Disclaimer - I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter Thirty-Six - The Final Battle
Now that the homunculi knew that Nick was still alive the three who remained decided that the boy would have to die before they could focus on forcing Fuhrer Mustang to forge the Philosopher's Stone for them. There was simply no other alternative.
"That brat has got to die!" Pride ranted, pacing back and forth across the floor of the abandoned store. "We cannot afford to fail again."
"We must attack now," Lust said. "They won't be expecting it. Not so soon after our last attack."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Wrath said, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Sloth's dead and we could be next."
Pride stopped her pacing, her eyes narrowing, and took a few menacing steps toward Wrath, who shrank back in fear. "Hear me well Wrath. If you even think about backing out of this now, or betraying us, I will kill you."
Wrath held up his hands in a placating manner, hoping to disarm the potentially explosive situation. "I would never do anything like that Pride."
Pride's anger lessened a degree. "For your sake, I hope not. Now you and Lust will go out together and look for the Fullmetal boy."
"And what are you gonna do?" Lust asked.
"That's none of your business," Pride said harshly.
Still curious, but knowing better than to pursue the matter further, Lust nodded. "Come on Wrath. Let's go."
Wrath nodded, without much enthusiasm, and followed Lust from the abandoned store. He was afraid to face the young alchemist who'd been able to kill Sloth but he was more afraid of facing the fury of Pride.
Knowing that this would more than likely be their last chance to dispose of the young alchemist, Pride left the building to finalize plans of her own. She had little faith in the others' ability to do the job so she needed a backup plan.
When Nick and his group arrived at the abandoned store that the captured soldiers had identified as the hideout of the homunculi, they found that the building was completely devoid of life.
"Damn!" Mustang swore, smacking his fist on the wall. "Those bastards lied to me."
"I don't think so," Nick said, stepping inside the building and gazing around. "People have definitely been here recently. I think they've just gone out for something."
Mustang's gaze swept across the large room and he nodded. He'd learned over the years to trust the boy's judgment.
"Mustang," Nick said. "You, Dad and Hawkeye should go out and search for them."
"And what are you going to do Nicholas?" Ed asked his son. There was a concerned expression in his golden eyes, the eyes that Nick had inherited from him, as he gazed at the boy.
"Kaori and I will stay here and wait for them to return," Nick replied, having quickly thought out his plans when he'd discovered that the hideout was empty. "And when they do, I'll send up an alchemic flare and that will be your signal to come back and help."
Mustang nodded, ecstatic over the fact that Nick had finally learned how to make a decent battle strategy. "Good plan Fullmetal."
Ed walked over to his son and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Be careful Nicholas."
"Don't worry Dad," Nick said. "We'll all be fine."
Ed nodded and followed Mustang and Hawkeye out of the room.
"So," Kaori said to Nick, once her parents and his father had left the room. "Now what?"
"Now," Nick said, pulling a sharp knife from his pocket. "We get to work."
And with that Nick knelt down and began to carve something in the floor of the building with the sharp blade of the knife.
Kaori watched him work in silence for a few minutes and then her curiosity got the better of her. "Nick, what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm carving out a transmutation circle," Nick replied, barely pausing his work as he answered.
"Why?" Kaori wanted to know. "You can transmute without the use of an array."
"True," Nick said. "But this array serves a special purpose. My dad told me about it: it's used to seal a homunculus."
"Really?" Kaori said in surprise. "Well that's nifty."
Her plans made, Pride decided that it was time to go back to their base of operations and await the return of the others. It only took about fifteen minutes for her to get back and when she arrived back at the abandoned store, Pride opened the door and stepped into the darkened building. Swearing softly under her breath, Pride flipped on the lights.
As soon as the room was illuminated by the lights Pride gasped in horror at the sight that met her eyes. Nick was standing in the center of the room, a determined look in his golden eyes.
"You," Pride growled.
"Happy to see me?" Nick asked with a smirk.
"How did you find this place?" Pride demanded.
"Well that's the thing about recruiting deserters as lackeys," Nick said. "They aren't exactly trustworthy."
"Those bastards," Pride growled. "I'll kill them all."
"Afraid not," Nick said, his voice filled with determination. "You will not survive this encounter."
"You are an arrogant little thing," Pride said, taking a step toward the boy who bravely held his ground. "But I just don't see that happening."
"That would be your mistake," Nick said.
"DIE!!" Pride screamed, her voice filled with rage, running toward the boy.
