So this is my first ever fanfiction. I've been reading them for awhile and have always wanted to try my hand at it. Fullmetal Alchemist was the first anime I ever saw, so I figured my first fanfiction should be about it. This is a Colonel Mustang story. He's one of my favorite characters in the anime universe and I wanted to write a story I haven't really read in fanfiction.
The basic plot (because I don't know how far I want to go with this) is while stationed in East City, Mustang receives an out-of-the-blue call from a fellow State-Alchemist and friend who transferred to Central almost a year ago. Mustang agrees to head to Central after this friend begs him to meet with him about something important. However, Mustang finds more than he bargains for when this friend turns up dead along with the rest of his family in Central. Unexpectedly, the daughter of this Alchemist who was believed to be in South City is discovered by Mustang in Central. After the funeral, Mustang takes it upon himself to watch over his friend's adult daughter and find the killer. Also, what did the State-Alchemist have to tell Mustang? Why did he sound desperate? And did it end up getting his family murdered?
Anyway, call me Teniromo (pronounced Ten-nee-row-mow) or just Teni. I'm looking for positive feedback so I can better my writing so I don't mind anyone picking this thing apart. I know I don't have indents for new paragraphs. Every time I try to put them in and save it erases them. Anyone know how to fix that?
Hope you enjoy!
I don't own anything Fullmetal except for my t-shirt, which I received as a birthday present. Lyla Novikov is mine, and the rest of the Novikov family.
The Colonel opened the door to his temporary office and took in the state of it. The room was smaller than his office in East city, but quant. It had a desk, chair, and a phone. The window looked out over the Central grounds. It was a fairly decent view from the West Wing. Nodding once in satisfaction at the accommodations, Mustang set his binders and stray papers on top of the plain desk. It was going to be a long day.
The phone on the desk shrilled to life and startled the Colonel. He recovered quickly with an irritated sigh and swiftly answered it. "This is Mustang."
"Good Morning, Colonel Mustang." A female's voice sounded over the line. "There is a Colonel Hughes on the line for you."
"Hughes? Colonel Maes Hughes?" Mustang was surprised. How would he know I'm in Central?
"Yes, Colonel. Should I take a message?"
"No, no." Mustang sighed as he took a seat in his chair. "Put him through."
There was a click as the line switched over. "Roooy!" Colonel Hughes greeted over the phone in a voice much to cheery for Mustang's mornings. "How are yah?"
"I'm very busy Hughes."
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Central?"
Mustang sighed again. "It's just for a minor meeting. I'm booked for a train back to East City this afternoon. And how did you know I was here in the first place? Do you have some of your investigators tailing me or something?"
"Not this time, although I do have my sources." Hughes chuckled. "There's been some talk for the past few days that you were on your way to Central. You have quite a few admirers around here."
"Admirers or competitors?" Mustang cracked a smile.
"I'll let you figure that one out on your own." Hughes chuckled, then grew quiet. "Actually, it's a lucky break I caught you. I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"Yeah," Maes confirmed. "You see, we've actually got a bit of a concern down here."
"What 'concern'?"
Hughes sighed. "No one's heard from Brigadier General Novikov since two days ago."
Mustang straightened up in his chair. "Novikov?"
"Yeah, you remember him, right? He transferred here from East City just last year. I heard you worked with him on a few cases. Anyway, he hasn't showed up for work since Sunday. My secretary has left several messages at his home, but there's been no answer. We checked at the hospital where his wife works and we found out she's missed the last two days of work as well.
"We sent a car out to the residence yesterday, but my man reported there was no answer after knocking on the door for several minutes. We just finished checking in at the school his son attends, and he's been a no-show yesterday and today too."
"What about his daughter?" Mustang finally spoke. "Novikov has a daughter who's older."
"According to our records, Lyla Novikov is currently in South City." Hughes sighed. "She's attending a private school there. We've tried to get in contact with her, but no luck there either. I was hoping you would be willing to take a car and drive by his place. I know you have your reasons for coming to Central, but I don't have the men to spare right now and I'd rather it be someone who knows Novikov. Someone I trust."
Mustang didn't say anything. They were both silent in their own thoughts. "I don't know." Hughes sighed. "Maybe they took a vacation. A spur of the moment kind of thing, you know?"
"That doesn't sound like Novikov. He's a hard worker. He's devoted to the work he does for the military." Mustang sighed. "And he certainly wouldn't blow me off after asking me to come all the way out to Central."
Hughes was quiet on the other line. "He asked you to come to Central?"
"He's the whole reason I'm here. I'm supposed to have a meeting with him in the next hour." Mustang pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at the time, watching it tick away.
