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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
- 13
- 14
- 15
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 14�A Heart to Heart

The
train�s wheels clattered on the track. Roy Mustang propped his chin up with his
hand by resting his elbow on the thin windowsill.� He glanced out at the world
going by.� Anyone looking at him would see a calm, collected man.� But on the
inside, the man was feeling everything except calm, he held within a rage of
emotional torture.�

�Friday
afternoon he had gotten a telegram, and surprisingly, it was from his father.�
It had taken Roy another day to decide to open it, now he was regretting that decision.
He should have opened it right away.�� It had turned out that his parents had
been visiting Winry and from the sound of the telegram she sounded deathly ill
or badly hurt.� It wasn�t really expressed what had happened to her as it was
only one line and really vague.� He hadn�t waited, he told Hawkeye to book him
a train immediately, as the only solution had been was to go and see Winry.� To
see what was wrong and if there was anything he could do.� If she needed a doctor
he would get her the best medical attention available, money was no object.�

His
imagination had been running rampant with all the terrible things that could
possibly be happening to her.� Maybe she had been trying to tell him that she
was sick, that she only had a little time left when she had come to Central
three years ago.� But he had just been stubborn and said no to seeing her.� He
shouldn�t have!� He should have let go of his self-hatred and gone to her.

�Now he
might be too late.

Ice
traveled up his spine as he thought more about it.� He did not wish to see her
name on a headstone beside her mother�s in the Resembool graveyard.� That idea
brought a sick feeling to invade within, even worse than his guilt.� �Don�t
die, wait for me, Winry.� I�m on my way.�� It had already taken more than a
day to get even close to Resembool.� Had it always taken this long to get
there? Most likely it had, but right now he was so agitated and worried that it
seemed like it was taking longer.� Only another six hours to go and he would be
in the rural city of Resembool.

�Who�s
ready for another apple-cinnamon pancake?� Winry�s cheery voice carried through
the kitchen.� She had two frying pans on the stove, one had four buttermilk
pancakes and the one directly in front of her held her special apple-cinnamon
recipe that she had come up with one day by accident.

�Me,
me!� Brian said, thrusting his little fork and spoon in the air.� Syrup stained
all around his lips.

Anna
clapped, �Mama, make it jump in the air.� She replied with excitement.� She
noticed that Uncles Alphonse and Edward were also eager to see the trick.

With a
small giggle, Winry pulled the frying pan off the stove when it was firm enough
and with a strong grip of the handle she tossed the pancake in the air and it
flipped before landing on its other side.� The whole table erupted in cheers,
and she bowed to their applause.

�Why,
thank you, I had been practicing that for years now.� Winry said with one eye
closed and a bright smile on her face as she returned the pancake to the fire
to let it cook more firmly before giving it to her son.

The back
door opened and in walked Pinako, �Don�t forget, Winry, about the Abbots� down
the street this afternoon.� You need to go and make some adjustments to the man�s
arm, he busted the elbow again and the screws came out.�� She helped herself to
some of the buttermilk pancakes and sat down at the table.

Winry
smiled, �I won�t forget.�� she knew that it wasn�t entirely Mr. Abbot�s fault
that his arm needed adjustments.� He was a full time farmer and he�s always
working out in the hot sun, lifting heavy loads, plowing his wheat and corn
fields.� His sweet corn crops were the best in town and along with payment when
it was the season, the Abbots� would give her a free bushel of the sweet white
and gold mixed corn.� He did win often in the annual competition usually held
next month at the county fair.

She
grabbed the pan with the remaining four buttermilk pancakes and walked to the
table where she put two each on Edward and Alphonse�s plate.�

Edward
stared at the little round disk with appreciation and he lifted his fork, when
from the side another fork appeared, stabbing both pancakes and in a speedy
fashion his breakfast zoomed away from his plate.� �What the�� His eyes
narrowed and he turned to his left seeing Anna was the one that had intercepted
his second helping.� �Hey!�

Anna
grinned, shoving both pancakes in her mouth; they were too big and seemed to
flower out from between her lips.

Pinako
snorted in slight laughter at the display, knowing that Anna was a little bit
of a handful at times.

Winry
spun around at Edward�s outburst.� �Ed?� She noticed his plate was clean
already, �Wow, that was fast.� I didn�t realize you were so hungry.�

Gold
eyes narrowed suspiciously at Anna as she chewed really large and almost
exaggeratingly while making pleased sounds.� When the little girl swallowed,
she lifted her hands in the air proudly.

�All
done, Mama!� She grinned and pushed away from the table.

�I done,
too!� Brian tried to get up but his mother came over with a wet cloth and
started to wipe his face from the breakfast, he always managed to get more on
the outside of his mouth than on the inside.� �I don�t need to be clean!�

All
Winry had done was laugh.� �Tonight is also bath night.�

�No!�
Brian pouted.� He thought he heard laughter and turned his head seeing Uncle
Edward snickering as the old man got out of his chair.� �No laughing at me!�

�I
wasn�t laughing at you, Runt.� Edward snickered.

After
his mother finished wiping his face, Brian got down from his chair and walked
over to Uncle Edward.� �No call me runt, Poop-Head!�

�Brother,
you should apologize.� Alphonse warned and tried not to laugh as he was usually
always one to keep the peace, while his older brother always disrupted the
peace.� He could definitely see where this was heading.

�I�m not
a Poop-Head.� Edward frowned.

�Anna
giggled, �Poop-Head, Poop-Head!� she jumped up and down clapping her hands.� �Uncle
Edwar, Poop-Head!�

�Stop
saying that!� Edward stomped his foot, irritated.� This only made the twins
shout it louder in taunting laughter.

�Anna,
Brian.� Winry�s warning tone drifted over to the twins and they stopped their
taunting.� She also had tried not to laugh; she was a mother and couldn�t
condone that kind of behavior in her children, even though it was hilarious.

�Blue
eyes focused on Uncle Edward�s metal arm, �You have Atmail?� Brian pointed,
suddenly impressed and he moved closer and reached up, touching it.

Letting
out a smooth breath, Edward nodded �Yeah, your mother made it for me.�

�I help
lots, too.� Brian gestured at himself with a proud thumb.

�My leg
is also Automail,� Edward said, seeing the young boy�s eyes light up.

Brian
looked back at his sister and they both grinned before he turned back to face
Uncle Edward.� �Which one is it?�

Pointing
to his left leg and knocking on it, that seemed to make both children giggle
and they turned and ran from the room.

�We�re
leaving in fifteen minutes to go down to the Abbots� place, so be ready.� Winry
shouted as her two young ones laughter filled the house.� She turned back to
Edward and Alphonse, �So, are you boys still hungry?�

Alphonse
shook his hands back and forth and patted his stomach, �No thanks, I�m full,
Winry.�

Crossing
his arms over his chest, Edward�s eyes narrowed.� �Yeah, well I�m not.� That
daughter of yours took my last two pancakes.�

Letting
out a small sigh, Winry turned to head back to the stove when Edward�s hand
came down on her shoulder.

�I�m
fine though, you don�t need to make anything more.� He smiled and could see the
relief in her eyes.

Pinako
felt that was a little odd, but said nothing of it.� So, Edward was trying to
make nice now was he?� What she felt was coming will certainly be very
interesting to witness.� She smirked down at her plate.

�How�s
the arm and leg?� Winry moved her hand over the metal of Edward�s arm that she
had attached the morning after he arrived.

He
glanced at the floor, �Your Automail has always been the best, and it feels perfect.�
Edward praised, seeing a tiny blush sprinkling her cheeks.

Winry
always appreciated it when her clients loved her work.� �I�ve actually been
working on this for quite awhile, improving the way it allows movement.� Can�t
you tell that when you move it that it�s much smoother and light?�

�Maybe I
should start a fight to really test it.� Edward smirked and received a smack
upside the head from Winry�s fist.

�Don�t
you dare, you put one screw out of place on this baby,� She patted the arm,
�and you�ll be eating wrench for a week.� She said with eyes narrowed.

