Disclaimer: I do not own FMA and it's characters. :( This idea was from Mysteryfan17
This fanfic is for Mysteryfan17! Yay! :) You're so awesome and I really hope you like this story! :D
P.S. I promise I will try to come up with a better title!
Ed yawned as he stretched out his stiff, tired limbs. It felt like he'd been on that train forever! Those rock-solid seats had been unforgiving and he winced as he cracked his back.
"We're finally back," he exclaimed happily as he set his eyes upon the Central train station. He heard the clanking of Al's heavy footsteps behind him.
"Yeah. It's good to be back after so long," Al said. Ed nodded in agreement. The last month or so had been a difficult one. They had been investigating a lead on the Philosopher's Stone. There journey had taken them to a rundown town in the blistering southern area of Amestris. With no inn to be heard of, the two brothers had been forced to sleep outside for a majority of their trip, making camp in any field they could find. It had been rough. The heat had been tough on Ed's automail, nearly burning the skin the connected to his steel prosthetic a few times. Al had helped in any way he could, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it. In the end, the lead had proved to be false. Disheartened, they'd taken the first train they could back to Central.
"We should probably report back to the Colonel, Brother," Al said. Ed scowled. He really didn't feel like seeing Mustang. They had just gotten back, and he was exhausted. He just wanted to go back to their military dorm and pass out on the bed. It had been so long since he'd slept on a bed!
"We can do it later," Ed replied quickly. Al sighed and shook his head in disappoval as he crossed his arms over his massive chest.
"Brother, the Colonel told you to report back to him once we got back to Central," he argued. Ed glared at him.
"That jerk! He's always telling me what to do! Well, I'm not going to listen. He can wait another day," Ed protested angrily. Al rolled his eyes.
"It's just his way of caring. He does worry about us, you know. We should go and see him." Ed shook his head, placing his hands on his hips stubbornly. Al sighed in exasperation. As the two continued bickering back and forth, they didn't notice the strange man watching them, observing quietly. They raised their heads as he approached them. He smiled kindly at them. His hair was a messy mop of dirty blond locks, falling down into his grey eyes. He wore a simple button down plaid shirt and slacks. On his feet, he wore a pair of clunky boots that appeared to be two sizes too big.
"Can we help you," Al piped up. The man turned towards him.
"Yeah actually. You see, I was wondering if you could help me. There's a little girl trapped in a drain, and we can't find anyone small enough to fit through to get her out," he replied, his eyes flashing with concern as his mouth pulled down in a worried frown. His eyes travelled over to rest on Ed.
"You seem to be the perfect size." Ed's eye twitched angrily.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD FIT THROUGH A DRAINAGE PIPE WITH ROOM TO SPARE?!" He shouted. The man flinched back, covering his ears.
"Ed, he didn't say that," Al said, shooting the man an apologetic look. The man turned back to Ed.
"That's one set of lungs you've got there," he said dryly. Ed snorted.
"Yeah, whatever," he retorted, still fuming.
"So, will you help me? Please," the man pleaded. Ed sighed, opening his mouth to respond, when Al spoke first.
"Perhaps we should head over to the Command Center to get some help," he suggested. Ed scowled before reaching over to shove some files into Al's arms.
"Here. Take these to Mustang, so he won't complain about them being late again. As a bonus, I won't have to see his face today," Ed instructed. The thought of not having to see the jerk was certainly an appealing one. Al looked like he wanted to protest, but then he finally nodded. Without another word he dashed off in the direction of Central HQ. Ed watched him go. He turned back to the man.
"Alright then, lead the way," he said. He follwed him down the streets of Central, before they finally reached a little secluded area. He walked up to the pipe and clapped his hands. The man gave him a questioning look.
"I'm going to try and open it up using alchemy," Ed explained.
"Wait! You'll crush the kid," he protested. Ed rose an eyebrow, but decided against it. He really didn't want to hurt the poor kid. So instead, he knelt down in front of the pipe, calling down.
"Hey, kid, can you hear me?" The only response he got was silence. He tried again. There was no reply.
"Are you sure there's really a kid down th-" he was cut off as a thick cloth was pressed to his face, covering his mouth and nose. Instinctively, Ed gasped for breath, breathing in deeply. He instantly regretted it as his vision swam. He held his breath, trying not to breath in the chloroform. He tried punching out, only to feel a strong arm wrap itself around his chest, pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled against the man's firm hold, but it was to no avail. His lung burned from lack of air and he was beginning to feel light headed. He gave up, taking in a deep breath. He felt his eyelids get heavy as the world blurred.
'Should've just reported to Mustang,' he thought as he slipped into unconsciousness.