Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter Ten - New Friend?
Nick had just returned to Central after spending nearly a month in the south and he was already bored out of his mind. He'd only been back a couple of days and he was already looking for excitement, for something to distract him from the normalcy of Central. "This is why I hate coming back to Central," the boy grumbled to himself as he walked casually down the street in downtown Central. "It's almost as boring here as it is in Resembool and that's saying something right there."
At least the boredom would soon be remedied. He had an appointment to meet with his superior later that evening and he was fairly sure that he would receive an assignment. At least that was what usually happened when Havoc asked to see him.
"And it's about damn time too," Nick muttered, thinking about the possibility of a mission. "I don't know how much longer I can take this."
Nick was nearing the edge of the city, still grumbling random complaints to himself, when he noticed a group of men gathered near an old, rundown building. The boy stopped and gazed at the men intently. Nick's curiosity was instantly aroused.
"I wonder what's caught their attention."
Deciding to see what was so great around the building the boy strolled casually over to the group of men. He was about ten feet away when he discovered what exactly it was that had captured the attention of the men. A young girl, appearing to be around the same age as Nick stood with her back against the building surrounded by the men.
"That can't be good," Nick said, his pace quickening.
One of the men in the group heard the sound of Nick's footsteps as he approached and he turned around and gave the boy a menacing stare.
"So," Nick said casually, coming to a stop a few feet away from the group. "What's going on?"
"None of your damn business you nosy little twerp," one of the larger men in the group sneered. "It doesn't concern you brat so you'd better run home to your mommy before you get hurt."
Nick smirked as he surveyed the group, which consisted of ten really huge, ugly men. He was thoroughly unimpressed with their attempts to scare him off. "I think not. If my Mother ever found out that I ran from the likes of you, she'd beat me up. And I gotta tell ya, given the choice I'll choose weaklings over Mom anytime."
That comment, while true, did nothing to help the situation. Quite the contrary, it seemed to piss the men off and they shifted their attention from the girl to Nick.
The boy smiled. "So you wanna fight huh? Okay but I feel compelled to warn you guys that you don't stand a chance against me. However, if you absolutely insist on trying, I'll be more than happy to beat you to a bloody pulp."
The burly leader of the group threw his head and roared with laughter.
The young woman, who had been silent up until this point, glared at her would be rescuer and yelled, "You'd best run away while you still can. I don't need your help anyway. I can take care of myself."
Nick glared back at the girl, annoyed by her words. And after he was trying to help her. Some people were just ungrateful. "I don't run away from anyone so regardless of whether or not you need my help you've got it. So deal with it."
"Uhhh," the girl growled, exasperated. Fine, if the kid wanted to get himself killed then why should she care? Unfortunately she realized that she really did care. She vacated her spot against the wall and ran over to stand at Nick's back.
"This isn't necessary," Nick said. "Why don't you get outta here while I have them distracted?"
"Because my conscience won't allow me to run away and leave a little kid to get himself killed."
Nick's eyes narrowed and he whirled to face the girl. "What did you just call me?! LITTLE KID!! You're not any older than I am."
"Maybe not," the girl said in a mocking voice. "But I'm taller."
Nick's eyes narrowed.
As soon as Nick's attention shifted from them to the girl, the men saw their chance. The leader motioned for one of his cronies to attack. The underling nodded and ran toward Nick, who was still yelling at the girl.
"Hey kid," the girl exclaimed, interrupting Nick's tirade. "This is just a thought but don't you think you should be paying attention to the people who want to kill you?
Nick clasped his hands together and his right arm transformed into a blade, ripping his shirtsleeve and the white glove that he wore to conceal his automail. Nick whirled to face his attacker, only to discover that the man had frozen mid-attack and was now staring at him with a stunned expression on his face.
"Hey boss," one of the other cronies stuttered, addressing the leader of the group. "We're fighting an alchemist. You didn't tell us we'd have to fight an alchemist."
"It changes nothing!" the leader roared. "Now get over there and kill him. But be careful not to hurt the girl. We need her alive."
The men nodded, although they still looked rather nervous, and all nine of them ran over to the two kids.
Nick laughed, an evil grin appearing on his face. "Now things are starting to get interesting."
"I can't believe you're enjoying this," the girl exclaimed as Nick kicked the legs out from under one of his attackers.
"What can I say; I've been bored for way too long so this is a welcome distraction."
"You're insane."
"Thank you," Nick said, punching another man in the nose.
After watching several of his comrades fall to the young alchemist, one of the men pulled a long knife from his coat. "That's it brat. You're dead."
"I've heard that one before." Nick smirked as he surveyed the group, thoroughly unimpressed. "You guys must suffer from stupid bad guy syndrome. And unfortunately there's no cure except to have the crap beaten out of you. And even then there's no guarantee."
While Nick and the girl were fighting several of his cronies, the leader of the group managed to come from behind and grab the girl by the arms. The man quickly ran his arms under the girl's armpits and held her in a chokehold.
"Let go of me!" the girl yelled, capturing Nick's attention.
The boy whirled around to find that the girl he was trying to protect was back in the hands of the enemy that he was trying to protect her from. "Damn!"
Nick started toward the man who'd captured the girl but stopped short when he felt something pierce his shoulder. The boy looked around and saw that one of the men had thrown a knife, which had embedded itself deep within his shoulder.
"That was a cheap shot," Nick hissed, pulling the knife from his shoulder and fighting against the piercing pain caused by this action.
The man that had thrown the blade grinned evilly. "Foolish child. In the real world people don't fight fair."
Now that the men were throwing knives Nick knew that his hand-blade would be a disadvantage since he had to be relatively close to his foe in order to use it. So with this knowledge in mind he scanned the area, looking for something else that he could use. Suddenly he spotted a pile of debris a few yards away.
"That'll work," Nick said, running toward the pile of debris.
"So you think you can run now, huh kid?" the man with the knife sneered. "Afraid it's too late for that."
He gave chase.
Nick reached the pile of debris before his pursuer could catch up to him and he clasped his hands together, transmuting a staff from the pile of junk. Staff in hand he whirled to face the man who was running toward him.
Completely shocked that the boy he was chasing had whirled around and was now headed straight toward him, the man froze in his tracks.
Nick knocked his pursuer out of the way and then ran straight toward the group of men. With his new weapon, which could be used at a distance as well as up close, Nick made short work of the men until all but the leader lay on the ground unconscious.
Nick pointed the staff at the leader of the group, who still held the girl in a chokehold. "Let the girl go."
"I don't think so boy," the man said with a sneer. "And if you care about her safety, you'll back off and let me walk away."
Nick held the staff upraised for a few seconds, debating what he should do. However, he didn't have to think long because the man suddenly dropped to his knees, a pained expression on his face, his hands gripping his groin.
"I will NOT be used as a human shield, hostage, or anything else by the likes of you," the girl spat out viciously as she turned to face the man.
"Eww." Nick grimaced as he watched the man roll around on the ground, in obvious agony. "I feel your pain buddy. I think you would have been better off fighting me. You still would have gotten beat but at least I wouldn't have racked you."
The man's only response was a low, agonized moan.
"And you," the girl said, whirling to face Nick. "I told you that I didn't need your help."
"Get over yourself," Nick said with a smirk, surveying the group of men lying unconscious on the ground. "You may have taken out the leader but I'm the one who disposed of his nine lackeys."
The girl rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.
"I think you should go home now," Nick said, his tone gentler. "Before anyone else decides to come and play." And with that Nick turned around and began to walk away.
The girl watched him walk away for a few moments before she noticed the pool of blood on the ground where the boy had been standing and a path of blood droplets trailing from the pool to the boy. The boy was apparently losing a fairly significant amount of blood.
"Wait," she called out after him.
"What?" Nick halted and turned to face the girl.
"You're hurt!" The girl ran over to the spot where Nick was standing.
