Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Hiromu Arakawa does. I only own the OC characters.

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In the days that followed, the human trafficking ring was exposed, and all its members had been disbanded. The leader had somehow eluded the police, but, if he was smart, he would never show his face anywhere again. The case was closed, for the most part.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Edward. He had been admitted to a hospital in western Amestris to assess all the damages inflicted on him. Harmful drugs were still in his system, so he had to be flushed out with fluids for detoxification. Much to everyone's dread, but not entirely unexpected, was the report that Edward had been raped by both men and women several times. It tore the colonel up inside to know that he couldn't save his youngest subordinate from that horror. But nothing could have prepared him for what the doctor told him about Ed's mental state.

"Colonel, I assume you are aware that these harmful drugs can cause brain damage to minors, especially when the brain is developing?" the doctor questioned.

Mustang gulped, not liking where this was going. "Yes," he replied.

The doctor who was treating Ed, a mousy-looking man with a balding head and round spectacles, regarded the colonel carefully. He had to choose his words very delicately. "I'm afraid that Mr. Elric has suffered severe brain damage from the drugs, as well as from the trauma that he's been forced to endure. His brain development has been reduced significantly."

Mustang didn't know how he found the air to speak. "How much? How much was it reduced by?"

The doctor looked at him with a solemn expression. "About ten years."

The world seemed to fall away. There was no way. Fullmetal was strong enough to pull through anything. But then again, he was only a child. The reality of the situation finally caught up to Mustang. Of course, it makes sense. It was hard to believe, but Edward Elric now had the mental state of a five-year-old.

Throughout the time at the hospital, Edward's condition made itself known. Alphonse was utterly devastated, knowing that his brother was now younger than him mentally. For a little while, the younger Elric seemed to be in a listless daze, as he watched nurses try to get Edward to eat. Out of all the things that seemed to stay the same, the young prodigy still hated milk. After a few days, however, Alphonse did his best to be with his brother all the time, since the only people the young blond seemed to trust was him and Mustang.

Edward himself was trying to adjust. He distrusted the doctors and nurses with their needles and medications, sometimes becoming violent. He had completely forgotten why and how he had a metal arm and leg, so he would unwittingly hit people with his steel appendage, not realizing the kind of damage it would cause. Most nurses would come out of Edward's room with bloody noses and bruised faces. When either Alphonse or Mustang came into the room to calm him down, he would cling to them and wail like a child who was afraid the boogeyman was coming to get him.

It was the same at night. Edward had intense nightmares, and they were violent enough that one of them had to be there at the hospital constantly to calm him down. The young prodigy would wake up screaming and, upon realizing that it was just a nightmare, would continue to sob while clinging to one of them who had stayed in his room for the night until he fell asleep again. Needless to say, neither Mustang nor Edward got much sleep.

Another week passed, and Edward's injuries were healing nicely. But no one was sure about the mental injuries. "Is this going to be permanent, doctor?" Mustang asked outside of Ed's room. The boy was scheduled to be discharged in two days, and put on a train to Central, where he would live with Mustang until everyone figured out what they were going to do.

The doctor sighed. "With the amount of exposure to the drugs he's had, it's highly likely that it will be. That's the thing about brain damage. We don't know that much about it, so it's hard to predict what will happen." He chewed the inside of his cheek in thought. "However, with time and therapy, there is a chance that Mr. Elric could regain all his lost years. He still won't be the same, but at least it'll be a return to some sense of normalcy." He ended his statement with a light smile.

Mustang returned it, appreciating the doctor's attempt to give him hope, no matter how small it was. "Thanks. I'll look into it," he replied.

It was recommended that Edward be lightly sedated on the train ride to Central, since no one knew how he would react to something that was new to him, despite having been on a train before. In his woozy state, Edward sat on the bench next to his brother and across from Mustang, looking dazedly at his surroundings. The train started moving, and before long, it was barreling its way to Central, the countryside streaking past in a blur of yellows, greens, and blues. Edward stared, transfixed by the scenery outside. "Oooh, pretty colors," he said wistfully. Mustang and Alphonse shared a happy grin with each other at Edward's fascination.

When they arrived in Central, Mustang immediately took the Elric brothers to his small townhouse inside the city, intending for both of them to get settled in for their undoubtedly long stay. After some time, when they were about to sit down for dinner, there was a knock at the door. Mustang excused himself to answer it, and was surprised to find one of the last people he wanted to see turn up on his doorstep.

Winry Rockbell stood confidently, a huge smile on her face. She had heard that Edward had been found and returned to Central, so she had hurried her way over to Mustang's residence to finally see Edward after so long of him being missing. Her luggage bag was slung over her shoulder, filled with her necessities and automail equipment. "Hello, Colonel. I heard you returned from the west with Edward. I was wondering if I could see him."

