always come out around the thirteenth or fourteenth of each month - the next chapter will then come out and be translated, therefore put on onemanga, on my birthday! How's that for a birthday present? -feels a new blossoming love for FMA- Oh my...-giggle- Er...review, eh? :D
So, let go, let go
Jump in
Oh well, what you waiting for?
It's all right
'Cause there's beauty in the breakdown
Reasons Not For Your Ears
Chapter Thirty-One
Time passed slowly yet quickly in the Rockbell household. Winry went back to school as usual, only slightly surprised to find that Ling and Ranfan would be returning to their own country once again. While fairly disappointed, she wished them well and, when they left, she found that she didn't miss them nearly as much as she thought she might've. But, unfortunately, she felt incapable of feeling anything of the sort, the argument she had had with her grandmother setting some kind of off switch on her emotions. Paninya was hardly good company anymore - the dark-skinned young woman was always either depressed or angry, and Winry simply couldn't keep up.
So they eventually stopped talking.
Alphonse attempted to speak to her at least once a day, but she could tell that he was beginning to feel rather hopeless about the whole thing, and had started to favor Mei's company more than hers. It was quite understandable. Mei, an endless source of happiness and energy, was now Winry's complete opposite, as the blonde girl barely spoke more than in monotone noises or short, two or one-word answers, keeping her head low and her lips pressed tightly together.
She found that she didn't mind this state of simply not caring, however. Edward no longer bothered her, even with his barbed tongue and the glares he gave her, and Winry couldn't even manage to feel any amount of guilt regarding her grandmother. Pinako had also lapsed into some kind of stupor, although she still minded enough to make meals and treat Edward's injuries while Winry was away at school. The two women had barely spoken a word to one another since their mishap, and the both of them knew they weren't about to. No sense in ruining a numb kind of peace that would keep them from getting angry or upset. No sense in caring anymore, really.
Winry was changing some of Edward's bandages when he chose to address it. Pulling on a section of her hair that had slipped from its bun, he let out a grunt to help receive some kind of attention. She glanced at him, a silent question in her eyes.
What?
He appeared suddenly uncomfortable, but, despite that, he pushed forward anyway, as blunt as ever.
"Why the fuck are you and the old bat walking around like fuckin' zombies?"
Winry blinked, as if confused.
"Sorry, what?"
"Zombies, you know! The...what's-it...the undead, right," he shifted on the couch, as if that would ease his discomfort.
"What about them?" she went back to carefully peeling the bandage from an old, infected wound on one of his arms.
He let out an exasperated sigh.
"You haven't fucking noticed? God...you're all acting just like 'em."
"...really..." Winry had noticed, but she wasn't about to say anything. She removed the remainder of the dirty material, picking up the roll of bandages and beginning to unwind it to a reasonable length.
"Yeah, really," he growled, "it's creepy as shit. Stop it."
"Sure," she had already tuned him out, quickly dabbing the wound with ointment before re-applying the second bandage. She gave his shoulder a half-hearted smack as she stood, scooting the medical supplies with her foot towards a chair facing the couch. Already feeling tired, she slumped down in said chair, nimbly avoiding the first-aid kit as she did so. She felt Edward's piercing gaze boring into her skull, but Winry found she couldn't care less.
"You're really different, huh..."
She barely caught the words coming out of his mouth, and raised her head to shoot him a slightly curious glance. Not to her surprise, he merely ignored her and went to staring at the apartment's ceiling.
The situation between Winry and her grandmother went from bad to worse. The blonde adolescent came home later, spoke even less, and always went straight back to her room after changing bandages or eating a meal. She didn't notice the days growing longer, and the approach of the end of the school year. All she knew was to eat, sleep, go to school, change Edward's bandages, and study. Every once in a while, she might hear Pinako mumble to Edward something about "preparing for next year," as high school entrance exams for new students would occur at the end of summer break. However, the boy did nothing but shrug her off, grumbling about how he didn't need to go to school in order to survive.
Oddly, Pinako had not found it in herself to argue. Winry was slightly disturbed by this, as education was one of the most important things to her grandmother, but eventually let it pass without comment or complaint. The tension between the two had remained thick, even over the passing of time, and neither was tempted to ask about the changes in the others' behavior. Edward only seemed irritated with them and kept to himself, as usual, so the apartment remained abnormally quiet, maintaining some form of peace.
Winry was genuinely surprised to find that the last day of school was only a week away, after catching a loud conversation between a couple of boys in her first class. A little concerned about what she should do with herself during the summer break, she eventually came to the conclusion that she should try getting a job. She was old enough to at least work part time, and it would be useful to have extra money lying around. She made a mental note to take a look at the newspaper once she returned home.
