Thank you everyone for the nice reviews! I'm so glad that you like this and have put it on your alerts. I hope that, yet again, people don't think this is too slow moving, but if there's one thing I hate, it's a story that goes to quickly. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this fic! Oh! And, just in case anyone was confused, this is set a few years after the end of Brotherhood, so Edward is 20-years-old.

Enjoy! :)

"Well, Mr. Elric, good morning! Isn't this a pleasant surprise, we weren't expecting you up for anther two days at least."

The second that Edward woke up from his pain hazed slumber, he immediately wished he could go back to sleep. The last thing he was looking forward to when waking up was a overly-cheery voice coming from an overly-cheery girl, who was smiling widely and happily, not to mention holding a needle poised precariously over Edward's right arm.

The sun was bright filtering in through the blinds, and the soft city view beyond the glass told Edward that he was in central. He figured as much, seeing as if he was injured enough to be in a hospital, they'd take him to one in central. What he couldn't remember, though, was how he got here.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Elric?" The girl leaned over him, checking his bandages and the IV in his arm, he glared particularly hard at that. She smiled as she stood up straight again, reaching swiftly over to a tray at her side, snatching up yet another needle.

"I feel like shit." Edward shifted around on the bed, trying to wiggle his fingers and toes in order to decipher the damage, though it didn't do much seeing as he could hardly move much, "What happened?"

"I'll go get your friends." She set the needle off to the side, momentarily missing the seething glare Edward was sending at her, the mere thought of her injecting anything into him through that thing making him quiver. She smiled as she turned back to him, "I can't give you anything for the pain just yet, seeing as you got quite the bad bump on the head. Try not to fall back asleep, okay?"

Edward closed his eyes regardless, still trying to wiggle his fingers. His head pounded terribly, and his stomach was rolling around inside him, sending nauseous waves up his throat. He felt like he was going to blow chunks, but he wasn't sure he could do much more than lay there like a dead fish.

His arm was broken, he knew that much. When he opened his eyes, he could see the white fabric wrapped around his wrist and lower arm out of the corner of his eye. The pressure of the blanket over his chest felt like a million tons, and it was hard to take in a full breath. Blinking a couple times, Edward licked his dry lips and tried yet again to survey his damage. His right leg was unharmed as far as he knew, seeing as he could wiggle his toes. He tried to move his right, but it was a usual feeling of not knowing it was there, so he wasn't sure if it had come under any damage or not.

Shifting around with a pained grunt, he tried to sit up, his chest burning. He could do that much by himself, he resigned, as he reached back with his good hand and shifted around the pillow behind him. His head was throbbing, he felt sicker than he ever had in his entire life, and his body was stiff, but he still forced himself to get into a seated position.

The soft click as the door opened alerted Edward, although he had been previously staring out the window. It had been years since he'd stepped back in central, for why he didn't know. He felt as though he was almost intimidated by it, it's reputation to gather horrible atrocities. The sun was high in the cloudless sky, yet Ed had never felt more uncomfortable. Central wasn't a place of good memories, and Edward tended to stay away from those types of places.

"Edward..." Scar was the first one to enter the room, something that shocked Edward to no end. He was expecting maybe Saul or Mustang...hell, to tell the truth, he wasn't expecting anyone. For the most part he couldn't say he had many friends anymore, ones that weren't in far off countries or on the other side of Amestris.

Scar had a relieved look on his face, be it wether for the fact that Edward was sitting up and not dead, or otherwise. He strode forward, his brows furrowed slightly and he slowed to a stop at the edge of Edward's bed. True to his assumptions, Saul peered in after Scar with a bashful look, his face soothed into a smile when he saw Edward sitting up, and he soon scampered in.

And, much to Edward's surprise, Alex Armstrong followed suit, his eyes bright and sparkling as he saw his young friend.

"Edward, how are you feeling?" Alex sauntered forward, his deep voice only marred slightly in concern as he crossed his arms over his chest, "When I heard you were transferred to Central Hospital, I rushed over as soon as I could."

"I contacted him." Scar spoke deeply, his voice slow and calculated as usual, "Brigadier General Armstrong has made the arraignments for you to stay here."

Edward looked toward Armstrong with a smile, the tall muscled man a sight for sore eyes. He hadn't seen the man since nearly three years ago. Edward had stayed in central for a while after the incident with Father, with everything. He'd stayed to take care of the mess he'd made, to help take care of the mess they'd made of central. Hell, it was a mess of Amestris in general. Olivier Armstrong had stayed with her brother for a while before returning to Briggs, but Edward had left nearly half a year after everything, and Amestris was almost back to it's former glory when he had. It'd been nearly three and a half years since then.

