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When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom	By : RyokoBlue Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Het - Male/Female Views: 9498 -:- 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
- 12
- 13
- 14
Disclaimer: I never claimed to own this, so guess what.� I
do not!

Summary: When faced with Love�s difficulty, can three people
locked in its hold push aside their fear for the sake of it?� Sequel to Feel
Me, Shame Me, Heal Me.

When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom

Episode 13� Welcome Home

As if in
a trance, Winry lifted her arms and loosely placed them around her
hallucination.� He sure felt solid enough.� �Edward, is it�is it really you?��
She asked her possible insanity.

Edward
smiled and held her tighter, �Yeah, it�s really me.� I�m back.� I�m home.� And
he squeezed his eyes shut in complete joy.

From
around the doorway, Alphonse�s head appeared and Winry�s eyes widened even
more.� �I�m here too, Winry.� He smiled sheepishly, �Did you miss us?�

Winry
shook her head trying to shake these images from her head, �This is
impossible.�� They stood there still.� Edward did not disappear and neither did
Alphonse.

It felt
odd to Edward, as he stood there holding her, she was barely returning the
embrace, surely she would be happy to see him, right?� Also, he could feel it,
something wasn�t right; it was like her heart wasn�t all there.� This was not
the Winry he knew; she has blocked a part of her.� It was strange how he could
feel that right now and instantly.� It seems that he learned more than he
thought through those layers of his heart�s fear.� �Winry, are you all right?�

She
lowered her cheek to his shoulder and sighed deeply, Edward was just as tall as
her now.� �Yeah, I�m just really surprised.� I thought you were gone for good.�
No one knew where you had gone.�

Pulling
back a little bit from her so that he could look her in the eye as well as keep
her in his arms, Edward cracked a half grin. �Al and I were in some kind of
parallel universe.� A friend told me that he read about those in some kind of
book.� That�s the only way to describe where we were that would make sense.�
Everything was similar, yet it seems that science had made more headway than
Alchemy did.� I think it would have been a good place for you, since you like
to learn and build things.� Anyway, we passed and stomached and fought through
tremendous horrors to get back to this world, our home.�� He stared at the
floor for a moment, �Al and I are going to stay this time, we aren�t going
anywhere.�

There
was a masculine cough from behind them, which caused Winry to turn her head and
Edward to look over her shoulder.

Edward
inwardly groaned at the sight of the older looking gentleman, standing there
with arms folded tensely over his chest.� The resemblance to Mustang was very
apparent.� The man gave off a frigid aura and Edward could feel it right down
to the depths of his own soul, he looked to his brother standing next to him
and he was sure Alphonse shivered once.

When the
man spoke, his tone oozed with hostility, �Winry, who are these boys?� He saw
the slightly taller one silently fume.� Just who were these two and why was one
of them holding onto his son�s woman like that?� It made him positively see
red.� He had stood and watched them for a few moments before he had made his
presence known.

Winry
turned around which released her from Edward�s hold.� �These are my childhood
friends, Edward and Alphonse Elric.� She gestured to both of them.� �They had
been gone a long time.�

�They
should have stayed gone.� Gerald�s eyes
narrowed as he approached them, looking both the young men up and down with a
degree of disgust that was obvious to everyone in the room. �Have they now, and
just what made them decide to come back?�� He stared Edward right in the eye,
there was something about this young man that he did not like.

�Just
who do you think you are?� Edward said in a rather scathing tone, �This used to
be mine and Al�s home, so that�s a good enough reason to come back here.� He
growled.

�How dare
you take that tone, young man.� You�d do well to know your place.� Gerald stood
tall and commanding.

Edward
smirked, �I know my place.� Perhaps it is you that needs to know yours.�

The
older Mustang bristled as fury rose and corroded his insides as if acid were
running through his veins.

�Edward!�
Winry shouted, interrupting, �You�re home not even five minutes and all you do
is pick a fight?!�

Stomping
his foot, Edward turned on Winry.� �He started it!� He pointed to the man.

Alphonse
decided it was a good time to jump in and he literally did.� He jumped right in
front of his brother, between him and the General�s father.� �Please forgive
older brother, he�s a little hot tempered.� He tried to soothe, talking to Mr.
Mustang and he saw the older man let out a small, tight breath.

