The Impact of Ed's Change.

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Canon Background

In canon Edward and Alphonse are Winry's childhood friends. They grew up together in the village of Rizenbul, and their families really were more like one, even before all the tragedies began to accumulate. As such Winry more often refers to the two of them as brothers instead of friends.

With Edward, things are a little more complicated. Whereas with Alphonse, their relationship is pretty smooth, there are many rocks in her relationship with Ed which frustrate and upset her to no ends, and which I will get into more detail later, but for now the primary highlights I'd like to pull from the manga are as follows:

The first would be her disappointment over how often Ed and Al keep her in the dark. If there is one thing Winry has grown to hate it is secrets being kept from her by people who are supposed to be her friends and ones she trusts. To her there is little achieved by it, and can in fact be counterproductive to keeping people from worrying. It also bothers her because a part of her can't help but feel that it's a show of the distrust they must have in her, or as shown in her conversation with Hughes [ 1 2 3 ] that they don't care about her the way she cares about them. The conversation did help for a little while, and she keeps trying to keep it in mind, but it's really hard to believe when Ed and Al repeatedly act in a manner that she feels is contradictory to this.

The second would be the scene where Winry attempts to kill Scar. [ 1 2 ] I have to admit, I'm a little bothered by how this scene is generally treated in the fandom. I think it's reduced to pure ship fodder, and for both Winry and Ed it is so much more significant than just that. For Winry there are several things to take into account.

• She had just attempted to kill a person. Sure, in the end she couldn't, but the attempt had been made which proved to her that she wasn't and could never be like her parents.
• Ed told her that her hands were hands that saved. It's a sweet sentiment, but one that carries a heavy burden. More than anything Winry wants to live up to the over-idealistic image she has of her parents, but in that very moment she realized that was an impossibility. Ed's timing obviously conflicts with this so not only does she know feel like she doesn't live up to her parents, but she feels like she doesn't live up to Ed's standards. For all their sakes, she tries really hard to despite knowing it isn't what is natural for her. When Winry thinks of what Ed told her that day she does not feel happy or flattered--she feels panicked and boxed in.
• She really has no idea what to make with him not thinking less of her for nearly killing some--especially given the fact that since he stepped in front of her, if she had pulled that trigger that bullet would have hit him.

There is probably a lot more I could say about this scene. Honestly, it deserves its own rant but in short it left Winry feeling very confused about how Ed regards her, and determined to try and do her best to live up to that perceived expectation of being one who heals. It of course was a large factor into pushing her to wonder if she had feelings for him that went past that of familial love, though as I play Winry that's all it is. Yes I do realize canon dictates it is romantic.

For all these conflicted feelings he causes, there is one thing that stands true about all and will never change. Ed and Al, along with Pinako, are Winry's greatest love. It doesn't matter what friends she makes, what partnerships she has, or what possible S.Os she may come to have they will always be secondary to the three of them.

In soul_campaign

In SC Winry has come to discover a lot of things about Ed. She always knew that he was a lot more vulnerable than he let on, and she of course always knew that he blamed himself for what happened to him and Al but she never knew just how far his guilt extended. If there was one word to summarize her relationship with Ed thus far, it would without a doubt be frustrating. A good deal of their interaction can be summarized in these threads [ 1 2 3 4 ]. With her so easily able to see and speak with Edward whenever she wanted to, Winry was able to realize that what he blamed himself was not solely on the incident that cost him his limbs and Al his body, but everything that had ever happened to any of the people he cared for. Getting him to realize the stupidity and futility of carrying such a sentiment has been an onerous task and one that has frayed Winry's emotions quite a bit. The arguments that they have had has much been more serious than in canon and has caused a bit of friction between them at times.

At the end of the day, Winry still loves him, and more than anything this saddens her. She has no idea how she can go about ridding Edward of his guilt complex. More than ever she just wishes that the Elrics stream of bad luck would end so they can restore their bodies and go back to living their lives how they wish. In general Winry has come to feel more like...I wouldn't say guardian or big sister, but she definitely feels a sense of duty towards him, heavier than before. It isn't so much about being his mechanic anymore as it is holding his hand and pulling him along through the storm. Not of getting his body back, but of getting back his own life.

While the two have shared plenty of laughs and good times while in Death City, overall the tone of their relationship, at least on Winry's end has definitely become a good deal more jaded.

In the TYL plot

When Winry meets Edward again he is twenty-six years old, and he hasn't seen her, heard word from her, or even been given any evidence that she is still alive in ten years. A couple months after her disappearance, Al's armor finally rejected his soul, and through the years Ed's losses only accumulated. Ling was captured and modified by the Witches and many of his friends lost their lives in battle.

Needless to say, when Winry finally reappeared at Ed's door he was not the same person she knew. Through observing him and talking with others she has come to learn, that quite possibly the only reason he is still alive is because he has been waiting for her to return. As you can see this creates a huge role reversal.

One of the things that always bothered Winry about her relationship with the Elrics is how often she was left waiting. She understood their reason for being away, and encourages them but that doesn't mean she is content. Those years of waiting are hard, never knowing when they'd return, if they'd return, feeling like all she could do for them is fix Ed's automail, wondering just what she meant to them and if she was pining or clinging too much. Even with her talk with Hughes it still weighed heavily on her mind.

So needless to say, finding out that Ed had waited ten years for her--and in his case he didn't even have any hint that she might be alive (and indeed, she was declared death in absentia) completely blew Winry away. Instead of feeling flattered or happy about this, it just made her feel worse. She was devastated that she would be the only reason she had lived, feeling that indicative of losing all sense of self. Winry confronted him on the issue in this log. Before she returned to the present time they had one last talk and she was left with his coat.

When she returned to the present time, Edward had been returned by BREW.

It's thrown a lot of the things she once thought she knew off. The depth of her relationship with the Elrics is as great as ever, but she wonders exactly what it means to have a bond like that. In some ways she has come to be scared a bit by allowing herself to become to attached to people, and she has to question herself---would she have waited that long for Ed and Al? Either answer puts her in an uncomfortable position. If no, then she feels she is betraying them in a way. If so, and recalling how often she missed them even knowing they were alive and with the occasional visit, how could she withstand something like that for ten years? She's really not sure what path what she would take, and both are more stressing than she'd thought possible.

It's made her simultaneously much more affectionate and open about her feelings towards those she cares about, but at the same time angry at herself for allowing such affection to be shown, and afraid of what it might bring around. Winry always has had a friendly disposition, and made friends easily enough, and that will probably continue after the initial furor and angst of the TYL plot line is done but even more than before she is going to have a lot of trouble allowing anyone to get past just a surface friendship.

THE SHORT VERSION. CHRIST. INCAPABLE OF MAKING NEW FRIENDS THAT GO BEYOND SURFACE COMRADERIE. UH. VERY DESPONDENT AND VAGUELY JADED. I DON'T KNOW HOW THE HELL WINRY IS GOING TO ACT AROUND ED FROM NOW ON.