"It's been a while." Edward mused, leaning back on the pillows propped behind him, smiling kindly at the familiar face. He would have inquired more on how Armstrong had been doing here in Central, but he wasn't sure he could speak any more than a few words at a time. His chest was less constricted now that he'd managed to get into a seated position, but it was still difficult to draw breath.

"How are you feeling, Edward?" Scar asked again, taking in the sight of the numerous bandages, "Do you remember what happened?"

"No." Edward let out a breath, his teeth clenching as his head throbbed particularly badly, "I feel like shit, honestly."

"There..." Saul interrupted, dipping his head low in shame, his hands playing nervously at the hem of his shirt as he refused to meet Edward's gaze, "There was some loose concrete on a building that I wanted you to help with. Chunks of it fell..."

"Oh..." Edward sighed, glancing at his injuries once more, now that he had a slightly better view of his body, he could assess the damage a bit more. His left arm was broken and in a bandage, that much he already knew. His chest was thick with wrapping, probably what was causing his labored breathing, that and something was probably messed up with his lungs. With one final sigh, he glanced at his left leg, already expecting the dip in the fabric that indicated his automail was gone.

"Your automail...it was destroyed." Scar answered smoothly, his voice still monotonous as he shifted around the too clean hospital room. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, he disliked being in central almost as much as Edward did, and he clearly wanted to get back to his work in Ishval. Scar continued, "We tried to salvage what we could, but there were many pieces."

"It's okay." Edward laughed, his brows knitting together unconvincingly, "It's not like it hasn't happened before."

Scar shifted momentarily again, before nodding and training his eyes on Edward, "Miles is keeping an eye on Ishval, but I'm afraid I must..."

"Go." Edward laughed, shrugging and leaning back again, his lips quirked in a smirk and a brow raised, "You came to check up on me, but now you need to get back."

"Thank you, Edward. I wish you a pleasant recovery." Scar bowed deeply at the man, before turning and quickly walking out. He paused momentarily in the doorframe, resting a hand on the wood and glancing back at Ed, his brows softly knitted together, "Either I or Miles will come and check up regularly."

Ed raised his good hand in a wave goodbye, "Looking forward to it."

Saul shifted awkwardly, looking out after Scar as if he wanted to bolt out after him. Gulping, he turned back to Edward, his face alight, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Edward! I'll make it up to you when you get back!"

And he bolted as well, leaving Edward solitary once again, spare for Armstrong, who had watched the whole exchange with an amused eye. Turning toward Edward once more, he bowed slightly, "I'm sorry, Edward, but I must make my exit as well. I look forward to talking with you later."

"You better visit me later." Ed said with a wave as Armstrong left.

And he was alone again. Alone with his bandages and a stump of a leg. No one else was going to come visit him, and he was stuck sitting there in a white, sterile hospital room with a window as his only entertainment.

Edward always got antsy when he was made to wait. He didn't like waiting for anything, sitting and letting his body rest was something that made a nagging feeling grow in the back of his mind. He was barely able to sleep a full night or sit in a train without getting up to move. Ever since he'd brought back Al's body from the other side of the gate, it was as if he had enough energy for three lifetimes. Of the time that he'd spend sleeping before, he was now up and walking and doing things. He'd been told once that it was because of Al's theory that he was supplying his younger brother's body with nutrition while it was on the other side of the gate, and now that he had all the energy for himself, his body didn't know what to do with it.

He didn't know how long he could sit in this hospital bed without...without something to do. Someone to talk to. He'd go stir crazy.

"Mr. Edward!"

Edward froze in his seat, quickly whipping his head around to stare at the entrance of the hospital room. The voice was loud enough to alert every patient on the floor, the shock on the kid's face was probably enough to shake mountains. Ed knew this was a horrible exaggeration, but the kid's chest was heaving in exertion, and he looked as though he'd ran miles.

Edward gaped at that familiar head of dirty blonde hair, gulped at those wide green eyes, and immediately remembered the boy from the train. Only one person had ever looked so excited and terrified in one moment.

"Hi...?" Edward tried, the only thoughts going through his head were questions of why this boy was here, and how on earth he'd gotten here. Sure, he'd had people recognize him before, it was given with how popular he'd gotten over the years, but it wasn't often that people went out of their way to find him.

The boy ran in on his unsteady legs over to the edge of the bed nearly colliding with it in a desperate attempt to get to near Edward, his wide eyes taking in everything from the bandage wrapped around Ed's head to the dip in the blanket that used to be Ed's leg.

"Mr. Edward!" The boy eventually managed to look Edward in the eye, his own fierce and determined, his breath coming out in heaving puffs, "There's something I really need to ask you."

