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Descent	By : ZaKai Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 14665 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Descent

Chapter Eleven

Advice

Pinako Rockbell stood outside Winry�s door and frowned.� She could hear the soft sounds of sobbing
within.� She sighed and knocked lightly
on the door.�

�Who is it?� Winry called from inside.�

Pinako shook her head and smiled at the girl�s attempt at
sounding normal.� �It�s me.��

�Come in.�

The old woman opened the door, closed it quietly behind her
and looked around.� Winry�s room was
never tidy.� There were always screws and
bolts and tools lying around.� Pinako shook
her head again in affection.� How many
times had she told the girl to keep things in their proper places?

She made her way to the bed where her grand daughter lay
with her back facing the door.� Winry was
shaking slightly; trying hard not to show she was crying.� An occasional sniffle sounded; another sign
of her distress.

Pinako sat on the bed and laid a hand on Winry�s back.� �Why don�t you tell me what�s wrong?�� She invited.�

Winry shook her head.�
�I can�t.� It�s stupid.� It�s nothing��

�Don�t be silly, child,� Pinako said gently.

The young mechanic turned over onto her other side and put
her arms around her grandmother.� �Oh granny!� Why
hasn�t he called?� she sobbed.� �Is he
ever going to come back?��

Pinako smiled sadly.�
She had a feeling their conversation was going to go this way.� �That is a good question Winry, but I don�t
know if I can answer it.� That boy has
always been a stubborn one.�

�Doesn�t he care at all about us?� Doesn�t he know that we�re worried about
him?� she cried.

Pinako stroked her grand daughter�s hair.� �I�m sure he knows we care.� If I could tell you what goes on in that boy�s
head, I would, but I can�t,� she paused, then said,
�You care for him very much, don�t you?�

Winry nodded and sniffled.�

The old woman sighed the sigh of
those who have already been through the drama of young love.� All the years those two boys were roaming the
country side, Winry waited for them to come home.� When they did visit, it was impossible to not
notice the look of adoration in her eyes for the short blond.�

Impossible, unless you were Edward Elric.

�What about Alphonse?� Pinako asked.� �You care about him too, don�t you?�

Winry looked down, and nodded.�

The old woman nodded to herself; just as she had
thought.� When Al�s soul had still been
attached to that hunk of metal, the young mechanic had only had eyes for the
older of the brothers.� Pinako could only
imagine that she would be the same way.�
After all, it would be difficult to develop romantic feelings for a suit
of armor.� But just as Winry�s feelings
for Ed had been obvious, her feelings for Al were not too hard to see either.

Pinako chuckled and thought, That is, unless you were Alphonse Elric.

The old woman was sure Al had noticed Winry�s feelings
toward his older brother each time they visited during their searching
years.� Pinako frowned.� She was also sure that Ed had noticed Winry�s
recently developing feelings for Al.� The
short woman could only guess that Ed�s anger toward Winry had something to do
with that situation.�

Not because he returned Winry�s feelings, Pinako had never
seen that look in his eye, but because Al was spending an increasing amount of
time with the young mechanic, and less with him.� She was sure Ed was used to having Al around
him almost all the time.� They had lived
for each other.� Now though, it was
different.� Alphonse was free to live his
life; he didn�t need to be with Ed
all the time.� ��

Truly it was a sad situation.�

To her aging eyes it had been obvious how much Ed had depended
on Al to be there.� Al was the constant
factor in his life.� Pinako could only
imagine the feelings of loneliness and abandonment the short alchemist must
have felt; must still be feeling.�

Pinako sighed sadly.�
She had seen it, but done nothing.�
She had left it for the two boys to figure out, thinking that because of
the close relationship they had always shared, things would turn out for the
better without her interference.�

Being old didn�t exempt one from being wrong, she supposed.

�I�m going to let you in on a little secret,� Pinako
whispered.

Winry looked up expectantly.

�Alphonse cares about you too.� Very much.� I�ve seen it in his eyes, in the way he looks
at you, how he treats you, how he reacts when you enter the room.�

�He does?�

The old woman nodded.

