Okay, back with another chapter. And yes, Winry, Roy, and Al finally get back into the scene. Heh, sorry for the long delay on what was happening with them ((you guys have been asking me about that for several chapters, hehe)) it's just that there was so much to talk about with Ed. Now I can finally get back to the rest of them. Oh, and just to avoid confusion, the first scene of this chapter takes place a few days in the past, and the next scene jumps back to the present. Hope that clears a few things up, heh.
Disclaimer: Um...I don't want to use the dual Eds today...oh wait, this isn't the dual Eds story! Yeah! "No, use us!" said Ed one. Ed two remained silent, not sure of what to say, so I just shook my head and reminded them of how much they hated it when I DID use them in my stories, so they both shrugged and walked away, back to their own story.
...Oh, and I don't own FullMetal Alchemist either.
Winry sat on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. She obscured her face by occasionally placing it on her knees, and letting out sobs big enough to shake her whole body. She was worried; anyone could tell that. Ed hadn't come back for several days, and she was getting more concerned with each passing day. This just wasn't like Ed. He normally would have at least made a phone call or something, to tell them where he was, and that they didn't have to worry about him...though they still would have, of course, just not as deeply as they were now.
She lifted her head at the sound of heavy footsteps coming into the room. That must've been Colonel Mustang coming back from his search. Had he found anything? She looked up into the man's face, hoping to find some answers. One look at the girl's tear-streaked face, and Roy hung his head. How could he face her? There were times when even people that appeared tough felt helpless, and Roy never felt strong in the presence of women, even though he pretended to.
"I'm sorry," he said, "We don't have any leads on FullMetal's whereabouts yet. I've got men scouting the entire area, so rest assured that the instant I find anything, I'll give you a report." Winry nodded her head, but didn't respond verbally. She didn't seem a bit consoled by the Colonel's words. Roy sighed, understanding why she was so hesitant to accept any comfort, and then sat down next to her on the couch, hoping that it wouldn't bother her that he did so.
He reached his hand over and squeezed her knee. "I understand your concerns. We're doing everything we can to find him." He paused and licked his lips. Should he tell her? Even he wasn't supposed to know, let alone a civilian like Winry. Ah, what the heck. "Miss Rockbell...I wasn't supposed to know this, but I somehow managed to find out that the Fuhrer had plans to send FullMetal to the front lines in the near future. Of course, that's almost like a death sentence. Maybe his disappearance now was providential...he has a better chance of survival now than he would in the Fuhrer's hands. Winry stared at the man in shock, not quite sure what to say. Roy looked at her for a moment, and then quickly cleared his throat, and said, "But you didn't hear that from me." Winry nodded. Of course she wouldn't tell anyone!
"Thank you," said Roy with a half-smile. He pushed himself up from the couch and stretched his arms over his head. "I guess that I'd better get back to the search. I'll let you know if anything comes up, okay?" He looked at Winry's face once more, and she nodded and returned a half-smile. Roy bowed to her, as he was always trying to be polite with the ladies, and then he left the room. He really hoped he could keep his promise to her.
Ed finally calmed down and came into the room where Sylvia was still waiting. She wasn't sure if she should apologize to him or not, though they probably actually both owed an apology to each other, but Ed didn't bother to waste the time dealing with apologies. "So, uh...how long, according to your...theory...will I have these legs?"
Sylvia blinked a couple times. He obviously didn't fully agree with the astrological concepts she had been talking about, but he wasn't totally bashing it this time either, and was being more open. That was a good start. "Um...I'm guessing that you'll have them until the next full moon...which is about two weeks away."
Edward stood and whistled. Two weeks? That wasn't very long. If he could somehow manage to get to the ocean before he transformed again, it would be a lot easier on him, and everyone else. He was just never meant to live on land, which was painful for him to think about, since everyone he knew and loved lived on land. He thrust his hands in his pockets and pawed at the floor with the toe of his shoe, as though he were thinking about something. "I guess that I need to get to town as soon as possible, so that I can try and catch a train. I've got to get to the ocean as soon as possible."
"Not without me, you're not!" Sylvia stood up suddenly, eyes adamant, and she crossed her arms over her chest to drive the message home even clearer. "You tend to attract trouble for yourself. You need someone to accompany you to keep you safe on your trip." Ed half-sighed, half-growled, and looked away from her. Why did everyone seem to think he couldn't take care of himself? He hadn't been able to talk Al into not going on their four year journey either, though he had been grateful for Al's constant presence. He really wished that people would let him grow up though. He could take care of himself.
Sylvia went over to the wall, where several things were hanging on some hooks placed there, and she grabbed a coat and a scarf which she bound around her head and neck. "Come on," she said to Edward, "There are no cars around here, since we're out in the middle of nowhere, but my neighbor has a carriage that he lets me use sometimes when I go to town." She caught the look on Edward's face, which was something along the lines of total disbelief at the lack of technology here, and she laughed in response. "Hey, a horse-drawn carriage is more capable of handling the rough terrain around here than a car would be." Edward nodded. Okay, fine, he'd accept that possibility, but it would still be kind of weird to him. He had only been on horse-drawn carriages a few times in the past few years, and the rest of the time, he had travelled by car or train.
Without further ado, Edward grabbed one of Sylvia's father's jackets and slipped it around himself. He'd take the buggy to town, and then find a phone, so he could call Al and Winry and tell them he was alright, and also try and get himself a ride on a train. He didn't have any money at the moment, and he didn't have his silver watch to prove his identity, since he had left that back in Rizenbul, but he was sure he'd find a way somehow. Heck, people were oftentimes willing to do him favors if he would repair things for them, especially in small towns like the one he was going to.
