Prompt #2: Street Rat Pt. 1 (AU)
A/N: Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter enough to be back for this one! I think, that like the last one, this plot will be divided. One of the things that stood out to me was Ed's bond with Nina. The whole thing happened early on in the series, but I never forgot about it (I mean who can?). I wanted to do a "what if" where Nina never died or was turned into a chimera, so this was born. Just a few notes: Ed is 26 in this plot and Al is 25, Ed has to wear his uniform because he's an adult and he isn't granted any special privileges. I hope you enjoy this installment of Lucky!
Street Rat: A homeless kid who lives off of the scrap of others. Generally disliked by the public and nuisance to the Military, so why does this particular child pull at Ed's heartstrings?
Newly licensed criminologist, Edward Elric, gleefully guided his younger brother through the busy streets. They had finally finished moving all of their belongings from Granny Pinako's house into their fully-furnished, brand-spanking new apartment. Sure, he was sad to leave his family behind, but he wasn't about to let his aspiring doctor, baby brother go into the big city alone. No way. The city was so big and dangerous. So midway through his second year of university, Edward switched his major of chemistry to criminology.
While Alphonse was finishing his degree in medicine, Edward was able to complete his criminology degree. With top marks. Edward's professor, for some reason, adored his most cynical student and ended up sending the younger man's portfolio to Eastern Command. A few weeks later Edward and Alphonse packed their bags so the older brother could begin his formal career and the younger brother could start his internship at Eastern Medical Center.
The two brothers, carrying bags of take-out, were pushing their way through the Sunday crowd. Edward, using his aggressive nature, easily made a path through the people.
"Brother," Alphonse began a little nervously, "Shouldn't you be a little more polite? I mean we just moved here and all."
Edward laughed in response. "Oh, sweet baby brother! Young Al! Your brother's a Major in the Military now! I'm respected."
"Brother, that's abuse of power! Besides you're not actually Military Personnel yet." Al said.
"Relax, Al, I was only joking. I have no desire to be one of those corrupt bastards," Ed chuckled quietly as he nudged the glass doors of his apartment complex open. The lobby was bright and open, complete with a quiet little cafe, and Ed was always tempted to stop by for a quick cup of coffee, but he quickly passed it and stepped into the elevator.
The apartment complex was reserved for the Military Personnel of East City. Edward, being a Major in Criminal Investigation and Law Enforcement (CILE), was provided with an apartment at the low price of 100,000 Cenz. It was a hefty price, but his paycheck could take care of it.
Ed led Al out of the elevator on the 9th floor and unlocked the fancy white door with 903 engraved on a golden plaque, which used a key pad instead of a key, before making way for Al to enter. The interior of their new home was sparse, but welcoming. The older brother shut the door with his foot and before he made it to the dining room, Ed had the white Styrofoam take-out container open. "Ah! This food smells heavenly! Goodthinking on that comfort food restaurant, baby brother!"
By the time the two brothers were done with their meal, the hot August sun set and the city lit up. None of the windows had curtains on it, so the brothers took a moment to stare at the new environment. "This is so not like home," Al whispered. He reached out his arm and opened the large window. The smells of the city infiltrated his nose when he took a deep breath. "There's no sheep here and you can't smell the train."
"It's late, we should sleep," Ed replied. His mind was filled with memories of the past. His sweet mother who left too early, and Winry and Granny Pinako, the people who took care of him, he missed them, but it was his choice to leave, so he couldn't dwell on it. Ed left his little brother in the dark of the living room. He had a long day to prepare for.
Edward was Eastern Command's go-to criminologist. In six months the blonde male had caught the volatile Barry the Chopper and the elusive Slicer Brothers, two of East City's most dangerous criminals. Ed's skills were in demand, so his Reporting Officer, Colonel Roy Mustang, requested for extra hands. Heinkel and Darius, two soldiers from Central City were sent Ed was given command over them.
