Authors Note: Thank you all so much for your wonderful support. I am truly honoured by all your wonderful reviews and messages of encouragement. I can honestly say I wouldn't still be writing this if it wasn't for you guys. Hontou ni Arigatou Gozaimasu! You guys are all awesome :3 Again, this chapter might be a bit graphic, so if you're squeamish, don't read.
Ed opened her eyes slowly, silently willing herself to be in her bed in the cottage, instead of on the floor of the cold room. The sound of water was the first hint that she was still in the nightmare. The second hint drowned out the first rather quickly though, the pain in her leg taking over all her other senses. A moan escaped her lips as she shifted, the movement almost proving to be more than she can handle in her current state. Ed wasn't sure of how long she had been out for, the room she was currently lying in had no windows at all, and they had even gone as far as to remove the candle too, leaving her in complete and utter darkness. Slowly, she forced the pain in her leg out of her mind, trying to recall what had happened before she passed out. The sick bastard had cut open her shirt, but didn't stop there. She could feel the cold cement under her bare chest, making it hard to breathe.
After that he had proceeded to cut her in various areas, the most painful of which had to be the deep gash in her leg. She didn't even try to move her leg, knowing full well that the pain of the movement would cause her to lose consciousness again. The real question in her mind was what he had done to her after she had passed out from the pain. Edward forced herself to sit upright, ignoring the pain in both her leg and her chest as she did so. To her relief, her pants were intact, aside from the holes where the blade had penetrated her skin. Ed knew she was a strong woman, but even thinking about what could have happened made her blanch. Slowly she inspected her body in the dark, her arm moving ever so slightly as her fingers ran over her skin, stinging pain shooting through her body every time she touched a cut. Biting her lip to stop herself from screaming out in pain, she moved her arm more, the deep gash in her shoulder sending blinding pain through her body, almost making her lose consciousness again.
Taking a deep ragged breath, Ed moved her fingers up her body, her thumb gently trailing the cut that ran from her navel to her throat. Luckily, it wasn't that deep, so it would probably heal without leaving any scars. If she ever made it out of here alive, that was. Sure, the man had said that he wasn't going to kill her, but she had little faith in his words. As her hand trailed the cut across her cheek, another realization hit her, making her jerk her arm in front of her, sending another wave of pain through her body. They had left her arms untied! Without wasting another second, she forced herself to her feet, the pain of the movement making her stagger as she pressed against the wall for support. She had no idea where she was, or if her attackers were still there or not, but if she had any chance to get away, now would be it.
Slamming her palms together, she pressed them against the door, making it form an archway instead. Ed moved through it as fast as she could, which most people would class as a shamble, until she reached a set of stairs. So she was in a basement, just as she had guessed. Biting her lip hard, she started making her way up the steps, moving one foot at a time, a sharp pain radiating through her whole body with each movement. Just as she reached the top step though, the door in front of her swung open, revealing a blonde man with a black piece of cloth in his hands, his ragged face twisted in a look of pure disbelief. She had no time to think, so she flung her body forward, hoping to catch the man off guard. To her disappointment, her stomach made contact to the heel of his boot instead, as the force of the kick sent her tumbling backwards, rolling down the stairs that had taken so much effort to climb.
Ed could barely make out the man's voice as he descended the steps as well, before darkness took hold of her, the last words in her ears the sickening nickname he had chosen for her.
Roy sat on the chair, his knee bouncing furiously as he clenched his hands into tight fists. He would much rather be out there searching for Ed than sit here and listen to Hughes talk, even if it was about a search strategy. He had to admit, their timing could not have been better. Havoc showed up at the door of the cottage just as he had swung it open, having only briefly returned to check the cottage again, in case she had just gone for a walk. Havoc had started to explain why he was there early, but had stopped short when he saw the look on his Commanding officer's face. After that, it took them less than half an hour to have his whole team assembled in the cottage. Hughes was also there, as he had guessed he would be, but he was surprised when Al also showed up with Riza. Though he didn't have time to scold the young alchemist about how he wasn't ready to travel so far yet, his mind preoccupied with his missing sister instead.
