Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.
Lady Monozuki: I would like to say big thank you to Orange Singer and wishfulliving89 for reviewing! Enjoy this chapter, it's dedicated to you two. There is a little more action and some Ed in here (since you all seem deprived of those two things).
Chapter Twelve: Reality
His eyes fluttered for a moment, white assaulted his eyes. His mind associated the feeling with death. No pain troubled him and the blinding color did not do any favors. Before he even could contemplate the probability of his death, new sensations started to return. His fingers twitched, absorbing the coarse feeling of linens underneath. His body seemed to sink deeper into the bed supporting him. Fatigue willed him to close his eyes and return to unconsciousness. In the distant, he could hear the rush of footsteps. He commanded his body to turn in the direction of the commotion but to no avail. Another futile attempt discouraged him from doing so again. After resigning, he tried to sort out numerous things.
Where am I? Why can I not move? And how did I end up here in the first place?
A hand came into view. The actions startled him. An insult would have slid off his lips but he couldn't move his jaw. The person walked into his straight line of vision. A white overcoat did little to cover the green outfit beneath. Ed wanted to let out a loud groan. He pushed the thoughts aside. He chose to glower, hoping that his look would communicate his disdain for hospitals. Instead, the person ignored him and wrote down a few items on a piece of paper.
"How do you feel today, Mr. Elric?" the doctor asked.
The voice sounded sluggish in his ears. His mind tried to process the information, and how to voice his response.
"I understand that speaking is difficult for you. So, blink once if you are in any pain. Blink twice if you feel all right."
He closed his eyes but struggled to open them again. Confusion gnawed at his mind instead of pain. Several unanswered questions filled the rest of his thoughts. His memory seemed clouded, unable to comprehend all that occurred. He blinked twice and waited for the doctor to say something else.
Better yet, what did occur? There's a reason why I'm here; I know that. However, I don't want to remember. However, that does not make sense. Why would I not want to remember what happened? Argh, I feel like I know the answer.
"That's good to hear. I am sure that you are confused, but I can't tell you much about the events that went on. What I can tell you is that you are in the hospital with serious injuries. I want to assure you that you are in the best care, and that the answers will come soon. I want you to focus on your physical recovery for the time being. Once you are feeling better, we'll talk about the events."
The words took longer to process. He felt angry at the fact that it took him longer to understand the words that the doctor spoke. Ed wished he could speak and demand answers to the questions he wanted to know. However, his body did not respond in the way he wanted to. The doctor glanced at his watch and frowned.
"Crud, I'm not supposed to be here. I'm needed in surgery," he muttered.
His heart started to pound loudly. He tried to take a deep breath but nothing came. The seconds seemed to tick by. After several long moments, the doctor noticed his distressed and called in others to help. Ed ignored their talking and focused on trying to get air as soon as possible. The chatter disappeared into the background. Black veiled his vision. He blinked to try and keep himself aware, but that didn't last long. The muscles in his chest tightened, causing him pain.
Then the pain stopped. He could breathe with ease and his vision returned to normal. His body trembled.
"Looks like he's in the clear for now," a voice shouted.
"Keep an eye on him; we don't know when he'll go into another relapse."
"Sir, did you say anything to him?
"All I mentioned is…. Oh shit," the doctor from earlier muttered.
I'm not supposed to be here. I am not supposed to be alive. I should be dead. There is no one here who cares about me. They are all trying to use me for their own gain. I was never more than a tool in their eyes.
"What the hell is going on here?" a new voice demanded.
"C-Colonel Mustang, I thought I said that no one is allowed to visit him."
"What difference does it make as to whether or not I'm here; he doesn't seem to be doing any better without me."
Ed glanced sideways and caught sight of the Flame Alchemist. His mind tried to think of all the reasons why he came to visit. He felt his chest muscles tightening again, cutting off his breathing for a brief moment.
"Ed!" barked Mustang. "I don't know all that's going through your head, but we're still here for you."
What the hell is that supposed to mean? You don't care about me, you bastard.
The glance he shot must have communicated his exact thoughts because Mustang chuckled a little before responding.
"I mean every word that I say. I'm waiting for you, along with everyone else. I don't care what they told you, you're wanted."
That's supposed to make me feel better? I—I'm worthless. There is no reason as to my existence; I'm not supposed to be here!
The pain intensified. His vision started to go dark. The world around him faded away.
--
Mustang paced his office once again. After visiting Ed last night, he wondered if he even helped the teen. Ed had fallen back unconscious after his last statement, causing him to worry.
The look on his face made it clear that he did not believe anything that I said. He's still having trouble accepting the fact that people want him. Plus Al is on his way to Central with that mechanic chick. If the go visit him, there's no telling how far that will push him over the edge. Seeing me again didn't do anything to help him so I don't think that his brother will make any dent on his mental state. Then again, this is all my speculation. Even still, I don't know whether sending them to see Ed is a good idea right now.
A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He walked over and opened the door. A slender woman offered him a blue folder, which he took without question. He recognized the person as General Firmin's personal secretary. After handing over the case to the General, he received updates every three days. Today was one of those days. With the report in hand, he walked over toward his desk and took a seat. He opened the folder and began to read. The investigation turned up a couple more clues, but nothing that could point in the direction of Ed's attacker.
After revisiting Ed's apartment, they found a shredded business card and they were trying to piece together where that came from. Roy frowned, when the police searched the area, they didn't find anything of the sort. Then they also found an article of clothing belonging to the kidnapper. That also didn't show up in the initial search.
Did the police not care when going through or did this evidence show up later? Is someone trying to plant a false trail? Or did we miss those at the beginning because of our panic? Something isn't right here.
He closed his eyes and remembered Hughes talking to him about a tough case he was working on. A smirk came across his face.
"Do you see this, Roy?" Hughes asked.
"Yeah, that's the photo taken on the first day we were called out there."
"Now take a look at this one."
He produced an identical picture, except something caught his eye.
"There's a piece of silver or something that gives off that sort of gleam in the corner."
"Right, that wasn't there when we first arrived. The only people allowed near that crime are my men, but they are not dumb enough to go trampling through the area. I don't think that we miss that the first time either."
"So you're implying that someone else went back later to place evidence there for you to find."
"Exactly!" Hughes exclaimed.
"Wait, you said yourself that no one but your men are allowed near there. So how could they have done so without being noticed?"
"My guess is that they were known to military personal. That or they had the right rankings."
"You think that the brass is involved with this plot?"
"I never said anything about a plot, Roy. Besides, what good would it do me to make wild guesses like that? But do you get what I'm trying to say?"
He blinked. "No."
"I'm saying that you-need-to-get-a-wife!"
Roy growled before picking up the nearest book. Hughes raised a hand over his head.
"Hey! I'm kidding! My point is that you need to look at all of the angles and don't be afraid to question even those above you. I know that's hard for you to do at times because of your career choice. Anyway, keep your eyes peeled and remember that you can't trust people."
"I can trust you."
He remembered that conversation took place a few weeks before Hughes died. After finishing reading the report, he walked out of the office. He muttered a quiet voice that he would be going out. His feet took him toward Ed's apartment. He found the place unguarded and easy to enter. No one even locked the place, which made the possibility of someone planting evidence even more likely. He walked inside and turned on the first light.
He expected the place to be in shambles, but aside from the obvious struggle points, the place seemed clean. Then he remembered that until recently, Al lived with him. That explained the cleanliness. Roy looked on the couch and then at the table. Three alchemy books rested on the top, which didn't surprise him. Nothing out of the ordinary struck him.
He went into the back room. Broken glass still covered certain areas of the ground, but the pieces looked shifted. He supposed that could've come from one reckless investigator, but that didn't seem likely. The kidnappers wouldn't have gone through the window once they captured Ed. No, walking out the front door seemed a more plausible scenario.
Nothing in the room struck him odd so he decided to leave. Before he could do so, loud voices made him freeze. He furrowed his brows.
Why is he here?
"Sir, I don't see how revisiting the scene will help us identify the kidnapper. There is nothing left in there."
"You idiot, how many times do I have to tell you. We're not here to find evidence. We're here to plant some more. We need to make sure that Colonel Mustang thinks that we are getting someone in this case for a reason."
"I don't understand, General."
"Shut up, your job is not to understand. Your job is to obey my orders. Hey, did you leave the light on?"
"No, I made sure that everything was off last time."
"Strange, there are footprints here as well."
Shit, they're going to find me if I stay here. I can't move without being discovered. If I try to get to the window, they'll hear the glass crunching beneath my feet. However, that window is my best bet at the moment. All I can do is hope that something else distracts them.
He crouched down and started make his way toward the window.
"General, the footprints lead toward the back room."
"Draw your gun; we don't want to be caught off-guard."
He heard the cocking of the gun and two people approaching. Even if he ran, he wouldn't be able to move fast enough to get out of there. Instead, he straightened up to make him look less guilty. General Firmin and a subordinate rounded the corner. Both of them held pistols in their hands. The official smirked but didn't lower his weapon.
"Colonel, what are you doing outside of your office?"
"I could ask you the same question, sir."
General Firmin stepped in front of him; forcing him to look up at his superior officer.
"How long have you been in this room?"
"What difference does it make, sir?"
"Answer the question, Colonel."
"I was here long enough to hear some information that I'm quite intrigued to hear an explanation for."
"You want to know I'm planting evidence at FullMetal's place."
"That and why you me to think that you are getting somewhere in the case. Is it not to harass you for some reason? Or perhaps you don't want me to look closely at you for some reason?"
He saw a flash of metal before he realized what happened. The stinging of his cheek began to increase.
"Striking a subordinate, that's not going to look good on your record," Roy taunted.
The general took that to strike him again. He could feel warm droplets falling on to his uniform.
"They won't lift a finger against me, Colonel. I could kill you and get away with it."
Roy frowned and tried to read the man's emotions. "But you won't."
"Don't taunt me, Colonel. Know your place in the military and don't ever forget where you stand."
He noticed that the subordinate that came with the general seemed ready to spring into action when needed. Right now, he didn't need trouble. However, curiosity was always his pitfall.
"Answer my questions, that's all I ask."
"I'm not entitled to answer anything. Now, I suggest you get out of here."
The general pointed the gun at him and waited for him to move toward the window. He couldn't resist one last jib.
"I thought we were on the same side, General."
"This is reality Mustang, you have no allies."
A shot rang in the air.