Edward sighed, running a hand though his hair tiredly, not having the patience to deal with a child who just had a spark of hero worship on a train. Turning back to the kid, he sighed, "Listen, whatever your name is-"

"Giovanni." The boy answered happily, leaning forward excitedly.

Edward rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Listen, Gio, whatever you want, can't you come back tomorrow or something? I'm not -"

"Please!" Giovanni leaned forward, his hands fisting in the fabric of the blanket over the bed, "Let me be your apprentice!"

Edward gulped, his eyes wide as a short chuckle broke out of his throat, "What?"

"Please, Mr. Elric, let me be your apprentice! I need to learn more alchemy, I need to learn all I can." Gio nodded, "I've heard stories of you, Mr. Elric! You've helped so many people, you're the greatest alchemist in Amestris!"

Edward smirked, raising a brow in amusement, despite the fact that the boy's words cut into him like a knife. He had been, at one time, all that the boy was saying. He was a great alchemist, and while he wasn't conceited enough to say that he was the greatest in Amestris, he had been proud of his skills, proud of himself. But that was a very long time ago, and Ed found it hard to think about without overwhelming sadness.

"You've heard stories?" Edward mused, his amusement fading softly as he smiled with a sad note to his lips, his brows drawing down, "You must've heard a lot, but not enough, Gio." He sighed, shaking his head and looking deep into the child's eyes, "I'm not the one you're looking for."

Ed smiled again, raising a brow, waiting for Giovanni to get up and make his exit. It would be lonely without the energetic kid in here, and he would have to wait a while for another visitor, but at least there would be a smile on his face. This kid's determination was infectious.

"But you are!" Giovanni stood up straight, brows tight, that determination that Edward was so fond of glowing at full force, "I know what happened, Mr. Elric! But I don't care! You can still teach me. You can tell me all you know, all I need to know about alchemy. Please!"

"No." Edward sighed, realizing that it wasn't going to be that easy to get rid of this kid. Didn't the little brat know that it was near to impossible to teach alchemy without the actual ability to use it? Sure, he remembered everything, down to the last formula and equation, but that didn't mean he could show it. Ed tried again, "You don't understand. I don't have the ability to show you how to use alchemy. It's impossible."

"That's just it!" Giovanni yelled, making Edward wonder if a nurse would come in wondering what the ruckus was, "I don't want you to show me how to use alchemy, I want you to teach me. Tell me how to use it, tell me everything, I'll learn."

This kid was about as determined as he was. He could still remember kneeling in front of his own teacher, the rain pouring around him and his brother, the mud sloshing all around them. All he could remember was wanting it so badly, the knowledge that she obviously had. He would have done anything, he would have sat in that mud for hours on end, just to learn a fraction of what she knew.

"I just..." Edward sighed, leaning back against the pillows, a sudden fatigue weighing down his shoulders. His head was throbbing again, his chest and stomach were churning, but his breath came a bit easier. His fingers tingled, his arm throbbed in pain, and yet, he smiled.

He shrugged, turning his head to Giovanni again, his smile soft yet filled with something the boy couldn't figure out. Ed closed his eyes,

"Okay."

Alex Louis Armstrong had conflicted feelings when he heard that Edward Elric was back in central. The boy had always been a close friend, they'd been through quite a bit together in the past few years, and Alex knew that Edward was always someone he could trust. He was excited when he heard that Edward was back in central, he could just imagine all the things that he and Edward could talk about. But when the word 'hospital' came from a lower officer's mouth, it was then that his emotions became conflicted.

"I've been trying to contact that mechanic friend of yours." Armstrong murmured as he moved a chess piece, his whole concentration not in the game and more on the boy he was sitting across from. He couldn't really call Edward that now, could he? There was not a boy sitting across from him, but a man. Edward must be almost twenty by now, reaching the end of his teen years.

Edward scoffed, rubbing his chin in thought, staring down at the wooden chess pieces. He might've been a bit more invested in this game than Armstrong was, but he still felt a groan come to his throat when he heard Armstrong say those words, "Try is a hopeful word. Winry wouldn't come help me even if I was on the brink of death." He moved a piece to the side, smiling triumphantly.

Armstrong nodded sadly, looking at Edward with a look of concern, "I heard about that. Are you sure she wouldn't come to make you a new leg?"

"Positive. But this is a good chance to just get a new mechanic." The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, but it was true. Reaching up to scratch absently under the bandage over his head, he then glanced nervously up at Armstrong, "What's been going on in Central?"

Armstrong couldn't say he didn't appreciate the change of subject, "Things had been going well, Edward." He nodded, reaching forward to move a piece, "I've been promoted to Brigadier General, and the work as been hard, but rewarding. I've had to deal with a few uprisings, and some border trouble, but it has been much calmer than a few years ago." He smirked, and he smiled with an extra twinkle, "We have you to thank for that."

"Only partially." Edward couldn't hold back the blush over his cheeks, and he murmured a soft 'check' as he moved a piece, "I'm relieved. Mustang has has been busy as well, I haven't seen him in quite a while."

"Yes, Roy definitely has his hands full. But he's changing things...he's changing Amestris." Armstrong nodded, a note of pride in his voice at the mention of his good friend. A comfortable silence grew between them, and the larger man took this chance to plan out his next move. Smirking when he slid a piece over, he glanced up again at the other, "So, how have you been doing, Edward?"

"Well. I've been doing very well." Edward answered with a large smile, "I've been helping with the rebuild of Ishval, and it's been very productive."

"That's great, Edward." Armstrong practically glowed with happiness, the thought that after everything, Edward didn't let the circumstances get him down.

Edward chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, "Well...and I got an apprentice."

Armstrong chuckled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest, raising a single brow, "How is that going to work out?"

"I don't know..." Edward moved forward, reaching out to grasp at one of the wooden chess pieces, before he paused in his movement, glancing up at the other with a devious smirk. Armstrong stilled, his eyes wide as he recognized that look in the younger man's eyes. That look never meant anything good, and as much as Armstrong trusted Ed, that look never failed to send a shiver down Armstrong's spine.

"Armstrong...could you do me a favor?"

Edward sat on the edge of his bed, his left arm now in a tougher, sturdier bandage, keeping him from moving it. His leg was still a lowly stump, but Armstrong was on the lookout for the best automail mechanic in Amestris, or so he said. It was enough to look forward to, and Edward could live with no leg for a while, seeing as he was going to be bedridden for the next few weeks.

An alchemy book rested open on his legs, and he'd been absorbed in it for the better part of an hour. He'd read it many times before, but it never failed to entertain him. It was an aged and worn alchemy book, written in old English, and Edward could only take a guess at how old it actually was. It was written near the beginning of the alchemic world, right when people realized these powers they could use. It was thousands upon thousands of years ago, but Edward found endless amounts of fascination from the ideas in this text. The researcher was so curious about alchemy, yet so naive about it's power.

There was a soft knock at the door, making Edward glance up momentarily, curiously, wanting to get back to his book. He smirked when he saw Giovanni standing there, his hand resting gently on the doorframe, his eyes wide and excited, "Are we going to start my training today, teacher?"

Edward laughed a bit at the word. He'd never thought that he'd be called that; 'teacher'. If there was one thing he never thought he'd be good enough for, it was teaching people. He never particularly wanted to, anyway, so it was a surprise to him when Giovanni addressed him as such.

But he shook his head, closing the book with a soft snap and reaching over, placing it on a stack of books next to his bed. There were many of them, stacks upon stacks of books, all stacked high. Armstrong had pulled through on his promise, plus some. Edward had asked for a few books from Central library, maybe ten or twenty on alchemy, he hadn't expected the near sixty books splayed around him. Well, Armstrong never did anything halfway.

"Not yet, Gio. Not yet." Edward yawned, absently glancing over his shoulder at the sunrise. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just barely starting to peek over the trees. Perfect.

Ed turned back to Giovanni and leaned forward on a stack of books, resting his chin on his fist, "How old are you, Gio?"

Gio walked forward, taking this as a invitation into the room, and took a seat on a lower stack of books directly in front of Edward, his hands immediately folding in his lap, "I'm thirteen."

Ed nodded, taking the time to glance at the boy. He knew nothing about Gio, and unlike when he and Al started training with Izumi, he actually wanted to know about the kid. If he was going to be spending the time with Giovanni, enough to teach him about alchemy and the world, he wanted to know about the kid, at least a little.

"Where are your parents?" Edward asked, wanting to get the sensitive questions out of the way.

Gio didn't even flinch, he just shrugged nonchalantly, "gone. Mom died during child birth and dad left me with my grandparents."

That put sending Gio back to his parents out of the question. Ed felt a soft sting of sympathy and acknowledgement for the boy, but he quickly moved on, his eyes meeting those intense green ones, "Why do you want to learn alchemy?"

Gio didn't take any time with this answer either, but there was a definite difference than with his other answers. His shoulder squared and his eyes grew excited, that smile that had been only minutely on his face before was now wide, and his hands clenched, "I want to help people, teacher! I've heard of stories of alchemic doctors, people who help the land grow, people who change grass into food! I want to be one of those people. I've heard about the hard times our nation went through, and I heard about how you saved Amestris!" Gio took a deep breath, a soft sheen of blush going over his face, "I want to help people just like you helped people, teacher! I want to feed people, house people, clothe people! I don't want anyone to be homeless or hungry or cold at night!"