Mustang had never really prepared how to break the news to the Rockbell girl about Edward's mental state, and that he wasn't the same as she remembered him. He was afraid of how she would react, and that she would blame him for her best friend's condition. He told himself that it was inevitable anyway. In a way, he was to blame. He had failed to reach Edward in time before something horrible happened. He decided to let the bomb fall, and the chips fall where they may.

"Sure you can, Winry," he told the eager girl. "But, I have to warn you. He's not the same."

That threw the blond girl offguard. When Mustang stepped aside to let her in, she moved warily into the house, put off by the colonel's words. She had no idea what he meant by 'not the same.' Surely Ed was alright, otherwise they would never have released him from the hospital.

She entered the dining room, spotting Alphonse sitting at the dining table, trying to coax someone to eat the food on their plate. She then glimpsed a brilliant head of golden hair, and she knew immediately who it was. Gleefully, she dashed towards the brothers with a spring in her step. "Ed, Al, I'm so glad to see that you're oka-" she stopped midsentence at the sight that greeted her.

Ed's arm was missing, which normally would have been met by the young mechanic's wrath with an iron wrench, but what she saw made those thoughts the furthest from her mind. Ed's ponytail shifted behind his back as he turned to look up at her. Her shock came from the sight of those eyes. They were dull and lifeless, as if they were a dead man's eyes. There was no intelligence burning behind those orbs. The flame inside had been snuffed out.

"Winry!" Alphonse cried out, standing up quickly in surprise. Winry paid no heed to the suit of armor, her sole focus on the small, broken boy in front of her. Somewhere inside Ed's addled mind was a memory that reminded him that he knew this person. "Hi, Winry," he said in a soft voice, sounding so young and old at the same time. He sent a small wave with his only hand towards her direction.

It took Winry a moment to notice that Mustang had approached up behind her. "What's wrong with him?" she asked softly, afraid of the answer.

It took a moment for the colonel to respond, which frightened the girl even more. Finally, after several tense seconds, he spoke. "He suffered brain damage during his capture. His development's been reduced by ten years."

Winry's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be. Ed couldn't be brought down like this. After everything that he had sacrificed for his little brother, he couldn't be set back this far. Continuing to stare into those listless eyes made the truth sink in for her. She finally understood that her best friend was gone, and was now a toddler in a teenager's body. Tears gathered in her eyes and flowed from her cheeks. Alphonse saw this and gasped, holding out his hands as if to comfort her. Edward just looked confused.

Without warning, Winry rushed forward and enveloped her childhood friend in a tight embrace, sobbing all the while. She clung onto him as if her life depended on it. "Why're you crying, Winry?" she heard Ed ask. Between her sobs, the young mechanic was able to squeeze out words. "I'm just so glad to see you again," she said.

Ed had no idea why, but he felt like crying with Winry at that moment. Before he knew it, his own tears were leaking out of his colorless eyes.

After the emotional reunion, Mustang took Winry aside to explain to her the treatments he planned for Edward. He told her that there was a slight chance that he could return to normal. That, at least, gave the girl some comfort. She decided to stay for a few days before she left for Rush Valley. Customers were piling up, she explained.

Not too long after Winry left, Mustang found and set up an appointment with a therapist that was specialized in dealing with Ed's condition. When the colonel informed the young prodigy, the hothead vehemently protested in his new toddler-like way. Mustang expected this, but he knew that Edward would go even if he wanted to or not.

On the day of the appointment, Mustang and Alphonse escorted a heavily protesting Edward out to Mustang's car. They somehow managed to get the boy in the back seat. Mustang stood up. Alphonse was going to stay behind at the house while Mustang drove Edward to the therapist's office. He glanced over at the suit of armor. "We'll be back in about an hour and a half," he informed the younger Elric.

Alphonse nodded. "Oh, and one more thing, Colonel." Mustang turned back to look at the soul attached to a suit of armor, his red eyes never wavering. "Thank you for everything." If the boy could beam, he would have.

Mustang smiled at him. "There's no need to thank me, Alphonse. Though, I do appreciate it." With that, the colonel climbed into the driver's seat of the car, starting up the engine. Alphonse watched as the car moved into town. In the car, Mustang felt better than he had in a long time. While engaging with petty banter with the child in the backseat, he knew that this was the first step into getting the boys back on track.

END

Author's Note: So, a bit of a bittersweet ending. It is true that brain development can be hindered through the use of harmful drugs, especially with younger people. For this one, I've decided to be evil and leave you guys hanging on whether Edward is going to go back to normal or not.

My city has an annual anime convention, and I'm going to be cosplaying as an original character of mine. I'm almost done making the part I need to make. Hopefully, it'll look awesome by the time I'm done with it.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

-The_Mayflower