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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
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.

A/N: Well
I�m back from my vacation, I hope you guys enjoy this
next episode. Sorry I couldn�t get it out before I left, but I was way
busy.

Enjoy!

When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom

Episode 7�What He Would Give

Another burst
of bright light had Edward, Alphonse and their mother standing behind Winry,
Scieszka, the large suit of armor that Alphonse�s soul had once been attached
to, along with P-Edward and the small numbers of Mustang�s military
subordinates. Falman was looking through a set of binoculars over the
hills and where the train station was.

�Well,
it looks like the military hasn�t arrived yet.� Vato said, then lowering his
binoculars.

They all
heard dragging footsteps and slight weeping and sniffling and everyone turned
their heads in the direction of the sound and saw�

�Wait a
minute, that�s Sergeant Bloch.� Breda replied, causing everyone to go on alert.

Riza
reached for her gun as he might be here to report to the higher ups about the
Elric boys. She was ready to defend, �Is he�?�

A
panicked sound escaped from Winry�s throat and she waved her hands wildly in
the air causing everyone to turn and look back at her. �He�s not after Ed
and Al. He�s okay, I promise.� She noticed Roy
turned more, looking directly at her and she grinned wider. She jumped up
from her kneeled hiding place and stepped out into the path into Bloch�s
way. �Sergeant Bloch!� Her brow arched and a slightly worried expression
passed over her face. �What�s the matter with you?� Whatever he was
crying about, Winry felt sorry for him, he looked so depressed. He wasn�t
even standing up right.

Bloch
sniffled and started to whine, �Lieutenant Ross!!� He cried out in agony with
his eyes shut tight. When he opened them he noticed that Winry wasn�t
alone that she was with Colonel Mustang�s subordinates and the Elric brother�s
and he cried again as they all seemed to express an annoyed appearance.

�Look,
Brother.� Alphonse pointed, �Look where Winry is, we didn�t even notice this before.
She�s standing right next to the Colonel, even closer to him than she is to
you!� He waved his arm up and down at the fact that Winry was standing in
between his brother�s past figure and the Colonel.   �She obviously
doesn�t hate him anymore because she�s standing right next to him.�

Edward
growled and tightened his fist down at his side, �All right! Enough!� He
stomped away following after the group with his own brother and mother
following after him. He watched as they hid behind a stone wall as
Sergeant Bloch was still crying and pointing.

Hoenheim
had Lieutenant Ross�s hand held in his and looked adoringly into her eyes,
there was a light blush spread across her cheeks. �A long time ago I saw
an eagle with wings as black as obsidian. Your hair is the exact same
color. I never thought I�d see it again. Thank you for bringing
such a beautiful memory back to me.�

Trisha
laughed, remembering that her husband really was a master at this game of flirtation.
It was quite humorous to watch it. She saw Edward slap his palm over his
face and shake his head back and forth.

Maria
was blushing even brighter now, just soaking up those wonderful, sweet, adoring
words. �And thank you, what a lovely thing to say.� She gushed and looked
away shyly.

The
sound whimpering and sniffles came from Sergeant Bloch, �See� she�s falling for
it hook, line and sinker.� He cried while biting his hat, straining to rip it
into shreds.

Staring
in disbelief, there was no time for flirting, this was a serious matter and
Winry voiced, �Don�t we have bigger concerns now?�

�Bigger than love?�
Roy replied, saying it as if she were insane for even thinking
that. �There is always time for flirting and making romance.�

�I
forget who I�m with here; he would pick romancing girls as a top priority.� Winry thought to herself, feeling like rolling her eyes at
that ridiculous comment of Roy�s.

The
giant suit of armor gasped, �There�s something about that guy, he seems
familiar, doesn�t he, Brother.� Metal-Alphonse glanced down to find where his
brother was and noticing that he wasn�t there anymore. He lifted his head
and he along with everyone else saw the sixteen year old Edward Elric running
towards the house at amazing speed.

P-Edward�s
voice was heard before his abrupt action, �What the hell are you doing
flirting!?� His fist flew from out of nowhere and smashed into Hoenheim�s cheek
sending the man to the ground, who obviously had not been expecting the blow.

Maria
gasped in shock, �Edward�what the...?�

Standing
raging mad, P-Edward shouted, �You�re gone for over ten years, and I have to
come back to this!� He growled, �Damn you, Old Man.�

Metal-Alphonse
could hardly believe his eyes, �Dad? I remember him, from the pictures.
Dad, he�s home!� He moved and everyone looked at him with a slight sense of
affection as Metal-Alphonse started running towards the house. At that
point everyone got up from their hiding place and proceeded to follow him.

When
Metal-Alphonse stopped running and folded his hands down low, he stared at the
ground. �I know you might not be able to tell who I am, because of the
way I look�� He got interrupted.

�Alphonse,�
Hoenheim said with affection and a slight smile, �You certainly got tall.�

Metal-Alphonse
was surprised, �How did you know it was me?�

Hoenheim
laughed lightly and looked to his older boy, �Edward. So, do you still
hate milk?�

Enraged,
P-Edward delivered a kick to the man�s stomach and shouting out in a rush, �who
are you calling a micro-sized half-pint who didn�t grow any taller because he
didn�t drink milk!?�

�That�s
not what he said, Edward.� replied three female voices in unison, which
happened to belong to Winry, Riza and Scieszka.

****

�Are you
still mad, Edward?� Scieszka asked, while holding a steaming coffee cup.

P-Edward
closed his eyes, his hand lifting the bread he was holding to his mouth.
�Whoever said I was mad?� He took a bite.

�There�s
nothing to be mad about.� Maria informed, looking calm and collected, except
for tightening her hand about her piece of bread. �I was just having a
polite conversation with that man, nothing else.�

Clearly
everyone around her wasn�t buying that load of bologna!

Winry
was smiling brightly and humor laced her voice, �You sure looked like you were
enjoying it.�

Maria
gasped and indeed looked very embarrassed as her cheeks heated even more, �Oh,
it was just the cologne he was wearing. I, ee� you
never smell anything like that in the military.� Her fingers started
absently ripping into her piece of bread, tearing it continuously into tiny
pieces. �No soldier I know wears cologne,� She gushed, sounding
completely enamored.

There
was a huff from Sergeant Bloch who was sitting next to her, his hand gripping
his coffee cup, as he couldn�t help the jealous twisting of his insides, �Maybe
the soldiers you know don�t wanna smell like flowery,
sissy boys.�

Maria
looks at him oddly, �And just what�s the matter with you?�

Sergeant
Bloch made a strangled noise and lowered his head to the table. He had to
get Lieutenant Ross to notice his feelings, how dare she just sit there and
gush over that�that smooth talker. He turned his head facing the nearest
girl who sat on his other side and slightly at an angle. He decided to
put forth a small plan, maybe if he could make his partner jealous� �Heh, heh.�
�Winry!�

�AH!�
She jumped, startled, her lips wrapped around a piece of bread. �Hmm?�

�You�re
a single girl, right?� He scooted his chair around the other side of the
table, so that he was right next to the young lady. The man�s hands
cupped hers that was holding her bread and her brow arched.

Chewing
her bite and swallowing, Winry tried to subtly yank her hand from his grasp,
�Well, yeah, I guess.�

�Did you
know that in this light, your hair looks like�Aiya!
Hey!� Something hit him in the back of the head and he looked around and saw a
piece of bread on the floor behind him. �Who threw that?!� He scanned the
overcrowded dinning space and no face gave away anything linking to them to the
thrower of the bread.

Alphonse
laughed to his brother who just stood there with this hated expression on his
face, �now we know who threw it.� He pointed to the Colonel who had hurled the
bread at Sergeant Bloch�s head when the man tried to ridiculously flirt with
Winry, his slightly narrowed dark eyes was the only thing that gave him away,
only those around him couldn�t really tell unless they had been watching for
it.

�Keep
your damn hands off her!� Roy
internally seethed at Bloch, who should use some other girl to make Ross
jealous, not that it would do any good.

�Honestly,
Sir.� Riza said with a roll of her eyes and a very soft, almost whisper like
voice.

Edward
realized that the reason he didn�t notice what had happened was because while
this was going on, he was talking about his father and that smell of
his.   That�s what he had been focused on, nothing in the
background. He should have paid closer attention! He might have
been able to see this horror of Winry involved with Mustang a lot sooner!

�Wait, who�s Lyra and how do you
two know her?� Winry asked, wondering who this girl was, just how many other
people were in the Elric brother�s lives that she didn�t know about. She
hated not knowing what they were going through, she worried so much for
them. Why didn�t Edward or Alphonse ever talk to her! It was downright
frustrating. �You can�t keep talking around us.�

�Ah, why do you have to know everything?!� P-Edward shouted, jumping up from his chair.

Winry
growled and did the same, �Don�t get mad at me. I�m just tired of being
kept in the dark! You never tell me anything!�

�I don�t
have to tell you. It�s got nothing to do with you!� P-Edward stomped his
foot forward.

�Do you
guys have to fight?� Metal-Alphonse interjected and a horrid glare came from
Winry and he coward back as that wrench of hers seemed
to materialize right in her hand and she gripped it tightly.

�It�s
got everything to do with me when you come back with your Automail limbs
destroyed, you jerk!� Winry swung her wrench at him, nailing him right in the
forehead, sending the boy flying backwards.

P-Edward
moaned in pain from his spot on the floor, a bump forming on his
forehead. �Ah, why�d ya do that?� He sat up and rubbed his
forehead. �You could never really understand.� He was well aware of
all the eyes in the room on him and Winry�s argument.

�You don�t
even try to get me to understand. You and Al never talk to me anymore.�
Winry stared at the floor. �It�s always been secrets with you two, even
when we were kids. Don�t you know I worry about you, you idiot!�
She turned and Metal-Alphonse ran towards her.

�Winry,
wait...� Metal-Alphonse called out but she whipped around and swung her wrench
at him, barely missing swiping him in the stomach.

She
glared up into the metal face that never changed. �Stay away from me,
Al.� she said dripping with venom. Winry rushed for the door that separated the
dinning area from the rest of the house, wrenching the door open she left
through it, slamming the door behind her.

Metal-Alphonse
whirled around on his brother, �Look what you did, Brother!� He pointed to the
door. �You better go and apologize.�

P-Edward
scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. �She�ll get over it, she
always does.� Maybe he did feel a little bad, but she wouldn�t even talk
to him right now. It was better to let her cool off.

Edward
stared at himself, �Go talk to her you idiot! Don�t just sit there.� He wanted
to ring his past figure�s neck. He hated looking back on this, there were
many instances where he could have talked to Winry, reassured her, done
something to show that he cared even in a small way. But he chose to
ignore it.

****

After
Metal-Alphonse had left with his father, and P-Edward stomped back inside the house, that left Roy
to sit outside at the patio table, putting his hand to his chin in
thought. �Fuehrer Bradley, a homunculus?
It makes sense in some ways.� He tapped his fingers about the table
top. He heard footsteps and looked up to see Hawkeye standing
there. �You�re still up?�

�I heard
everything from one of the upstairs guest rooms, which I am sharing with
Lieutenant Ross.� She pulled back the chair that Hoenheim had been sitting in
and sat down. �Do you believe them, that the Fuehrer could really be a
living doll?�

�It�s a
possibility. I don�t know if I can just go on the Elrics� word, it�s a very
serious accusation. My instincts are telling me its true though and I
can�t ignore that either.� Roy
leaned back in the chair more. �We need to get to the truth. If the
Fuehrer is a homunculus, I have to remove him from power immediately.�

Riza
gave a sharp nod, �I�m with you, Sir.� She said confidently. �I can
safely assume that you are possibly coming up with some kind of plan to take
the Fuehrer down?�

Roy
snorted, �When you say it like that it sounds like I�m a traitor.� He smirked.
�I need to speak tactics over with Major Armstrong, he�s been helpful to me so
far and I have no doubt he will believe in my cause to get to the bottom of the
truth.�

Looking down
at the table top, Riza cleared her throat, �What about Fuery and Havoc, I know
they were injured...� Her eyes narrowed slightly, �I�m sure they are doing just
fine now and would be willing to help.�

�How
sure are you?� Roy�s voice sounded teasing and his Lieutenant sharply lifted
her head, and he rested his chin on the heel of his hand waiting for her reply.