"It's nothing." Nick absently raised his hand and placed it over his shoulder wound. Up until that point he hadn't noticed how much blood he was losing nor how much the wound hurt. The adrenaline rush caused by the fight had kept him from feeling the pain but as the level of adrenaline in his blood lessened the pain from the wound increased and Nick stared down at the pool of blood that was on the ground.
"Don't lie to me," the girl said, pulling his hand away and examining the boy's wound.
Nick winced as the girl's fingertips brushed against the edge of his stab wound and he quickly pulled away. "Leave me alone. I told you the wound isn't serious."
The girl glared at Nick, a stern expression on her face. "Yes you did tell me that. And you were lying. We've covered this already. Now we really should go and get that wound looked at."
Nick scowled but the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted any comment he might choose to make. Turning toward the noise, Nick held up his staff, preparing for another fight.
"There you are Miss Kaori," a masculine voice called out.
Nick stared in open-mouthed amazement as a group of soldiers emerged from the shadows, led by a large muscular man that Nick didn't recognize.
"Oh no," Kaori muttered under her breath, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. "Of all the people who could have found me it had to be him. What did I ever do to deserve this?"
He-man and his group of soldiers came to a stop in front of Nick and Kaori. "We've been looking all over for you Miss Kaori."
"Well now you've found me," Kaori said. "What do you need?"
"Only to know that you are safe," the man said. "I saw you leave without an escort and that worried me."
Kaori groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you people, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself?"
Ignoring her tirade, the military man turned to face Nick. "And who is your companion Miss Kaori?"
The angry expression left Kaori's face, replaced by a look of surprise. "Heh, heh you know I never actually got around to asking him what his name is. However, all things considered, it's not surprising that asking his name wasn't way up there on my list of priorities."
"What?! You mean you're traveling around with a complete stranger. You should know better than that Miss Kaori."
"Lay off Colonel Armstrong," Kaori said, glaring angrily at the man. "I'm not traveling with him. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time. It's merely a coincidence."
"Well," Nick said, interrupting them. "Not that this hasn't been fun filled beyond belief but I really should be going. Besides, Muscle Man over there is seriously creeping me out. Later."
"Hold it!" Kaori said, halting Nick's retreat by grabbing his braided hair.
"That hurt," Nick said, pulling his hair free from her grasp and turning to face her, his eyes narrowed.
"Not half as bad as it could have," Kaori told him. "And I told you, you're going to let someone look at that wound."
"And I told you that----"
But Nick's words were cut off by Col. Armstrong.
"The boy is injured?"
"Yes," Kaori said. "It's a pretty nasty stab wound and he refuses to let someone look at it."
"Will you lay off?" Nick exclaimed. "I'm fine and I'm leaving."
"Afraid not runt," Kaori said, once again catching hold of Nick's braid.
"Runt? RUNT! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A RUNT?!"
This time Nick completely ignored the pain caused when he pulled his braided hair from her grasp. He whirled around to face the girl, his eyes narrowed menacingly and snapping fire.
Col. Armstrong's eyes widened as he listened to Nick's tirade and suddenly it dawned on him who the boy must be. "Young Elric?"
"Huh?" Nick turned around and stared at the muscular military officer.
"So it is you," Armstrong said. "The young State Alchemist under Col. Havoc's command."
Nick nodded. "Uh huh."
"You're a State Alchemist?" Kaori asked in surprise.
"Uh, yea."
"Oh you poor thing," Kaori's voice was filled with sympathy.
"Hey what's up with the sympathetic stare all of a sudden? Your expression changed, not when I was stabbed like a normal person's would, but when you found out I'm a State Alchemist. Why is that?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Kaori said. "And I refuse to be the one who disillusions you."
"You are evil incarnate."
"No," Kaori smirked. "That would be my dad."
"Huh?"
"Enough talk," Armstrong said, interrupting the two kids. "We should get the boy back to headquarters so that his wound can be cared for."
"For the last time, I'm. . ."