�Well at
least someone has some manners.� I was beginning to think you two had been
raised by wolves the way your older brother behaves.�� Gerald heard Edward�s
low growl.

Edward
angrily crossed his arms over his chest, �of course she always blames me
first.� This guy was the one who started the whole thing.� He mumbled quietly.�
This time instead of continuing the �disagreement� he faced Winry.� �Are me and
my brother still welcome here, Winry?�

Winry
sighed and nodded, �Of course, Edward, why wouldn�t you be?� She could see why
he would ask that, he has been gone a long time and she was sure he was never
coming back.� But this place would always be their home; it was some place they
could always return to.� She felt a tug on the back of her pant leg and she
turned her head seeing Anna and Brian there.� Her eyes widened and her heart
nearly jumped out of her chest.� How was she going to explain them?

�Mama,
who�s that?� Anna pointed to Edward who was standing behind her mother.

�He�s my
brother,� Alphonse said which caused both Anna and Brian to squeal in glee.

�Unca Alfos!�
Both Brian and Anna yelled at the same time and rushed around to see him.�

Alphonse
laughed. �It�s good to see you, boy have you both grown so big.�

Brian
held up five fingers, �We are turning five next Saturday.� He grinned.

�Wow,
really, that is so exciting.� Alphonse replied.

Winry
found Edward to be watching her children curiously, just how was she going to
tell him, this had to be quite the shock in coming home to two little ones like
this.� Maybe Alphonse had told him that she had children.� She walked around
her children and kneeled down to her little ones, placing her hands on both her
children she glanced up at Edward, trying hard to hide her nervousness.�
�Edward, I�d like you to meet, Brian and Anna, they are my children.�

Glancing
at the floor, avoiding Winry�s eyes as well as the twins, he swallowed a hard
breath.� �Guess you�ve been busy while Al and I have been gone.� He smiled
uncomfortably and heard a smooth breath of air leave Winry.� He wasn�t going to
ask about it, she didn�t need to explain.� It wasn�t his place to say anything
positive or negative.�

�Edward,
there is something important that you should know, that I have been keeping
from you for well many years.� Winry took in a harsh breath, �only because I
didn�t want to worry you or that your reactions wouldn�t have been all that
great.� That was an understatement, it would have been chaos.

He shook
his head, and Edward still continued to stare at the floor.� �I don�t need to
know, Winry.� Whatever happened and with who, it�s not important.�

Still
feeling guilty, Winry felt the need to confess everything, but perhaps this was
not the right time, perhaps after Edward and Alphonse had relaxed a little and
settled in, when they felt like they were finally home again, would she say.

Unfortunately,
Gerald was going to let Edward know exactly who those little ones belonged to.�
�Winry, I think you�re old friends are probably hungry and thirsty from their
long journey, how about you go and fetch them something to eat and drink.� The
children can help you.�

Standing
upright, Winry knew what Gerald was going to do, it was plainly obvious.� So
she walked closer to him and leaned closer to his ear and spoke in a low tone
that only Gerald could hear.� �Please don�t say anything about Roy to Edward.� He
doesn�t know about my involvement at all with your son and I want to tell him
myself.� They were not exactly on the best of terms, in fact you could say that
Edward hated him.�

�I will
only say what is necessary,� Gerald replied, �I just want to see where this
young man�s intentions lie, I want to get to know him a little.� He only said
this so that he could crush this new development, there was no way he was going
to let some puny, practically kid, come in and throw all his plans into
tangles.

Winry
nodded, �It�s not like you would have anything to worry about.� I don�t need
protecting from Edward, he�s pretty much been trying to do that for me my whole
life, and I doubt he has intentions other than belonging with a family, which
is all he really ever wanted.�

�So you
say.� Gerald�s eyes shifted over to Edward who stood there with a glare on his
face.� �But I will get to the bottom of it even if I have to mention my son, so
be prepared to answer his questions should he have them.�

�Stubborn
man!� Winry�s head shouted.� She just
hoped he had enough sense to listen to her wishes on this.� She reached down
and took her children by the hands and started with them into the kitchen,
where Jenny currently was.