Nick clasped his hands together and his auto-mail transformed into a blade, amidst a spray of blue sparks. The boy held up his blade and used it to block Pride's blow. This further angered the homunculus whose attacks became more furious as her rage increased. Nick, however, managed to remain calm and he blocked blow after blow from the enraged homunculus.
Kaori stood in the shadows, watching the battle, and silently cheering on her friend. "Way to go Nick."
Most of her attacks having failed, Pride stepped back and took a couple of deep breaths. "I have to calm down," the homunculus thought to herself as she glared at the boy standing a few feet away from her. "I have to think this through."
It was then that Pride came up with an idea. She took one last, deep breath and then transformed into her true form.
Nick's eyes widened as he faced Pride in her true form. The homunculus had aged just like a human over the years since her creation and it was as though he were facing off against Aiya.
Pride saw the look that appeared on the boy's face as she assumed her true form and it delighted her. "What's the matter Fullmetal boy?" Pride asked tauntingly. "Afraid of your own creation?"
"It's his little sister," Kaori thought to herself, a horrified expression on her face. "This is NOT good."
Nick had told himself over and over that he was prepared to face his sin and yet now he was hesitant. And Pride used that hesitancy to her full advantage. She quickly attacked the boy, and although he raised his blade to block, his reaction wasn't quick enough and the homunculus knocked him across the room.
Nick hit the wall on the other side of the room and then fell to the floor.
"Uhn," the boy gasped as he hit the ground, hard.
"NICK!" Kaori yelled, coming out of the shadows.
"Kaori!" Nick yelled. "Get back!"
But it was too late. Pride had seen the girl and now knew that she was there. The homunculus turned away from Nick, to face Kaori.
"Dammit," Nick swore, jumping to his feet. He shook his head, to clear his blurry vision, and quickly ran over to the spot where Kaori stood, paralyzed with fear and he made it there without a moment to spare.
Pride pulled a katana from her belt and made a move to stab Kaori with the sword but Nick pushed the girl out of the way. Nick bit back a scream as the blade of the katana bit into his flesh.
Surprised by the boy's move Pride pulled the blade from his side and stepped back.
Nick's gaze went to the floor where Pride stood and a smirk spread across his face. Despite the pain that he was currently experiencing due to the injury inflicted upon him by the homunculi, there was a triumphant look in his golden eyes. He placed a hand in his pocket and pulled something from it's depths.
"Catch," Nick called out, tossing the object to the homunculus.
Wondering what the boy was up to, Pride held out her hand and caught the object that was soaring toward her. And the moment her fingers touched the object, which turned out to be a golden locket, Pride found her self completely unable to move.
"What the hell is this?" Pride snarled.
"That locket belonged to Harmony," Nick told the homunculus. "And it contains a lock of her hair. And that is the reason why you can't move. Homunculi are weakened when faced with the remains of the person whose failed transmutation gave them birth."
"Nick," Kaori said.
Nick stepped toward the immobilized homunculus, clasped his hands together, knelt down and placed his hands down upon the transmutation circle. The circle glowed bright blue.
Pride's eyes widened. She gasped, gagged and threw up, the red stones that sustained the homunculi's bodies spilling onto the floor. Nick knew from conversations with his dad that this would make the homunculus more vulnerable to his attacks.
It was time to end the battle once and for all.
"Kaori," Nick said, turning to face her. "I need your help."
"With what?" Kaori wanted to know.
"We're going to finish this homunculus off once and for all."
"How?" Kaori wanted to know.
"Do you have your gun?"
Kaori nodded, pulling the weapon from the holster hidden under her jacket. She held the pistol up, a curious expression on her face.
"Excellent," Nick said. "I want you to shoot her."
"But Nick, bullets can't kill them."
"Ordinary bullets can't kill them," Nick said. "But I know how to remedy that particular problem. Just shoot."
"If you say so," Kaori said.
"Aim for her heart," Nick ordered as Kaori took aim.
Kaori nodded, took aim and fired.
At exactly the same moment Nick clasped his hands together and blue sparks engulfed the bullet as it flew from the barrel of the gun. The bullet, now surrounded by a strange blue aura, soared through the air and pierced the homunculus through the heart.
Pride let out a horrible scream as the bullet entered her body.
Nick and Kaori stood watching as the body of the homunculus decayed before their very eyes. Soon there was nothing left but a small pile of ashes in the center of the transmutation circle.
The homunculus whom he'd transmuted into existence was now dead but Nick had paid a high price in order to make this happen. And now that the battle was over and his adrenaline rush was beginning to subside the boy realized just how severe his injuries were. Clutching his side Nick sank to the ground beside the large transmutation circle that he'd used to immobilize Pride.