Nick's words were cut short however, when Col. Armstrong picked him up and tossed the boy over his shoulder. And with that, he began walking toward headquarters, followed by Kaori and his men.
"Put me down!" Nick yelled.
The group accompanying Col. Armstrong completely ignored Nick's tirade. They continued on their way to Central Headquarters, completely ignoring the fact that Nick was yelling at them.
"Damn them," Nick muttered once he realized that his screams weren't really accomplishing anything.
Once the group arrived at Central HQ, Armstrong placed Nick back down on his own two feet. "Now come along Young Elric. And we'll get that wound taken care of."
Nick nodded, resigned to the fact that he couldn't win this particular battle. The boy followed Col. Armstrong inside HQ and down a long corridor, which he'd never noticed before. At the end of the corridor, Armstrong stopped in front of a door. He knocked lightly on the door and then stepped back.
"Come in," a voice called out from within the room.
Armstrong opened the door and stepped back so that Nick could enter.
"Damn," Nick muttered, his plans having once again been ruined. Armstrong had made it so that he could not bolt once the colonel walked through the door. Dejected, Nick hung his head and entered the room, followed by Col. Armstrong who closed the door behind them.
A middle-aged man sat behind a large wooden desk, flipping through a stack of papers. He looked up when Nick and Armstrong entered his office and offered them a friendly smile by way of greeting. "Hello Col. Armstrong."
"Good evening Dr. Pierce," Armstrong said. "I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid you may already have gone home for the evening."
Dr. Pierce smiled. "Unfortunately not. I had some paperwork that I had to get done."
"I'm sorry to disturb your work."
"Not at all," Dr. Pierce said, casting a disgusted look down at the stack of papers in front of him. "I'm actually grateful for the distraction. So what can I do for you Colonel?"
Armstrong placed his hand on Nick's uninjured shoulder. "The boy has a stab wound that I'd like for you to take a look at."
"Of course," Dr. Pierce said, standing up.
The doctor walked around his desk and over to Nick. "Take off your shirt kid."
Nick unzipped his black over shirt and pulled his left arm from the sleeve, leaving the rest of the garment to hang. He winced as the material rubbed against his wound but remained silent.
Dr. Pierce drew in a breath when he saw the stab wound on the boy's shoulder. "That's a pretty fierce looking wound you've got there kid."
"Uh huh." Nick gritted his teeth as the doctor touched the edges of the wound with his fingertips.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Pierce said as he examined the wound. "I know it hurts but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to torture you further. That wound will have to be cleaned and stitched closed."
"That's nice," Nick said sarcastically through gritted teeth.
"We'll have to go to the hospital," Dr. Pierce informed the boy. "I don't have anything here to numb the wound with."
"Then stitch it up without numbing it," Nick ordered.
"You must be joking!" Dr. Pierce stared at the boy in disbelief. "Do you realize how much that would hurt?"
Nick pulled off his white glove, completely removed his black shirt and held up his auto-mail arm. "I think I can handle it. Compared to the pain of being equipped with auto-mail, having a wound stitched closed without numbing medication can't be all that bad. Besides, I have to go and find out the details of my next mission so I really don't have time to go to the hospital so either stitch it up here or leave it alone. Either way, I don't care."
Dr. Pierce shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do it here, nor can I allow you to leave without treatment. If you try to resist I will have you forcibly taken to the hospital."
The patronizing look on the doctor's face managed to thoroughly piss Nick off and the threat didn't serve to help matters either. The boy groaned. The nerve of this guy, threatening him, a State Alchemist. "You know, I was hoping to avoid this but there's simply no way at this point. Lieutenant," Nick glanced at the insignia on the man's uniform that identified his rank. "Now I'm gonna have to pull rank on you. I order you to stitch the wound closed here."
"You can't do that!" Dr. Pierce exclaimed staring at the boy, his eyes wide in disbelief. Such an impertinent youth.
"Oh but I can," Nick said, a smug expression on his face. "You may find this shocking but I too am a member of the military and I outrank you."
Dr. Pierce glanced at Armstrong, a questioning look in his eyes. "Is he serious?"
