Alrighty this chapter was originally intended as a bonus chapter as thanks for all the reviews on ff and would only be posted here and not AO3, but I've been spending time working out the actual plot for this and now it's sortof a real chapter? AO3 will be a month or two behind.

Nightwatch

The rest of the night consisted of taking Haruhi's statement and settling the extra guests into the small dining room while the Elrics divided up the watch times. More than once, Edward had wished he'd asked to bring Hayate along, that way both brothers could sleep through the night, but Ed certainly had no problems sleeping through classes, and he definitely didn't care about sleeping through the host club's activities.

As such, Ed took the first nightwatch while Alphonse stayed with the group of teenagers wedged in the tiny dining room, and went to bed when they did.

The first night was odd, but uneventful. Even if there was an evil murdering alchemist out there targeting their charge, if he was worth his salt he'd at least scope things out first. Two new bodyguards on the scene, especially ones as unpredictable and recognizable as the Elrics were not to be tangled with quietly. And after the host club arrived, it'd be much harder to sneak in and be sure to get the correct target.

On the otherhand, striking before the bodyguards were aware of what was usual and unusual in a new environment was definitely a tactic, so Ed kept his eyes and ears peeled for...well just about anything that wasn't quiet. A mouse could fart and he'd investigate it.

As such, instead of delving into research or anything that could really distract him too thoroughly, he let his mind wander and thought about various things while he doodled transmutation arrays on a piece of scrap paper he'd found on the floor.

Man, there really is a draft in here. He shivered as a particularly cold breeze found it's way through the crack in the front door. He frowned as he realized he was still in the stupid lavender suit jacket. The stupid silk lavender suit jacket. He'd have to remember to change into his usual clothes the following night, they were much warmer.

The spot he was located was unfortunately, right across from the door crack. Not the best visibility out the window, but one of the quietest locations with a path to the that didn't have a chance of creaking floorboards.

For the 4th time since the group had gone to bed, someone had passed travelling left past the apartment, and for the 4th time since the group had gone to bed, Ed had trailed to the window to investigate. Peeking through the curtains-though not enough to disturb them- 3 out of the 4 times, the passing person had seemed to be different people, or at least different silhouettes. This time? Seemed to be one of the people he'd seen before.

Just like before the passerby had not looked in the window.
However...nobody had travelled towards the apartment right of Haruhi's. Nothing necessarily alarming, an observation easily missed, however without knowing exactly what they were looking for it was an observation to take into account and bring up to his brother in the morning.

Ed frowned, with his luck it definitely was something to be concerned with. Like he'd ever get lucky enough for it to actually be some stupid kid and his friends sneaking out late at night. With a sigh, he stealthily returned to his seat and pulled out the journal he was dedicating to this case and began to jot down a description of this mystery person's silhouette underneath the other three he had previously recorded, circling numbers 2 and 4, before setting the booklet back in his pocket.

Time ticked by as the night dragged on and Ed found his mind wandering through topic after topic. Had they given too much away? Not like it mattered, most of Amestris' history would be out in the public eye sooner or later, and it didn't detriment either of them since they weren't on the evil murdering side of said history. Had they freaked everybody out? Most likely. Not that Ed really cared. As inconvenient as it was for the mystery murderer to attack Haruhi with the host club present, it was equally inconvenient for two people to protect a group of eight at once. Perhaps this would stop them from interfering in the future….or maybe it'd make it worse….

Again, knowing his luck it'd make things worse.

He frowned. A slight floorboard creak coming from the apartment to the right. No way he could really investigate that, but- double checking the windows, the sleeping teens in the next room, and listening against the wall to the far right showed no signs of anything worrying and he returned to his seat once again. All seemed well, nothing out of place.

That was, until the upstairs neighbors decided to get a little friendly.

"Of course…" Ed grumbled, "Just what I want to hear…"

Thankfully before any other sounds from above could grace his ears, the radiator from said apartment decided to kick in with a loud buzzing sound. A bit inconvenient for someone keeping guard, but music to the blonde's ears in the form of ambient noise. He'd have to take note of the time- 3:35am, for the next night. As welcome as the brief respite from the noise upstairs, this could prove adequate cover for any intruder. Edward made sure to note they may need to do some impromptu construction the next day.

With a sigh he got up and made his rounds. Kids- check. Door- check. Floor. Window. Fire escape in other room. Ranka's room. Check check check check.

Before he could stop himself he found his mind wandering to Resembool and the rounds he'd do at the Rockbells when he couldn't sleep. What was Winry doing right now? He snorted. Probably working on automail. He checked his pocketwatch as he reclaimed his seat, 4:05. Yeah, probably working on someone's automail or gutting some piece of machinery. What he learned over the two years* he and Al were home before their respective trips was that once she was sure they were fine she'd go back to her habit of being up all hours of the night tinkering with something until she fell asleep at the table. Most of the time she wasn't doing anything productive, just...tinkering to keep her mind off of worries. A habit remaining from when he and Al weren't home all the time he supposed….

He'd have to give her a call in the morning and let her know how the mission was going...or maybe afternoon would be better….for the both of them…

Another silhouette drew his attention- again to the left. A similar silhouette to passerby number 3, (long hair, small stature, bright sweater of some kind) and different from the matching people from before. Notes taken, numbers circled, seat taken. Odd coincidence to happen twice. Perhaps this is a group operation. How many of the people passing by the apartment were involved?

What was Den doing? The medium dog would often patrol the Rockbell's house at night- almost obsessively. If he woke up to something outside, he'd let out a bark or two and if it was nothing to worry about, he'd go through the house and check on everybody in there, padding from room to room and quietly peeking his head in to stare. The click-clack of his nails on the wooden floor and the extra heavy clunk every 4th step as he'd go room to room, stop for a minute, then continue on. If someone was awake, more often than not he'd actually enter the room and settle down with them- which usually was Ed for one reason or another.

He'd grown strangely fond of the dog as of late, not that he hadn't been before but he certainly missed his near constant presence in the middle of the night when he'd gone west, and he was definitely missing his company in the wee hours of the night now….

Is that why Al always wanted a pet? Companionship in the middle of the night when no one else was awake?

Ed sighed, Well shit. Suppose that ship has mostly sailed. Afterall, it seemed his brother slept better than he did most nights.

Maybe when this mission was over he'd get Al his cat. His birthday would be coming up afterall, and it wasn't like they were travelling all over the place anymore. Would Den get along with a kitten? He never did get to see how the dog behaved around other animals, what with most of their childhood being away from Resembool, but he certainly remembered the time he chased 's cat a mile and a half upstream into a tree. Boy was that cat a piece of work…

Maybe he and Al would have to build a house in their old property- make a proper home first...then he could get Al a cat. Just in case Den didn't get along with it...or in case Ed didn't get along with it…

If his brother ended up with a cat like 's evil thing, he might have to let Den eat it.

Shaking his head to clear it of thoughts of the Beast, as it was dubbed by the children of Resembool, Ed pulled out his pocketwatch. It was 5:15am, the teenagers would be getting up to get ready for classes soon and then they'd be off to school again. Stretching out his limbs, Ed squinted at the fresh sunlight that had begun to make its way over the other buildings in the area before moving his seat to a location where he wouldn't be illuminated were someone to peek through the window.

When his brother got up, maybe he'd go out for a run to the police station for more information on the case. Haruhi's statement had given them much more information than they'd expected and for the first time since they'd arrived in Japan, Ed actually thought there maaaay be a slight chance an alchemist was involved. She'd mentioned she really didn't get a good look at the crime scene or the criminal, but she did think that the body seemed to be cut up weirdly (to the point of not recognizing it was a body until she was later told by police). Something she did take account of however were were strange markings on the ground- that the blood seemed to pool into. Markings that sounded suspiciously like an alchemic array. All within a circle, strange letters she couldn't read. If it wasn't for the moonlight gleaming off the blood within the crevices, she never even would've noticed them.

She only got a glimpse of it though, so details were scarce. Her fight or flight response had kicked in and she bolted. She wasn't sure what happened to the figure she spotted, if they'd moved or fled or stayed still, so again- they weren't actually sure if this mystery criminal had gotten a good look at her or even intended to go after her.

Tipping the chair on it's back legs, Ed folded his arms behind his head as he thought about the circle itself.

It wasn't unheard of for alchemists to carve their arrays into the earth. Much more subtle in low-lighting, like the alley, however the downside to it would be it takes longer to set up. Were this an array it'd mean this was premeditated in some manner, rather than alchemy being an after-thought. He and Al had both come to the conclusion that it was likely a trap...if an alchemist was involved….

There was always the option that someone had tried to frame an alchemist or make a distasteful political statement given the treaty. Or the marks could simply be a piece of graffiti or artwork….or an obscure manhole cover…

However this was the most evidence they'd received that even hinted towards an alchemist being involved...and boy did Ed have words for the chief of police.

Given the killer likely fled the scene instead of attacking Haruhi then and there- as evidenced by Haruhi getting away- it was safe to assume he doesn't want to be caught. If this were an alchemist, there would have been no problem taking care of any witnesses, and Ed didn't doubt a regular killer wouldn't manage either given the target was a spooked high school girl without fighting experience. Haruhi didn't call the police but instead ran to the police station, a block over, go figure, after her mind caught up with her and recognized there was something wrong with the way that scene smelled, of all things.

Understandable, Ed reasoned, most people recognize the scent of death before they know what it is. He knew quite a few forensic analysts who'd told him just that. Hell, he'd lived that. One in particular- Vickers* had mentioned the scent is so unmistakably overwhelming, he and several others had thrown up or fled the room the first time they'd come face to face with a victim.

So... Haruhi ran at least a block to the station without getting attacked. The police investigated, and the killer was gone. Closing his eyes, Ed gave a quick nod, folding his arms around his chest and re-levelling his chair on the floor. Easy enough to reason that he would be wary about when and where he would attack were he interested in pursuing her. Likely not broad daylight in a large group as that would draw attention. It was the middle of the night, dark, the crime scene was an isolated alley, that would have been a good time to attack her without causing a scene and drawing attention- but it wouldn't be smart if he didn't want to get caught...

So he's definitely a serial killer. He was calm and thought things through. If this were simply a couple of similar crimes or wrong place wrong time type of deal Haruhi would have never made it out of the alley. Those types of incidents the killer, consciously or not, wants to prevent witnesses, not necessarily physical evidence.

Serial Killers are smart. They leave a calling card without too much evidence. Barry mutilated the bodies, there was just enough evidence to tell it was the same person attacking those women, but not enough to pull DNA or any identifying evidence. Scar used a method the military hadn't seen up until that point. He relied mostly on catching his targets offguard and getting away before reinforcements could be called and he never left a trail.
The biggest difference between the two was that Barry moved the victim before he'd attack and Scar just killed them where they stood.
Both of them though, waited until their targets were alone. Isolated. Easy to corner.

So if he's going after Haruhi he wouldn't attack in a crowd, or anywhere that would draw attention; someplace isolated he could sneak her away..

Sneak her away…it...doesn't necessarily have to be an isolated location to kidnap her…

Afterall, Winry was held hostage by Kimblee simply through words alone, none of the other officers really suspected unless they knew what was going on...

Ed unconsciously squinted his eyes as he thought, School...

School would be a good option to sneak her away... it'd be pretty simple to make her the next victim if he could get her alone due to the large number of bodies flooding the halls. Leading someone to a less isolated area in a crowded hall wouldn't necessarily be difficult depending on the methodology. We don't know anything about the killer, he could be in the school, a woman, a student, or have an alias like Barry did.

Opening his journal Ed jotted down a few notes along with his thought process.

Easy solution, he added, Haruhi couldn't be left alone. No exceptions. One of the brothers would need to be with her at all times during the school day- and since Ed would be sleeping….that duty would fall to Al.

Meaning early morning before school, while both brothers were awake was the perfect time to run to the police station. The apartment should be safe enough this morning. If the killer wanted to make a scene, he could've attacked Haruhi at any point after she left the alley and avoided all of this. To ensure he got the right target in the mob of people currently inhabiting the dwelling, drastic measures such as blowing up the apartment would be the logical step, but were out of the question as it'd not only start a manhunt, but it'd take effort to set up, meaning more chances to make mistakes…

Just to be sure, Ed made a mental note to double-check the perimeter for any arrays around the building on his way out, just in case it was linked to all the people passing the apartment in one direction throughout the night.

6am. Ed was wondering when the other teens were scheduled to wake up, and began thinking about what he was even going to do when he got home from this mission now that he had a plan. Of course there was the sheep festival and other local events, but other than that? He couldn't do alchemy anymore, he wasn't with the military anymore -and he really wasn't planning on doing too many favors for them- everything he'd really done for as long as he could remember was over and done with. And anything he'd wanted to be as a child was either long forgotten or impossible at this point as much of it related to alchemy. He could always travel, but as he found out in Creta he didn't really care for travelling alone as he would still find himself worrying about his brother, and now Winry and Pinako since Al had gotten his body back, and he had nothing to take his mind off them.

Perhaps he'd take up a skill? It probably wouldn't hurt to pickup some things about automail given his leg could no longer get a temporary fix with alchemy. Between the Rockbells and the Elrics, they owned a lot of land and lived in a farming community, maybe he'd do something along those lines and contribute to the town? He didn't really care for sheep though, maybe he'd just help out on a neighboring farm for a while and see where it leads. He didn't really need to work, thanks to the funding he'd meticulously saved over the course of his military employ, but he should do something.

Taking out his journal he flipped it around in his hands and examined the bindings and cover. One of his better works, but..not fantastic. A few of the rungs tying the pages together were loose, it wasn't necessarily consistent the whole way through. Book-binding and leatherworking were a couple of the skills he dabbled in out west, he wasn't perfect, but he was fluent enough that he just needed practise. Maybe he'd keep practising and sell hand-bound books or something. Winry could use books for her designs, Al could use books for his research, Pinako- her recipes, the local farmers always need ledgers to keep track of their profits. At the very least it'd be useful enough to help out those around him and he'd be a liar if he said he wasn't fond of a good nice leatherbound journ-

"AHH!" Two hands slammed down on Ed's shoulders as a voice yelled in his ear, earning a nearly identical shout echoed from the older Elric. Nearly dropping the journal in his hands, Ed spun around and hit his brother with it, "What the fuck Al!"

Alphonse was laughing so hard he was doubling over and couldn't speak, earning another whack from the journal, "You're lucky I didn't break your nose! That wasn't funny!"

"Oh, oh please, brother!" Alphonse managed between breaths, "You wouldn't injure me!"

"Like hell I wouldn't, come here!"

ANs

*Theyre 16 at the end of brotherhood I imagine they spent 2 years home (canon 1915-1917) and then 1 year travelling (to make it a nice and neat timeline.).

So a lot of sources say that Ed and Winry marry like, a few months later in 1917 and their kids exist 2 years after that? I can't find actual sources for these at all. I haven't read the manga so I've no clue if there's a proper timeline there for after the series' main events but whatever.

For the sake of this story to set Al at 18, and Ed at 19- the boys spent 2 years at Pinakos, Ed proposes on his way out for his trip, they spent roughly a year travelling, and then a couple months into their return Mustang calls them up about this mission. No idea at this point if they've planned anything wedding-wise. This story is supposed to be a crossover (and next chapter we'll see much more of the host club's antics), not a huge Edwin party bonanza lol.

I tried to make mention of a few incidents of like, PTSD or at the very least consequences of the traumatic shit they went through lol, hope that wasn't too subtle a mention..

**Vickers, continuing with Arakawa's naming convention, is from the Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus from WWI. Also idk if forensic scientists exist in FMA but I'd assume there's some form of it even if there aren't specific scientists seeing as Doctor Knox uses dental records to ID Ross.
But for the sake of the story once the borders opened up Amestris' intel and technology has come a bit further into the modern age. As of right now since it's not super relevant, this happened while they boys were off travelling. Deals were being struck while they were at the Rockbell's probably around the second year mark.

So computers and the internet do not exist yet in Amestris, but huge chunky cell phones with dodgy service outside of military use might. And by golly if the forensic scientist position didn't before it certainly will now :0

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