"Have you spoken to him in the last two days?"
"No. I spoke to him Friday to notify him the earliest I could be here was today."
"Did he want you here earlier?"
"He wanted me on a train to Central the day he called me. I informed him I had important work that couldn't wait, and coming Tuesday was the best I could do."
"What was your meeting about, Roy?" Hughes finally asked.
Mustang sighed. "He wouldn't say."
"Novikov made you come all the way out to Central for a meeting and he wouldn't say what it was about?"
Mustang though back to the conversation he had with Novikov…
"This is Mustang."
"Roy?"
Mustang paused. "Who is this?"
"It's Novikov."
"General Novikov?"
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
"Yes, sir. It's been almost a year since you transferred. How's Central treating you?"
"I need your help with something, Roy."
"Sir?"
"I need you to come to Central right away."
"To Central?"
"It's important. We can discuss it upon your arrival."
"Sir, I can't leave East City to go to Central right now. The Fuhrer is visiting to oversee assessments."
"Roy, I need you on a train tonight. It's imperative."
"General," Mustang tried to explain. "If you could explain why you need me to go to Central-"
"I can't!" Novikov raised his voice. Mustang closed his mouth. He heard Novikov sigh over the line. "Please, Roy. As a friend, I'm asking you to come to Central and help me. I wouldn't ask if there was any other way."
Mustang relented. "The earliest I can be in Central is next Tuesday. I'm sorry, Novikov. That's the best I can do."
Mustang heard Novikov sigh again. "I guess I'll have to live with that, then. Alright, Mustang. I'll see you Tuesday…"
"Roy?" Hughes' voice broke through Mustang's thoughts. "You still there?"
"He said he wouldn't have asked if there was any other way." Mustang said aloud.
"Novikov said that?"
"Yeah."
There was silence again.
"I've got a bad feeling, Roy." Hughes admitted.
"I'll take a car and my team and head to his house."
"Thanks Roy. I owe you one."
"No, you don't. He's my friend too."
Mustang heard Hughes "hmph" in agreement. "Call me if you find anything."
"Will do." And Mustang hung up the phone. He immediately left the small office, his team looking up at him surprisingly.
"Colonel?" Hawkeye asked as she stood from her desk.
"All of you get your things and meet me by the car. We have to check up on something."
Without another question, the five team members stood and collected their coats as they followed their leader out the door.
Mustang knocked several times on the door and waited with Hawkeye standing behind him. "Come on, Novikov." Mustang said under his breath. When there was no answer to his knocks, the Colonel proceeded to pound his fist on the door. They went without answer as well.
"Colonel?" Hawkeye asked as Mustang turned and headed back down the steps to the cobblestone.
"Fan out." Mustang ordered his team. "Check in all the first floor windows. See if you see anything inside out of the ordinary." The team nodded and silently moved around the perimeter of the house. It wasn't long before one of them called him over.
Mustang moved towards Breda who was by the back door window. "There, sir." He pointed inside. Mustang looked to see shards of a broken object on the floor. "Might be a vase. It's smashed all to hell." Breda noted.
Mustang tried to get a better view of the broken object, but it was hard to see from the place they were. Mustang maneuvered again to try and see more and saw something unexpected. Mustang instantly reached into his pocket and withdrew his white glove. Observing his actions, Breda withdrew his pistol. "There's someone on the ground in there." Mustang took a step back and raised his hand. "Stand clear!" he snapped his fingers and blew the lock off the door. Breda kicked the door in and entered first with his weapon raised. The rest of the team silently converged on their position and entered to house. Mustang entered last.
"Clear." Havoc whispered in the room to the right. There were several other "clear" calls from other members of the team as they cleared the nearest rooms. Mustang didn't pay any attention to them as they did what they were trained to do. Instead, he made a beeline for the body on the ground.
Mustang knelt down next to the body and took a look at the face. The young man's eyes were open wide as he stared into nothingness. His blonde hair was ruffled slightly. One arm was caught underneath the rest of his body while the other stretched up ahead of him, the wrist being twisted in a crippling position. His legs were sprawled out haphazardly. Mustang looked up to see his team standing by looking down at the body.
"Clear the rest of the house. Check if there are any others." The team began to move through the rest of the house while Hawkeye stayed by the Colonel.
"Colonel?" she asked.
Mustang sighed. "It's Novikov's son." Hawkeye move around the body to Mustang's position so she could see his face. "He attended the banquet last year with his father. The whole family did. I think you met him."
"Yes. I remember." Hawkeye looked down with sympathy at the boy. "As I understand he was a gifted alchemist."