Lifting
his hands defensively, Edward took a step back.� �Don�t get all huffy, I�ll try
not to get into any fights.�

Alphonse
snickered, �Yeah right, Brother, that�s like asking you to stop breathing.�

�He does
have a point, Ed.� I better write up a contract for you to pay me three times
as much as you would normally for maintenance, just so I have insurance on that
arm and leg of yours.� Winry�s tone was of amusement, but anyone in the room could
tell she was dead serious.� �This is, after all, my best work ever!� Can�t have
you go damaging it as if it were scrap metal.�

Taking a
look over at the clock above the door that led outside in the kitchen, Winry
noticed it was time to go.� She hollered about the house for her children to
grab what toys they wanted to take because it might take a bit of time.

As soon
as everything was gathered including Winry�s tool set, she, her children and
the Elric brothers headed for the Abbots� house down the road.

****

Chuck Abbot
was lying on the bed as Winry oiled the elbow of her repair.� �All right then,
Chuck, all done.� She smiled and wiped her hands with a black rag from all the
grease and oil on her hands.� She closed the lid to her tool set.� �That�ll be
fifteen.�

Glancing
over at Edward, Chuck grinned while winding his arm like a windmill testing it�s
movement. �It�s good ta see ya, Ed.� Nice that you finally came home.�
Everyone�s been wonderin� where you�d taken off ta.�

Shrugging,
Edward grinned.� �Yeah, the military had me going everywhere for them.� He
lied, he doubted that anyone would have believed that he had been stuck in an
alternate universe, so it was a good idea to stick with stories that his
friends and neighbors would believe.� �But I quit, so now I can stay here.�

�Glad to
hear it.� Chuck, in good spirits, clapped Edward on the shoulder a little too
hard, which sent the young man stumbling forward a little.

�Let me
get yo� money, Winry and then you can get outta here.� I know you probably got lotsa
stuff to do today.� Chuck grinned and left the room to get her payment.

Winry
rested against the side of the bed while looking at Edward.� He smiled at her
and for some reason she felt her cheeks heat and averted her gaze to the
floor.� That was an unusual smile, he never looked at her like that before and
she was a little embarrassed.� It was silly! She didn�t need to be embarrassed,
this was Edward here!� She lifted her head and was about to ask him what he was
smiling at her like that for, when Chuck came back in holding a small envelope
extended towards her.

�Here ya
go, Winry.� There�s somethin� a little extra in there for ya.� He winked and
she grinned back at him.�

�Have a
good day, Chuck and try to take it easy for a little bit.�

Chuck
waved his hand in the air, �Can�t, Winry. Ya know the county fair is comin� up
in a couple weeks.� I gotta be ready.�

Winry
laughed, �That�s so true.� She took her payment and grabbed her tool set.�
Leaving the room, Edward followed after her.� Walking down the stairs, she
found her children and Alphonse playing with four kittens.� Anna was cuddling a
black and white one that was swatting at her hair, and Brian was dragging a
piece of yarn along the floor while an orange one chased after it.� Alphonse
was currently being used as a human playground for two gray and white stripped
kittens.� Winry smiled at the cute sight and cleared her throat.

All
heads turned towards her and she grinned, �Time to leave.�

�Awww.�
Both Brian and Anna complained together as they got up from the floor.

Chuck�s
wife, Ellie, appeared from around the corner where the kitchen was. She slung a
hand towel over her shoulder and leaned against the archway of the door.� �Anna
and Brian, you two can come back anytime you want and play with them.� She
smiled, �I know they would enjoy it as much as you two would.�

Anna and
Brian looked up into their mother�s face with pleading eyes and their hands
clasped together.�

�We�ll
see.� Winry said with a smile.� She really did not want her children going
anywhere without her or someone she trusted completely.� These were her babies
and she didn�t want them running off on their own quite yet, even if the Abbots
did live down the road.

Ellie
smiled, �The children are always welcome here, Winry.� Before you leave I have
something for them.�� She turned around and headed back into the kitchen.

Winry
wondered what Ellie could possibly have for her babies, she smiled lightly as
one of the stripped kittens had found its way over to her and started pulling
on her sock with its claws.� Her client�s wife returned with two lollypops
wrapped in clear plastic.� One red and white swirl and one orange and white
swirl.

�I
bought a whole bunch of these to give them out to children at the county fair coming
up.�� Ellie replied handing the lollypops to Winry.

Grinning
with appreciation, Winry nodded as both her children�s eyes lit up with glee.�
�They can have them after dinner tonight.�� She said taking the treats and
putting them in her tool case.

�Can�t
we have them now?� Brian pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Winry
lifted a brow, �Would you rather I let Den have them?�

Anna
nudged her brother hard with her elbow, obviously displeased at the idea of
their dog eating her treat. �No, don�t be spoil, Brian.� We having lollys for
dessert.�

With a
smirk, Edward snickered.� He couldn�t help it.� Winry sure knew how to handle
the little brats.�

The five
of them left the Abbots and started down the road to head for home.

�You�ll
make enemies of Winry�s children, Brother.� Alphonse said leaning close to his
brother�s ear so only he could hear him.� �Don�t keep laughing at Brian, he�s a
lot sneakier than he looks.�

Edward
rolled his eyes, �I guess that is possible.� After all, that sneaky ass, bastard
is their father.� It�s no wonder the brats would turn out conniving and
disrespectful.�� He realized he said that a little too loud when Winry turned
her head.

�Hey!�
Winry heard that and turned a sharp glare on Edward.� �Watch it, Ed.� Those are
my kids, too. Roy wasn�t the only one involved in their creation, you know!�

Shuddering
with disgust, Edward stuck out his tongue distastefully.� �Ugh, don�t remind
me, Winry.� I�m going to lose whatever I ate.� He held his stomach
exaggeratingly.� �Do you have to refer to the bastard by name, Gawd, I�m sick
enough with the thought of him sticking anything of his in you!� He was sure
his face had turned green.

Alphonse
rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Winry�s
cheeks heated and she growled.� �Mind what you say, Ed, this is not appropriate
conversation in front of the children.�

Edward
looked ahead of them where the children were and they were jumping around and
giggling with each other. �Bah, they�re not even payin� attention, Winry.�
Besides what do kids know?�

�They
actually know quite a lot.� Brian and Anna could both speak practically full
coherent sentences before they were even two years old.� Winry folded her arms
tensely over her chest.

�Obviously
from your side, which is where the smarts come from,� Edward praised but still
couldn�t help but insult Roy.

Feeling
irritated, even though she shouldn�t.� Roy left her and never came back. She shouldn�t be sticking up
for him. �He�s actually really smart, he knew how to manipulate you.� She
grinned sarcastic.

With
narrowed golden eyes, they slid over to Winry.� How could she even defend the
bastard like that?! It made him seethe with hostility.� �You know, Winry?�
You�re right about Mustang being smart, that must be true as he obviously
manipulated you.� Or could it be you didn�t really fight all that hard against
his �persuasion tactics�.� Were you just as horny for him, that bastard who
murdered your parents?�

Stopping
short with a shocked gasp, Winry stared hard at the ground in disbelief at what
had just flew from her friend�s lips.� What he said hurt, really badly that it
stung deep within.

He
immediately cringed at what he had realized he said to her.� All his inner
thoughts had come raging out without his consent.� She had to defend that bastard
which made Edward just start running his mouth.� �Me and my damn mouth!�
What the hell�s the matter with me!?� �Uh�Winry, I�I didn�t��

Feeling
the warm air around him suddenly drop cold, Alphonse�s eyes widened extremely
large and he immediately thought of the children.� �Winry?� I�ll take the kids
home.� He offered and all he got was a conformation nod from his childhood
friend.� He also reached over and took her tool set from her hand as she had
been squeezing the handle really hard that her knuckles had turned white.� He
cleared his throat.� His brother was in for it big time, that was definitely
the wrong thing to say to her.� He could see how hurt Winry was.� �Sometimes,
Brother, you�re a real asshole.� He said then turning on his heels and hurrying
towards the children and ushering them away from the intense situation and
towards home.

�Winry,
I didn�t mean to say that.� Edward eased carefully.

She
squeezed her eyes shut, �Yes you did.� Or you wouldn�t have said it,� her tone
was tight, strained.� �You don�t know anything, Edward.� How dare you even
presume to know what happened between Roy and I.�

�Then
tell me, Winry.� What happened, how did it�?� Edward looked away from her for a
moment trying to gather his thoughts. �I�m sorry for what I said.�� He moved
closer to her, trying to see her face, to see her reactions. �You know I can�t
really control half of what I say, I just reacted and I�m confused.�

Her line
of sight shifted to the side, �I don�t want to talk about it.�� Thinking about Roy had always been
painful.� He always entered her mind at the most inopportune times.� She
couldn�t even resist going to that loose plank in her room and staring sadly at
the small mementos of what she thought she had.� But it had been a dream, it
wasn�t real.� Her dream had been shattered and she never wanted to walk that
path again.� �I�ve put him in the past, Ed.� What had happened is no longer
important.� I just can�t believe that you said what you did.� That really hurt
me, which I knew would happen.� See, that was why I feared telling you about
what was happening in my life, because of this kind of reaction.�

Edward
let out a frustrated breath, he reached down and took her hand.� He found her
confused expression.� He just tugged her along towards the pond.� �Winry, it
just seems odd that you would have even considered Mustang.� He�s done so much
to hurt you and you just forgot all about it.�

Sitting
down and staring out on the water, as the sun�s rays sparkled upon it, Winry
softly smiled, but it wasn�t a smile of amusement.� �I didn�t forget, Ed.� You
must think I�m really stupid.�

�You�re
not stupid, Winry.� But when hormones are involved, it can ruin our judgment.�
Edward sat next to her.

She
rested her chin on her knees, �Ed, if you could only see what kind of person he
really was, you would have a different opinion.� As much as he has hurt me, I
still respect him.� He�s done so much for me, and not just in a personal sense
either.� He�s also done a lot for you as well.� You�re just so damn stubborn that
you didn�t notice anything that was past your own nose when it came to his
watching out for you.�

�He did
it mostly for himself,� Edward said crossly, �Just to further his goals.�

�Which
you really don�t know to extent of,� Winry said, looking at Edward finding him
really concentrating.� �I�m sure you both had a somewhat heart to heart, but I
doubt he told you everything.� You both had different agendas but the end
result was beneficial to both your desires and goals.�

�Why
defend him, Winry?� He obviously left you to raise those kids by yourself.� Why
isn�t he taking responsibility for his actions?�� He knew why Mustang left
Winry, but he wanted to hear what she thought about it.

Winry
sighed and leaned back, lying on the grass staring up at the white clouds
slowly breezing by.� �He doesn�t know about the twins, and I don�t want him to
know either.�

�He
could be helping you out, he should be!� Edward fumed and squeezed his hands
tightly.

�No!� I
want him to make a good life for himself, to become important in the
government, to make things better for us.� I won�t be selfish and drag him away
from what he is capable of.� He won�t be able to if the children are over his
head, especially if he doesn�t want to really be with me.� He�ll start to resent
and even hate me.�� She sat up, placing her hands down in the soft grass.

Edward
closed his eyes tightly, knowing exactly how wrong Winry was.� He knew that
Mustang did want to be with her, that he just feels he�s not good enough for
her.� Edward was sure that if Winry knew that Mustang actually thought that
way, she would argue the point with the ass and he would come back to her.�
Edward definitely had this knowledge; only he kept it to himself, he will never
tell Winry that.� That no good bastard would only end up hurting her and Edward
could not allow that to happen. He scooted closer to her, so that they were
almost touching. �Winry, you are way too nice to that asshole.� He really
doesn�t deserve your defense.� If I had a family with the girl I loved, I know
I would never want to be away from them, and for all the correct reasons, not
just because it was the right thing to do.�

Winry
closed her eyes and sighed with fondness, �You�re a decent person, Ed.� You
always have been, even if you over-react in a lot�� She laughed, �Okay in too
many ways.� It just proves that you feel things deeply, you have a lot of
emotion.�

He
actually felt his cheeks heating at what she said.� Edward cleared his throat
and he saw Winry�s eyes open. �He wanted to apologize to her; he didn�t want to
make her feel bad for the choices she made. ��I really am sorry for what I said
to you about the relationship you had with Mustang. I know it�s not really any
of my business.�

Tilting
her head a little, she nodded. �It wasn�t really a relationship in the
traditional sense.� But, I can�t deny that I actually cared about him.�

�Did you
love him?� Edward asked, he held his breath waiting for her answer.

Taking a
deep breath, Winry felt a tickle in her throat.� �Can we not talk about him
anymore?� She could feel her eyes starting to swell with wetness and she didn�t
want to lose it in front of Edward.� �I don�t want to think about him anymore.�
He�s in that past where he belongs.� I�ve moved on and am perfectly content.�
She willed the tears back much to her relief.� Hopefully she could fool Edward
into thinking that she hadn�t really thought about him until now when he was
just brought up.� She then smiled fondly, �I have my darlings to think about
and take care of.��

�You
know, Winry, if you need help I�m here now and so is Al.� He grinned, hopefully
in what appeared to be helpful.

She
smiled, �Thank you, Ed.� It�s nice to know that if I need it, you�re there to
help.�

�You�ve
always been there for me, Winry.� I was just too blind and driven to notice it
then.�� He reached over and with hesitation covered her hand that was flat on
the grass with his flesh one.� He wanted to feel her skin, how soft her hand
was.� �I should have noticed, Winry.� There�s no excuse.�� He leaned closer,
noticing that she was listening to him really carefully as the intense
expression on her face was proof enough.� �I have only begun to make up for
what I had taken for granted.�

�I never
expected anything, Ed.� I�m your friend, your family.� Family sticks together
no matter what, even if we�re overlooked at times.� She squeezed his hand in
affection.�

�I was
afraid.� Edward admitted, �I never wanted to let you in because it was really
dangerous.� There was more to what Al and I had gone through than just trying
to get his body back.� I didn�t want you to get hurt, that�s why I never talked
to you about anything that me and Al faced.� Can you imagine�?�

Winry
had kept something from Edward besides Roy.� �I have an idea of what you were up against, Ed.� I know
some of the dangers because it kind of happened to me, too.� I was in Central
at the time and decided to snoop around with Scieszka.� We could have died as
we had come across one of those homunculi.� Scieszka had me disguised as one of
the military and we snuck around in the air ducts at headquarters, listening in
on private conversations.� I wanted to help her, I wanted to help Roy, I wanted to help
you and I wanted to find out what was going on in why Mr. Hughes was killed.� I
know I shouldn�t have done it.�

�Why
haven�t you ever told me that, Winry?�� If you had, maybe I could have been
more open with you, shared more with you.� Edward felt like slamming his head
against a tree.� �I didn�t think you would understand, as you were always safe
here without any knowledge of the dangers that I faced.�� He tightened his hold
on her hand.� �That was dangerous, and you tell me this now as if it doesn�t
matter anymore because you�re alive and it�s years later?�

�I know
it was dangerous, but I was willing to risk it for those I loved.� Just as you
were,� Winry said softly.� �Why should my reasons be any less than yours?� Is
it because you think my reasons were less tragic?� Think about it, Edward, that
whole damn Ishbal war that resulted in my parents� unfair death was started
because of those greedy beings.� So my reasons were just as heartfelt and
needed as yours, even if I didn�t realize it at the time.� I know the truth
now.� In a way getting to the truth, my parents� death had been avenged and
even if I wasn�t solely responsible, I helped in some way.�

He
couldn�t help the tiny grin, �Well when you put it that way, I guess I can�t be
mad about that.� I just don�t like thinking that bad things might happen to
you.� I had tried to keep it all away from you.�� It was surprisingly easy to
be open with her like this.� He never had before.� He was always so caged and
not wanting to feel anything.

She also
smiled, �You can�t keep life, both good and bad from me, Ed.� It�ll happen
whether you want it to or not.�

�I
know.� Edward�s gold eyes, held her pretty sapphire.� �Things with me are
different now, Winry.� I do want to be more open, I do want to tell you
things.� I still may overreact, but I can�t really help that.�

Winry
laughed, �You wouldn�t be the Edward I know if you didn�t overreact.� You
always have and you always will.� She couldn�t help the wide smile she gave
him.� It felt just like the old days when they were kids and Trisha Elric was
still alive, those days were always full of laughter and fun.� Edward always
exaggerated then too.� �What was that other world like that you lived in?�

�Pretty
similar to this one, a lot of people here have a double in that world.� Gracia
has one, Hughes did.�

�Mr.
Hughes?� Winry�s eyes lit up, �Really?�

Edward
nodded, �Yeah, he�s kinda the same except he wasn�t married to Gracia yet, so
he doesn�t have kids to shove those pictures in my face.� I�m not sure about
now, I know as I was leaving Germany with Al to travel that Hughes was finally getting up the
courage to confess his love to her.� He snickered, but then grew serious.� �He
wasn�t exactly like the Hughes of this world as you know how dedicated and
non-manipulative he was.� With that Hughes it was easy for others to convince
him of things and he believed what people told him instead of his own eyes.� I
think he knows better now though, after what happened and all.�� Rose has a
double too.�� His cheeks then flamed, �I didn�t stay long enough to find your
double though.� Although, the way things have gone there as they tend to sort
of mirror our world, there�s probably a good chance of a Winry Rockbell who
messed around with a Roy Mustang there as well.�

Winry
rolled her eyes and reached over and smacked Edward upside the head.

�Hey!�
What was that for?� He squinted one eye, while rubbing his head.� �I was just
stating a possible truth, you never really know.� His tone was light and
teasing.� Even if he didn�t really like the idea of Winry with Mustang, at
least it wasn�t happening here and now, and that�s all that mattered.

She
could see that he was only teasing, but to her he deserved that hit.� �Why do
you keep going back to Roy, perhaps you�re in love with the guy.� She snickered
watching his face contort in disgust.

�Winry!
That�s the grossest thing I had ever heard in my entire life.� And believe me,
I�ve heard and seen quite a lot!� Ewww,� He felt unclean and horrid, as shivers
raced about his skin like ants crawling on him.� He saw her laughing and it
made him smile.

Her
cheeks heated, there was that smile again.� Why was he looking at her like
that, again!? It was very unnerving and it made her feel funny.

�I
missed you and everyone here, Winry.� It just wasn�t the same there.� It didn�t
really feel like home.� It took awhile but I realized that you feel like I�m
home.�

Winry�s
eyes widened, �Ed?� You�re not behaving like yourself.� You�ve become so damn�sentimental.�
She laughed. �I guess I�m more used to the Ed who is just gonna leave in a few
days to track another lead for Al�s body.� I�ve never seen this side of you.�

Edward
shifted closer to her, so close that he could feel the heat from her body, he
took a deep breath.� �There�s a lot I haven�t shown you.� I�m trying to be a
better person.�� Saying that seemed to make Winry pale and anxious that she
dropped her gaze to the grassy ground.

�Don�t
say things like that, Ed.� She thought to
herself with a pained heart.�� Winry took a deep breath, trying to will those
blasted memories away.� Why did Edward have to sound so much like Roy?� Not his voice but
the same emotion he put behind his words.

�Did I
say something wrong?� He moved his hand up to her shoulder, lightly touching
the strands that hung down about her face.

She
shook her head, �No, it�s not you.� It�s me, its all in my own damn head.� She
cursed herself.� Lifting her sapphire eyes to his, she noticed that Edward had
moved a lot closer to her and she cleared her throat uncomfortably.� He had
never been this close to her before, at least not like that.

�Winry,
you�re my best friend, the person I am closest to besides Al.� His heart
pounded.� He had never kissed a girl before, but right now he really wanted
to.� Winry was special, and he was glad he never wasted his time on other
girls.

Knowing
that kind of look, Winry�s head shouted at her.� �No way! He did not just
look at me like that!�� I know we are close, Ed.� She had to keep him
talking, to steer him away from what he obviously was thinking about doing.� He
was moving closer to her and all she could do was stare, she lost her nerve to
say or do anything.� Her heart pounded hard.� �Ed?�

He
smiled lightly, his eyes catching her frightened ones.� �You�re not afraid of
me, are you, Winry?� His breath lightly tickled her lips and he saw her close
her eyes tightly and he moved a tiny fraction to�she turned her head.� His lips
landed on her cheek.� It felt like his heart sank into his feet.

Winry
immediately lifted to her feet, staring off into the distance as the sun had
started to set.� �We better get back.� She had to ignore what he tried to do,
it had been an accident.� He really didn�t want to kiss her, he was just
confused and been caught up in the conversation and the beautiful pond with the
sun�s glistening rays. �Yes, that�s what her mind would accept. It was more
along the other lines of her not wanting to kiss him.� He was just her friend
now, and maybe a long time ago she would have jumped at that kind of affection
Edward could give, in fact she had often dreamt about how her first kiss with
him would have been.�� It would have been romantic, possibly standing in the
rain and he would lean over and� she shook her head.� She didn�t want him now.�
Things had changed.� She changed.� Her heart had changed.� She doesn�t see
Edward like that any more and she hadn�t for some time now.

Trying
to make light of his rejection, Edward rubbed the back of his blonde head with
his metal hand.� �Yeah, you�re right.� I�m starving.� He stood up and stretched
his arms back, thrusting his chest forward.

She
turned and smiled at him.� �I do need to make dinner for my babies.� She was
glad that he wasn�t that disappointed.� She didn�t want to hurt him.

He
narrowed his eyes slyly, �I have an idea.� It�s something that we used to do
all the time when coming home from a day of swimming at the pond.� Race ya!
Last one home has to take the trash out for a week!�� His laughter filled the
air as he took off, hearing Winry�s yelp made him smile brighter.� There will
be another chance to confess his feelings, she obviously wasn�t ready yet and
he wasn�t going to force it on her.

�Edward,
not fair!� She took off after him.

They ran
in the direction home, Winry had caught up to him and they were now running
side by side.� Edward laughed and sped up.

�Ed! No
ya don�t!� She pushed her legs harder, hearing his laughter made her growl and
speed up.� Her heart pounded but the feelings filling her within were joyful,
and she felt so light and easy.� She was having fun, real fun that she hadn�t
had in a long time.� �You�re not gonna win this time, I am!�

�Ha-ha,
Winry, don�t count on it.� He moved faster with a wide grin on his face.

They
turned down the dirt road heading for the house and were side by side again and
raced right up to the porch, where they both took a hold of the railing to
catch their breath.

�I think
you�ve gotten faster.� Edward said, panting.

Winry
smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling.� �It comes from chasing the twins
around.� When they don�t want to go to bed, they really mean it.� She laughed,
leaning against the railing now.� �Oh, boy, Ed, as kids whenever we�d race like
that, it was always Al who was last.�

Snickering,
Edward nodded.� �Yep, he�d have to take out the trash for a whole week, and
back then that felt like a lifetime�s worth of chore!�

�Yeah,
but don�t you remember?� He would exaggerate so much how hard it was for him to
lift the �heavy� bag that you�d feel sorry for him and end up taking it out
yourself.� She laughed harder.� �He sure knew how to work your soft spot.�

Edward
also couldn�t help but laugh at that memory as well.� �He�s always been
sneakier than he let on.�

Walking
forward, Edward opened the door and he let Winry enter the house first.� He
heard her footsteps as well as her slight laughter now abruptly stop as he had
closed the door behind them.� He noticed Winry was just frozen to that spot on
the floor and her eyes were pointed straight ahead and were wide in what
appeared to be absolute terror.� He wondered what was wrong until he turned his
head to face forward.

The
reason for that horrified look was of the fact of General Roy Mustang in
military uniform sitting calmly on the sofa facing them with his right leg
resting on his left and his hands folded quietly in his lap.� Edward felt his
anger boil in his veins, his line of sight shifted to the children on the
floor, Anna was drawing circles on a piece of paper with green and blue crayons
and saying how much better Alchemy was rather than building things where as
Brian was in complete disagreement as he was trying to prove his sister wrong
by building a massive tower with blocks.

Edward�s
eyes shifted and his head turned slightly towards Al who was sitting on the
small love seat diagonal to the larger sofa while shrugging his shoulders with
an intensely worried expression on his face.

�Hello,
Winry.� Roy
said with a small smile that was anything but amused and a slight tilt of his
head.

Winry�s
pulse rioted.� She had not been expecting to see Roy Mustang ever again and he
was sitting right here in her house, with her children only a small distance
away in the middle of the living room playing with toys and drawing while
arguing with each other.� �Oh, shit.�

=======

Well that�s it for this episode/chapter.� So what did you
all think, did you all have a feeling I would bring Roy back in this chapter? Haha.�
What about Winry�s reaction, what do you think will happen next?� I would so
like to hear your ideas in what you think will happen, not that it will change
what I�ve already planned.

Thanks for reading,

Ryoko Blue
- 13
- 14
- 15
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When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom