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Disclaimer: I don't own FMA!

Warning: A bit of OOC-ness in this chapter, sorry.

++NOTE:++ This is an AU fic. This is set in our time, and there is no alchemy. Ed still has automail though.

LONGEST CHAPTER YET!

Chapter Four:

This Was Nothing

The group locked the door behind them. Luckily, Roy had invested in soundproof walls, so he was glad that they were coming to use.

Jean broke the silence first. "Okay, so what the hell did we just hear?"

Roy shook his head. "I... don't know... What did you get out of that conversation?"

Riza stayed silent for a while, as if contemplating what she was going to say, then spoke. "I believe that this Winry girl is a old friend of Edward's. They appear to be very close, like family almost. Winry said that Edward hadn't contacted her in a while. And then Edward said he couldn't and Winry asked if it was because of his father... but what does his father have to do with anything?" Riza asked, more to herself than the two males inhabiting the office with her.

Maes pushed the glasses up on his nose. "I don't know... but there's something up here... And I want to find out what..."

The manager nodded. "Me too..."

Maes suddenly grew a shit-eating grin. "Oh, do you like him?" He said in a sing song voice.

It was no secret to the staff here, since they were all like family to each other, that Roy was bi-sexual.

A angry red vein grew on the side of Roy's head. "No. I. Don't."

Honestly, he wasn't sure. Something was luring him to the blonde teen, but he assumed it just a small infatuation.

Riza grew a smirk of her own. "Sir, are you sure about that?" She asked. "Your cheeks say otherwise..." The blonde woman added smugly.

Cheeks? What? Roy put his pale hand to his cheek, only to discover it was hot. Damn, he was blushing.

"Shut up. Back to business."

Maes expression suddenly became serious. He always did that, he would be smiling and goofy one moment, then next his face would be impassive and expressionless, and he would become completely down to business.

"I'm telling you Roy, something isn't right. He was too nervous about his cheek this morning. What else did that Winry girl and Edward talk about?"

Roy asked his own question before anyone could answer. "Hey, what about that one sentence Edward said? 'I want you to get Alphonse out of that hell hole we live in.' What was that about?"

Jean answered. "Maybe they live in a crappy apartment or something...?"

"Yeah, I bet that's it..."

No one seemed convinced. They all knew it was something else.

The smoking blonde asked a question of his own. "Hey, boss, what was the kid talking about, taking the 'damage' for his younger brother?"

Roy pondered it for a moment before stating "I honestly don't know... And I don't really know if I want to know..."

Maes sighed. "You know you want to know."

The manager nodded in agreement. He did want to know.

The bespectacled man slammed his hand on Roy's mahogany desk. "Okay! We have our mission! Operation: Short Stuff! We need to find out everuthing we can about Edward's past!"

Riza's blonde eyebrow raised. "Operation: Short Stuff?"

"Uh... Well, Edward is short and all... So..." Maes muttered.

"Whatever. Meeting adjourned. Let's go! Operation: Short Stuff begins now!" Roy commanded.

It was hours later, near closing time. No one had been able to get any information about the teen. But they would continue.

"Hey, Edward!"

Said blonde looked up from the display case of candy he was organizing.

"You need someone to walk you home?"

He adapted a panicked, scared look on his young face. "NO! DON'T! I-I uh mean, no thanks... I'm fine..."

Roy thought this was suspicious and decided to tell the group about it later.

"Hey, Mustang, what time is it?" Edward asked.

"I told you, you can call me Roy. And it's uh... " He paused, and looked at his silver pocket watch "6:30... Why?"

The terrified look came back to Edward's face. "I'm late... ALPHONSE!"

Edward bolted towards the door, and raced through it. "I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!" He yelled over his shoulder, and continued to race away.

Maes came over with a broom, for the end of the day cleaning.

"That was strange. Somethings really not right..."

"Should we follow him?"

"It's too late for that, he's long gone now. Damn, for a short kid, he sure can run fast..."

Edward raced through the streets, pushing people out of his way.

He didn't have time for this. His baby brothers life was pending on his fast arrival "home."

The blonde didn't slow down, until he was at his door. 'That damn bastard better not have touched a hair on Al's head!' He thought with malice.

He pulled the silver key out of his pocket, and opened the locked door. Running inside he stripped his shoes off, for Father hated shoes inside the house. And proceeded to run up the wood stairs to Alphonse's room, which was down the long hall and across from his own room.

"AL!" He yelled, whamming the door open.

"Brother?" Al's meek voice called out.

Edward ran to his younger brother and pulled him into his mismatched arms.

"I was so scared, Al. I didn't want him to hurt you too..."

His brother wrapped his arms around Edward.

They stayed liked that, until they were interrupted by a loud, booming voice.

"EDWARD! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU LITTLE FAGGOT!"

"Brother, you better go." Alphonse whispered, releasing his older brother.

Edward nodded and walked out of the bedroom and into the hallway.

Before he could make it down the hallway to the stairs, loud footsteps slammed on the stairs, and headed down the hall straight towards Edward.

'He's gonna be so mad. He hates tardiness...' Edward thought, petrified in his spot.

"THERE YOU ARE YOU FUCKING, NO GOOD SLUT!" His father never used a normal voice. He was practically always yelling, and always angry.

"I-I'm sorry, Sir." Edward squeaked out.

"No you're not."

"I-I am, Sir!"

Hohenheim marched up to his son, and punched him in the stomach, leaving the blonde teen gasping for breath on the cold floor.

"I need to punish you. Tardiness is not acceptable in this household."

He grabbed Edward's flesh ankle and started dragging him down the hallway.

Edward knew better then to ask what Hohenheim was doing, that only made the beatings worse.

They were at the edge of the staircase.

One by one, Hohenheim dragged him down the stairs by his ankle, making Edward's head hit each stair on the way down.

This was nothing.

Hohenheim dropped Edward's ankle when they got to the bottom of the stairs and grabbed his wrist, pulling him up.

He twisted it in a way wrists should never bend.

But Edward did not cry out.

This was nothing.

His father threw his son to the floor, Edward's already damaged head hitting the wall, leaving a dent.

This was nothing.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S DEAD!"

Edward wanted to yell that it wasn't his fault. But it was. His mother was dead because of him...

Hohenheim dropped to the floor next to the injured boy and grabbed his throat with his large, rough hands.

This was nothing.

The man squeezed tighter and tighter, and Edward's vision was going blurry.

Black was invading his vision but he did not pass out.

Father got angry when he passed out.

Tighter... his lungs were burning.

This was nothing.

Hohenheim released Edward's throat.

But the boy was not punished enough.

The father pulled back his leg, and swung it forward, creating a powerful blow to Edward's ribs.

A sickening crack rang in the air. Another rib broken.

This was nothing.

Still, Hohenheim was not done punishing yet.

But no matter what Edward went through, no matter how much he was 'punished', Edward would continue the mantra.

This was nothing.

TO BE CONTINUED!

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