The sun started casting bright rays of light across the sky as they searched the streets in their designated groups. Roy ran through the alley, Riza and Hughes short on his heels, as his head snapped in different directions, his eyes frantically scanning each building. Hughes was carrying on about something to do with the murder victims, but Roy wasn't paying attention at all. The only thing he could think of was finding her before she became another corpse. His pace slowed slightly as he felt the panic attack threaten to take hold, instead forcing it down with a deep breath, before increasing his pace again. Right now was not the time to think about losing her, not if he had any chance of keeping himself together long enough to find her.
Roy stopped in front of the building they were going to search first. It was a rather run down building, no sign that anyone had entered it in years. His eyes moved to Hughes as he spoke.
"As far as I could tell, the victims were tortured in an enclosed space, where there was no fresh air or wind. If there had been, more particulates would have been found in the wounds..."
"And this is one of the four buildings in this town with a basement, I know. Let's move…" Roy started, but stopped as Riza's hand touched his shoulder, her eyes stern.
"Sir, we need to do this quietly. If Edward is in this building, and they hear us coming, they might outright kill him."
He growled, though he knew she had a point. With a defeated sigh, he nodded once, before nudging the door open slowly. It creaked involuntarily, making Roy bite his lip hard. With steady movements they headed deeper into the house, eyes scanning for any sign of life. A thick layer of dust coated everything, filling him with a deep sense of dread. Surely if they had brought her here, there wouldn't be this much dust? He watched as Hughes moved past him, headed straight for what should have been the basement. But to their disappointment, it was no longer there. Instead, a huge hole sat in the middle of the house's ceiling, debris taking up the space that would have been a basement. Undoubtedly the roof had collapsed, filling the basement with large chunks of whatever the ceiling had been made of.
Hughes pulled the map out of his pocket, flipping it open as Roy snapped his fingers, setting fire to a piece of the support beam that lay on the ground. The light of the flames flickered across the map, lighting up their next target, four blocks from their current position. He didn't wait for Hughes to put the map away again as he sprinted out of the building, Riza on his heels. As they rounded the corner, he could vaguely make out the shapes of Breda, Fuery and Havoc disappearing into another alley. It seemed like their first target had also yielded no Ed. Hughes caught up to them as they darted down another alley, stopping in front of their next target.
Roy had a feeling that she was here. A faintest flicker of light could be seen through the dark windows, coming from somewhere deep inside. Riza followed his eyes, before taking the safety off of her gun. Who-ever was in here was going to pay for taking Ed, no matter what anybody said. Hughes placed his hand on the door, nodding at them once before pushing it open slightly, just enough for Hawkeye to see inside. Her eyes darted around as she scanned the room, before motioning to them to enter. The smell of blood hit his nostrils, making him gag involuntary. Roy wasn't squeamish, not in the slightest, but even to him the smell of this much blood was moved deeper into the house, his fingers ready to snap at the slightest movement.
The light he had seen from the window had come from a single candle burning on a table at the back of the house. His eyes scanned the room as he moved, though it was pretty clear that no-one was there. Hughes walked past him, only to stop in front of a door against the wall at the back. Roy waited for him to open it, Riza bringing the candle with her from the table, the light flickering off of the stone walls as they descended the blood-stained stairs. Roy knew the blood was still fresh as his footsteps made gut-wrenching sounds with each movement. He forced the bile that was building up in his throat down again, as Riza handed the candle over to Hughes, moving ahead of both men, her gun ready to fire if necessary.
