Hello, my name is LunaMaye and welcome to my first Fullmetal Alchemist story. I started this story a long time ago and along the way I just lost the inspiration to finish it. But I decided that I will finally continue it. So I've started working on it again and I've gone back to fix up all the chapters so if you're new to this story just read on and if you were an old reader please take the time to reread this story from the beginning. I've added in more detail and fixed up some previous mistakes.
A few warnings beforehand. This is a RoyEd story. It is rated M for future chapters. If you're not into that sort of thing then please don't read it.
A few additional notes, this story takes place right after the moment Ed performs human transmutation on himself to get Al back in Season 1 Episode 51:Laws and Promises. Everything that happened after that moment will be changed.
Chapter 1: Awake
Screaming. There was screaming, a lot of it. Shouts and curses, yelling and panic. The gate was there briefly, he did remember the gate, but nothing else. The gate had told him something, some words he could't remember at the moment. Maybe they weren't important. Ed was barely aware of his surroundings. His muscles ached. His limbs in particular. It felt like Winry had rushed his last automail fix up. Where was he right now. His head hurt and he wasn't ready to open his eyes. He wanted to delay whatever was about to happen for as long as possible. Something had gone horribly wrong, when he was involved something like that always seemed to happen. He could feel a sticky wetness all around him which seemed to soak his clothes. The ground was cold and he was dimly aware of a shadow leaning over him. Dampness was hitting his face as a figure above him wept softly. It felt like gentle raindrops falling to wash all his pain away. The muffled sobs sounded like they came from a girl, but he wasn't sure. The blurry image was saying something to him. Soothing little whispers as his head started to feel heavier. What was happening? He couldn't focus. He felt an overwhelming urgency to get up, but he couldn't All was soon lost as he drifted back into blissful unconsciousness, but before he went there was one thought lingering in his mind.
Whatever had happened, had he succeeded? Or was it all for nothing..
Three Weeks Later
Ed was lying down on a stiff uncomfortable, yet familiar surface. He was vaguely aware of his surroundings. His eyes were still closed and he refused to open them, not yet. Not until he could remember what had happened. What did happen exactly? There was yelling, a flash… a transmutation? More yelling. And a voice, a girl's voice. He couldn't recall whom, but he remembered something. He could hear muffled noises coming from beyond the room… was he in a room? Yes he was. He had to be. He was laying in a bed of some sort, that much he knew. He cracked one eye open slowly just in case he wasn't alone. He closed it immediately and sighed. Shit. He was in a hospital. A place he was used to waking up in after everything he'd been though. He tried to stretch his limbs and then immediately regretted it. A hot white pain jolted up his right automail arm into his shoulder blade. He took a few ragged breaths until the pain became manageable. He slowly extended his left arm and to his relief there was no pain, but he felt a slight tugging. There was an IV in him, just great, how long had he been here for. Ed hated hospitals. More muffled noises, louder this time, emerged from beyond the door. And then it swung open with a bang.
"I said let me through," came the voice of Colonel Mustang as he barged into Ed's room.
Not him… not now… fuck. Ed felt his face scrunch up involuntarily. Was it possible for this day to get any worse.
"What happened to him?" Mustang barked after a few moments.
A new voice spoke this time, one Ed was not familiar with.
"We're not sure sir. He was brought here by a young Ishvalan girl. She was very afraid and she kept saying to check his limbs. Something had gone terribly wrong and he wouldn't wake up. She kept saying he was dead," A woman's voice answered.
Mustang examined Ed with a careful eye as the nurse fixed his IV. His eyebrow shot up when he noticed a large bandage around Ed's upper shoulder where his automail mounted to the skin. The bandage was soaked with blood, but the blood was dry. Ed was positioned half sitting up in the bed and the dingy green hospital blanket lingered at his waistline. Ed looked paler than usual. Heavy bags had developed under his eyes. He did not have his usual braid and instead his mangled hair was scattered across the pillow. Something wasn't right here. Roy could tell. Ed had done something. He sighed reluctantly at the given state of his subordinate.
