Her Reason

Roy, Ed, and Riza were all looking at the scene of the suicide. Harold O'Brien's body had been taken away for an autopsy report, but everything else had been left the same way. All the inspectors had put this case away as a suicide, but Ed didn't buy it.

"I can't see why he would through his life away like this," he said. "He was a smart guy, and he could have gotten a really good job with the State."

"Maybe the problems were building up too high," Roy stated. "He knew the State was looking for him, and he probably thought the missing people would be pinned on him. It doesn't take much to break a person."

"He was on to something," Riza said as he handed Roy the books she had found. "I've never seen anything like it. The transmutation circles looked so weird. Was he trying to do human transmutation?"

"We'll never know now," Ed said. They all turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Coming down was a very pale Rai. Riza immediately ran to her and caught her sister as she started to collapse.

"Rai," Riza said in a worried tone. "You shouldn't be here. You should be in bed."

"I'm fine," Rai responded. "I have to do my job."

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Roy asked. Rai just glared at him and then smiled.

"I have a job to do. I can't let a little panic attack stop me." She went to the spot where the man had been hanging from and looked around. "Is this the exact way you found it?"

"Yes, nothing has been moved except for the body. It's at forensics getting an autopsy." Rai took Roy's words to heart as she continued to look around the room. "You are wasting your time. Investigations have shown it to be a suicide."

"Are you sure?" Rai asked with a sly smile. "I beg to differ."

"Why is that?" Ed asked.

"What do you see in this room?" Rai asked.

"I see a small bar on the ceiling," Riza said.

"Anything else?" Rai asked.

"I see a rope at the spot where the man hanged himself," Roy answered. "That's it. He committed suicide. End of story."

"Not quite," Rai explained. "As you said, all you can see is a rope. There is also a bar on the ceiling that is two inches long and about nine feet from the ground. That is all there is in this room. How did he manage to tie the rope around that bar without standing on a stool or chair?" They all gasped at her question. She was right.

"Are you saying this wasn't suicide?" Roy asked.

"Yes. There is no chair tipped over. When you hang yourself, you usually need something to stand on and knock over to strangle yourself. As you can see, that is absent. There is no way he could have grabbed onto the ceiling since it is a flat surface, and it would be pretty hard to grab onto that bar. How tall was Mr. O'Brien?"

"5 foot 8 inches," Riza answered.

"I doubt a man could jump three feet and grab onto the bar with his pinky. This wasn't a suicide. This was a homicide, and I have a feeling there were others. We need to reopen the investigation. I want to head it." Rai started walking up the steps when she suddenly stopped. "I have some errands to run if you don't mind, Rai. I'll be back at the house around eight tonight." And with that, she was gone.

"Hey, I mind," Roy yelled at her.

Ed was walking in the dark, sneaking from building to building. Right behind him was Al. It was hard for them to sneak around anywhere since Al's armor kept making clinking sounds, but that wasn't they're main problem. They had a hard time keeping up with the person they were chasing, who was much faster than either of them.

"Ed, why are we chasing her?" Al asked.

"Because I have a funny feeling," Ed said. "Rai could just be covering this whole thing up with her theory."

"But her theory made a lot of sense," Al argued.

"It only makes sense if you have a culprit. She could be it." Ed and Al had just turned the corner as they caught a glimpse at the maroon cape enter a building. They looked at it for awhile, especially its title. "Why would she go into an orphanage?"

"Maybe she's doing community service?" Al asked.

"I doubt it. She's probably causing more trouble." Both boys followed her in. They were both surprised to find Rai surrounded by kids. She was just opening a bag, but Ed wouldn't let her. He dove in and tackled the bag. "Run! She's trying to kidnap you!"

"Ed, let her explain," Al said as he tried to get his brother off the bag.

"Yeah, I'd like to see her explain why she's trying to abduct these kids with…" Ed opened the bag and realized it was filled with…"Toys?"

"I thought I would cheer them up," Rai said as she grabbed the bag and started handing them out. "Don't worry. I made sure each of you would get one. Just be patient." Ed couldn't get what she was doing until a nun came up to him and explained.

"Isn't she wonderful?" the nun said. "She takes time to buy these kids toys to play with."

"How do you know she didn't steal them?" Ed asked.

"It is true," the nun said. "She is a little thief, but she does it so these kids can be happy. I know that she stole money from the State Treasury, but she did it knowing that her suffering would bring happiness to others. There is a reason why she does it."

"Why is that?" Al asked as he watched Rai hand out the toys.

"When her parents went missing, she ran around the country looking for her family. She finally wound up on the orphanage doorstep. I thought she was dead, but she wouldn't give up her life that easily. She saw how the kids lived in the orphanage. It tore her heart apart she told me once.

"She went to finish her degree in law school. Then she came back with the money she made and helped the kids get some food. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. She wanted to help, so she decided to become a thief so she could save the children and possibly get them new parents. She didn't want any of the kids to feel the loneliness and pain that she had lived through. She wanted to give them a future." Ed looked at Rai as the children tackled her. She looked so happy, but her eyes were filled with sorrow. She must have had to go through so much, he thought.

When they left, Rai started to talk to Ed.

"I suppose you are going to turn me in for stealing again, aren't you?" Ed shook his head.

"You were using that money to help others when the State ignored them. They deserved to get robbed by you. Now you can help people get the justice they need." Rai smiled as he continued. "We are going to catch the guy that did this so you can ream on his ass in court. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything," Rai said.

"Don't electrify me when we corner him."

Sorry that I haven't been updating as often as I should. I am really bad about updates. The good news is I'll be able to write more soon. So keep your eyes open.

Cathelina: Yeah, Riza and Rai will be together, along with Roy (hint, hint). Hey I love your name. You think I could use it in a story? Let me know, alright? Cya.