"Nick!" Kaori screamed, running toward him and dropping to her knees at his side.
"I'm sorry Kaori," Nick said in a soft voice, looking over at her with a sad expression in his golden eyes. "It looks like your sacrifice only bought me a few more months of life, but at least with the homunculus dead you'll be safe."
And with those words Nick collapsed.
"NICK!!!"
At that moment Ed, Mustang and Hawkeye came running into the building.
"Nicholas!" Ed yelled as he and the others ran toward the boy.
Ed fell to his knees at his son's side and inspected the boy's wound "Hang in there Nicholas, we'll get you some help as soon as we can. You'll be okay." Ed's voice was filled with fear and concern for his son, even as he spoke words of comfort to the boy.
"What happened Kaori?" Hawkeye asked her daughter.
"Nick beat the homunculus," Kaori said, her eyes brimming with tears. "But he got hurt saving me and we're so far from the hospital. I don't know if he can make it all that way."
Hawkeye's gaze went from the wounded boy to her husband. Kaori had a point: the hospital wasn't close and the boy was loosing blood at a rapid pace.
"That arrogant little brat saved my life and I'll be damned if I'm gonna be in his debt."
As he spoke Mustang pulled a glove from his pocket and slid it onto his right hand.
"What are you going to do Dad?" Kaori wanted to know.
Saying nothing in response to his daughter's question, Mustang knelt at Nick's side and pulled the boy's torn black shirt away from his wound.
"Dad!"
Hawkeye pulled her daughter to her feet and placed her arms around the girl, surrounding her in a comforting hug.
Beads of sweat appeared on Mustang's face. He knew that if he wasn't careful he could seriously injure the boy but he also knew that it was the boy's only hope. If the bleeding was not stopped soon, the boy's chances of survival were not good. And so, taking a deep breath and holding his hand close to the boy's wound Mustang snapped.
Flames burst forward and covered the boy's wound.
Kaori gasped, a horrified look in her eyes, and buried her face against her mother's shoulder.
Ed's eyes held the same horrified look as Kaori's however he knew what Mustang was trying to do and his gaze remained focused on the wound on his son's side.
The flames disappeared after only a few seconds and Mustang gazed at his work.
"Wow," Ed said, gazing down at his son's wound, which was no longer bleeding. "That took skill. I'm surprised you were able to pull it off Mustang."
Mustang pointed his index finger at Ed. "Watch it Edward or you'll be next. And instead of rare I'll make sure you're extra crispy."
"Ooh," Ed said with an exaggerated shudder. "Terrifying."
Kaori picked up on the joking tone in the two men's voices and she lifted her head slowly and gazed down at Nick. The boy's wound was no longer bleeding.
Kaori stared at her dad. "What did you do?"
"I used my fire alchemy to sear the boy's wound closed," Mustang explained. "It's a rather crude method of first aid but it will keep him alive until we can get him to the hospital."
That brought a smile to Kaori's face. She'd thought that she was going to lose Nick yet again and this time she had nothing to give up in order to get him back. And that had been a truly terrifying thought.
Ed gently scooped his son up into his arms and carefully stood up. "Let's get out of here."
Mustang nodded and the group left the abandoned store where they'd fought the homunculi.
The group quickly made their way across town to the Central Military Hospital, which was the closest medical facility. It took about an hour for the group to reach the hospital and when they entered the building Mustang yelled, "We need a doctor now!"
A soldier turned toward the sound of the command and the first thing he noticed was the haggard appearance of the group. And the second thing he noticed was the identity of the man who was issuing the order.
The man ran over to the group. "Fuhrer Mustang are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Fuhrer Mustang snapped impatiently, pointing at the bloody young man that Ed held in his arms. "But the boy needs immediate medical attention."
The man's first impulse was to remind the group that this was a military hospital but since he was speaking to the Fuhrer he thought it would be for the best if he refrained. "Bring the boy and come with me."
Fuhrer Mustang nodded and quickly removed Nick's limp body from his father's arms. "Edward, I think it would be best if you stayed out here with Riza and Kaori."
Fighting the urge to argue with Mustang Ed nodded and relinquished his hold on his son. He wanted to go with them but he knew that it would probably be better if he allowed Mustang to take the kid.
The Fuhrer took the boy and followed the soldier into the back room.
The soldier led Fuhrer Mustang back to a large room with a gurney in the middle, surrounded by an assortment of medical equipment. The room was brightly lit by a large lamp situated directly above the spot where the gurney was.
"Lay the boy down here," the soldier said, pointing toward the gurney. "And I'll go and find a doctor."