Clearing
her throat, Riza straightened her posture, going to turn the conversation in
another direction. �It�s getting late, if we want to head off the
military that are sure to be here tomorrow, we need to leave early.� She
stood.

Roy
gave a slight nod, �Well stated.� He pushed back from the table and stood up
himself. The two of them walked back into the house.   Edward,
Alphonse and his mother followed them.

Entering
through that door, they were met with a set of stairs and the way towards the
living room. This part of the house had nicely polished hardwood floors
and pretty white rugs that sat on the floor beneath two navy blue couches and a
matching plush arm chair. A chestnut coffee table sat in the middle
between the sofas and the chair with a short vase of daisies.

They
immediately took the stairs up to the second story. Roy and Hawkeye could
hear the Elric brothers in one room, they were talking� more like arguing,
loudly at that, across the hallway to the room that even though the door was
closed the sounds of tinkering and pounding metal could be heard and it suddenly
went quiet. An object hit the floor and then the light that was glowing
from beneath the door went out. It was no surprise whose room that
was.

Roy
headed towards that room and lifted his hand to knock on the door.

�What
are you doing?� Riza whispered, trying not to sound scolding and she walked
over to the Colonel. �You are aware of whom that room belongs to?�

A very
light smile curved against the corner of Roy�s
mouth, �Of course.� He said quietly. �I want to talk to her.�

�Are you
sure that�s wise, Sir?� Riza said in a tone that meant serious business.
�The Elrics are just across the way, her grandmother�s
room is the one on the end.�

Roy
let his eyes close for a moment, before turning his head and looking at
her. �You might not believe me, but I just want to talk to her.� He saw
Hawkeye�s brow arch in clear disbelief and it almost made him laugh. �I
want to explain to her what is going on, and apologize for earlier today.�

Riza
shook her head, �I just hope you know what you�re doing.� And she walked
towards the door to the room she was sharing with Lieutenant Ross, opening the
door and entering it, closing it behind her.

Lifting
his hand, Roy knocked lightly on Winry�s door with a slightly curled
hand and the back of his knuckles.   He heard her footsteps come
towards the door and her quiet voice asking who it was. Clearing his
throat he answered, �It�s Roy. Can I come in for a moment?� He glanced over
his shoulder in case someone sneaked up on him, before returning his gaze forward.

The door
slowly opened a crack and he saw her blue eyes looking out at him, she seemed
to scan the area around him quickly before her eyes met his. �Are you
insane?� She whispered slightly harsh. What if someone were to see him?!

�Maybe a
little,� Roy replied with a sarcastic grin. �Just let me in, there�s something
I need to say.� He said quietly and hearing her half groan, half sigh, she
opened the door wider and stepped aside for him as he entered the room.

She
closed the door and turned around to face him, the room was dark, except for
the half moonlight shining in from the open window. The room had been
stuffy when she stomped in here furious with Edward and immediately started to
work out her frustration and anger on a project. She had heard the
conversations going on outside and tried to pay close attention to them,
whatever was going on was very serious and ice had seemed to travel up her
spine at what might be happening. A dark feeling somehow had managed to
take root inside her and spread out and she really did not know why.

Roy
glanced around a little; the room wasn�t even a little bit girly. It was
filled with tools and objects you might find in a mechanic�s workshop.
The only thing remotely feminine was the bed that had pink sheets that were a
mess and the top red comforter had been bunched up at the head of the
bed. The room though, it was perfectly fitting for her.   �You
never did make your bed when you were living in Central. I always made it
for you.� He said quietly then turning around to face her, seeing her shrugging
innocently with a half smile. �I wanted to apologize for earlier today,
when you thought that I had been ignoring you. I needed to maintain an
appearance of doing my duty for the state in apprehending the Elrics.
Nothing else could distract me, even you.�

