Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist in whole or in part. No profit is being made from this venture. It is for my own amusement and (hopefully) that of the readers.


He's not coming back.

For the longest time, she simply refused to believe it. She stood there, just waiting for him.

He had to come out of that city. She didn't know how she would survive without him. And so, even when her heart was pounding, even when every pulse in her veins screamed "Nevermore!", she clung to that phantom dream of happiness; that evanescent hope of Ed's return.

Still, deep down inside, she knew the truth.

He's not coming back.

Deep in her bones, in the trembling of her calloused hands, she read the truth of his leaving. There was nothing in that underground city.

Nothing but death.

He's not coming back.

And so when Al returned—his body whole, his memory half gone—it was only the confirmation of what she already knew. But still she screamed.

Pain.

Loss.

Betrayal.

More than words can say defined her tormented wails. She was broken.

Shattered.

Defeated.

He's not coming back.


Alphonse Elric.

The boy that he left behind.

For nearly four years she cared for him as best she could. It was painful, seeing him age over the years. He looked so much like him. Over time, Al tried to emulate him as well. The boy tried to stand in for the brother he barely remembered.

It hurt.

But she couldn't—wouldn't tell him no. Al wasn't the only one who needed to hold onto that phantasmal hope.

After a while, she started to heal. One couldn't really be sad when Al was around. But healing was both slow and painful. It took time.

Time she never had.


He came back.

Such a turmoil of emotions! The words both ripped her apart and held her shattered soul in one piece.

When she found him, lying there beneath the rubble, he was happy to see her, but that feeling was back.

It was the same feeling she'd had so many years before, when she thought he'd died.

He's not staying. He'll leave again. And this time, he won't come back.

And so she kept her emotions on a tighter leash than before, and forced back the tears flooding her eyes.

And then he left; this time taking Al with him.

And Winry was left alone once more.


Author's Note: Well... I'm pretty sure I just destroyed that, but I value input, as always. Please feel free to criticize (constructively!). Even just a two second one-liner helps me to shift back into gear. So... love it? Hate it? Let me know, please.