Once
Winry was gone and out of ear shot, Gerald�s dark eyes narrowed with purpose
and anger.� He took three steps towards the Elrics.� �I am going to make this
one hundred percent clear to you, to both of you.� If you dare even try to
destroy everything I have done here, well let�s just say you will rue the day
you ever took breath.�

Alphonse�s
eyes widened with panic and he held his hands up innocently.� �You�ve got it
all wrong, Sir.� Winry�s our friend we just want to see that she is happy.�

Crossing
his arms over his chest, Edward glared at the older Mustang man with contempt,
�And just what do you mean by everything you have done.� It�s not like you own
Winry or her children, to be able to have a say in anything they do.�

�There
you are wrong, little man.� Gerald�s tone was dark and low, he actually heard
the growling coming from the eldest Elric.� �Those little ones of hers, well
they are also a part of my family, a family right now that is kind of divided,
but not for long.� My son is due to arrive any day now, not that you would know
who that is.�

Edward
stomped his foot, �Stop calling me so small that I�m barely the size of an
ant!� And what do you mean by not for long?� Just so you know� I happen to know
exactly who�s children those brats belong to and I�m not about to let that
bastard come in and destroy Winry�s heart all over again.� I�ll kill him before
I let that happen!� There�s something you should know about Winry, it is the
fact that she is so damn stubborn, once she�s made up her mind about something
its not likely she�ll change it.� Your so-called son has no chance in hell, and
I am certainly going to remain here to stop him.�

The
older Mustang smirked, �Hmm, we shall see, boy.�� He turned his head, �Jenny,
we�re leaving.�� He heard several footsteps and Winry and his wife appeared at
the archway of the kitchen to the living room.� �We�re returning to the hotel
now.� And he headed for the closet door for his coat.� Taking one last long
scalding look at Edward Elric, Gerald said, �Good luck, you�ll need it.� And he
laughed.

Jenny
followed her husband towards the door and turned around to Winry, �We�ll come
by in a few days to give your friends some time to settle in.�� She embraced
Winry tightly.

�Thanks,
Jenny.� Winry replied, her chin crushed against the woman�s shoulder.� �I�ll
see you soon.�

Gerald
covered Jenny�s shoulders with her shawl and they left through the front door.

That
left Winry alone with the Elric brothers and her children.� Her grandmother was
in the workshop currently.

�So��
Winry started and looked away from them uncomfortably.� �What did you two talk
about?�

Before
Edward could utter a single word, Alphonse interjected.� �Just telling us to
mind our manners.�

Winry�s
brow creased in confusion, that certainly didn�t sound like some Gerald would
say, in fact it was probably the complete opposite.� Well whatever it was, she
was sure the brothers didn�t want to talk about it.� Secrets again, always secrets.�
She wanted to tell them her hardest kept secret of them all.� She was going to
stop the secrets, if they weren�t going to be honest with her, well then she�ll
be honest with them.� �Edward, listen to me.� About my children, there is
something you should know.�

Edward
sighed, �You don�t need to confess anything to me Winry, I kind of already
know.�

Gasping
in shock with her hands pressed against her mouth, while taking one step back,
Winry�s eyes widened.� �You�you know, about my children and who�� She saw him
nod effectively cutting her off.� �How do you know?�� She trembled, preparing
for Edward�s tirade.

�Well,
Winry.� After Al told me of something he saw between you and�� He swallowed
hard with disgust, �that no good bastard, I kinda put two and two together.� I
admit that I was disgusted and bitterly angry about it, but I�d come to realize
that it was your life and I really had no say in what you do and who you do.�
His cheeks heated as did Winry�s.� He was not going to tell her the exact truth,
how he witnessed almost every incident of Winry�s strong love for that bastard
General.

�Ed�I,
I�m sorry.� She hung her head in guilt.

From the
archway the twins were listening to their mother�s conversation.�

Brian�s
eyes narrowed hard, �Unca Edwa is making Mama sad.� He didn�t like it when
people made his mother cry.

�Yeah,�
Anna said with just as much anger in her tone.� �We can�t let that happen, we
need to protek Mama.�

And the
twins walked away from the doorway back to their milk and chocolate chip
cookies at the table.

�Don�t
be sorry, Winry.� Alphonse said, �It�s not your fault.�

She
shook her head, �Oh, Al, you don�t know the half of it.� If you did, you both
would be so disappointed in me.� You�d hate me.� Tears drizzled down her cheeks.

Edward
stepped closer, wanting to reach out to her. �Winry, we could never hate you.� No
matter what.� We�re you�re friends, your best friends.� Thinking that we�d hate
you is silly.� Now I can hate Mustang, but never could you be hated.�

Winry
lifted her head and smiled through her tears, but it seemed her smile didn�t
quite reach her eyes.� �I�m so glad you and Al are home.� It just wasn�t the
same without you two around.�

�We�re
here to stay this time, Winry.� Alphonse promised.� �No more running off to who
knows where.� Brother fulfilled his promise to me, my original body is back.��
He looked to his brother.� �But his isn�t.�

�That�s
okay, Al.� He glanced down at his artificial arm and leg.� �It�s sort of become
a part me, but I could sure use some of your fine work, Winry.� I don�t have
any money to pay you though.�

Laughing,
Winry shook her head.� �Oh, Ed, I thought you�d never ask me!�� Oh and you
don�t need to pay me this time, but you will for every future maintenance.�
Only because I know you and I know how reckless you can be.�

Edward
laughed.

Taking a
glance at the clock on the wall, Winry noticed it was after nine.� �Oh, its way
past Anna and Brian�s bed time, I better put them to bed.�

�Can I
do it?� Alphonse asked.

With a
soft smile, Winry nodded.� �All right, if you want.� Just remember, don�t let
them trick you.� They have to wash their faces and brush their teeth.� Their
pajamas are in the top drawer of the dresser.� Brian�s bed is the one with the
blue bed spread that has stars on it and Anna�s is the one with the purple bed
spread that has moons on it.�

Alphonse
nodded quickly and headed into the kitchen to retrieve the twins.

Winry
could hear her babies and Alphonse laughing and talking, she then turned
towards Edward.� �Yours and Al�s room is still the same, Ed.�

�Thanks,
Winry.� He watched her closely, she had really grown up while he was away.�
�It�s so good to be home.�

�Well
I�ll let you go and rest, I should get started on your automail.�� She
grinned.�

Edward
gave her a quick nod with a smile of his own and he headed towards the stairs.�
He watched as Winry headed to the back door in the kitchen for the workshop.

Pinako
was turning screws in a leg when the door opened and her granddaughter stepped
in.� �Are the twins in bed?� She asked pleasantly.

�Grandma,
Ed and Al came back, they�re here right now.� She walked to the workbench and
sat on the vacant school.� �Al�s helping Brian and Anna to bed.�

Pinako
sat the screwdriver down on the bench and turned to Winry, �and how do you feel
about that.�

Winry
picked up a hammer and inspected it carefully as if she had never seen one
before.� �I�m happy that they are home.� It�s just, I had given up hope that
they would ever come back.� Oh, Grandma, what was I suppose to do, wait
forever?� I couldn�t do that, and the moment I stop waiting for them, putting
them in the past, they come waltzing up.� She dropped the hammer and gripped
the front of the stool tightly, her chin falling to her chest as her hair fell
over her face, hiding it from her grandmother�s view.� �It feels like I don�t
deserve to have them in my life, I just cast them aside.�

�You�re
being much too hard on yourself, kiddo.� I know they wouldn�t have expected you
to keep on waiting.� You had to do what was right for yourself.�� She moved off
the stool and headed for the door.� �It�s a good thing that the Elrics are
back.� Your dear friends have finally come home.� I know you have been waiting
for this for a long time now, Winry.�

Turning
her head towards her grandmother, Winry smiled.� �Yeah, I am glad that they are
home.� I really missed them.�� She moved her loose hair behind her ear.� �Ed
needs new Automail.� Her sapphire eyes lit up brightly, �I�m going to get
started on it now.� Ed will see how much I�ve learned about Automail.� That set
I gave him before he disappeared I thought was my best work, now I know that
wasn�t true, this will be my best work!� She said in excitement.

Pinako
grinned, knowing that everyone�s best work always changed and improved. ��Have
fun.� And she left the workshop.

After
getting all her tools and supplies out to build the best Automail limbs in
history! Winry leaned on the heel of her hand, which was propped up by her
elbow on the bench.� �Welcome home, Ed and Al.�� She finally had her family
back.� What more could she hope for?

=======

Well I�m finally back from my trip and I hope you all
enjoyed this episode/chapter.� Ed and Al are back and Winry is so happy.� When
she thinks all is going well, trouble is about to take hold.� Read to find out
just what this trouble is.� Stay tuned�

Thanks for reading,

Ryoko Blue
- 12
- 13
- 14
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When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom