If you are sensitive to child abuse and rape, then please do not read this. I do not wish to offend anyone.
Previously on Rebellion:
"Oh, yeah, I lived with..Shou Tucker..You know, the Sewing Life Alchemist.." Edward trailed.
"You will never be able to escape me."
Roy had gone to Hughes' office as fast as he could. He went through files, tried to find anything he could on where Edward had stayed and how long he ever stayed. He finally got the paperwork, which contained Ed's history of the money he spent using his pocket watch, which he used many times to gain access to inns wherever he needed to be. When he finally reached the office, he noticed Hughes was also trying to get records on wherever Edward had been.
"Did you find anything?" Hughes asked once he noticed his friend in the office. Hughes hadn't found anything yet, not being able to get a hold on the documents he needed unless he opened a case about it, or he were Ed's commanding officer. Luckily, Mustang was his commanding officer.
"I've got a list of where he's used his pocket watch at, which includes any hotels, and I got personal information, but that's about it," Roy sighed. "I feel like this is going to get even worse than it is, Hughes."
"I know, but we'll figure out everything soon." Hughes told his friend. Roy handed over the documents and the investigator quickly looked through them with the experience of someone who worked in the investigations department like he did.
"Did you find anything?" Roy asked after he watched Hughes sweep over the documents. Hughes placed the documents down on his desk and continued to look through them.
"Looks like he's never stayed long enough at a place to know anyone, including for anyone to hurt him," Hughes commented. His gaze turned to a different folder that Roy kept in his grasp. "Let me see that." he requested and the folder was quickly passed over.
"It's just some personal information. Starts from the time Fullmetal was born, medical records, and everything about his state certification." Roy informed. Hughes nodded as he continued to look through the heavily contained folder.
"His medical records say he was born a preemie when his Mom–Trisha Elric–was only five months pregnant," Hughes noted. (Yes, this is possible, by the way. My cousin gave birth to her first daughter when she was around five months pregnant, and her daughter is a happy healthy little girl now.) "Normal illnesses like the flu and colds up until he was seven–years old. Lost two limbs when he was ten, Automail shortly after. Rehabilitation until he was eleven, lived with the Sewing Life Alchemist, given the state name of Fullmetal the month after he turned twelve." he read through.
"Wait, hold on, what was that last part?" Roy asked quickly.
"Given the state name of Fullmetal the month after he turned twelve?" Hughes read through once more, though sounding more like a question.
"No, before that." the other said hastily. It didn't help Hughes' uneasy feeling.
"Lived with the Sewing Life Alchemist?" Hughes read through. It took him a minute for the information to process in his head before his eyes widened. "I think we might have something here."
"Read through more of the medical files from the time he was ten-years old to when he was thirteen." Roy ordered. That was around the time that Ed was living with Shou Tucker until the man died.
Hughes nodded, flipping through pages until he got to more of the medical information and records. He skimmed through them in his head before reading out loud to his friend.
"Well, after he got his Automail and had his rehabilitation, it says he visited the hospital when he was still studying for the exam for pain in his wrist. His arm was sprained. He had a splint on that covered his hand to the crease of his elbow." Hughes read a part aloud.
"I remember that, I saw him messing with it in the cafeteria before Alphonse made him quit." Roy commented as he thought about the time he should have noticed something out of the ordinary. What kind of eleven year old would sprain his arm when all he did was sit in a library and study? There could have been something else he never noticed as well.
"Brother, stop messing with it." Roy overheard Alphonse speak as he stopped the blonde from removing the splint entirely. It was obvious that the child was fed up with it.
"It's stupid, Al. My arm is fine, I don't need it." Edward retorted as he continued to fuss with the splint, and he almost succeeded before Alphonse lifted the Automail arm and raised it away from the flesh one.
"Brother, you woke up next to tears, don't tell me that it's fine," Al told his brother. The way that the younger sounded, it almost seemed as if he were glaring at his brother, daring him to disobey. Edward must have noticed this as well. "Stop." he ordered. Ed nodded and his arm was released.
That next day Edward had walked in with a red swollen cheek. Apparently it was painful, since Al had bumped it with his gauntlet and the child winced. If only Roy had noticed it at the time. If only he had known what could have been going on behind closed doors. Edward had just said he had fallen while trying to get a book from the shelf in Tucker's house, and that he had hit his cheek on the shelf.
"Apparently the sprain had already been a day old by the time Ed was taken to the hospital, but it was chalked up as him just being stubborn and trying to hide it from Alphonse." Hughes commented.
"Keep reading." Roy demanded. He wanted this finished with, and he wasn't sure that he could keep listening to the records without getting so angry that he would march into the Hughes house and order Edward to tell him everything that had happened. But he was trying hard enough, the quicker they were finished reading, the better.
"About a week after that he went to the hospital with a fever that wouldn't break. Doctors said it was rat poison that he must have accidentally ingested. He needed his stomach pumped," Hughes read on. "After that he went to the hospital again with a burn mark on on his thigh that had become infected. During his checkup right after his certification, the doctor discovered bruises and cuts on his thighs, hidden away from sight. They ignored it since he was a state Alchemist. Tell me, Roy, how did you not go through his file when he was put under your command?" he asked his friend.
"I don't know, Hughes, I wasn't thinking," Roy sighed, running a hand through his hair in a moment of frustration. "I wish I had. I was stupid, and I ignored any sign that Fullmetal ever gave me."
"You didn't know, it wasn't your fault." Hughes promised, placing a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.
"So, you think it was Tucker?" Roy asked. "If Fullmetal was being abused at all?"
"I think we have some evidence that suggests that Tucker was abusing Ed if he was being abused at all," Hughes replied. "Now we just need to subtly as him if he was."
"That's not going to be easy." Roy commented.
"Not at all."
The two made their way to Hughes' house quickly. They wanted to take Edward and ask him what the hell was going on. Not in such a way, of course, but something along those terms. They were going to have Gracia talk to him quickly.
When they got into the house, they saw Gracia was in the kitchen with Edward making cookies. They seemed like they were having a good time, and it was the first time Mustang had ever seen Edward genuinely happy.
"Maes, I thought you weren't coming home for lunch today," Gracia blinked in confusion as she realized that her husband and his best friend were there. "It's good to see you, Roy."
"It's good to see you too, Gracia," Roy smiled a bit. He liked visiting the Hughes family. They were the perfect example of a loving stable family. Maybe Hughes was a little too loving. "We need to move this along with Fullmetal now, though."
"What's going on?" Ed asked at the mentioning of his name.
"Come with me, Edward," Gracia said softly. She took the sheet of unbaked cookies and placed them in the oven, setting a small timer that sat on the counter before leading Edward to the guest room that he had been staying in. "I need to talk to you about some things." she spoke noticing that Alphonse was in Elysia's room playing.
"What do you need to talk to me about?" Ed asked quickly. He sat on the bed, and Gracia sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Edward, did something happen when you were younger?" Hughes and Roy walked into the room as Gracia asked this. They hadn't told her any of the information they found, so they would need to step in eventually. Besides, they were still worried as hell that they would be emotionally scarring the kid if they were wrong. They most certainly didn't forget the chance of being wrong they had, and what they consequences would be if they were.
"What do you mean by that?" the teenager replied. It was clear to the adults that he was becoming uneasy, tense, and defensive. Of course someone who was abused in any type of way wouldn't want to admit to it.
"We don't mean anything bad by it, Ed," Hughes stepped in softly. "We're only trying to help you."
"I don't even know what you're talking about!" Edward exclaimed. He couldn't make heads or tails to what they were suggesting, though he had a good idea of what they were talking about. And he didn't like it.
"Edward, when you were a child you had multiple injuries while living in the Tucker estate. The injuries stopped once you left his home, and that only leads us to believe-" Hughes was cut off by an angry teenager.
"You think he was hurting me?!" the blonde exclaimed.
"Edward, the way that the injuries were brought on, and how they were left for days without being treated only leads us to believe that he had been," Mustang spoke to the kid, using Ed's birth name instead of his state name for once. "We just want to know what happened so we can help you."
"Why would it matter? It's over now." the teenager said stubbornly.
"Does that mean that he was in fact hurting you?" Gracia asked gently, in a way that only a Mother could.
"It doesn't matter."
"Yes it does, Ed." Hughes spoke up this time.
"He's dead. There's nothing that can be done about it now." the golden orbs that were looking to the adults now swept over the teenager's lap, as if he were afraid to face them in some way.
"We can help you, Edward. You just need to tell us what happened." Roy said. He came closer to the blonde and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. While the teenager did jump at first, he started to slowly relax as Gracia was still sitting next to him.
"Well..it started when I had lived there for a month.."
"Worthless, pathetic, someone should have killed you a long time ago."
This actually turned out much longer than I thought, and I'm a bit proud of this chapter. While it's still only four pages long, it's still pretty good for such the short time I gave myself to complete it. Actually I started it as soon as I finished the last chapter. Anyway, please leave me a review. I try to respond to everyone's reviews if you're not anonymous and if you do not have private messaging turned off.
Next Update: June 4th