Armstrong nodded. "Technically the boy does outrank you. As a State Alchemist, his rank is equivalent to that of a major."
Nick grinned triumphantly. "So what'll it be Doc?"
Dr. Pierce let out an exasperated sigh. "Have it your way kid but just remember, I warned you."
"Yeah, yeah I know," Nick said. "You can't tell us kids anything these days."
"Isn't that the truth," Dr. Pierce said.
Dr. Pierce walked over to an oak cabinet in the corner of the office and opened one of the drawers. He rummaged around inside the drawer for a few moments before pulling out sutures and a wicked looking curved needle.
The doctor pointed toward a chair. "Have a seat kid."
"Would you stop calling me kid?" Nick grumbled as he sat down. "The name's Nick. Nick Elric."
"I see," Dr. Pierce said as he prepared his supplies. "So you're the young State Alchemist." He stared intently at Nick for a few moments. "I must say, I'm surprised a scrawny little thing like you has lasted this long in the military."
Teeth clenched and hands balled up into fists, the boy thought to himself, "He's asking for it."
Dr. Pierce saw the boy's clenched fists. "You know kid, if you're like this before I even start stitching the wound maybe you'd better rethink your decision not to go to the hospital."
"This has nothing to do with the thoughts of the pain that I'm about to endure," Nick said through clenched teeth. "I'm NOT a scrawny little thing."
"If you say so kid," Dr. Pierce said.
"STOP CALLING ME KID!!"
"Sorry," Dr. Pierce apologized quickly. "Okay NICK, are you sure you wanna go through with this?"
"Just do it already," Nick said, beginning to loose patience with the doctor. "I told you before I'm kinda in a hurry here."
"Alright," Dr. Pierce said, preparing his needle. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
"Whatever."
Dr. Pierce cleaned the wound and then began the tedious process of stitching the edges of the wound closed.
As the doctor worked, Nick's thoughts wandered back to the month directly following his failed human transmutation.
(It had been a little over a month since Nick had attempted to bring his little sister back from the dead and his shoulder had healed fairly well in that length of time.
"Lookin' pretty good kiddo," Ed said as he changed the boy's bandages.
"Do you think it's healed enough for Mom to equip me with auto-mail?"
Ed's face paled at that question from his son. He stared at the boy, a sad expression on his face. "I don't know Nick. You'll have to ask her."
Nick pulled his black shirt back on and stood up. "Let's go and ask her then."
The look on Ed's face said plain as words that he'd rather be tortured repeatedly than do what his son asked of him and yet he followed the boy anyway. He knew that he couldn't let the boy face Winry alone, not considering the request he was about to make.
The two guys found Winry working in her shop, being closely observed by Aiya who was perched on the table beside her mother. Winry looked up from her work when she heard them enter the room.
"Well look who it is." Winry smiled at her son, who hadn't been up and around very much since he'd first been injured. "To what do we owe this honor?"
"I have a question," Nick said.
"What is it?"
"Do you think my shoulder's healed enough for auto-mail?"
"Possibly," Winry said, not exactly grasping where her son was going with the conversation. "I've given auto-mail to people with newer wounds but every case is different. Why do you ask?"
"Because I want you to equip me with auto-mail."
All the blood drained from Winry's face. "You can't be serious." She'd thought that her son had merely had a casual interest in auto-mail, never even considering that he might have a desire for the surgery himself.
Nick nodded. "Come on Mom. I know you can do it. You've done it to hundreds of people."
"That's different," Winry said. "I don't even know most of the people that I equip with auto-mail so it doesn't affect me the way that it would to give it to a close family member. You're my son. I don't think I can inflict that kind of pain on you."
"Then don't think of me as your son." The solution seemed simple to Nick. "Just pretend I'm a total stranger."
Winry turned to face her husband. "Edward."
"Don't look at me." Ed held up his hands. "I had nothing to do with this. It was all him."
Winry sighed and turned back to her son. "Are you sure you really want
auto-mail Nicholas? You realize that the pain involved with the surgery defies description right?"