Fuhrer Mustang nodded and placed Nick on the gurney. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down at the boy's bedside.
A few minutes later a doctor entered the room. He briefly saluted the Fuhrer and then walked over to the wounded boy's bedside. The doctor pulled the boy's ripped shirt to one side and examined his wound.
After prodding the wound gently with his finger tips, the doctor gazed over at the Fuhrer. "What exactly happened to this boy sir?"
"He was stabbed," Fuhrer Mustang replied simply.
"Looks more like a burn than a stab wound," the doctor said, taking another look at the wound.
"That would be my doing," Fuhrer Mustang said quietly. "We were some distance from the hospital and the boy was rapidly loosing blood so I had no choice but to sear the wound closed with my fire alchemy. It was necessary although I did try to keep the damage to a minimum."
"I see," the doctor said with a nod. "Well, I'll take good care of him and we'll have him fixed up in no time."
"Thank you," the Fuhrer said.
A couple of hours later Nick was resting quietly in a room, surrounded by his dad, Kaori, Mustang and Hawkeye. The group had been with him ever since he'd been moved to the room from the emergency department.
"So what did the doctor have to say?" Ed wanted to know.
"He said that Nick should make a full recovery," Mustang said. "With time. Baring any complications of course."
"That's good to know," Ed said, relief evident in his voice.
Kaori was also incredibly relieved to know that Nick would be okay. She'd grown rather attached to him over the years and even though he was a pain sometimes she really would hate to lose him.
A couple of days passed by with no change in Nick's condition and it was beginning to look as though the doctor might have been wrong about his prognosis. Nick remained unconscious and on top of everything he had now developed a high fever.
Ed and Kaori had rarely left his side since he'd been brought to the hospital and they were becoming increasingly worried about him.
"Wake up Nick," Kaori silently pleaded as she held his hand tightly in hers. "Please."
Her thoughts were interrupted when Nick's father spoke. "Kaori why don't you go down the hall to the lounge and take a nap? You look exhausted."
Kaori protested, saying that she didn't want to leave Nick, but in the end Nick's father won the argument and managed to talk her into agreeing to take a short nap.
"Go on Kaori," Ed said in a kind voice. "I'll be here with him and if anything changes I promise I'll come and get you."
"Okay," Kaori said after a short pause. "But just a short nap. And then when I come back it's your turn. After all you've been up just as long as I have."
Ed smiled at the girl and nodded.
Kaori stood up from her chair and stretched out her arms. She hadn't moved from the chair in several hours and she felt a little stiff and in need of a good stretch. Kaori yawned and then leaned over and gave Nick's hand a squeeze. "I'll be back soon Nick."
And with that she left the room.
Kaori made her way down the hall to the lounge which they'd already been informed by the staff that they could use if they wanted to take a nap. The room was empty and Kaori grabbed a blanket from a pile that had been placed on a table and settled down on one of the sofas.
And although she'd objected to leaving to take a nap the girl really was exhausted and she fell asleep almost immediately.
A few hours passed and Ed was sitting with his son when one of the doctors who'd been treating Nick entered the room to examine the young boy.
Deciding that since the doctor was there he could leave his son for a few minutes Ed stepped out to get something to drink.
The doctor walked over to the boy's bedside and saw that his eyelids were jerking as though he were trying to open them.
"Nick," he called out hopefully.
There was no response from the boy but as soon as the doctor placed his hand on Nick's chest, the boy began to struggle as though he were engaged in a fight for his life.
"Kaori!" Nick called out frantically, attempting to sit up.
"Calm down Nicholas," the doctor said firmly, as he restrained the boy.
"Let me go!" Nick yelled, fighting the grip that the doctor had on his shoulders. "Kaori!"
The doctor increased the amount of pressure that he was applying to the boy's shoulders and attempted to restrain his struggling patient but it was very difficult. Despite his small size, the boy was very strong. "Nicholas she's fine, now calm down."
Nick seemed not to hear the doctor's words and although his eyes were open the boy didn't seem to know where he was or who was holding him down.
"Let me go!" Nick yelled again. "Kaori!"
"What is going on here?" The door opened and Ed rushed into the room, a cup clasped tightly in his hand.
"The fever has made him delirious," the doctor replied as he continued to struggle with the boy.
Ed quickly placed the cup on a table and strode over to his son's bedside. He placed his hands down firmly on his son's shoulders and held him still. "Nick," he said quietly, gazing down at his son's fever flushed face. "It's dad. You need to calm down son."