"He was due to take his exams in a few months for State-Alchemist." Mustang shook his head. "I saw his name on the list of cadets." Mustang rose to his feet. "Ronan Novikov. It looks like he's been dead for a few days."
"I don't see any wounds." Hawkeye noted. "Could it have been an illness?"
"Colonel!" there was a call from one of the rooms above. The Colonel and Hawkeye hurried up the stairs to the second landing to find Breda standing outside one of the rooms looking grim. His weapon was lowered, but he still had both hands gripping it. "There's another one in there." He nodded his head to the room. Mustang looked in the room to find a sitting room. There was a woman lying on her back motionless. Mustang stood over her.
Gale Novikov stared up at him with dull eyes. Her blonde hair was fanned out around her. Her hand rested on her stomach as the other rested at her side. The blue dress she wore seemed to glow in the sunlight that streamed in from the nearby window.
"Chief." Havoc said from the doorway. Mustang looked up to see another grim face. "We've got one more upstairs."
Mustang sighed. "Alright." And he left Gale to venture upstairs with Hawkeye and Havoc. They entered an office that looked empty, but Havoc lead them around the desk to the body. Mustang looked down and saw Brigadier General Kristoff Novikov sprawled out on the floor. Mustang knelt down beside him. "Damn it, Novikov." He spoke quietly. "What'd you drag me into here?"
"All the rooms have been cleared, chief." Havoc reported.
Mustang stood and turned to face his team. "Get an investigative team down here right away."
"Yes, sir." Fury nodded and he dashed out of the room.
Mustang turned to Breda. "Find the daughter. She's in South City, she could be in danger. Get a team to check her residence."
"Sir!" Breda saluted and left as well.
"I need to call Hughes and tell him what we found." Mustang told Hawkeye and Havoc. "We need to be very careful how we go about this. Whatever Novikov needed to see me about was important. So important, he couldn't say it over a military line. Whatever it was might have gotten his entire family killed because of it. We have very few people we can trust on this-"
Mustang broke as he heard a dull thump from the left. Hawkeye and Havoc instantly drew raised their weapons, which they had never holstered, and pointed towards the direction of the noise. There was another thump and Mustang looked to the closet. Silently, the three officers moved towards the closet. Havoc placed his hand on the doorknob and waited for Mustang's approval. Mustang nodded once, raising his hand in readiness.
Havoc stood clear of the door as he yanked it open. Mustang took one look inside, expecting to see a murderer, but instead lowered his hand immediately without producing a spark. Mustang moved to the closet and knelt down in front of the girl sitting on the floor. She had raised one hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight streaming into the small hovel. She lowered it as Mustang blocked the light with his body.
"Get a medical team up here!" Mustang ordered. Havoc immediately ran out of the room. Mustang reached out to touch her arm. However, the girl cried out in a hoarse voice and shrank back against the wall. Mustang retracted his hand slightly.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Mustang promised. "You're safe now."
The girl seemed to want to look everywhere but at Mustang.
"Miss Novikov, my name is Colonel Roy Mustang. Do you remember me? I worked with your father in East City." The girl still seemed to not notice him. She looked down at her bare feet instead. "Miss Novikov? Can you hear me?" The Colonel placed a hand on her arm.
"Don't touch me!" she yelled suddenly and she fought violently to get out of his grip. Startled by her sudden outburst, the Colonel grabbed her other arm as well and tried to restrain her.
"Miss Novikov!"
"Stop!" she yelled
"Lyla Novikov, stop this!" Mustang ordered, but that didn't work either. The girl thrashed in the small space. "Lyla, it's Mustang!" he finally yelled as he shook her slightly. "It's Mustang!" His yell made her freeze and she finally looked up at him with her large brown eyes. "Do you remember me?" he asked now that she had stopped fighting him.
She nodded shakily. "Colonel Roy Mustang." Mustang watched her fidget. She raised her hand to wipe her teary eyes and nervously brush a strand of hair behind her ear. The Colonel released her as she did so. "Are you here to see my father?" she asked in a steady voice. Taken aback, Mustang didn't have an answer for her. "I'm afraid he isn't here right now, but he should be back soon." She insisted.
"Miss Novikov?" Mustang asked. "Are you with me?"
"I can make you some tea while you wait for him." And she was suddenly trying to get up. Mustang placed his hands on her shoulders to keep her seated.
"I don't think that's the best thing right now, Miss Novikov. Just stay there and we'll get the medical team to take a look at you."
The girl smiled slightly at him, but her smile faded and her brow furrowed. "Why are you here again?" she asked.
"I came to see your father." Mustang played along. The girl was clearly confused. "But Miss Novikov, I need you to tell me if you're hurt. Are you injured at all?"
