Wow, a sequel... I shock myself. ^^ Well, to all you people who liked Dislocations, I hope you enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
It was quick, a swish of fabric, known to be navy blue like that fateful night's sky, then a rumbling voice, heavy and strangely comforting… well, to his mind anyway. "You, Xald Stevens, have been charged with nine counts of premeditated murder, and one count of attempted murder of an officer, who is a minor. How do you plead?"
His mind had the answer and he had no reason to doubt it. The man felt his mouth curve upward in a grin before chuckling, "guilty." Through the blindfold, he could practically see his judging officer's disgusted face. He'd seen it on everyone. That blasted man, Roy, and his blond prize… Edward.
"Then, there is no reason for any vote." The sound of the guns being readied was one he'd known was coming all his life, and, of course, the faces of every one of those officers holding those guns. Oh… they tried to steel their faces, but their disgust always, always shone out in their eyes. It was a look that everyone held once they knew him.
Except his followers.
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"Aw man!" Edward gave a sharp curse, then ducked his head behind a book as everyone in the library turned to look at the ill-tempered, foul-mouthed child who'd been cursing all day. He glanced at his index finger and stuck it in his mouth, sucking the iron-flavored blood from his mouth. Water, carbon, salt…
"Heeeeeeeey!" An arm looped itself around the young boy's neck, drawing him out of his paperwork and scaring him nearly out of his seat. His foot, which had been hooked delicately around the foot of the chair, jerked forward and the sharp edge jammed into the bandage wrapped firmly around the still-bleeding gunshot wound. It shot a sharp jolt of pain up Edward's spine and he bent over, hunching like a gargoyle before glaring at his untimely attacker.
"Maaaaes…" He growled evenly and dangerously. His mouth opened again, this time to yell at the man, but the elder quickly put a comforting hand on his head and winked.
"Me and my daughter just came to say hi," obviously, this was Hughes' way of threatening him if he even so much as mouthed a cuss word in front of his darling Angel. "And isn't she just the cutest little bug in a rug? She's grown sooo much since the last time you'd seen her!" He was still gushing when Elicia interrupted and spoke directly to the Fullmetal Alchemist.
"Edward," her voice still held the childish element of slurring together sounds, reminding him of another little girl, who met an all-too untimely of an end. Edward lowered his head a bit so he was more even with her and could look her directly in overly large eye. "Are you okay?" Edward froze for a moment, shocked that Hughes' had shared with such innocent young ears what had happened. "Daddy told me you fell down the stairs." Ah.
"Oh, I'm fine. But I think your father needs to understand that people in my condition," he ground out the words in the direction of the overprotective man, "don't like being sneaked up on." The prodigy felt the Lieutenant Colonel's gaze soften.
"Elicia, why don't you go ask Sciezka if there are any kid books?" Edward glanced up to see the mousy ex-librarian hovering at a distance near the bookshelves. This is a military library… "Are you really okay?" he had asked once the small blonde had given the young lady a running hug and they had disappeared among the shelves. For some reason, Edward knew that was coming.
"Oh yeah, sure. I think you making me ram my leg into the chair made things all the better."
Maes ran an embarrassed hand through his coal hair, "sorry about that." Edward snorted, and after a moment of silence, started absently reading a file again. "You know we miss you back at Central." The silence that followed obviously encouraged the man to speak more. "Especially Roy." Edward raised his golden eyes to meet that of the family man's. "Doesn't have anyone to pester."
"Of course. That man can't go a day without putting himself up on a pedestal by knocking me down a few pegs." As soon as he said it, he saw Hughes face change as he tried to hold in the retort. Set myself up for that one, he inwardly cringed. "Oh shut up."
"Riza's having a heck of a time trying to keep his head proportional to the rest of his body." Hughes continued conversationally.
"A dart-shooter would have a tough time doing that."
The dark-haired man gave a jovial laugh, "in fact, she's about ready to just kill the guy."
Edward slammed his manila file shut. "Well I'm about ready to shove this file…"
"Daddy!"
"… In my briefcase." He finished as Elicia came running over, pouncing on the man's lap and prompting a heavy whoosh of breath. "Think I'm going to head home for the night." As Edward rose, Hughes mimicked, holding his girl in his arms.
"Why don't you come over, we can grab Al on the way. My gorgeous wife is making us one amazing dinner tonight." He paused and bounced a bit, adjusting Elicia in his grasp. "And Elicia thinks you look underfed."
Just as Edward was about to decline, saying he had too much work, Elicia turned to glance at him. A scowl decorated her face, but it was the kind of scowl where she puffed her cheeks out like a monkey and tried to look mad and scolding, probably like her mother. "Yeah, Edward, you're too small!" Edward bit his tongue almost in half trying to withhold a retort; he knew she obviously meant skinny. "You need to eat so you can groooow!" her face changed to childish joy and she spread her arms in an imitation of a tree spreading its limbs. "So you can be as tall as Daddy!" Or… maybe she really meant small.
"Hey! I'm just not done growing yet!" he argued, obviously having met his match in the mind of a baby. She nodded with all the sarcasm a child could muster.
"C'mon Edward." Hughes' placating voice calmed him down. "Just this dinner. It's not like we get to see you all that often."
"Oh fine…"
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The files had stacked up. Altogether, there were a total of 29 of them, and as they were stacked atop one another, they created a leaning tower, defying gravity enough to impress anyone. Roy took a lazy sip of his coffee before casting a trained eye at the stack. If he judged it right, he could get every one of them signed and passed before he had to leave that night.
With a trained ear, and somewhat of a 6th sense, he predicted Riza's arrival in 3… 2… he snatched a file off the top of the stack and plucked a pen, …1
The door creaked open and the blonde entered, her eyes closed in their somber manner and her mouth a firm line. "Sir."