Well, that certainly wasn't what Edward was expecting. Then again, he really didn't know what he really expected as Gio's answer. There was a tendril of hope that maybe the kid had a morbid fascination for alchemy, or maybe he'd heard bedtime stories about people who could use magic. Helping people was a whole different ballgame in alchemy. He liked the thought of it, but that also meant that Edward would have to at least double what he was actually planning on teaching the kid. Changing grass to food was easy. Changing a couple of rags into a blanket was easier. But building houses? Helping the land grow?

Edward really did have his work cut out for him with this kid.

Edward smirked, his golden eyes piercing into the kid like daggers, "How much do you know about alchemy, Gio?"

This got the kid shifting. He looked almost uncertain of himself as he broke eye contact to stare at the ground, his lips pursing in annoyance as a small blush made it's way over his cheeks. He didn't answer for a moment, twisting around the hem of his shirt in his fingers as he internally fought to find the right words to explain, his heels clicking together as he nervously shifted in his seat. He glanced back up at Edward, shrinking under the fiery gaze of his teacher, Edward's eyes not leaving his small form, still looking intimidating, leaning against a stack of books, his eyes on fire as he smirked.

Gio sighed, "Not...not a lot. I read a book once, Introductory Alchemy." Giovanni shifted again, "but it mostly taught me about the idea of Alchemy..."

"I've read it." Edward answered instantly, nodding in agreement, "It only skims the top of Alchemic research, but it doesn't teach anything about the actual art of Alchemy, drawing transmutation circles, the biology and science that goes into Alchemy. Do you know how much goes into Alchemy? You don't just place your hands on a circle and hope for the best."

"I know that." Giovanni huffed, his hands fisting in determination. He felt ashamed of himself, coming up to one of the greatest Alchemists in Amestris with little to no knowledge of Alchemy, hoping to become an apprentice. But he would have no other chance.

And Ed respected the kid. Not everyone would come up to him with no Alchemic knowledge or experience, wanting to be taught. At least the kid was ready to learn, ready take in all that Ed had to tell him. Ed never expected it to be easy, but the kid had only read a beginners book, hell, a child would have understood that book. Edward laughed to himself only a bit, realizing that Gio was, in fact, a child.

"Okay." Edward sighed, reaching his good hand behind him and stretching backward as much as he could, groaning when his chest ached particularly badly. The nurse had tried to tell him to keep resting, laying, and sleeping as much as he could, but he just couldn't sit still. It was still hard to take in a full breath, and if he sat up for too long a time, his chest would ache with a painful fire, and he'd be forced to lay down again.

He reached to the stack of books he had been leaning on, his arm heavy with fatigue. His brows drew together in annoyance at this. He was just banged up, he shouldn't be this tired. Shaking it off, he grabbed the book he had been reading, reaching over to hand it to Giovanni, "Read this."

"Right now...?" Gio shot forward to grab it, hopping onto his feet and looking down at the book in wonder, his eyes wide and curious.

Edward was already reaching over to the next stack of books, picking one up and looking over it, before handing it to Giovanni. Crawling on the bed a bit, Ed reached to one of the stack of books behind the bed, grunting when the metal of his stump caught on the fabric of the bed. He picked up a book off the top of the pile, flipping through it quickly, his eyes scanning the contents quickly. He set it to the side quickly, already reaching for another.

It went on like this for a good thirty minutes. Edward didn't speak a word as he went through every single book in that room, flipping through it, and either setting it to the side or handing it to Giovanni. The room was in silence, and Gio scrambled to grab the books Edward was nearly throwing at him.

Edward was...different, than what Giovanni had expected him to be. When Giovanni had heard of the great Fullmetal Alchemist, the hero of the people, the one who saved Amestris, he had thought he'd be this great man. Edward truly was a great man, with his golden hair and piercing eyes, but he was just...strange. He had a fire in him that Giovanni had expected, but the sheer determination that was in Edward's eyes, the steel and fire, was shocking. Here this man was, sitting without a leg and his arm in a sling, without the use of alchemy, and only three men to come and visit him? He was strong, but there was still something behind those golden eyes.

Ed leaned back, his hand resting on his knee as his chest heaved. The fire in his lungs was back with a force, and he could barely force himself to pull in a full breath without it being stolen from him instantly. The sweat was already pooling at his brow, and he was already reaching back to tug out his braid.

"There." He shook out his hair, closing his eyes as the soft and cool air of the hospital room hit his overheated skin. He opened his eyes again, looking at Giovanni, "Read those. Come back tomorrow."

Giovanni looked at the stack of books next to him, all of those that Edward had handed to him. He gaped at the thirteen books he'd been handed, then looked up at Edward, his eyes wide, "Wait...all of them!"

"Yeah." Edward shrugged, the nausea hitting him like a wave. He couldn't deal with Giovanni, not today. Lest he wanted to spew chunks all over the books Armstrong had generously brought him, and he didn't have a Military spending account anymore to pay for the damage. Taking as deep a breath as he could, he gave Gio a scathing glare, "Read those. Don't come back until you have. Those are the basics, the books will do a better job explaining the harsh details, and I'll wrap it up when you get back."

"Wh..." Giovanni's brows drew in concern, looking down at the books again, before shooting his gaze back up at Edward. He would never get his training done if all he did was read books! Giovanni took a step forward, "But it'll take me weeks!"

"Seven hours."

Giovanni started, his voice stuck in his throat as he looked at Edward, confusion rolling from him in waves. It was almost enough to make Edward forget his nausea in leu of amusement, the look on Giovanni's face priceless. All in all, Gio really was a little kid, after all.

"That's how long it took me to read those books." Edward couldn't even crack a smirk, using all his will power to not breathe in pants, "read them in seven days and we'll continue your training."

Giovanni gaped, letting out a quivering nod. He had known getting into this that it wasn't going to be easy, he'd known how great Edward Elric was. It was going to be tough, and he'd been laughed at many times when he announced to the others who he planned on apprenticing under. It was a chance he was willing to take, but...he'd been expecting toughness on alchemy, exertion in strength, pushing him to his limits of power and stamina, not reading.

Edward carefully lowered himself onto the bed, his chest practically singing in happiness when he finally got the weight off it. With one final glance over at his student, he let out a harsh breath, a smirk forming on his face as Gio hobbled out of the room, the stack of books threatening to fall.

Mustang wasn't expecting that much when he got up that morning, the soft sunshine inking through the cracks in the tent, the soft chirping of the birds outside alerting him that, yes, it was time to get up. Sitting up slowly, he sighed deeply, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, getting it minutely manageable. He hadn't the time nor the equipment for a shower this morning, and he wasn't expecting one until he got back to Central.

He'd managed to reaffirm the border here on Aerugo, and he wasn't quite sure why he was down here in the first place. There had been a slight worry of a possible breach of their border, but when he'd gotten down here, there was little to worry about. They'd spoken to the Prime Minister of Aerugo, not too long ago, and the man had been all to happy to keep peace between the two countries. Aerugo was a land of water, bordering the Ocean on one side and lower Creta on the other, so they were rather calm. It was mainly small fishing towns, and the larger cities were booming. There was no need for war, that was why Mustang was surprised when the Fuhrer sent him down here.

It was nothing to worry about, Mustang realized. A small misunderstanding between the two countries, and they were set to head home this coming afternoon. They were leaving a few more men at the border, but Mustang would have felt uncomfortable doing anything else about the matter.

Shrugging on his military issued jacket, he took a deep breath of the salty ocean air. He would have liked to go see the ocean, he'd never seen it before. But he needed to get back in Central, and this wasn't a vacation. Yet, he was already making plans in the back of his mind to ask for time off. The ocean sounded nice right about now.

"Major General Mustang, sir."

Mustang buttoned up the front of his uniform, sparing a glance toward the entrance of his tent, before looking down again, "Come on in, Hawkeye."

She entered, her back just at straight and uniform as ever. She had been up an hour and a half before, but Mustang knew that. He pulled down his jacket a bit, before looking at her, "You ready for the trip home?"

"Yes, sir." She answered quickly, before waiting a moment to speak again, "We received a call, Major General."

"A call?" Mustang looked up curiously, "What about?"

She paused for a moment, before choosing her words carefully, "Edward Elric is in central-"

"Edward?" Mustang smirked, taking a step forward, sticking his hands in his pockets as he felt a small spark of amusement and happiness at the mention of the boy. He hadn't seen Edward in a couple months. He'd been meaning to take a trip down to Ishval, as well. He had too much work on his plate to be thinking of so many vacations.

Mustang paused, growing slightly nervous when Hawkeye didn't smile. Her face stayed calm and straight, and she looked him in the eye, her eyes shone with pain, "He's in central hospital. There was an accident."

Mustang was already out of the tent and heading toward the barracks, the words that they were heading back immediately ready on his tongue.

Edward woke to the sound of a soft knock on the door, even that being enough to wake him from his pain-induced slumber. They were finally able to give him something for the pain yesterday, and it had been wonderful, for how long it'd lasted. But now, he woke up more tired than when he went to bed.

Turning his head toward the doorway, he yawned loudly, reaching up to rub under his eyes, "Come in."

"Good morning, Edward Elric!"