"I know," Nick said, his face determined. "But I don't wanna go through life with just one arm. But if you don't wanna do it, I understand. I can find someone else to do it if you prefer."
Winry shook her head. "No Nicholas. If you're serious about auto-mail then I'll equip you with it. I don't like the thought of inflicting that kind of pain on you however it would be worse to know that someone else was doing it."
Nick smiled. "Thanks Mom. I know that auto-mail is expensive and I realize that I have no money but I'll find a way to pay you. I'll work off the debt if I have to."
"Don't worry about that kiddo," Winry said. "If you're still sure you want auto-mail at the end of the week then we'll proceed with the operation."
Nick nodded.
Four days later Nick hadn't changed his mind and he found himself sitting on a table in the operating room, dressed only in his boxer shorts and surrounded by wires and a vast assortment of equipment. His mother and his great grandmother entered the room, closing the door behind them.
"Last chance Nicholas," Winry said, facing her son. "Are you absolutely sure that you wanna do this?"
Nick nodded, a determined look in his golden eyes. "I have to."
"Okay." Winry's eyes were sad but her words determined. "Let's begin."
And with that, the operation began. Nick had heard stories and he'd even heard the screams of people whom his mother had equipped with auto-mail and yet even he was not prepared for the level of flesh searing pain that was inflicted upon him as his mother attached each of the nerves of his shoulder to the mechanism of the mechanical arm that would soon be a functioning part of his body. Nick gritted his teeth to keep from crying out from the excruciating pain and he managed to strangle the cry to a whimper. His mother gazed at him sympathetically, however, she continued with the operation because it was too late to stop at that point.
"Hang in there kiddo." Winry spoke to her son in a soothing voice, hoping that her words would help him, if only just a little. "It'll all be over soon."
Nick nodded, his teeth remaining clenched.
After Winry attached the auto-mail arm, she and her grandmother picked the boy up and transferred him to his bedroom. They lay the boy down in his bed and Winry covered her son with a light blanket.
The boy's eyes were clenched shut and his jaw was locked in position.
Winry sat down beside her son and smoothed the boy's hair. "It's okay Nicholas. The pain will lessen soon."
Nick opened his eyes and gazed up at his mother. "Thanks Mom," the boy whispered, tears glistening in his eyes. "I know how hard that was for you but I'm grateful that you did it."
"You're welcome," Winry said, tears appearing in her eyes. She got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of water and a washcloth. She dipped the washcloth in the bowl, rung out the excess water and placed the cloth over her son's forehead. "Granny Pinako and I are going downstairs but I'll be back up to check on you in a little while, okay Nicholas?"
Nick nodded, closing his eyes again.
Winry and Pinako walked into the kitchen, where Winry sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. Pinako quickly made two cups of tea, one of which she handed to her granddaughter.
"That was horrible," Winry said, clenching her eyes shut against the memory of what she had just done to her son and gripping her head with her hands. "I just tortured my own son. At least when I helped you to equip Ed with auto-mail he was just my friend. That was hard but it was nothing compared to this. I can't help worrying that I did something wrong and caused him more pain than he had to endure."
"You did fine Winry," Pinako said in a comforting tone of voice. "And after all, it is what Nick wanted. And since he's just like Ed, there really would have been no way to talk him out of getting auto-mail. The two of them are just stubborn that way. So it was better to have you, the best auto-mail engineer around, do it than someone whose skills aren't as good. Nick was far better off than many people who get auto-mail. Besides, he's young and he'll bounce back quickly. In a matter of days the pain he just endured will seem like a distant memory to him."
Winry smiled weakly. "Thanks Granny."
Pinako smiled at her granddaughter.
The night after the surgery Nick developed a high fever. The pain of his surgery was still intense and along with the fever it was almost more than the young boy could bare. Winry sat beside her son, smoothing his hair with her hand.
The boy's face was covered with a damp washcloth and tears slid down his face.