Back at the Rockbell residence, the phone rang. Al called that he would get it, and he rushed to answer the phone. He sighed and then picked up the receiver. Chances were good that it was going to just be the Colonel or one of the other military personnel again, trying to check up on them, and Winry really didn't need to deal with that at the moment. She was stressed enough as it was without them compounding it. "Hello, Rockbell residence," he said into the phone.
"Al? Al, is that you? It's so good to finally hear your voice again!" came the voice on the other end of the line.
Al gasped. He would know that voice anywhere, even if he wasn't used to hearing it get filtered through a phone line. "Brother? What- Where are you? Are you okay? Why did you disappear without warning?" His questions came in a rapid-fire sequence, one right after the other, giving no time to Ed to even attempt to answer.
While Al was busy with his rapid-fire questions, Winry happened to walk into the room. She had heard the phone ring, and she'd heard every word on Al's side of the conversation. Was it Ed on the other end of the line? Where was he? "Al, is that Ed?" Al got a bit disoriented, trying to keep up with both of the people that were talking to him, but he managed to nod to Winry. At this, she practically shrieked, and began rattling off a lot of questions that she wanted to ask Ed, though she wasn't the one on the phone, so poor Al was trying to simultaneously keep up with Ed while tuning Winry out, without being rude, if possible. He really couldn't blame her for her excitement though.
After a moment, Al once again asked, "Brother, where are you?"
Ed paused a moment, and then replied, "I...uh...don't remember what this town is called..." It sounded like he was about to find out, when suddenly, there was in the background the sound of a train conductor calling for people to board. Al listened as closely to what was being said as possible...anything that could give him any sort of clue as to his brother's whereabouts would be great. However, even that was interrupted by the sound of a girl's voice coming and telling Ed to get off the phone, so Ed quickly said goodbye and then hung up.
Al placed the receiver down on the cradle and sighed. That had been a very short conversation, sadly...but at least he now knew for sure that his brother was alive. That, at least, was some consolation. Winry walked up to the boy who was still standing hunched over the phone, with his hand still on the receiver, and she placed her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Did you find out where he is?"
Al shook his head. "No, I didn't really...but I did get a clue, at least. He boarded a train, which is why he had to get off so suddenly, and I was able to hear some of the cities the conductor shouted. I didn't get to hear much, because some girl came and interrupted him, but I heard enough to conclude that he's going west."
"West?" said Winry, in a bit of a state of shock, "Why west? Is he trying to return to Central?"
Al shook his head. He didn't know much about the situation himself, but he at least knew that much. "He's either already past Central, or he's about to pass it. Either way, I don't think he's returning to the military headquarters. If anything, I think he might be running from it, though I'm not sure why."
Winry hung her head. She wasn't sure if she should tell Al what Colonel Mustang had told her. For all she knew, maybe Ed had found out about it somehow, and was running away to avoid being killed. She shook her head at her own thoughts. No, that wasn't like Ed either. He never ran away from responsibility, even if it meant certain death. Ed was anything but a shirker. There had to be another explanation.
Winry looked back up at Al. The boy had enough to worry about as it was. He didn't need to know this new piece of information...not just yet, anyway. "So, Al...what are you planning to do now?" Al gave her a look that said 'how did you know I was planning to do anything?' but it was easy for her to tell. She always knew what was going on in the minds of these two brothers. Well, she always knew how they were feeling, but she couldn't necessarily tell what they were thinking. That was rather a pain, because those two never seemed to be willing to spill their thoughts to her.
Al studied her face for a moment, a bit unsure as to what he should say. He knew he couldn't just leave and say nothing. His brother may have done that at times, but that wasn't the way he worked. He cleared his throat, causing Winry to raise an eyebrow as she waited for him to talk. "I..." he paused. He still wasn't sure what to say, but he knew he needed to say something, since Winry was standing there, waiting for him to say it. "I need to go and catch a westbound train, and try and catch up with Brother."
He moved to leave the room, but Winry positioned herself in his path so that he couldn't get past her. He hands went to her hips, and she sent a dagger-like glare. "How can you just leave me here right now when we don't even know where he is? Do you think I want to lose you too?" She tried to retrain herself, but before long, she had started crying, right in front of Al. She felt stupid for having to do that, but she couldn't help it. She just couldn't hold it back anymore.
Al came and wrapped his arms around her, and gently eased her face into his shoulder, encouraging her to cry it all out. He understood what it was like to feel separated and helpless from those you loved, so he didn't blame her for her reaction at all. This was the sort of reaction he'd probably have given if the tables were turned, but he had to go and find Ed, wherever he was. Ed had a habit of getting himself into trouble when Al wasn't around, so the chances of his arriving home safely very likely depended on Al's finding him and bringing him back home.
He continued to console Winry until she had finally calmed down sufficiently. She didn't have to say anything for Al to realize that she knew that he was still planning to go through with the plan to find Ed, and that she couldn't do anything about it. All he same, Al wanted her to know that he cared, and that he would most certainly be back, and with his brother if at all possible. He gave her one last hug, and then left the room. He had a lot of planning to do.
Hope that you liked that. Leave me some reviews, and tell me what you think. Suggestions and comments are especially welcome, as they give me clues on what I want to do with the story. There's still a part of the story I'm quite foggy on, so anything to help me clear that part up would be wonderful, hehe.