The candle flickered as Roy moved past her, passing through the archway as it led to a small room. His breath caught on his lips when his eyes took in the form sprawled across a table in the middle. Ed lay on her stomach, her back completely exposed to the cold air. Roy wasted no time to pull off his coat, draping it over her form gently, covering as much as he could while Riza stood guard at the entrance. The sick bastard that had hurt Ed had probably fled the moment he had heard them coming down the stairs.
"We need to get Ed to a doctor." Hughes's voice ran through the basement, the sudden sound echoing off of the empty walls. "Roy, do you think you can carry him?"
Roy nodded mutely, as he carefully turned her around while moving his coat to cover what he could, before lifting her into his arms. Her body felt cold and limp, reminding him of the night they had come to this cursed town. Hissing, he sprinted down the hallway, up the stairs and out of the building, leaving his two subordinates behind, the only thought in his mind that of saving her life.
Ed became vaguely aware of the heat against her cheek, but she didn't dare open her eyes, certain that it was all a figment of her imagination. The smell of sweat and smoke filled her nose, reminding her of the man she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Even when she was still considered a child, she had had feelings for him, though she knew nothing would ever come from it. Over the years they had become stronger and stronger, a simple childish crush turning into a teenage love fantasy. Until the day she had seen him go on a date with another woman, as she sat with her brother in the same restaurant, Al enjoying the sensation of eating again, tasting everything on his list. Ed couldn't explain why, but when Roy had draped his arm around the woman's shoulder, Ed had had the strong urge to walk over to their table and pour her drink over his smug face. That's when she realized it wasn't just a crush, but had instead blossomed into a full blown unreciprocated love. Though she would never tell him, it would only make him more insufferable to work for.
Slowly she became aware of the voices floating around her, again putting it down as her imagination. First of all, there was no way this many of Mustang's men where here, since they had made an agreement with Fu. Second, there was absolutely no way in hell that Al would be in this rundown town. He was still in therapy, and doctors were unhappy with him travelling to Resembool as much as he did, so a remote little town like Rayerk was definitely out of the question. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain radiating from the centre of her back, as each cut on her body slowly became a beast of its own, sending pulse after pulse of pain through her small frame.
The heat left her cheek as she groaned in pain, leaving her feeling more vulnerable than she ever had been; the smell of smoke disappearing with it. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to try and reach for the sensation again, instead lying as still as she could. Hands moved over her body, liquid spilling into each cut one by one, making her scream out in pain. With all the force she could gather, she flung out her auto-mail arm, it connecting with flesh as her attacker flew backwards. It only made things worse, she realized, as a needle pressed into her neck, a cold liquid filling her veins, darkness following it moments later as she slipped back out of consciousness, leaving her to the mercy of the deranged man.
"Is he going to be alright, Sir?" Fuery asked as he watched Roy leave the room he had just been in. Roy was silently grateful when he had found her on her stomach, and he had wasted no time to drape his coat around her frame, hiding her exposed breasts. As silly as it sounded, he didn't want her secret to be common knowledge just because he was too pathetic to protect her properly.
"I don't know. Fu is with Ed right now, and he'll probably fill us in soon." He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke; only realizing too late that it was covered in her blood. Growling at his own stupidity, he moved into the bathroom to clean himself up. Roy stood in front of the mirror, his black eyes scanning his face slowly while silently scolding himself. If it hadn't been for him, Ed would be safe and sound in Central right now. But instead he bowed down to a civilian's demands, spent a day with a kid instead of trying to find the killer, and had a nap while Ed was in their clutches. His hand tightened its grip on the sink, his knuckles turning white. If she made it through this, he would distance himself from her. He was a danger to her life, his stupid mistakes putting her in harm's way twice in a week.
Roy ran his wet hands through his hair until he had gotten most of her blood out of it. With one last glance in the mirror, he left the bathroom again, walking into the living room In the middle of their conversation. From the sounds of things, Riza was comforting a distraught Alphonse, while Havoc, Breda and Hughes discussed the case, Falman and Fuery listening intently. Roy dropped down into the couch, closing his eyes. He could faintly hear their discussion, but he didn't bother paying attention, instead thinking of the girl in the other room. Less than twenty four hours ago she had been in his arms, as they lay on the same bed, sharing their heat in the cold winter air. Now she lay on a bed alone, her life slipping through his fingers again. Was he really that much of a failure?
Just as it had been less than a day since he had held her, so had it been less than a day since he had almost killed her himself, having snapped his fingers at her. True, he hadn't meant to do it, still in the nightmare where he was back in the war. But he should have realized that he had forgotten to take off his gloves, and he should have recognized her face. He had been truly grateful for her fast reaction, his flames only having hit her metal arm. Still, he lay in his bed listening to her shiver in her room, hating him for almost hurting her. Thanks to his incompetence Edward lay in the next room, hurt badly.
"Roy, are you listening to me?" Hughes's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, his eyes slowly opening to meet that of his friend.
"What?" His voice was flat, though he didn't mean for it to be.
"I know what you're thinking, and you better stop right now."
"What are you talking about?" Roy's eyes scanned the room slowly; grateful to see that the only other person left in the room was a sleeping Al.
"None of this was your fault. You did the best you could under the circumstances, and no one would have guessed that the killer would go after Edward. So far he had only been targeting women, so why he had gone after Ed is beyond me. So stop blaming yourself."
Roy stared at his friend for a moment, before closing his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke. "Where did everyone go?"
Hughes got up from his seat as he spoke, moving towards the door. "We're all taking care of the area where they had kept Edward. Since all of us are busy, you're in charge of protecting Ed and Al for now."
"Wait!" Hughes turned to him, his hand on the door as Roy stood in the middle of the living room, suddenly on his feet. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be in charge of Edwards's protection. He's in the position he's in now because I failed to protect him before."
"Get over yourself, Roy. He's in the position he's in right now because there's a psychopath out there that we need to catch. Suck it up and be the man I know you are. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Hughes disappeared through the door, closing it behind him, rendering Roy's argument mute. He stood there staring at the door for what felt like an eternity, before a hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the present.
"Can I talk to you?" Fu asked, though he didn't wait for his response, disappearing into the room Ed was currently in. Roy followed him mutely, his eyes falling on her still form as he entered the room. Fu stood next to her bed, his hand on an empty chair next to it, motioning for him to sit down. Roy did so, not taking his eyes off of her as he moved. "She's going to be okay, Mustang. You had brought her here just in time. She had sustained multiple injuries, the worst of which is a fractured rib and broken leg. It also looks like she might have a slight concussion. I don't know what could have caused it, but I have a suspicion that she sustained all three injuries at the same time. She should wake up soon, but she will be in immense pain. Because of her concussion, I don't want to keep her under more than what is absolutely necessary." Fu moved towards the door, only stopping to speak over his shoulder. "When she wakes up, you are going to have to calm her down. She needs to refrain from moving around for a while."
Roy nodded, his hand holding hers delicately. Fu left him alone with her, and a sense of fear filled him. Roy knew that it wasn't rational, but since they had spent so much time together she had gotten hurt. The only conclusion in his mind was that he was the cause of her pain. And Roy Mustang didn't want to cause any more pain to the woman he had fallen in love with.
"Are you a complete moron?!" Her voice ran through the dark house, making him flinch. He was no coward, but she could truly be a terrifying woman when she wanted to be. She stood towering above him, the knife in her hand trembling as she struggled to contain her rage.
"You told me to find a way to keep her here, so that's what I did!"
"I meant for you to arrange for an accident, maybe. But kidnapping her and torturing her? What did you think would happen?" The knife cut through the fish on the cutting board with little resistance, before cluttering to the counter, as she picked up the file that lay on the table.
"How was I supposed to know they would call in military reinforcements?" Frank picked up the same apple he had inspected the day before, his callused fingers running over the imperfections slowly.