"I'm sorry Nicholas," Winry said, her voice breaking. "I shouldn't have put you through this."
"Don't say that," Nick whispered in a weak voice, fighting to keep his voice steady. "I'm grateful that you did."
Winry sat with her son that night and watched as he slept fitfully, reliving the horrors that had resulted in his acquisition of the auto-mail arm that was causing him so much pain.
"Harmony," Nick moaned in his sleep, tossing in his bed, his fever flushed face covered with a damp cloth. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
"Nicholas," Winry choked out.
It was pure torture for Winry to watch her son suffering and yet she knew that she could do nothing to help him through this other than to offer him comfort. She would gladly give her life for him but she couldn't help him with this.
A couple of days later Nick finally felt well enough to get out of bed. He sat up and tentatively moved the fingers of his new appendage and even through the pain he was able to tell what an exceptional job his mother had done. She truly was the greatest auto-mail engineer in the world.
"I should go and thank her," Nick said. The boy got out of bed and pulled on a pair of black pants and a black shirt. Then he descended the stairs and went in search of his mother.
Nick found his mother and great grandmother in the kitchen, each with a cup of tea in their hands.
"Well look who's up," Pinako said, smiling at the boy. "So, how are you feeling kiddo?"
"I feel okay Granny Pinako," Nick told her.
Nick sat down beside his mother. "Mom, thanks again for giving me auto-mail. It's great."
Winry smiled at her son and leaned over to give him a hug. "You're welcome Nicholas and I'm glad you're happy with the auto-mail.")
"Okay I'm finished," a voice said, interrupting Nick's thoughts.
Nick snapped back to the present and stared at Dr. Pierce, who held the curved needle in his hand. "You're done?"
Dr. Pierce nodded.
"Well that was surprisingly painless." Nick said, grabbing his black outer shirt from the edge of the desk where he'd deposited it earlier. Nick used his alchemy to repair the rip in his shirt caused by the knife and to remove the bloodstain and then he pulled the shirt on.
"Well doc, thanks for the repair work," Nick said. "Just send the bill to Col. Havoc. It's the least he can do for all the trouble he's caused me."
And with that, Nick left the doctor's office.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice called out as Nick walked out into the hallway.
"I'm leaving," Nick said, turning to face Kaori. "And since I'm all stitched up now you can't say anything about it. So back off."
Kaori stared at Nick in disbelief. "Stitched up? Here?"
Nick nodded.
"But that's impossible," Kaori said her voice filled with disbelief. "Dr. Pierce doesn't keep any medications in his office so there's no way that he would stitch that wound closed here. He couldn't have numbed the wound first and he wouldn't have stitched it closed under those circumstances. He would only do that in an absolute emergency. You're lying to me."
"He didn't numb the wound," Nick said. "But he did stitch it closed."
Nick hadn't bothered to zip his shirt closed after he'd put it back on and as he spoke he slid his shirt down off his shoulder and revealed the bandage covering his shoulder wound.
Kaori gasped. "You let him stitch your wound closed without numbing it first?!"
"Actually I ordered him to," Nick said, pulling his shirt back on. "I didn't have time to go to the hospital and it was just faster to let him stitch the wound up here. So that's what I told him to do. Besides, I've endured the pain of having auto-mail attached and nothing compares to that pain. Nothing. So the sting of that needle piercing my flesh was nothing."
"You really are insane," Kaori said, staring at Nick in disbelief.
"I've been told that a time or two," Nick said with a grin. "As a matter of fact I've now been told that twice by you alone. But that's okay. It's just more fun to be that way. And on that note I really should go since the whole reason I made the doc stitch the wound here was so that I wouldn't be late for my meeting with Col. Havoc and if I keep talking to you I'm gonna be late anyway. Later."
And with that, Nick walked down the hall and headed off in the direction of Col. Havoc's office, where he was due in five minutes. Nick ran down the hall toward Havoc's office and knocked on the door, announcing his arrival. Then, without waiting for an invitation, he opened the door and walked inside.