"How is he?" came the unusually gentle tone of First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.
"It's hard to tell," the nurse began, "the heart monitor showed us some signs that he was in pain, but he never stirred or woke up. At first we thought maybe the equipment was faulty, but then he started making weird noises in his sleep. We couldn't tell if he was in physical pain or a nightmare, but the doctor amped up the morphine just a little."
"And what happened to the young woman who brought him here?" the Colonel asked as he continued interrogating the nurse.
"I'm not entirely sure sir. She was here the first few days and then left. She came back yesterday and gave us the pocket watch which we used to identify him, then we called you," The nurse answered as she began removing the bandage from Ed's arm.
Fuck that hurt, what was she doing, tearing his skin off along with the bandages. He felt the nurses soft, yet firm hands take away the bandage piece by piece before a new one was applied. Ed fought to keep his face looking painless and tried to keep composure, he didn't feel like being bombarded with questions from every person in the damn room. The last thing he ever wanted was for anyone to see him in pain, and that went double for Mustang. Colonel asshole would just belittle him right here and he refused to let him do that until he was ready to actually wake up. Time was running short and he knew it would have to be sooner rather than later, but if he could put it off a little more than why not. Hell if Mustang already figured out he was awake why not fuck with him for a bit.
Another twinge of pain ran up his arm when the nurse secured the cloth bandage in place. Ed could tell from where her hands met his skin that it was around the upper part of his automail arm and shoulder. Why the hell did that area hurt so fucking bad. Ed panicked as he heard the heart monitor blip a little faster. "Need to calm down," he thought to himself.
Roy paid close attention as the nurse removed the bandage. He had always been very observant and he was pretty good at reading people too. Ed was awake and hiding it very poorly at this point. He wondered what ridiculous situation Fullmetal had put himself in this time. By the looks of it he knew something horrifying probably, and his biggest clue didn't come from Ed, but from the lack of a certain presence in the room.
Nothing appeared wrong with Ed's automail at all though as he glanced over the boy. He thought it would have been unconnected or broken, maybe a piece had come unattached and somehow Ed had hurt himself, but nothing appeared wrong from where he was standing. Why was there so much dried blood on that first bandage?
"Interesting," he stated, "Lieutenant when we return to Central I want this girl found. She is a possible suspect for whatever happened to the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"Yes Sir!" she saluted.
"Nurse how long until he can leave?" Roy proceeded as he made his way around the room and took a spot standing beside Ed.
"If everything checks out normal he can leave, but we won't know until he wakes up," the nurse responded before ducking out of the room quickly.
"Lieutenant please guard the door," Mustang said, "No one is to enter until I give the command.
"Sir?"
"I need a moment with my subordinate."
Riza Hawkeye saluted a second time and then walked out of the room to guard the door.
Ed heard the terrifying click which signaled his impending doom. Shit… why was he here? Why couldn't he just leave. It was bad enough that Ed had just become completely conscious of what was happening around him. Now he had to deal with this asshole.
Mustang peered at the heart monitor and then took a closer look at Ed. There was an eerily dark bruise in the center of Ed's chest which he wanted to know about. There was no way a punch or kick could have caused it. The skin looked newer, fresher even, but it was still bruised as if rapid healing had taken place. Mustang could almost make out where old skin ended and new skin begin, three weeks wouldn't have accelerated this kind of healing, this was an entirely different matter. Roy glanced up at the fresh bandage on Ed's shoulder. When the nurse was changing it he noticed That where the metal met skin his skin looked torn and ripped, but somehow sewn back together without a trace of surgery or anything. The same way the center of his chest looked. Roy could only imagine what Ed's leg looked like. He glanced down the bed slowly and his eyes rested on the lower parts of his subordinate. He wondered.
"How much longer are you going to pretend to be asleep?" the Colonel asked mockingly.
Ed gave no response.
"I have other places to be Fullmetal," he began and then smirked, "My time here is running short."
He was good, the bastard was damn good. He always knew what not to say to get Ed talking.
"Don't you dare start with short jokes bastard!" Ed yelled angrily as he immediately sat up straight, but then regretted it.
He had to take a few deep ragged breaths as his chest ached and he rubbed at it. Roy took notice of this and smirked, but it quickly faded when he caught sight of Ed's back. It appeared to look the same as the front. A deep purple bruise with almost new-like skin right behind the one on his chest. Roy was almost at a loss for words when Ed spoke up;
"Hey. Are you even listening to me?! For someone who has no time you're sure wasting a lot of it," Ed said mocking him.
"Don't get me started runt."
"Don't call me a little runt you need a microscope to find!" he shouted furiously.
"Easy Fullmetal don't hurt yourself. We both know how fragile you can be," Roy retorted, he wasn't trying to willingly mock his height challenged comrade, but some opportunities you just give into, even under bad circumstances. If Ed was going to be like this he might as well enjoy it right?
"Why the hell are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be off doing paperwork or something?" Ed asked not really caring for the answer.
"I came here because I'm your superior and you've been missing for three weeks." Roy stated.
What? Three weeks? Ed had been out cold for three weeks? How did this even happen? Why couldn't he remember?
"Ed what happened? No one could find you. We had no idea where you were or where to start looking. It was like you just disappeared. I never thought we'd find you in some random hospital.
Now there was the golden question, one Ed wished he had the answer for.
"I don't know," Ed answered defeated.
"Don't know? Or don't want to tell me?" the Colonel commanded, "Ed you were rushed here unconscious. You were identified because the girl who brought you here gave the hospital your pocket watch. We ran the identification number on the back and realized it was you. Hawkeye and I rushed out here and you appear as if you've been severely injured. I can deduct that you've clearly been through hell and yet, you don't know what happened. Let's try a new answer this time" Roy ordered.
"I told you I don't know asshole! If I knew I'd tell you!" Ed yelled angrily at his superior officer, "Honestly, I can't remember."
"Alright Ed, new question. Where's Al?"
Ed's face froze and he felt his heart actually pivot and fall into his his stomach. Ed jerked his head to the left and then the right. Why wasn't Al here with him. A giant suit of armor is hard to miss.
"Al?" he asked in a tone barely above a whisper as if he was calling out to him, only to have Mustang answer him.
"Yes Al. Alphonse Elric. Your younger brother. Where is he? Clearly not here."
"I don't know."
"Listen Fullmetal-" Roy began, but was interrupted by the intrusion of the nurse.
"I'm sorry to intrude on you sir, but the nurse needed to come in and speak with you," Riza stated before returning to he position outside the door.
The nurse came in cautiously as if she was a timid child, "the doctor said as soon as he wakes up he's… oh you're awake. Let me go get your paper work you're ready to checkout," the nurse said as she left the room.
"What excellent timing. You can catch a ride back to Central with me. And then we can talk about some changes that will be made," Roy sated as he walked to the door
"What changes?"
"If I'm going to continue funding your research I can't have you going MIA again for three weeks. Come to think of it you usually just come and go as you please and now without Al I don't believe it will be safe for you to be alone."
"What the hell are you getting at Mustang! Al is my kid brother! I don't need a babysitter!" he yelled angrily.
"Apparently you do. Besides, if you want to find Al you're going to need help. And I need to have tabs on you at all times."
"I don't like where you're going with this," Ed answered defiantly.
"Then quit."
Ed said nothing.
"Alright then. When you get discharged, First Lieutenant Hawkeye will escort you to my car. I'll be waiting for you so don't try any games," Roy said as he left.
"Can my life get any worse," Ed thought to himself as he collapsed back onto the bed.
-LunaMaye