Winry
stared at the floor taking a deep breath, �I realized that eventually.
But to be honest I didn�t know what to think, what you were up to, until you
had Major Armstrong escort those unfamiliar to me military soldiers away.
Then you�well said what you wanted, made the Elrics think and try to
understand.�

�They
still don�t,� Roy let out a rough breath, �it�s a bit frustrating dealing
with Edward, as you well know. He seems to try and make his brother think
the way he does when Alphonse has his own mind. He is just easily swayed
by what his older sibling says and expects of him mostly because he doesn�t
want to fight with him. Alphonse I notice likes to rather keep the peace.
I know Edward does not trust me at all, have I ever given him cause not to?�

�Well
you do tease him an awful lot.� Winry cracked a small smile, �but then so do I,
everyone does. It�s just hard for him to trust anyone except Al and it
seems he still doesn�t even trust me. He can�t even tell me what�s going
on in his life, the people he meets and other friends he�s made. To tell
you the truth, I think you motivate him in ways he doesn�t even realize, much
more than I could.�

Their
conversation was barely above a whisper, a knock at Winry�s door had her jump,
startled. She pointed for Roy
to move behind where the door would open. Her stomach flipped and heart
raced at him getting caught being in here. She rushed to the door and
opened it, where Roy stood behind the door, up against the wall, looking
towards the archway.

Winry
was surprised and held the door only half open, �Ed? What is it?� She noticed
that he looked worried and tapped his foot on the floor. She gripped the
door tighter with her hand, hoping that P-Edward couldn�t hear the rapid
beating of her heart.

Scratching
the back of his head, P-Edward looked up at her. �I just wanted to
say�that, I um�about what you, we said downstairs.�

Letting
out a soft noise and an expression of understanding crossing her face, she
said, �It�s all right, Ed. Don�t worry about it.�

�When it�s all over, Winry. When Al and I have our original bodies back I will
explain everything to you, all the people we met, and all that we had gone
through. You just have to trust me. All right?�
P-Edward sighed, hoping she would understand what he was trying to say.

�Okay,
Ed. I guess I can accept that for now.� She replied with a light smile.

�I�ll
see you in the morning.� P-Edward said with a slight smile before turning on
his heel and heading to the room he was sharing with his bother.

And
Winry closed the door. She heard footsteps and turned her head to the
right. �I don�t think he saw you.�

Roy
smirked, �We would definitely know if he saw me.�

Edward growled
and his fists tightened intensely that his knuckles turned white. �What
the hell! Right under my nose! That bastard Mustang! He was in her
room when you made me apologize to her Al!�

Alphonse�s
mouth twisted up in a small sneer. �I made you apologize because it was
the right thing to do. You always make her feel bad!� Here he had
been trying to be supportive and it was like he was being blamed for all of
this. �If anyone deserved Winry�s heart, it was me!�

His jaw
dropped, Edward stomped. �What? You!?�

�Yes, me!� Alphonse
stepped forward, glaring at his older brother. �I was the one always nice
to her, she should have fallen for me. Don�t you
think I too had feelings, Brother? Don�t you think that I hated the idea
of Winry getting involved with the Colonel!? But unlike you, I don�t
voice everything loud and obnoxiously!�

�Obnoxious!�
Edward growled, �Why you��

�I loved
Winry too, damn-it!� Alphonse cried out, his hands curling into fists as he
held them an inch from his chest. �I know we had a priority in getting
our bodies back, but that didn�t stop me from thinking that Winry was the
greatest person, the prettiest girl who was my friend and adored me even when
my soul was in that suit of armor. She�s someone who really cares.�
Alphonse stared at the floor. �This wasn�t hard for just you,
Brother. Sure I knew about it sooner, but that doesn�t mean it didn�t
hurt any less when I found out.�

That
completely shocked Edward, he had never heard his
little brother curse before. This was serious business.   �Al��

�I�m
getting tired of hearing your whining about Winry and the Colonel! This
was your own fault!� Alphonse paced, stomping his foot. �She only saw me
as a friend, at one time I know she had a crush on you, she told me so!�

�She
did?� Edward gasped, staring in shock at his little brother.

