Ok, so I don't own FMA, much to my regret. Yeah, anything else, the beginning of a story of madness for Edward. R&R or Perish.

Hell's Awakening - Chapter 1: The Beginning of Discovery

Edward Elric had lived a very normal life, well, as normal as it comes when you live in the countryside with your Mother and Brother, you have a deserter of a father and you're the son of a legendary alchemist. However, at the passing away of his mother, with no adult to guide him, he took up a new mantle. At 10 years old, he vowed to defy the laws of science and bring his mother back. He and his brother found a teacher, they were taught Alchemy in its most serious forms. They were done with child's play. On the eve of their return from that training though, everything went wrong.

Edward and Alphonse attempted human transmutation, a science forbidden by the military for a now painfully obvious reason. It not only fails, but generally renders the user dead. Edward and Alphonse learnt the hard way. Alphonse was torn from Edward moments after they activated their transmutation together. Edward's brain was filled with forbidden knowledge, knowledge that would allow him to save Alphonse if he could only crawl over to the suit of armour in the corner. Unfortunately for Edward, he was rendered unconscious by pain before he could make it. That was the last thing he remembered, whispering 'I'm so sorry, Al..'

Edward woke up in a familiar room, it was Winry's room. What, how did I get here? Edward thought. Then came the pain. A terrible, unexplainable pain in his left leg. He ground his teeth and attempt to put up with it, however he was too late. Winry and Pinako had heard him wake up. They rushed up the stairs to see the boy. "Ed how are you feeling?" Winry asked with concern, "You don't look well."
"Well thats obvious," Ed spat, "I feel terrible. Where's Al?"
Winry and Pinako fell silent, unsure of what to say. "Edward," Winry spoke quietly, "We couldn't find Alphonse anywhere."
Ed fell deathly silent, so he had failed. He'd failed to save his one and only little brother, the boy who had helped him advance his study of Alchemy under Izumi Curtis and had stood by his plans despite feeling the apparent unease behind it. Alphonse was dead. It wasn't fair, it should have been him. Perhaps this was punishment from God.
"EDWARD!" Winry yelled, "Are you listening?"
"Huh?" Ed said, stunned.
"Edward, what happened to you?" Winry asked.
"What do you mean?" Ed responded.
"Ed," Pinako stated bluntly, "Where did your left leg go?"
"It's gone?" Ed asked worriedly, "Its really gone isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so," Pinako spoke clamly, "Mind telling me why it's gone? Or should I guess?"
"You've already guessed anyway haven't you?" Ed accused Pinako.
"I have." Pinako sighed, "All I can say is that you're lucky to be alive young man."
"Lucky?" Ed spat, "Lucky? Are you insane woman? I'd be better off dead. I don't deserve to live in this world after what I've done."
"It was going to be one of you either way wasn't it?" Pinako asked harshly, "The one who was the strongest survived."
"Did you just accuse Al of being weak?" Ed spat with rage, "I may not have my left leg, but I still have enough energy to beat the crap out of you Pinako."
"Calm down," Winry said, "Ed, like it or not, you're stuck here with us now. Fighting with granny like this isn't going to bring Alphonse back now is it?"

Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye walked into the now deserted house and found it oddly quiet, even for a deserted building. Roy walked through and inspected each room thoroughly until he came to the study. There on the floor was a transmutation circle of such complexity, smeared with large quantities of blood. Only a skilled Alchemist would have known how to draw this, only the one he was looking for. But had he survived the attempt at bringing someone back from the dead? History never showed a single survivor of Human Transmutation.

After much asking around the town, Roy and Riza learnt that the occupants of the house were under the care of the Rockbell family who manufactured Automail just out of town. If they weren't home, they were likely to be there. Roy made his way up the front steps of the large weatherboard home, feeling anxious about what he might find inside. The door was then opened by a woman so short who cut off Roy's train of thought. "What does a dog of the military want here?" Pinako spat, she and Winry hated the military. "Excuse me Ma'am," Roy answered politely, "But I am here to enquire about the children of that house over their." Roy pointed to Ed and Al's house.
"What of them?" Pinako asked cautiously.
"It is rumoured a talented alchemist lives in these parts," Roy spoke calmly, "I am somewhat of a scout that would track these alchemists and evaluate them."
"I have no idea what you mean," Pinako answered coldly, "Both those children lost their mother recently, they live with me now. They are only 10 and 9 years old. How would they be skilled alchemists?"
Roy, not caring to look at the woman knowing she was lying strode onwards into her house. "HEY!" Pinako shouted, "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ENTER MY HOUSE LIKE THIS!"