Winry seemed to think on this for a moment, then said, �But�
what about Ed?�

The truth is hard.� Pinako thought sadly, then
continued.� �Edward� �� She shook her head.� �I�m sorry Winry, but I�ve never seen any
indication that he feels that way toward you.�
He cares about you, I�m sure, but not like
that.�

Winry�s lower lip trembled and Pinako squeezed her
hand.� �You think about it.� You�re a strong girl; a smart girl.� You�ll figure out what to do.�

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed looked up when a timid knock sounded at the door.� He wasn�t sure if he should open it or not
since he didn�t live there, but when the knock sounded again, he closed the
book, walked to the door and opened it.

An old woman stood there with a bag in her hand.� She looked startled for a moment, then checked the number on the door.� Satisfied that she was at the right place,
she said, �Is Roy here?��

Ed shook his head, and replied, �No, he went out for a
while.� Can I help you?�

She sighed and held up the bag.� Whatever was inside made a clinking
noise.� �Well� I broke this plate and I
was going to ask him to fix it for me.��

The poor old woman looked so dejected that he said, �Well, I
can fix it for you.�

She smiled in relief and he moved out of the way for her to
step inside.�

�Are you his neighbor or something?� Ed asked after she had
given him the bag with the broken plate in it.

�I suppose you could say that. I own these apartments and I
live in the one on the end,� she said, waving her hand vaguely in one
direction.�

Ed nodded, then set the bag on the
table.� He opened it, clapped his hands
together, then touched the shards.� When he was finished, he pulled the plate out
and let her examine it.

�Oh!� she exclaimed in delight.� �That was so fast!� You didn�t even draw anything.�

�That�s right,� Ed said smugly.�

�Well thank you young man,� she patted him on the arm, then said, �Who are you anyway?�

He paused, not sure what to say, then decided on, �Just a
friend of Mustang�s�

At that, she smiled and exclaimed, �Oh good!� I�m so glad that young man has finally found
himself a friend!�

Her words surprised him and he started laughing.�

She looked at him seriously over her spectacles.� �I mean it.�
The only people I ever see visiting him are those military people he
works with, and even then it isn�t often.�

Ed shook his head.�
�Well, I�m in the military too.�

Her eyes widened.�
�No!� Not a little boy like you.�

This woman has a death
wish, Ed thought grimly and said in a flat tone, �I�m seventeen, and I am in the military.� I�m Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist.�

She nodded.� �Oh yes,
I do remember hearing of a short alchemist with that title.�� Ed was about to start telling the woman off,
but her next words stopped him cold.�
�But I had heard your brother traveled with you in a suit of armor.� Is he here too?�

Al...

�No,� he whispered.

She looked at him in concern.� �Are you alright?� You�ve gone pale.�

He looked away from her and murmured, �Yeah� I guess I just
don�t feel well.� I�m sorry.�

She patted him again on the arm.� �Well you should lie down young man.�� She walked to the door and opened it.� �Thank you for fixing this plate for me, and
you tell that Roy
to come and visit me when he has some time, alright?�

Ed nodded mutely and watched her leave.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

The bar was empty except for the bartender behind the
counter.� They set their grocery sacks
under their stools before sitting down.

The barkeep, a thin man who looked to be in his fifties,
approached them.� �Wet day out today, ain�t it?�

Hawkeye nodded and said pleasantly, �It is, you�re lucky not
to be out in it.�

�Maybe so, but it�s been purdy
quiet since this here storm has come on in.��
He looked them over then said, �Well then, ya�ll lookin� for some lunch or
just somethin� to warm ya
up?�

�Just something to warm us up,� Roy answered.

The barkeep nodded.�
�So what can I get for ya?�

�I�ll take a Hot Peppermint Chocolate,�(1)� Hawkeye said immediately.�

The thin man smiled and said cheerfully, �That should warm ya right up.�� He
turned to Roy.� �An� for you?��

�Long Island Iced Tea.�(2)

The barkeep nodded, then left to
make the drinks.

For a few minutes neither of them spoke, then
Hawkeye said, �Roy,
you know you don�t have to talk about it if you don�t want to.� Outside of work, I�m your friend.� You know that.� I�m here to listen if you need, or to just be here if you�d rather.�

Roy
nodded.� It was true.� He had known her for a long time, even before
the war.� They had also fought together
in Ishbal.� She
was probably one of the few people that really knew him well� Sometimes he
thought she knew him better than he knew himself.

