Bewitched (RoyEd)

Chapter Two

Edward had to leave. There was no way he could bare to be in this small, little town any longer. It pained him mercilessly. Every sight reminded him of Winry. The smells reminded him of Winry. Even the people reminded him of Winry. It was too much to bare, knowing that he had been the one responsible for the death of the most loved and known girl in that town. She was supposed to succeed her parents’ dreams in the medical field and save thousands of lives. Winry was capable of that, but in the midst of it all…

“Are you alright Ed?” Pinako whispered as she gently elbowed him and looked up at him. He looked down into her saddened eyes, unable to help the overwhelming guilt building in his gut.

I killed Winry. I am responsible for your tears. I was just too selfish…

“I… I guess…” Edward murmured before glancing back to the casket. He couldn’t make eye contact with her. Her hand gently grabbed his.

“She really loved you.”

I didn’t deserve that love.

“You were all she would talk about, besides how college was going when she visited every weekend.”

The funereal progressed slowly, and Edward wanted badly to escape, haunted by what he’s done. He’ll never be able to forget what he did to the one person who managed to catch him off guard. She slipped past the barrier he built for himself. Love wasn’t something he truly understood. It was his life source, and yet he never really felt it until Winry. He wasn’t meant to love. He knew that from the start, and yet Winry had caught him and pulled him in, and he didn’t resist.

It was selfish.

Ed watched as they lowered the casket into the ground and felt Pinako’s hand squeezing tightly on his. That would be the last anyone will ever see of her. And it was because he was too much of a coward to accept death for himself. Truly, he was a pathetic being.

People started to leave and he wanted to follow them, but he couldn’t leave Pinako just yet. Not just because of the death grip she had on his hand. She just looked so lost as tears absently slipped from her eyes and she sniffled.

“Come visit once in a while, alright? Don’t be a stranger.”

“...Okay.”

“Granny?” A voice spoke up behind them and Pinako sobbed harder as she let go of Ed’s hand and turned around to give the other person a hug.

“Oh, Alphonse…”

Ed glanced behind him and locked eyes with the boy that held onto Pinako. Neither of them said anything.

“So you’re Edward?” Alphonse spoke up gently. “I’ve heard a lot about you, from Winry…” The look he had on his face after saying her name made Ed want to disappear.

“Yeah, so you’re Al. She talked about you a lot too.”

He couldn’t do this. There was too much guilt. His hands trembled in fists at his sides and he bit hard at the inside of his cheeks. Alphonse was speaking again, but Ed couldn’t focus on the words. Tears were blurring his vision and it took every ounce of self control he had not to let them spill.

“I’ve gotta go…” His voice came out whiny and high pitched, but he didn’t care. He turned, quickly walking away. There wasn’t a particular place he had in mind to go to. It wasn’t like he had a home, but anywhere. Anywhere but here seemed like a good place to be.

Edward hastily walked with no destination into the busy, hustling city. His teary eyes stayed glued to the sidewalk. He couldn’t dare look up. Everything in this city would remind him of Winry, from the gift shops meant for tourists, to the movie theater, to the restaurants and even the library. He couldn’t risk remembering those memories now. He just couldn’t… but, what else could he think of? She plagued his mind like an illness. He needed to forget.