So, first of all, it looks like Nina is going to live with Izumi and Sig, so thanks for the help, guys!
Secondly, I would just like to apologise for the cliffhanger...
And thirdly, I would just like to say that you people are absolutely amazing! Thank you so much for your response to this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter Nine
Roy was slightly anxious as they reached the Dublith Station. He guessed that he was feeding off the waves coming off of Al. Ed seemed nervous too. No, the only one who was keeping calm was Hawkeye.
They strolled up the many streets, following Alphonse's lead. Ed was sitting on Roy's shoulders as every single pair of shoes that he now owned were new so they had to be careful about chafing. They kept getting curious looks from the people they passed, especially Ed, some of them looked like they were trying to place where they had seen him before.
Then they stopped in front of a butcher shop and Hawkeye took the lead, followed by Roy who had put Ed back on the ground and was holding his right hand, and a badly shivering Alphonse made up the rear.
Roy dinged the bell that stood on the counter, and they heard a growl. Ed used his height to hide from the line of vision as an enormous man, actually a bit larger than Major Armstrong in fact, came in through the doorway.
"Can I help you?" the man asked with a rumbling bass. His eyes fell upon Alphonse who seemed to be sweating somehow as he scratched his head.
"Uh … hi, Sig ... uhm … you see, it's Alphonse."
"You've grown up a lot. Nice to see you." He rubbed the top of Al's helmet. "Are you here alone?"
"N-No … It's just that Brother's a b-bit different…"
Roy noticed how Ed seemed to cower just from hearing Sig Curtis speak.
"What do you mean? Has he been hurt?" Sig's eyes fell upon Roy and Hawkeye, taking in their uniforms. "Has something happened to him while he's on duty?" He sounded a lot angrier at that last part.
"Yes," Roy said heavily, looking down at the scared child that was currently clinging to his trouser leg. "It's a long story."
"I guess you're here to see Izumi, but don't be alarmed if she tries to kill you." He had growled at them as he said it.
Sig walked around the counter which was when he saw Ed. He stopped, eyes widening. Ed was wearing his dungarees and a red T-shirt and was staring at Sig with frightened eyes. "Edward?"
"Mhm," Ed said in a barely audible voice.
Then Sig kneeled down and gently rubbed Ed's head. "What's happened?" He looked up at Roy and Hawkeye with the same eyes as the rest of the team had had upon seeing Ed.
"Like I said, it's a long story that we think your wife would like to hear too," Roy said.
Sig got up and led the way out of the shop and over to a window at the side of the house. "Izumi? Ed and Al have come for a visit. Something's happened to Ed, so you should take it easy."
"What do you mean?" Izumi asked.
"It's better that you see for yourself."
They followed Sig over to the door which soon slammed open, earning a yelp from Ed and he once again clung to Roy's left leg, hiding behind it.
"WHERE ARE YOU, MY STUPID PUPIL?" Izumi demanded, stomping her foot down on the doormat, glaring at them.
Ed shrieked and ran, obviously terrified.
"BROTHER!" Al shouted just as Roy went "EDWARD!"
Roy set off after him, catching up with him after a very short distance. He put his hands on the boy's shoulders, speaking calmly. "Hey, Edward, it's okay."
"She's gonna kill me!" Ed cried, tears running down his cheeks.
"No, she's not. I won't let her, she's just angry with something that you haven't done yet, so it will be okay once she hears what happened."
Roy dried away the tears on Ed's cheeks and hugged him. He then lifted him up and carried him back to the front door, Ed hiding his face by pressing it against his shoulder. Izumi was standing by the door, looking torn between being pissed off and confused. She hadn't spent her time dawdling, though, as Alphonse was lying on his back, obviously terrified.
Roy had to say that he felt a bit protective of "his" boys, and wasn't too impressed by Izumi so far. Especially after she had terrified Ed that way.
"Somebody better tell me what the hell is going on here!" Izumi said angrily, eyeing Ed's shivering form.
Ed whimpered, clutching the front of Roy's uniform.
"Mrs. Curtis, may I suggest that we sit down in your living room and then me and Alphonse can explain the situation while Colonel Mustang gets Ed to calm down?" Hawkeye said.
"Yes!" She then turned around and stomped into her house.
"I can take you two to the kitchen," Sig said.
"Thank you, Mr. Curtis."
"Talk! Why does Ed look like he's four?!" Izumi demanded.
"Two weeks ago, Edward was kidnapped and after a series of transmutations, turned back into his five-year-old self," Riza began. "He has no recollection of the last ten years of his life, including his mother's death. He was kept in captivity for a week before we found him and he spent at least four days conscious in his five-year-old state, where he was tied up to a chair and injected with various substances aiming to make him forget about his life in Resembool. As a result he does not easily trust strangers and is a lot more nervous than usual."
Izumi looked horrified and angry at the same time.
"Colonel Mustang was the one to find him, and the pair of them seem to have formed a rather close bond. The Colonel used to be Edward's commanding officer. I'm his assistant, my name is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. In what is most likely an attempt to cover up the military's mistake in letting this happen, Führer Bradley has himself assigned Colonel Mustang and me to guard the Elrics. The Colonel has also become their legal guardian."
Riza had somehow managed to deliver her report in a completely level voice, but on the inside she was still boiling with anger. Edward was a member of their team. This should never have happened.
"Why would someone do this to him?" Izumi asked. She too, seemed to barely be keeping it together.
"Adoption," Alphonse said quietly.
"Adoption?"
"They were going to give Brother "a new life". Everything they did was to "prepare" him for it."
"And where are these people now?" Izumi was obviously planning on killing them for doing this to her student.
"One of the kidnappers are in the hospital, they have just woken up from a coma. He will be facing a trial as soon as he can move out of the bed. There is no way that he won't be facing the firing squad after what he did, though. His wife, however, is still at large," Riza said.
"Why is he in the hospital?"
"Because, understandably enough, you are not the only one that felt like killing him for what he did."
They exchanged a look, and Riza could see the realisation that it was the Colonel that had done it hit her.
"Very well. Alphonse, I would like a word in private, come with me."
Ed was still sitting on Roy's lap, when Roy suddenly tensed. He even began sliding on his ignition gloves.
"Roy, what's going on?" Ed asked.
"Be quiet," Roy whispered.
Riza had joined them a few minutes ago. She was cocking her gun.
"Roy? What's –"
Then the kitchen wall exploded.
Ed was flung through the air, out of Roy's grip and crashed against a wall. It hurt, but not so much that Ed thought he was injured. "ROY!" Ed screamed, looking about, panic rising. He saw him lying on the floor, blood running from a cut on the back of his head. Riza seemed to be the same, although there wasn't any blood on her.
Ed ran over to Roy, clapping his cheeks. "Roy?! Roy?! ROY?!"
"There's no need to worry about him, Mummy's here now."
Ed froze. That voice belonged to Lillian.
"ROY! ROY! ROOOYYY!" Ed shrieked as he was being pulled up by his armpits.
"Sh-sh-sh, it's okay, my boy."
Lillian was dragging him away from Roy, away from the house. "NO! NO! PLEASE! PLEASE!"
"Ed, be quiet or I will have to use this instead." She held up a syringe for him to see.
Ed began crying silently, panic rising as Lillian lifted him up against her chest in the same way that Roy does.
Please, Roy! You said you'd protect me! You promised! YOU PROMISED!
"Hey, Psychobitch? Our boss would like a word with you."
Ed didn't recognise the voice, but Lillian reacted instantly, letting go of Ed as she clapped her hands and brought them to the ground. There was a lot of alchemic energy crackling around them as Lillian transmuted a tunnel. Ed managed to jump away from her as she transmuted, and he was left about two metres above where she stood. He began running, tears flowing down his cheeks. "NO, EDWARD!" Lillian screamed as he ran away from her, but he kept running until Roy suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed him and lifted him up into his arms. Ed hugged him tightly, but Roy wasn't hugging him back.
"Roy?"
"Not exactly." He didn't speak in Roy's voice. He didn't smell right, either.
Ed felt a gigantic lump of fear in his stomach.
"HEY, PSYCHOBITCH! I'VE GOT YOUR SON! HOW ABOUT YOU COME OUT OF YOUR HIDEY-HOLE AND I SWEAR I WON'T HURT HIM!" Ed was terrified by the fact that something like that could even come from something that looked like Roy.
Ed tried getting loose, but he couldn't. The fake Roy's grip was far too strong. "HEEEEELP!"
"Shut your trap, Crybaby."
Ed watched as Lillian came back out from the ground. "LET GO OF HIM, YOU MONSTER!"
Ed found the terror in her voice sending shivers down his spine. Lillian acted like she actually cared about him, despite what she did.
"Let me go! Please!" Ed said, terrified of this inhuman creature that was looking like Roy and was bringing him back to Lillian. Ed struggled to get loose, but he couldn't.
"Stop moving or I'll snap your neck," the Roy-thing barked at him.
Ed grew limp, tears streaming down his cheeks.
This wasn't fair!
The Roy-thing carried him all the way over to Lillian, who immediately stretched out her arms to take him, but the Roy-thing then slammed his hand into her face and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Question is, what do we do with you then, Crybaby? Wrath seems to want you to stay with the Flame Colonel, but this one would be a lot easier to handle if we used you against her."
"Please, let me go!" Ed cried quietly,
Then suddenly Ed heard a snap and the next second, the Roy-thing's legs were on fire. It screamed and Ed used the opportunity to jump out of its arms and crawl away. Ed turned his head and saw Roy, the real Roy, standing there, covered in dust and some blood and with a murderous look on his face. "YOU DARE TO TAKE HIM HOSTAGE? YOU DARE TO TRY AND TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME? YOU DARE TO USE MY FORM TO HURT MY BOY?!"
The Roy-thing was screaming in pain and Ed curled in on himself, covering his ears and closing his eyes. "PLEASE STOP IT!"
The shrieks died out and Ed felt a pair of warm, familiar arms close themselves around him. The real Roy was lifting him up to his chest, hugging him tightly, kissing his forehead. Ed sobbed loudly, gripping the front of his uniform jacket. "Ed, it's alright, I won't let anyone hurt you, remember?"
Ed heard crackling and turned his head around just as Roy froze. The Roy-thing was healing itself, making its legs back to normal. Roy shifted his grip on Ed and brought his right hand out, ready to snap. "What the hell are you?" His voice betrayed a hint of fear.
"None of your business. Now I'll be taking this one with me and we'll pretend that this never happened, what do you say?" He gestured towards Lillian.
"Not happening! Tell me how you can change your form!"
"Like I said, it's none of your business."
"I won't hesitate to burn you."
"Oh, really? Not even if I do this?" The voice changed as it spoke and the thing was suddenly wearing all black, a red coat and had a blonde plait. The golden eyes were staring at him playfully. "Can you really hurt me, Colonel?" The Fullmetal Alchemist asked.