He cleared his throat.�
�No� I think I do want to talk about it.�
I guess I�m just having trouble knowing where to start��

�Why don�t you start with Ed?� I think that�s what�s really bothering you
here.��

He looked at her for a moment before saying, �Are you
charging me for this?�

Smiling slightly, she shook her head and said, �Never mind,
I can see you aren�t comfortable talking about it.�

�No.� No� I�m sorry
Riza.�

Roy
let out a sigh and began.� �Ed�Well,
basically one minute he can be acting almost normal, the next he�s either
yelling, or crying or he just stares off at nothing.� He�ll hardly eat anything; that by itself is
enough to make anyone worry.� I�ve tried
getting him into a conversation so I can ask about Al, but he cuts off all my
attempts.�

�Have you asked him straight out about Alphonse?�

Roy
shook his head.� �No.� Frankly I�m nervous to bring him up at all.�� Roy
told her about the nightmare the first night Ed had been there, although he
left out the part where he had comforted the boy.� By the time he had finished, the barkeep
arrived with the drinks.�

Hawkeye nodded, sipped at her drink, then
asked, �What else?�

�He keeps talking about how much he wants to die,� Roy said, unable to keep
the pain out of his voice.

�I see�� she said, concern written in her features.

��So� what do I do?� he
finally asked.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the phone.�

�I heard your brother
traveled with you...�

�Yeah� He did�� Ed said to no one.

He laid his hand on the phone�s cool surface.

Al...

Ed didn�t even know how Al was doing� He didn�t know� That
night he had hurt Al; hurt him really bad. �What had happened after he�d left?� He felt so ashamed of what he�d done.� There was no way they would want him in their
life again; not when he could just turn on them like that��

Ed shook his head.�
No.� The best thing he could do
now was stay away.� He had already caused
Al too much trouble for one lifetime.

He bit his lip, trying to make himself pick up the phone.

Every night he dreamt that Al died from the fight; that
there were complications and they weren�t able to save him.

He had to know�

Even if he never saw them again, even if they didn�t want
him around, he had to know.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Hawkeye sighed and looked at him with a considering
expression on her face.� �Well.� This is how I see things.� Ed is a very troubled young man.� His father left the family at a young
age.� His mother died when he was ten,
leaving him to care for his younger brother.�
Then there was the transmutation�� She looked at him meaningfully, not wanting
to go into the details of the failed human transmutation out loud.

Roy
nodded and she continued.� �Then the
trauma of losing his limbs, and being responsible for what happened to
Al.�� Another
meaningful look.� �Then becoming a
State Alchemist at the age of twelve and all the problems that have come with
it; problems that would be hard for even adults to bear.� He�s made a lot of dangerous enemies over the
years that have been after his life, like the homunculi.� There have been several times that he�s been
tricked, used, beaten, and almost killed.�
He�s seen people die, and people have died because they were trying to
help him.��

Roy
nodded, took a sip, then looked at his drink.� He had already drunk half the glass�

�All of that, and he is only seventeen.� His life has been one big whirlwind of chaos
and confusion.�

�Yes, but,� Roy
interrupted. ��He�s never been this
unstable before.�

She nodded.� �He�s had
to push all his feelings aside to accomplish his goals; he�s had something to
focus on with getting Al his body back, but now� Well he�s done what he set out
to do, and life is comparatively quiet now.�
He�s not always on the run, trying to find the next lead.� All those pent up feelings have to catch up
eventually, right?��

He nodded, remembering how things had been for him during
the war.� It had been hard while he was
there, but the true nightmare began when he returned from the battlefield.�� The people he had killed haunted not only
his dreams, but his waking hours as well.�
The fear in their eyes just before he killed them wouldn�t leave
him.� He could still hear their screams;
could still see the charred and mangled corpses��

During the war he didn�t have time to think about them all.� He was numb to it all.� He would push himself until he was exhausted,
then he�d collapse and sleep like the dead; sleep without dreams.� It had all happened so fast. �Afterward, when there was time, his mind made
him revisit every detail.� That�s when he
had started drinking heavily.� He�d been
drunk most of the time those first few months.�
He had tried to kill himself, but couldn�t find the courage.� He had even tried to come up with a theory
for human transmutation; as if he could bring them all back.� But all that was in the past��

He was much better now�

Really�

�Yeah, I see what you�re getting at,� he said softly.

