Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Arakawa Hiromu.
pain
chapter 01: a lost child
It hurts...
How long had it been? For how long had he been enduring this torture? This hell? A few minutes? An hour? Two? He didn't know anymore. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted it to end.
It hurts...
How much longer? Would he even make it out of this alive? No... He had to. He had things to do. Things he needed to do. He had to survive this. Dying was not an option. Not yet.
It hurts...
Crackle. A strike of lightning in the far-off distance. The rain poured hard onto his bare skin, slipping into his automail ports, adding to the already excruciating pain. A finger flew in, the pain renewed, each time seemingly more intense than the last.
It hurts...
His voice would not come out, not that it would have mattered. No matter how much he attempted to bite through the gag, it would not come off. His strength was non-existant now. He was so tired and in so much pain.
It hurts...
Would it be over soon? He lost the ability to struggle quite a while ago. He could not even move anymore. It was so painful. Why was this happening to him? How did this happen to him? He did not know. He could not think. He just wanted it to stop.
It hurts...
His assailant continued. On and on, over and over, his fist gripping tightly on his blond hair. It never became any less painful. He could only hope it would be over soon. He could only hope...
---Riza Hawkeye sighed underneath her asylum. It was raining down hard and she was very lucky to find a building to keep herself and her groceries dry under. Or very unlucky considering it looked like it would be a while before the rain let up. She really just wanted to go home and soak in a nice hot bath. It seemed as if even the forces nature were against her having a decent day off.
Thump, thump.
A noise? She looked around.
Thump, thump.
It was probably nothing. Probably. But she knew from experience that there was a very thin line between nothing and something.
Thump, thump.
Something was wrong. She could feel it. And her intuition was very rarely wrong. She set her grocery bag down and pulled out a hidden revolver. Leaving her dry little sanctuary, she listened for the sound.
Thump, thump.
A nearby alley. Holding her gun up near her face, she slowly approached the dark unknown.
Thump, thump.
The sound was clearer now. There was movement. Utilizing all the stealth that had been hammered into her through military training, she moved forward. Her eyes getting used to the added darkness of the alley, she was able to make out a figure. Though she was unable to make out any distinct traits, she was able to make out what he was doing. And it sickened her.
"Freeze!" she called, aiming her gun. "Don't move!" Unfortunately, the perpetrator decided not to heed the young First Lieutenant, preferring to toss aside his prey and run the opposite way. Riza hurried over to the victim, crouching down to inspect him. Her eyes widened when she saw his face. In a fit of rage unbefitting of her usual demeaner, her eyes holding an unmasked fury, she quickly aimed her gun at the escaping criminal. "You bastard!" she cried out, pulling the trigger. It was too late by then, however; the man had already gone.
She turned her attention back to the child, checking for signs of life, hoping she was not too late. She touched the vein at his chain. He had a pulse. Relief spread within her as she hurriedly pulled off her coat and wrapped it around the boy. A bleary eye opened to look up at her. Riza mentally cursed herself for not having gotten there sooner. The body was still alive. The eyes, however...
"...First Lieutenant Hawkeye...?" he muttered, recognizing his saviour. Riza forced a smile.
"Yes Edward, it's me. You're safe now..." she said, attempting to console the small child.
"...Is it... over...?" he asked, his voice full of fatigue, so full of pain.
"Yes Edward..." she answerd, "The man is gone. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner." Ed attempted to get up, but his body would not hold him.
"...My arm and leg... Are they okay...?" he asked. Riza quickly looked around. Near a bundle of torn off clothes, she saw a pair of partially deformed metallic objects. The automail was crushed beyond repair.
"...I'm sorry Edward," she replied. "Come on, let's get you somewhere dry." Slowly, steadily, she picked him up. He was horribly light, even without his automail.
"...Winry's going to kill me..." Ed said, a small, too-obviously fake smile forming on his lips. Riza proceeded to carry her small, fragile bundle away from the alley. Ordinarily, the fiery alchemist would have been outraged at being carried away like some sort of child. Unfortunately, at the moment, it seemed that would be the least likely thing to happen. Ed spoke again. "First Lieutenant... Please..." Riza looked down at her charge.
"Edward?"
"Please..." Ed said once more, his voice shaking considerably, "Please don't tell anyone about this..." Riza's expression was grim. How could she be expected not to tell anyone about this? Edward was just...
"Edward, that's..."
"...Please..." he begged, his voice softening further, his eyes barely open due to fatigue. "...Especially... not... Al..." Riza knew she could not make such a promise. As an adult, keeping silent was the last thing she could possibly do. She was also a soldier, a First Lieutenant of the Amestris Military. She smiled a grim, understanding sort of smile.
"I understand... Major Elric..." she answered. Satisfied with the answer, Edward Elric drifted off into a much-needed sleep. Riza's groceries were left forgotten.
Ed is a State Alchemist and therefore holds the rank of Major. Riza holds the rank of First Lieutenant which is a rank lower than Major. You do the math.