�It was
a long time ago.� Alphonse moved over to the wall and rested against it.
�I know that this is upsetting, Brother. But you have to think about what
she wants, what makes her happy. If it turns out that you make her happy
then that�s great,� He smiled, �but if it turns out that it�s the Colonel she
gives her heart to, you shouldn�t be bitter about it. You should be glad
that she�s able to be happy. That is what�s important. So stop
whining about it. You�re not the only one that suffers, Brother.�
He pointed to the past figures of Winry and the Colonel. �Look at them.�
He stood straight and walked closer to his brother.

Edward
lowered his head, staring at the floor and shook it. �No.� He didn�t want
to see. Sure he wanted Winry to be happy, but he couldn�t stand it if it
was that bastard that made her so.

�Edward.�
Trisha softly called out, and she saw her oldest son look over at her.
�Please listen to your brother on this; I know this situation is hard for
you. But it�s something you have to face. You don�t have to like
it, but you have to understand it. You can�t be selfish as love is not selfish,
it is giving and you must do what is best for your loved one� even if it�s
letting go.�

�Look at
them, Brother.� Alphonse stood beside Edward as his older brother slowly lifted
his head, glancing at Winry and the Colonel who were still talking
quietly. �Can�t you see how much they care for each other? Can�t
you hear it in their voices?�

Roy
did not move any closer to her even though he really wanted to. He didn�t
come in her room for romance; he came in here to talk to her about a completely
serious matter. �I am going after the Fuehrer.�

Sapphire
blue eyes widened, �What?�

�If he
is indeed a homunculus� you do know what that is, don�t you?� Roy
asked, wanting to make sure she understood what he was
talking about.

Winry
nodded, �Yeah, I do.� She sucked in a deep breath. She knew all a little
too well about the homunculi. And she dropped her head, her eyes closing
tightly.

�Well
that�s the reason that I need to act as soon as possible in removing Fuehrer
Bradley from power. I can�t just act without knowing the truth, so I will
investigate it, I�m forming a plan right now and I know I will have others on
my side.� Roy heard her mumbling something. �What? I didn�t quite
catch that.�

�Why
does it have to be you?� She said a little more clearly, still staring at the
floor.

Roy�s
shoulders fell and he made a soft noise, knowing she was worried and
upset. He didn�t like upsetting her, but this was something he had to
do. �You know why.�

She
lifted her head, her eyes colliding with his. �Haven�t you suffered
enough?! You�ve already given up so much, much more than anyone should
have to. I know this is what you�ve been trying for the last couple of
years, but at what cost? The cost of your life?�

�My life
is meaningless.� He said firmly, trying not to let her outcry affect him.

�Not to
me it isn�t!� She practically shrieked. The tears that were building up
in her eyes finally drizzled down her cheeks.

Roy
indeed looked surprised at her declaration before he reached for her, pulling
her into him. �I promised Maes I would do this, I promised those lives I
had taken I would do this.� His arms wove around her tightly.

�Aren�t
you scared? You have to be, if you�re going after a powerful being.� She
crushed herself against him, resting her cheek against his chest.

His fingers
were in her hair, �I will admit it to you, yes. It�s not going to be easy
and I might lose my life. But I can�t let that stop me. It is like
you said to me about that courage not being the absence of fear but that
there�s something more important than fear, something worth fighting for, and
giving up everything for.� He cuddled her tighter. �I am not just
doing this as my atonement; I am doing this for you.� Roy
heard her gasp. �You are worth fighting for, giving up everything
for�even my life.�

She
squeezed her eyes tighter as more tears leaked out. �How is any of this
for me?�

Roy�s
hands curled around her shoulders and he pushed her back from him so that he
could look into her beautiful eyes, �It will assure your continued happiness, you�re
being safe from a controlling government. It shall give you
freedom. If I can give you that, then I�ll gladly go down to the end for
it.�

�You�re
a stubborn fool, Roy Mustang.� She said on a sigh.

And he
smirked.

=====

I Hope you all enjoyed this latest
update and stay tuned for the next one, its sure to be
steamy!

Until next time!

Thanks for reading,

Ryoko Blue
- 6
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When the Cherry Blossoms Bloom