"Hawkeye," he acknowledged, dutifully reading over the file.
"So, are you finally doing your work?" she floated over to hover behind him as she read the file. He felt her tense behind him.
"What's wrong?" She made no movement, her eyes stayed attracted to the paper. Tentatively, he actually began to read what had been typed. '…Lieutenant Colonel Mustang led the unauthorized rescue of one State Alchemist, Edward Elric, from the Mayor of Kenter, Xald Stevens…' he felt bile rise in his throat.
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Edward put a stack of books as tall as Elicia on the front desk, leaving it up to the lady in charge to return them. Collecting his folders and notebooks in a pile, he slid them into a small leather bag and slung it over his automail shoulder. He had been in there for hours, and he had just now realized how late it was and how stagnant the air was. The Fullmetal Alchemist limped over to where his friends were standing at the door of the library. Freaking bullet. Freaking stubborn steak.
Hughes opened the door and stepped outside, holding it for Sciezka and Edward. Elicia hung onto the loose material of her father's jacket, her little fist creating small waves in it.
The golden haired boy inhaled deeply, getting as much of the cool, evening air into his lungs as possible, hoping to chase out the dusty, library air. He winced as it aggravated the ceaselessly throbbing stitch in his side. Absently, he heard the door close behind them, it suctioned lightly and a wave of lukewarm air washed over him. It smelt exactly like it did a minute ago… but the cold air carried a distinctly different scent.
Water… carbon… salt…
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Mustang let his head loll, jet eyes landing in the palms of is hands. "Why do they give me all the crap?" he muttered to himself. Riza had left him, then returned wither her promised refill of coffee, then disappeared again. Total damage: numerous small lacerations, two bullet wounds, a broken ankle, possible concussion, and possible need of therapy.
Slowly moving a palm, he stared down at the paper. A blank line ogled up at him, begging him to sign it. He groaned and grabbed the pen, blindly spelling out his name. Finally, this case is done. It's in the freaking past.
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It fell, but not before it's crimson blood. It dripped down, stopping the four in their tracks. Then the body followed. It rolled from somewhere, falling from the sky like a demented stork had left it. The body landed with a sickening and moist thump, prompting blood to splatter up. Edward felt the red liquid on his cheek, but ignored it as the man's grayed head turned to stare at him with wide-open, glazed eyes. Elicia, who had probably had her eyes covered the moment Hughes sensed something, did nothing but let out an aggravated grunt. Sciezka, on the other hand, saw it all, and let out a scream that fell heavily on Edward's throbbing head.
"Edward, go in and call Roy."
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It rang. Endlessly rang and finally Roy realized it wasn't just his harried imagination. He slammed a hand on the phone, took a deep breath, and then picked it up. "Hello?" his voice was bored and tired, slightly drunk from the lack of sleep.
"Mustang." It was Edward. "You need to get down here to the library." His voice was tired, probably a vocal mirror of Roy's. There was a cacophony of noise the background, but it blended too well to make any distinctions.
"What's wrong?" Then a thought hit him and he let out a pained grunt. "You didn't really blow it up, did you?"
Edward gave a snarking laugh. "You're lazy and I'm sure you have selective hearing, but I like to give you more credit than that, wouldn't you hear an explosion?" he left no break for an answer. "There's a dead body down here." Mustang bit back the urge to ask if he'd called the boy short.
"Fine…" and he hung up. He stood up and put on his blue jacket, making sure he looked presentable before leaving his office. "Hawkeye, there are reports of a dead body down at the library. I'm going to go check it out and I'll call you if it's really something." Riza's amber eyes flickered before she nodded.
"Okay, be careful." It only took the Lieutenant Colonel about five minutes to get downtown. As he stepped out of his ride, the sun was setting, casting the scene in a rosy glow. There were a few policemen outside, and Hughes was talking to the biggest of them. Edward, the only one sitting aside, sat on the handrail; his hurt ankle set in a precarious position that must've been comfortable. His usually golden hair looked more hot pink now, and his fair skin brown in the shadow of his bangs. His face was somber and he stared down at the body. His expression was pensive, and there was a small puddle of blood collecting by his hurt ankle.
Roy, who hated to disturb him when he was in one of his truly quiet moments (for why waste those precious few moments), quietly came up and stood beside him.
"What happened to your ankle?" Edward gave a sniff before adjusting the way he was sitting.
"I had to get up on the roof somehow," at Roy's confused expression, he explained. "He fell off the roof. I figured that the killer might still be there, but I didn't see anyone. Must've aggravated the dang thing."
Mustang, who wanted to chide the young man for being careless and stupid, merely resorted to a question, "Anybody you know?" Edward's face never changed, as he shook it no. The Flame Alchemist easily maneuvered around the body so he could get a good look at the face. He hunkered down to stare at the face, and was stricken by what he saw. Why is he, all the way over here in Central?
Edward must've noticed the change in the alchemist. "Did you know him?" Roy nodded a yes, but didn't really know how to explain exactly how. It wasn't a good thing, he knew that much, but he didn't know what just how bad it was.
The Flame Alchemist sensed Hughes hunkering down beside him, an eyebrow arched curiously. "He was a man from back in Kenter," he sensed the tension growing in the air as he stared into the man's dulled eyes, not that big of a change from their nervous originals. "He told me that you were with the mayor. He's the reason I found you…"
Yes, I understand this chapter is kind of jumpy, weird to read. But if you picture it like a movie, I think it would make more sense. I hope you enjoyed it! As for the water, carbon, and salt, I don't know if that is really the ingredients in blood, I just took some of them from Ed's little monologue about what's in a body.