"Did you even bother to read the file? She's a dog of the military; of course they would call in reinforcements." The file she had been waving in front of his face fell onto the table, the photo of the gorgeous girl spilling from it, pulling his attention. He couldn't help but lick his lips, wishing he still had her in his basement. To his disappointment, he hadn't had nearly enough time with her before the military was spotted heading towards the house.
"What does it matter anyway? She's not going anywhere, so you have time to prepare. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"It's going to be nearly impossible to get near her now, you imbecile. Now she's got seven guards and one civilian protecting her instead of just the one incompetent military fool."
"I can handle them easy enough." Frank scoffed, earning him a glare from the furious woman in front of him. "Look, you just tell me when you're ready for her, and I'll take care of the rest. Now, if you don't mind, I've got to find a new base of operations before tonight."
The mad stopped at the door as she spoke again, her voice threateningly quiet. "If you screw up like this again, Frank, I'll make sure you are the next corpse those military dogs find on the street, are we clear?"
"Crystal."
Slowly Ed opened her eyes, only to close them again instantly as the bright light in the room assaulted her senses. She was vaguely aware of a throbbing pain coming from her body, but she couldn't place the pain, her mind refusing to focus on anything as the drug lingered in her system. Ed wasn't sure what her attacker had done to her this time, it being the third time she had lost consciousness since she woke up in that room. Slowly she became aware of the heat surrounding her body, sending a new wave of panic through her foggy mind. Perhaps they had decided that torturing her with the cold wasn't nearly as effective as using heat would be. Had they figured out that she had feelings for a certain flame alchemist? Where they going to make her fear the heat that represented one man in her mind? With a shudder she opened her eyes again, squinting as she tried to force her eyes to adjust. She needed to know where they had moved her to, and what the heat around her was coming from.
Her vision slowly adjusted to the brightness, her mind clearing up as the last of the drug wore off. Unfortunately, she realized too late that the drug had masked most of the pain, as a sharp wave of pain shot through her body, making her arch her back, trying in vain to distance herself from whatever was pressing against her back. The movement sent another wave of pain through her body, forcing her back onto whatever she was lying on. Wave after wave of pain coursed through her body, each one intensified when she tried to reposition herself.
"Edward, stop moving!"
She froze as she recognized the voice, her pain instantly forgotten, if only for a moment. She didn't need to see him to know who he was. There was only one man with a deep voice that could pull her from the excruciating pain that was coursing through her every vein. Ed turned her head in the direction it was coming from; her golden orbs meeting wide onyx ones, a frown on his face that usually carried a smug smirk. Her eyes bore into his, but she closed them when another wave shot through her back, arching it instinctively, as if the motion would reduce the pain.
"You need to stop moving, or you're just going to hurt yourself even more." His voice calmed her pain again, though less than it had done the first time. She became aware of her hand in his, clenching it tightly. After another moment of silence, the pain intensified again, making her moan, straining to keep her body from moving again.
"Speak!" Ed rasped; her voice hoarse with pain. "It… It helps…"
Roy stared at her for a moment, before realizing what she was saying, instantly doing as she had asked. "You're going to be alright, Edward. Al is in the next room as well, if you want me to go call him…" Her hand tightened around his, giving him his answer. At that moment, if he was to let go, she would surely lose consciousness again. He was her anchor to reality, her shield from the pain. Edward listened as Roy spoke to her, his words soothing and encouraging, his voice gentle and concerned. She forced herself to concentrate on the sound next to her, instead of the intense burning that radiated through every cell in her body.
A/N: Sorry if Roy seemed OOC slightly, but I had to portray him the way I did. I know Ed wasn't in that basement long, but there's a good reason for it, so bare with me. Lastly, I feel I need to explain this before I get a lot of questions. The only people who knows Ed's true gender is Roy, Al and obviously Ed. That's why she is sometimes referred to as him/he. Remember to review and message me if you have any questions or comments. Until next time :3