"Welcome Fullmetal," Havoc said. "Running a little late?"
"Hey I'm here on time," Nick said in his own defense.
"This is true," Havoc said. "But I was expecting you here early since you had nothing else to do, aside from wander around Central aimlessly."
Nick glared at Havoc. "For your information I just spent the last few hours saving some girl's life. And I have the stab wound to prove it. So lay off Colonel. Besides if you wanted me here earlier then you should have told me that."
"Oh, struck a nerve did I?" Havoc said, feigning innocence.
Nick glared at his superior even harder.
"Don't give me that look," Col. Havoc said. "You are my subordinate after all."
"True," Nick said, although his expression did not change. "For now at least. Alright, so why exactly did you wanna see me Colonel?"
"I have a mission for you," Havoc said.
Nick perked up immediately at that news. "Really? When do I leave?"
"In three days you will travel by train to East City," Colonel Havoc informed the boy. "I have a letter to the commanding officer that I'd like for you to deliver."
"Why do I have to deliver it? It doesn't sound like a job for a State Alchemist," Nick said, his enthusiasm over the mission diminishing. "Can't you just mail it?"
Havoc shook his head. "It's too important to just mail. I need for you to hand deliver it."
"Alright," Nick exclaimed, deciding that even this poor excuse for a mission was better than remaining in Central. "Finally, something to do besides roam around this boring city."
Colonel Havoc stared at the boy. "Why are you so excited about this? You've only been back in Central for a few days."
"I know," Nick said. "And this boring place is about to drive me insane. There is absolutely nothing to do around here."
Col. Havoc shook his head. "Your attention span is entirely too short. Just like you."
Nick's eyes narrowed. "DON'T CALL ME SHORT!!"
"Your temper's that way too apparently," Havoc said, ignoring the nasty look that the boy was giving him, however tactfully avoiding using the word short again. "You should probably get some rest before you leave."
"Whatever," Nick said with a shrug.
"You're off duty for the next two days," Col. Havoc informed the boy. "I'll meet you at the train station in three days, at noon. Until then, you're dismissed."
Nick stood up and left the office.
As the boy left the office, someone else entered it.
"Hello General Hughes," Nick said as the man walked past him and opened the door of Colonel Havoc's office.
"Hello Nicholas," Hughes said, offering the boy a friendly smile.
Hughes entered the office as Nick walked away from it. Hughes closed the door behind himself, walked across the room and sat down in front of Havoc's desk.
Havoc saluted the Fuhrer's second in command.
"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise General?"
"I was wondering if you'd heard what happened to Nicholas this evening," Hughes said.
Havoc shrugged. "Fullmetal said something about saving a girl's life and getting stabbed in the process but that's all I've heard and I don't even know if he was telling the truth or not."
"Oh he was telling the truth all right," Hughes said. "I just finished talking to Armstrong about it and he confirmed it. Nicholas helped a girl in trouble and got stabbed in the shoulder in the process. But that's not the interesting part. You'll never guess who the girl was."
"Who?"
"Kaori."
Havoc's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You mean Kaori as in Fuhrer Mustang's daughter Kaori?"
Hughes nodded.
"Whoa," Havoc said. "I wonder how the kid will use that to his advantage."
"He won't," Hughes said. "Nicholas doesn't know that he saved the life of Mustang's daughter. He doesn't know Kaori and she didn't tell him who she was and neither did anyone else."
"So basically the kid has one hell of a hold over the Fuhrer and doesn't even know it."
"That's about the size of it," Hughes said.
"So does the Fuhrer know that Fullmetal saved Kaori's life?"
"Not yet," Hughes said. "We decided that it would be better, and safer, if we let Kaori break that news to her father. Even she agreed."
"I'm with her." Havoc said. "It's probably safer for her to break the news to him. I definitely wouldn't wanna be anywhere near when he finds out that Fullmetal saved his daughter."
"I hear that," Hughes said.
A/N - and thus ends yet another chapter and a new character was introduced. I really love Kaori and hope that you do too. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.