Startled out of her thoughts by the dismissal bell, Winry jerked to attention, gathering her materials and walking out of the room, bypassing a solemn Alphonse as she went. She missed the concerned look he shared with Mei, their eyes turning to follow her disappearing, before they, too, left to go home.
As she was entering her combination into her locker, Winry twitched at the sudden sound of Alphonse's voice.
"Winry?" He sounded unusually timid.
She turned to look at him without answering, almost moved by the distressed expression the younger Elric wore.
"Has my brother done something to you? You've...you've changed," he admitted, bowing his head slightly. Winry dryly wondered to herself why those lines sounded so familiar.
"No," she said quietly, refocusing her attention to opening her locker.
"No?" Alphonse seemed surprised that she had actually responded verbally.
"No, he hasn't," Winry's voice was flat as she collected the notably fewer books and materials she had to take home.
"...please, don't lie to me," he sighed, circling his hand around her wrist as if to keep her anchored there. She tugged it away from him, ignoring the saddened look he gained at the rejection of his touch...or something. Winry couldn't tell exactly, and she didn't really care.
"I'm not lying. It's the truth," she murmured coolly, adding at the last minute, "Al."
"No, it's not," his sad face was beginning to crease in irritation. "Stop lying! You might not care about yourself now, but many others do, you know."
"Name five."
"Well, I do, and Mei-chan, and Pinako-san, and Paninya..." he trailed off as he realized Paninya was too busy being concerned about her own problems to focus on Winry's. Alphonse sighed again. "Point taken, but Winry..."
"I have to go home," she said softly, closing her locker with a gentle click and brushing past him to leave.
She expertly avoided his hand as he tried to catch her by the arm again, and walked with large strides to reach the warm outdoors. Too distracted to appreciate the slightly high temperatures and the clear sky, Winry sub-consciously made her away over to the bike rack, unchaining her bike and pulling it out.
Intentionally veering off in the direction of the library instead of her home, the time it took her to get there was moderate, as the traffic flow had not worsened to its peak. Re-chaining her bike to the library's rack, she casually slung her book bag over her shoulder as she entered, nodding to the librarian sitting at the front desk with a small, fake smile.
"Hello, Winry," she smiled back. Winry nodded, accustomed to the greeting, as she had become a regular; she came in almost every day to study and do her homework, preferring to do it there than at home. No questions were ever asked, and she appreciated that. Finding an empty table near the encyclopedias, Winry did not hesitate to plop herself into a chair, marveling silently at how comfortable the cushion was. Pulling out her needed spirals and textbooks, she diligently set to work, taking as much time as she pleased.
She barely noticed the turning of the clock's hands as she worked, flipping through the long assignments and completing them accordingly. Even taking the time to make sure each response and answer was acceptable or correct, Winry finished three hours after she had arrived. Carefully tucking the materials back into her book bag, Winry hoisted it back over her shoulder and strode quietly over to the 'Teen Fiction' section, wondering if she might find anything worth reading.
Tragedies of the Soul, One Second Left, Only Beautiful, Secret of the Spider, Differing Tides...Winry silently read the titles of the books she glimpsed as she passed through the rows, none of them catching her interest or curiosity. Soon she found herself wandering out of the 'Teen Fiction' and into the 'Children's Books,' which held a few scatted five and six year olds, a three year old or two; each accompanied by their respective parents. Nodding politely to each person she walked by, a book that had been discarded to the floor caught her attention.
The Cat, it was titled.
Picking it up, Winry moved to sit in one of the diminutive chairs, opening the large picture book to the first page. It was simple, obviously, as it was meant for children, and she felt a bit silly reading it. But she decided she didn't mind if she looked foolish, and proceeded on.
'I found a cat. He was dirty and hungry, so I brought him home. I gave him food. I gave him a bath. Even when he wasn't hungry anymore, and he was clean, he didn't like me. The cat ran away. I missed him. But I found him again. He was even hungrier and dirtier. So I took care of him. He stayed longer than before, but he ran away again. I miss him. I hope I see the cat again.'
Winry didn't notice how the people around her began to filter out into the evening air, checking out a few books as they left for home. It was to her embarrassment that a librarian had to come and shake her to remind her, kindly, that it was closing time and she needed to leave. Nodding, Winry set the book down on the little table, and obediently walked outside. She looked back to the library, slightly curious as to why the picture book had seemed so familiar. Shaking her head, Winry hugged herself as a cool wind battered at her clothes, reluctant to go over to her bike.
She really didn't want to go home.
I'm so sorry that this is another filler. XD But it's a little longer than usual...