Armstrong was a good friend, but Ed wasn't so sure that Alex was the first person he wanted to see in the morning. Armstrong entered with a boisterous greeting, asking how the young Elric was doing this fine morning. Edward chuckled to himself, slowly pushing his body up to rest against a stack of pillows.

"I came to relay some good news." Armstrong announced, pulling a seat next to the bedside, reaching in absently to help Edward adjust the pillows, even though Edward protested. Armstrong leaned back, resting his elbows on his knees, "I may have found you an automail mechanic."

"That is good news." Edward chirped excitedly, the mere thought of having his leg back making all traces of his fatigue leave. While he knew already that the chances of his automail being as good as it was when Winry designed it were slim to none, he still felt comfort that he would soon get to standing on his own two feet again.

Armstrong beamed, sparking and shining in his prideful happiness, rivaling even the sun, "I was asking around a bit, and I've heard stories of an alchemist craftsman in Rush Valley."

That alone was promising. Edward wasn't desperate enough to accept the help of a automail mechanic that hadn't come from rush valley, only the best came from that town. It was true that he wanted his leg back desperately, but he wanted it to actually stay in one piece when he used it.

"That's great." Edward leaned forward, his golden hair flowing over his shoulders, unrestrained by the regular hair-tie. Life constrained to a bed had been tough so far, and he'd only been here a week. He would soon be able to walk out of this damn hospital on his own two feet, that thought alone was enough to make him as energetic as usual.

Armstrong was pleased immensely by Edward's reaction, hoping that the boy would find his search useful. He'd searched high and low for a mechanic for Edward's leg, and to tell the truth, he'd had to search through a lot. Every time that he even mentioned that they'd be making a leg for the famed Fullmetal Alchemist, everyone within a fifty foot radius would claim they were the best of the best. Some of them weren't even automail mechanics and they were vying for a chance to get at this deal, and get at the pay check it brought with it.

But he'd heard the stories from a few trustworthy friends that a alchemic automail mechanic in Rush Valley was one of the best, but not very well known. He'd even had to go through the investigation bureau to learn his name. But he was contacted, and he was coming to central.

"He's on his way here." Armstrong laughed boisterously, leaning back in his chair comfortably, "I must admit, he was wary of traveling all the way to central."

Edward began to laugh with him, wanting to mention something about the paycheck, and how this man worked, when something struck in his chest painfully. Instantly, his lungs constricted, and his breath grew short. It immediately felt like his skin was on fire, and he grasped desperately at the fabric of his shirt to relieve the pressure, but his lungs shrunk, and he gasped.

"Edward!" Armstrong was at his side instantly, hand on his shoulder gently as worry rolled off him in waves. Edward coughed once, twice, and finally, his deep gasping breath let way to his lung full of air. Gasping, Edward leaned forward, his whole body sagging.

Armstrong leaned forward, hearing the door slam open behind him and many a hospital personnel rush in, screaming orders at one another. He was pushed out of the way, his eyes wide, his mouth gaping, as the last thing he saw was Edward's body being lowered onto the hospital bed.

"Your lungs haven't fully healed, yet." The doctor stood over Edward's bed, said blonde giving him a scathing glare as he was yet again told what was wrong with him, "When the concrete landed on your chest, it cracked a few ribs and one of them punctured a lung. We've done most of what we've could, the surgery was a success."

Giovanni listened intently, standing at the foot of his teacher's bed, listening intently. He wasn't quite sure if Edward even knew he was in the room, seeing as he'd come in right at the beginning of the doctor's speech, and Edward hadn't removed his glare from the man since.

"Though successful, we still want to keep you here at the hospital for a few more days, to ensure that there isn't an infection." The doctor didn't seem phased that Edward wanted to kill him with his eyes, and if he could have, Edward definitely would have been out of that been and attempting to strange the doctor. He hated doctors enough as it was, he didn't need them telling him that he had to stay in a hospital any longer than necessary.

The doctor bowed to Edward, leaving with those few words and making his way out of the room, closing the door with a soft click behind him. To say that Edward was in a bad mood would have been the understatement of the century, because his entire body was fuming in anger. He just had to go and screw things up again, and because of that bout with Armstrong, he'd just landed himself another two weeks int he hospital.

"Did you read the books?"

Gio jumped nearly out of his skin, looking up at his teacher. Holding onto the foot of the bed, Gio watched as Edward maneuvered himself sitting once again, his smile growing. His teacher truly was great, he resolved.

Giovanni nodded excitedly, running around the edge of the bed, excitedly leaning against the bed near Edward, "I read them all! I learned so much, teacher!"

Edward didn't doubt it. If the kid had truly read them all, then he would have nearly learned everything a beginner needed to know about alchemy.