The girl's brows furrowed even more as she shook her head. "No." she insisted. "I feel…" and she trailed off. She blinked several times. "I feel funny."
"Funny how?" Mustang asked.
The daughter of the Brigadier General just shrugged and smiled. "Just…you know how sometimes you just feel…" and she broke off.
"Miss Novikov?" The Colonel looked into her pale face. The Novikov girl then leaned to the side and wretched onto the carpet. Mustang grabbed her arm to keep her from falling sideways as she wretched. "Where's that medical team?!" he yelled behind him.
"They're on their way, Colonel!" he heard Fury call from downstairs. The Novikov girl wretched again before sitting back up. She swiped at her mouth with the back of her clammy hand. She was obviously embarrassed as she fidgeted again. She tried to stand again, but the Colonel placed a hand on her shoulder to push her back down. It wasn't hard to do so; she was so weak.
"Please, Miss Novikov. You're not well." The Colonel told her.
"I'm sorry." She slurred.
"Don't worry about it. Just try and relax for a minute. Now, I need you to focus for me. Are you injured?" he tried again.
The Colonel watched her eyes slide up to his face and blink slowly. "Why are you here again?" she asked. She was having trouble staying upright and Mustang found himself supporting more and more of her weight.
"Miss Novikov, I need you to stay with me." He shook her slightly. "Hey."
"Colonel, the medical team's here." Fury notified him. The Colonel looked to see several medical soldiers entering the room with a stretcher and medical bags. The Colonel turned back to the Novikov girl to see her eyes closed and the rest of her slouching in unconsciousness.
"Help her." Mustang ordered the team as one of them knelt down beside him.
"This is Hughes." A sigh came from the other end of the phone.
"I take it you've heard, then." Mustang said quietly into the receiver.
"Yeah."
"Then I trust you took the necessary steps."
"I moved my investigative team in. The other team wasn't too happy about it and were reluctant to turn it over to my department, but I called in some favors and they came through. My team is the only team dealing with the case." There was a pause. "I heard you found the daughter there too."
"She was in a closet four feet from her father's body. From what I could tell, she'd been in there for a while. Probably since the day it happened."
"What was her state?"
"She was confused. Disoriented. In shock. The medics also suspected heat stroke. The place was burning hot and she was in a closet for three days."
Hughes sighed again. "I'm sorry, Roy. I'm sorry it had to be you who found him."
"It just doesn't make any sense." Mustang confided. "What did he need to tell me that was so important? Why was his daughter in the house when she's supposed to be in South City?"
"Due to the nature of this investigation I'm going to be playing this one close to my chest, Roy. But I won't withhold anything from you. I'll keep you updated. In the meantime, do you mind staying in Central for a little while longer? It'll take a few days to sort through what the investigators and coroners find and then I'll need to ask you a few questions. It's just timeline related, nothing major, but it would be easier if I could talk to you face to face instead of on the phone from two hundred miles away."
"I guess I don't have a choice. I'll have to make up a formal report about our initial findings. Not to mention the funeral." Mustang sighed.
"It's a tragedy." Hughes voiced Mustang's thoughts. "Mrs. Novikov was a highly respected doctor at the hospital here in Central. That woman had a gift. Not to mention their son. Did you know Ronan was due to take his exams? He wanted to be a State Alchemist. He was already a name worth noting in the area, and not just because of his father. We were all looking forward to having him here."
"You and I were closer than anyone to the family." Mustang agreed. "Even then, I haven't seen Novikov or his family since he transferred to Central. I just heard hearsay every now and then."
"They were doing some pretty big things in Central, the whole lot of them. It's going to be much darker here without them."
Colonel sat down in his chair. "How am I going to tell his daughter that her family is dead?"
"You don't have to, Roy. You've already had to do enough. I'll take care of it."
"No." Mustang shook his head. "I want you to stay on this investigation. Don't worry about the formalities having to do with relocating and transitioning her. I'll take care of it. It's the least I can do since I'm going to be here for a few days."
"Alright." Hughes agreed, then sighed again. "Some favor I asked of you, huh? Boy, I sure can pick 'em."
"You couldn't have known. As far as the two of us were concerned it was just checking up on an old friend."
"I'll keep you posted. Let me know when she wakes up."
"I will. Let me know if you turn up anything new."
"Will do, Roy." Mustang hung up the phone and rubbed his face. It was going to be a long day.
So that's it so far. If it gave you just a few minutes of entertainment and relief from stresses then my goal is complete. Review and edit if you want. Again, don't know how far I want to go with it. Might be a one shot, might be a few chapters long, might be a beast of a thing to tackle. Help and suggestions are greatly appreciated if you have ideas or edits.
-Teni