"Yo, Mr. Gorilla, any new cases?" Ed asked as he walked into his office. He held back a snicker as he watched the older tan man hold his tongue.
Darius shifted the papers at his desk before present a large stack and a smaller one. "We have a whole lot of petty crimes, but we can just send those off to Colonel Mustang and Major Armstrong." Before he could begin explaining the rest of the cases, he was interrupted by Heinkel rushing through the doors.
The mustached man's forehead was coated in a thin layer of sweat and his eyebrows were furrowed in distress. Heinkel stretched his arm out and offered the file clenched in his hands. "Ed, this came from Lieutenant General Grumman. It's an S3."
Ed gently took the file and peered inside. "Oh, important, huh?" He wandered over to the large meeting table and laid out the crime scene photos. Ed was startled, no, he was baffled. The man in the photo had his face mangled, but the uniform was unmistakable. "What crazy bastard killed the Brigadier General?"
Darius and Heinkel sprinted over to the table at Ed's small outcry. The only thing included in the file was the photos. "Where's the report?" they asked at the same time.
"There is none," Ed replied. "Whoever did this didn't leave a single trace, but that doesn't mean we can't catch the guy. Mr. Gorilla run to the Colonel and get him to give a personal call to Maes Hughes, we can't have the big wigs in Central finding out about this. At least not yet. Lion King, I need you to go through all of the Unsolved Archives and look for similar photos. I'm gonna visit the crime scene."
"Wait moment, Little Major, how do you know where this happened? Nothing was given." Darius asked.
Ed suppressed his rant and spoke through clenched teeth. "The graffiti on the wall is near Patty's Pastry Emporium. They have the best danishes. I'll pick up lunch while I'm out."
The two men watched their boss leave the large room. Neither said a word for a while. Darius broke the silence with his guttural guffaw. "That kid has to be the most considerate jerk I've met."
"He's something else all right," Heinkel agreed with a smile of his own.
0oo0oo0oo0
Patty's Pastry Emporium was located in the West Side of East City. It was extremely popular with the locals and the lines were always ridiculous, but with the recent murder in the alley adjacent to the bakery, the place was practically empty. Ed garnered quite a few stares from the guarding officers poking around the crime scene. He was, after all, dressed in his civilian clothes which consisted of his adored black leather jacket, favorite white t-shirt, ripped black skinny jeans, and black lace-up boots. The soldiers suspicions were totally valid, but to Ed a surprise attack was better than a blunt attack, so as soon has he entered the city, he donned his civilian clothes. He sent the guards a playful grin and flashed his Military ID badge. They immediately saluted him and let him pass. Oh, how he loved being a Major.
Ed flinched when the smell of blood infiltrated his nostrils. The pictures only showed one murder. One dead body. But the intense smell of blood couldn't have come from one person alone. Ed turned his head and looked around. The body was left untouched, slumped against the wall and very little blood stained the ground. The more the young man looked around the more confused he became. The murderer was definitely experienced, something he hated concluding because that meant it'd take a while to catch the criminal. He turned towards one of the soldiers who was scratching something into his notepad.
"Mr. Scribe," Ed called out. "Who found the body?"
The writing soldier snapped to attention and shuffled over to Ed. "Uh, Patrol Unit W3 found the body early this morning, Sir?"
"Don't worry, I'm Edward Elric, I'm heading this case. Where are they at then? Don't they know it's protocol to wait for an officer to relieve them?"
"Major Elric, sir! Allow me to introduce myself! I am Sergeant Denny, Reporting Officer is Major Alexander Armstrong! My partner, Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, is currently searching the area for the missing unit!"
A feeling of dread washed over Ed. Something about this scene wasn't right. There were too many missing pieces and information that didn't match to deem the area safe. Denny stated that the body was found early that morning, but the body was still bleeding, a sign that the murder occurred, at most, three hours ago, so the missing unit couldn't have reported the death.
Ed stuffed his unease down and began speaking to all of the soldiers present. "Listen up! Something is amiss here, so I'm gonna need your cooperation. Secure the premises and stand guard!" There were few soldiers around and they all seemed to be in a tizzy. Ed sent a quick message requesting backup to Roy and he quickly tucked his phone into his jacket pocket. "C'mon, Denny, we're heading out." Just before he was out of the taped off limits, Ed turned back to the scatter soldiers. "You all have a job to do so do it, and do it well."
0oo0oo0oo0
The sounds of crying and huffing reached Ed's ears and soon a gunshot rang. He willed his legs to run even faster and at this point he wasn't too sure if Denny was still following him. About an hour into their search through the West Side, Ed spotted blood dripping from one of the many garbage bins. He hefted himself up the high walls of the metal bin and started to dig through the garbage, but a loud bang followed by dust floating by his face had set him off a run into the chaos. The dust got thicker the further he ran. His early training urged him to take out his gun, but the intensifying crying stopped him.
Another shot was fired just as the dust started to settle. Ed could see a small (so small, it worried him) person, sobbing, crouched against the dirty brick wall. Before he could step forward and check on what he was pretty sure a child, a woman came flying out in front of him only to stop when her back collided with the rusty knob of some back door right beside the child. She was knocked out almost instantaneously. A hooded man, the one the woman was fighting Ed assumed, came marching towards the child and woman. In his hands he gripped a large knife in his hand.
"I've carried this out long enough. I should have killed you when I killed your father," Ed heard the man say. The man's voice was low and gritty, and it was enough to make the child scream in terror. The man raised his arm in an attempt to charge the kid and end his or her life, but Ed's quick reflexes blocked the action. Sort of. Ed ran in front of the man and the knife sank into his right arm. Ed grimaced as the attacker retracted the knife and it continued to tear at Ed's skin.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ed demanded as the man jumped back. The young Major pulled out his gun from the waistband of his pants and aimed. His injured arm was profusely bleeding, but he couldn't feel the pain.
The hooded man froze when he heard the sounds of feet pounding against the ground. He never spoke a word even though he had a gun fixed on him. Ed carefully, almost silently, released the safety on his gun. When he saw the man shift his feet in order to flee the scene, Ed fired the gun, but the man retaliated and threw his knife. The bullet missed its target, but the knife didn't. It embedded itself into Ed's shoulder right below his collar bone. He didn't dare to remove it either, it was evidence; the only thing he had for the case so far.
Ed turned towards the weeping child, a girl, who looked up at him and shrieked when she saw the knife sticking out of his body.
"Mister, you're dying! You're bleeding!" She wailed.
Ed managed to crack a smile, as he crouched next to her. "I won't die. My baby brother's a doctor," He wasn't going to ask her what happened because he heard the man and he could piece things together after a little research. He knew that the questions he asked would only bring her pain.
Ed noticed that the backup he requested was heading towards him and that the girl had a scrape on her forehead that was dripping blood down the side of her face. She was still shaking in fear and Ed had no idea what to, so he did the only thing he could think of. He held her close to his uninjured side and lifted her into his arms. He had done something similar when he and Al were younger and their mom passed away. Hugging his younger brother soothed the both of them, so he hoped his hug was enough to soothe her.
"Sir!" Denny cried "What happened- Maria!"
Edward paid no mind to the fact that Denny had just disregarded his superior's stabbed and bleeding body- he was more concerned with getting the backup unit informed. Lieutenant Hawkeye marched up to him with alarm painted on her face.
"Edward, what happened to you?" Riza exclaimed reaching for the knife.
"Don't touch that! This is the only evidence I have. I can't afford to have it destroyed. I'll have it removed at the hospital and sent to the lab. I'll leave things to you for now, I have other things to take care of," Ed said as he lifted the girl higher. He didn't wait for a reply, he just calmly walked off the scene.
0oo0oo0oo0
Ed learned that the girl's name was Nina Tucker and that she was a four year old who lived in the alley where they had discovered Brigadier General Basque. Her father was killed quite some time ago and she never met her mother. She was all alone. Just like him. Ed got rid of those thoughts as quick as he thought them. He was not alone. He had Al, his precious baby brother, and everyone back home. H would never be alone, and he wasn't about to let this girl be alone.
After her initial fear disappeared, she stopped talking and buried her face in the left side of Ed's neck. The last time he felt such a large amount of pain was when Al cried for their father in the days after their mom's funeral. A father he had, at first, longed for, but now was just a distant memory locked in the recesses of his brain.
The first nurse he encountered in the lobby of the hospital fainted when she saw the knife lodged in his shoulder and the blood pouring out of his arm. The scream she released attracted the stares from multiple doctors and patients. Ed sighed as he hoped that the visit would be quick and easy, but his hospital visits never were.
He was cornered by an elderly, male doctor and his nurse. The doctor was the one famous for taking the soldiers who came with violent wounds. Ed was a regular patient of his.
"Marcoh, nice to see you again," Ed chuckled nervously. At this point, Ed couldn't tell why he didn't become rowdy, as per usual with his hospital visits, because he truly feared his doctor or because of all the blood he lost. He told himself it was the latter.
"Likewise, Edward. Carol, take the girl and patch her up. I must deal with Edward myself." Marcoh ordered.
Ed felt Nina tense up. Soon his neck was wet with tears and his heart clenched even more. "I'm not leaving her. We can share a room."
Marcoh wasn't too keen on the idea, but he eventually complied. The nurses occupied Nina long enough for Marcoh to take the knife out of Ed. All of his wounds were stitched and wrapped in less than an hour. Marcoh was cleaning up the bloodied gauze and used alcohol swabs when Ed spoke again. "You know, I've been sliced, burned, and crushed, but this is a first for getting stabbed."
"This is not something to be proud of, Edward. I'm thoroughly surprised you didn't die today. You almost bled out. I'm not going to ask you questions, your brother can do that. I know that this is your job, but please, do take care," Marcoh sighed as he left the room.
Ed scratched the back of his head in frustration. Al would be a problem, but he would be a problem later. Right now, he was to figure this Nina thing out. Nina sat at the foot of the hospital bed quietly staring at Ed. Her tears had long since dried, but Ed still heard her cries and those cries tore his heart apart. He didn't know what to do with her or how to deal with her, but he most definitely was not going to send her back to the alleys.
Nina shocked Ed by speaking first. "Mr. Ed?" At his nod, she continued speaking. "When are you going to take me back? Daddy said that I have to stay there if I want to meet Mommy."
Every word she spoke broke Ed's heart more and more. He figured out that Shou Tucker was her father. Shou Tucker was charged with illegal experimentation a week before Ed moved to the city. The day Shou Tucker was to be arrested, Roy found the man murdered. Ed let his exhaustion speak for him and instantly put himself in a rough situation. "You're not going back, Nina. The Military knows about you now. They'll never put an orphan back on the streets."
"But I'm not an orphan! Mommy will come for me!" Nina retorted.
"My bosses don't know that and they'll never listen to you, heck they never listen to me."
"I have-"
"You can't go back."
"But Mommy-"
At every mention of her mom, Ed's heart grew weaker and his resolve was faltering. Even 21 years after his own mom's death, he still can't help but hope that she'll one day show up. He knew what this girl was feeling because she was just like him. He spoke before he could stop himself. "Then stay with me. We can wait for our mothers together."
Nina looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Eyes that Ed couldn't look into because they made him weak, but this girl, she was someone he had to take care of. "I promise. I won't leave you." Ed confirmed answering her silent question. Tears fell from the eyes that made him such a softie and she launched herself at Ed. He grunted when she crashed into his wounds. Pain spread throughout his body but it was replaced with fear when the door to his hospital room flung open.
"Brother!"