"Good. Now," Edward believed him for the time being, and looking in the boy's eyes, he knew that determination. The boy hadn't lied, and while it probably took that entire week for the boy to read the books, he did it, and that was what Edward really was looking for, "Go get me a portable range."

"P..." Gio tilted his head to the side, his excitement slowly drifting away in leu of yet another one of his teachers seemingly meaningless tasks, "Portable what?"

Edward rolled his eyes, "Portable range. I've seen them around. It's like a stove, but you can move it places."

Giovanni gulped for a moment, doing a very good impression of a drowning fish. He stood there for a moment, shifting, looking back and forth between the roof, the ground, and Edward, wondering if he should say anything. It was a mere five minutes before he finally spoke again, "A...range? You want a stove?"

"Yes. Go find me one. Find Armstrong if you need money for it." Edward shooed Gio out of the room quickly, waving the teenager out. He could practically feel the disappointment rolling off the kid, but Ed knew this is what he needed to do. He'd been rolling over in his head ways to teach the kid, different ideas, different ways. He was thinking about the ways that his teacher taught him and his brother, and he immediately shivered. He didn't want to put anyone through that. He wanted the kid to learn the way of the world, the way that alchemy could benefit all, but he also wanted Gio to know the trouble that was alchemy, and how you needed to respect it.

He'd thought of many ways to do it, but there was only one way that he could, sensibly. Well, not-so-sensibly, but this was the only way he could think of teaching Gio.

No more than two seconds after the thoroughly confused boy scampered out of the room, then there was yet another knock. Edward sighed, wanting to go back to sleep, not realizing that he was going to be Mr. Popular in the hospital. Sighing, he turned to the door again, pulling his blanket up a bit further on his chest, "Yeah?"

The door was opened slowly, and an unknown man in military garb walked in, his face holding a soft smile though it didn't reach his eyes, "Hello, Mr. Elric."

"Hi...?" Edward raised a single eyebrow, his voice holding uncertainty.

The man laughed, "I've come on behalf of Brigadier General Armstrong. Mika Orken is here."

"Mika Orken?" Edward asked, but the military man was out of the room in a matter of seconds, the door propped open in his wake. Edward wasn't quite sure who this Mika person was, but he was fairly certain that they had the wrong person. Sighing, getting ready to get this conversation out of the way, Edward looked up when he heard the signs of another person entering his room.

When Edward looked up, he didn't really know what to expect from a person with the name of Mika Orken. It was a strong name, something someone remembered for a while, and whoever it was must be a rather memorable person, right?

"I'm Mika." The man leaned forward with a kind smile, his aged face showing that he must've been nearing the end of his thirties or even beginning his forties. There was a soft showing of stubble around the bottom of his chin, and his short dark hair had definite streaks of gray showing. But his smile was large, and he held himself as though a man would if he'd seen quite a bit, and his deep, dark blue eyes just confirmed that fact.

Edward smirked again, shrugging and letting his brows draw together in confusion, "Hello."

Mika stood there for only a moment, before waltzing into the room, the large briefcase he was holding tight against his side, "Were you the one Armstrong was talking about?" Mika glanced over Edward only momentarily, spotting the dip in the fabric where the man's leg should have been, realization fluttering in his eyes, "Ahh, I'm the one sent to fix your leg."

"You're the the alchemist automail mechanic?" Edward smiled wide, liking the fact that not only was the man from Rush Valley, but he also liked the age. This meant that Mika knew exactly what he was doing, and not to mention that the man was an alchemist along with an automail mechanic. Edward shuffled forward as much as he could, his left arm still held in a cast, extending his right hand happily, "Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming down on such short notice. I'm Edward."

"Nice to meet you, Edward." Mika strode forward, taking the offered hand quickly, his shake firm. His eyes travelled over the younger man in the bed curiously, taking in the bandage wrapped around the golden hair, the arm in the cast, the bare chest wrapped in bandages.

Mika snorted, placing a hand on his hip and smirking a bit, "Forgive my staring. For a moment you almost looked like Edward Elric." He laughed, "Have you heard of him? He's the Fullmetal Alchemist." Mika set down his suitcase, reaching down to grab the back of a chair, pulling it forward, "Great guy, so I've heard. Helps a lot of people."

Edward raised a brow, leaning forward to rest his good elbow on his knee, laughing a bit, "yeah. That's me. Edward Elric."

Mika paused in his preparation of his tools, his hands stilling on the locks of the case he carted around with him, looking up at Edward quickly. His eyes were squinted, scrutinizing Edward's words.

He smiled, kindly, his age showing especially when he smiled, "Well, Mr. Elric, it truly is an honor, then."

Thank you for reading! I'm going to try and update every Monday, so look forward to it! I'm looking forward to reviews. :)