She looked at him sympathetically, then
said, �I think Ed should get some help.�

�I can help him.�

She gave him a doubtful look.

�What?�

Sighing she said, �Roy�you�ve always wanted to help Ed and
Al in any way you could, but I think this would be better left to a
professional.� From what you�ve said, it
sounds to me as if he could use some time in the mental ward at the hospital so
they can watch him; make sure he doesn�t do anything to hurt himself.�

Roy
shook his head.� �I don�t think he�d be
willing to do that.� I can look after
him, I�ll just have him do office work for a while and he can keep staying at
my place� What?�� Roy asked defensively at the unsettled look
on her face.

�Roy,�
she said hesitantly.� �I really don�t
think it�s a good idea.�� Her eyes
glanced at his now empty glass before coming back to look at him.

He noticed she had drunk less than a fourth of her drink.

Roy
was beginning to feel a little angry.� He
did not have a drinking problem.� Maybe he�d had one after the war, but not
now.� He was sober most of the time.� Of course, he was almost always at work, but
if he decided to drink a little bit while he was off duty, what did it matter?�

�You and Ed have never really gotten along very well,� the
blond woman began, but Roy
cut her off.

�We�re getting along just fine.�

The blonde woman shook her head.� �I just don�t think it�s a very good
idea.� His emotions are too raw and
tender right now.� He�s extremely
vulnerable and needs someone to guide him and help him with his problems;
someone in a neutral position to advise him and counsel him.� He doesn�t need an alcho��
Hawkeye cut off what she was about to say, though whether it was because she
didn�t want to continue what she was saying or because she saw him motion to
the bartender, he didn�t know.�

Scowling, she stood up, and grabbed her bag.

�You�re leaving?� Roy
asked.

��I need to go.� I�m sorry if I couldn�t be more help.�

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm.� �Wait.�
Riza� I was only going to order some water,� he lied.

The blond woman looked at him with a hurt expression on her
face and he suddenly felt ashamed.� He
knew that she knew he was lying.� She�s just too damn perceptive...

She sighed and looked away from his gaze.� �I�ll see you tomorrow, Roy.� �

He let go of her arm and watched her walk out the door.� Turning back, he picked up his glass before
he realized it was empty.� Setting it
down, he put his head in his hands.� Why
had he said that?� He didn�t have a
problem; he didn�t need to defend himself.�

Frustrated, Roy
stood up, and grabbed his bag.� He didn�t
have a problem, and she didn�t know about him and Ed, he told himself.� He was about to leave when he turned back,
picked up Hawkeye�s almost full mug and drained it before stalking out the
door.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Al set the book he�d been reading down on the table and
frowned.� Winry had been avoiding him all
day.� He�d wanted to apologize to her,
though exactly what he was going to
apologize about was beyond him.� Maybe he
would just say that he was sorry he had been a jerk.� It seemed like a pretty safe thing to
apologize for.� He�d thought all day
about what he could have said that was so horrible and couldn�t think of
anything.� But she had said that he was
being a jerk, so he must have done something
wrong.

Pinako had told him to just give Winry some time, and to not
take her so seriously.� He was trying to
do that, but not succeeding very well.

When the phone rang, he jumped a little in surprise.� Picking up the receiver, Al said in a dejected
voice, �Hello?�

When no one answered on the other line, Al�s forehead
crinkled in confusion.�

�Hello?� he repeated.

Again, no answer.�

He swallowed and hesitantly whispered, �Ed�?�

There was a click, then the line
went dead.�

�--

1)� A warm drink
consisting of Hot Chocolate and Rumple Minze.� Rumple Minze, or Rumpleminze, is a 100 proof German schnapps with a very
strong peppermint flavor.� Served in an Irish coffee cup.

2) A drink containing � oz each of Vodka, Light Rum, Gin,
and Tequila; juice of � lemon, and a splash of Coca-Cola for color.� Served in a highball glass and decorated with
a slice of lemon.

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Descent