Nick gave no sign that he'd heard his father's words. He continued to struggle although Ed's grip did manage to keep the boy's movement to a minimum.
"Let me go!" Nick snarled.
"Dr. Mathias, go into the lounge and awaken the girl sleeping on the couch," Ed ordered. "Tell her that we need her help. She's the only one who can calm him down."
Dr. Mathias looked skeptical upon hearing Ed's plan but at this point, he was pretty much willing to try anything. He nodded and left the room.
Moments later Kaori ran into the room and her gaze fell on the struggling Nick, who was being physically restrained by his father. "What's wrong with him?" she asked in a small voice. "That's not like Nick."
"The fever's made him delirious," Ed replied, slightly out of breath from the effort it was taking to hold his struggling son still. "He doesn't know where he is or who we are. He seems to think that he's still fighting and he keeps yelling for you. I believe he thinks you're in danger."
"Poor thing," Kaori said, quickly crossing the room and resuming her seat at Nick's side. She leaned forward quickly, grabbed Nick's left hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "It's okay Nick, I'm here. We're both safe.
"Kaori," Nick whispered, ceasing to struggle against his dad, who removed his hands immediately. "Thank goodness you're safe. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me."
And with that Nick heaved a sigh and closed his eyes.
Ed placed a hand on Kaori's shoulder and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank goodness you were able to reach him. Thank you."
Kaori smiled up at the man who had always appeared to her to be an older version of Nick. It was still amazing to her, even several years after she had met the two of them, exactly how similar the father and son were.
Dr. Matthias was amazed that Kaori had actually been able to soothe the delirious young man and he offered her a grateful smile. "I would say that you should remain close by, just in case something like that happens again, however since you've rarely left his side since he was brought here I think I would probably be wasting my breath."
Kaori didn't need to be told to stay close to Nick. She had no intentions of leaving his side and she told the doctor as much. He'd always been there for her and she would be there for him when and if he needed her.
"Well he seems okay now," Dr. Matthias said. "So I'll leave him in your capable hands."
And with that the doctor left the room.
Ed made a move to resume his seat when Kaori turned around and caught him.
"Hold it!"
"What?'
Kaori gave the man a look so reminiscent of Winry that it actually made him shudder. "It's your turn to go and take a nap. That was the agreement, or have you forgotten?"
"Yea but I'm not sure I should leave considering what happened earlier."
Kaori glanced down at Nick, who was sleeping peacefully, and then focused her gaze back on Ed. "We'll be fine. Now go."
Ed held up his arms in defeat and made his way to the door. However once he reached the door he halted and turned back to face Kaori. "But if. . ."
Kaori knew what Ed was going to say before he said it and she interrupted him. "If anything changes, I'll let you know. Now go."
"That girl is definitely Mustang's daughter," Ed thought to himself as he left the room, shaking his head as he went. "No doubt about it."
Ed obeyed Kaori's orders and went down the hall to the lounge where she had taken a nap and he too stretched out on the couch. He slept for a couple of hours and then went back to check on his son.
As Ed entered the room, he paused in the doorway and stared at the sight that met his eyes. Kaori had fallen asleep at Nick's side and her head was resting next to his hand. Ed stared at his son and Mustang's daughter and it occurred to him that the two kids may not know exactly how much they cared for one another. However Ed felt certain that they would soon come to realize it and then, as bad as he hated to admit it, he and Mustang would most likely become family.
Ed shuddered at that thought. His son and Mustang's daughter, married.
However as he continued to stare at the pair of them he knew that there was no way to avoid this. Kaori had already proven to what lengths she was willing to go for Nick by attempting (and succeeding) human transmutation. Ed had overheard the two of them discussing the occurrence shortly after he'd been given the task of guarding his son from the homunculi, and before Nick had realized that the pair of them were being followed.
At first he was shocked to learn that this headstrong daughter of Mustang's had attempted the forbidden science, and even more shocked that she'd succeeded, but the revelation had explained a few things. Like why the homunculi ceased to pursue Nick after his last encounter with them in the city of Kai and also why Mustang had become their primary target. And it also explained why no one had seen Kaori use alchemy since before she, Mustang, Havoc and Ed had traveled to Kai to retrieve Nick after he went AWOL.
Ed had no intentions of telling anyone else what he'd found out about the two. Both had suffered enough and Ed was unwilling to be the cause of any more heartache for the pair of them and besides, the transmutation seemed to have been pulled off perfectly.
The two kids really were amazing.
"Hold on to her Nicholas," Ed whispered as he turned around to leave the room.
A/N - and the battle has ended. Hope that you enjoyed this chapter.