Roy continued on, up the stairs toward the room where he heard the most noise. He turned the handle and attempted to push, but the door wouldn't budge. Unsure if there was a person on the otherside or not, Roy decided not to torch or shoot the door but rather give it a firm kick. The door sprang open and Roy was startled by what he saw. A blonde boy, of maybe 10 was sitting up in bed, just staring straight through the wall as if he was elsewhere. On the floor was a blonde girl of about the same age who had a medical clipboard in her hands. "W-what do you want?" she quavered.
"Where is the other one?" Roy wanted to know, "Where is the other brother?"
Winry broke out in tears, startling Roy. "He's gone," Winry cried, "And he's never coming back."
Roy looked at her, was she seriously telling him that the boy was dead? He decided she was crying, it looked truthful enough, so instead he decided to approach the occupant of the bed. Winry jumped infront of him though, she wasn't letting any harm come to the only remaining Elric. "You leave him alone," Winry cried, "He lost his brother. He deserves his peace."
"Out of my way girl," Roy spat, raising his fist. He then side stepped Winry and approached Edward, without giving Ed a moment to think, Roy lifted him out of the bed by his collar, causing Ed to yelp in pain and return from his far away world. "W-what did I do?" Roy asked, startled. He then looked down and was aghast. The boy had no left leg. Winry in no mood to see Ed suffer grabbed a wrench from her back pocket and bought it down on Roy's wrist.

"FUCK!" Roy swore in pain. Riza came rushing in, to see her superior on the ground clutching his wrist. Brought down by what appeared to be a 10 year old girl with a wrench. Then she looked at the other occupant of the room, a boy who appeared to be lost to the world. She then noticed it, he was missing his left leg. He couldn't stand any more. Pinako stood in the door way and just chuckled, if there was one thing her Grand Daughter could do, it was protect her best friend.

"Seriously, sir." Riza sighed, "You let a 10 year old bring you down? Shameful!"
"Who is he?" Riza asked Pinako.
"This is Edward Elric," Pinako sighed, "Last surviving member of the Elric family."
"He looks nothing like a person of Amestris," Roy commented. Winry and Pinako glared at him.
"Where was his mother from?" Roy asked.
"Here, Risembool. In General, she was from Amestris." Pinako answered.
"His father?" Riza asked. She noted the boy's muscle's tense at the mention of his father.
"No one knows," Pinako spoke, "He came from parts unknown, settled down for a few years, had two sons with his wife, then left and hasn't returned since. Edward here hates him."
"Can you explain to me why this child is missing his leg?" Roy asked, "Or will I just guess?"
"I could explain, but I doubt you'd believe me." Pinako answered.
"Try me." Roy spoke calmly.
"He was involved in an accident in town," Pinako lied better this time, "He was losing a lot of blood from his left leg, we couldn't seal the wound, it just kept bleeding, in order to properly stabilise him, we decided to amputate it."
"Then explain the absence of his brother." Roy spat.
"He died in the accident," Pinako stated matter of factly.
"And you can tell me why no one in this town mentioned that when I enquired as to the location of those two boys?" Roy asked angrily.
"I..." Roy cut her off.
"You and I both know he was not involved in any accident." Roy accused, "This child attempted human transmutation in order to bring back the mother he loved so much didn't he?"
Pinako was flabbergasted, the secret was out. Now it was only a question of what would happen to Ed, he was young. Too young to be court martialled for such a wrong when he hadn't understood what he was doing properly.
"You will not be taking him back to Central," Pinako asserted, "I won't allow it."
"I never said I would," Roy answered, "I'm just curious as to how he survived. There is no recorded human transmutation in history where the alchemist has survived."
"He is the son of a genius alchemist," Pinako sighed, "Something tells me that whatever it was that decided to take his brother's life, decided to let him live on in guilt."
"If you ever relate me to that bastard of a father again," Ed snapped, "I will break both your legs, Pinako."
"He's so..." Riza couldn't quite describe it.
"Cold? Depressed?" Winry finished.
"Yes." Riza answered.
"He's been like that since he woke up." Pinako sighed, "Won't talk much, refuses to eat, wishes he was dead."
"Why?" Riza asked.
"His eyes say it all," Roy stated, "His reasons for living are gone. His soul is broken."
"So will you leave us alone now?" Winry asked, "Theres no threat or soldier to be made of Edward."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that young lady," Roy stated, "I could still Court Martial him, or announce to the world what he's done. Or I could blackmail him into working for me, the list of possibilities is endless."

AN: You people better review. It'll make more chapters arrive. Ok? Good, we understand each other.