The Same Coin

A Skilled Hunter

Winry had Hisoka's fingers attached and him out her door before noon the next day. He had awoken with his customary arrogance and smug smile. He'd seemed disappointed, though not surprised, that she had once again healed the damage he'd done before he had awoken and had a chance to admire his handiwork. She had a feeling Hisoka was not a man accustomed to experiencing disappointment.

She wasn't feeling particularly good about herself though when she turned away from her sink full of clean dishes to find Chrollo sitting at the small circular kitchen table behind her. He hadn't asked her to betray Hisoka by helping him, but he had to realize she was smart enough to figure it out without him spelling it out for her. But when he had looked at her expectantly, she'd nodded her head in the direction of where her satchel laid nearby, waiting and ready for this mission of betrayal. She felt the guilt plaguing her deep in her chest. Then again, she had betrayed Edward — someone she had called friend — too.

They hadn't spoken as he drove them to the airport, and their silence had extended past when they boarded the airship. It was only when Winry had begun to think that he would tell her nothing more, he began to speak.

"Most of the Troupe is already preoccupied in Meteor City, as it may be," Chrollo said suddenly, and her head turned to look at him with a measure of surprise. "A problem has arisen with some..." His expression became far-off and glassy, and Winry's brows creased together as she watched him. "Outsiders," was how he chose to finish the sentence. "We will be taking advantage of the distraction."

"What is your goal?"

"To steal a Hatsu from one of the Assembly of Elders." His expression was almost coy. "They are corrupt, using their Hatsu to send a message to the residents of Meteor City. They are undeserving of their ability. I intend to relieve them of it."

"And you'll take it for yourself," Winry said, her tone conveying that she wasn't asking; she knew.

"I did attempt to use my Lovely Ghostwriter ability to foresee how successful I would be in this endeavor alone before I came to you," he admitted. "It is the fortune telling Hatsu that I acquired in Yorknew City. I was unable to use it, however."

"Why?"

"Typically when the owner of my borrowed Hatsus dies, I lose the ability to use it anymore. I believe Hisoka has killed the Nostrade girl to prevent me from being able to anticipate the results of our upcoming fight."

Winry silently chewed on the information in her head, trying to remember whether she'd actually seen Hisoka kill anyone — for all of his violent tendencies, besides his delivery of Scar to her, she came up empty-handed. But she believed wholeheartedly he was more than.

What she remembered of the Nostrade daughter, however, was that she was just a girl of sixteen with an affinity for collecting body parts. She had harmed no one; if it was true that Hisoka had done this, then he would have killed an innocent just to narrow down how many abilities Chrollo had at his disposal.

"I have been keeping tabs on the other Nen users I have taken abilities from," Chrollo added, "in the event he attempts to hunt more of them down. But even Hisoka does not know how to find Meteor City, and this Elder has abused their position for far too long. For that you will need to know the requirements of my Hatsu; I must see the Nen ability for myself. I must ask about the ability and the owner must answer me. Their hand must touch the cover of my book, Bandit's Secret. And this must all happen within an hour."

On her own, the task would have seemed impossible. But Chrollo was a skilled hunter. He'd done this countless times before, she was certain. So Winry dug her into into the floor to ground herself.

"What's the plan?"

Chrollo was a chameleon in earnest, able to blend into his settings without hesitation. He had brought along a bag of clothes for them both. He dressed himself in sirwal pants, similar to her tobi. He wore a plain white linen shirt under a teal vest, embroidered with gold thread. His hair was hidden beneath a skull cap and headscarf that sat low on his forehead to hide the upper part of his tattoo, and a large, convex-shaped turquoise gem contoured against his skin to mask the rest of his cross. Cuffs of hammered gold covered both his forearms — and his spider tattoo.

Her garment was more elaborate.

It was a floor length turquoise robe, which Chrollo had referred to salwar kameez, embellished with intricate stitching and gems. It split at her hips so that her loose, flowing pants were unhindered for her to walk. The bodice and long sleeves, too, were elaborate. More elaborate than anything clothing she'd ever owned or worn before.

They would be foreigners from the Kakin Kingdom; upon their arrival in Meteor City, they would be taken to the Assembly of Elders. Meteor City was a city that didn't exist, and its Elders would have them brought forward to discover what their reason was for coming to Meteor City and how they had found their way there alive.

Winry would be a wealthy heiress, skilled in replacement limbs and searching for disenfranchised persons to help. Chrollo told her the Elder he was targeting wore a ventilator over his face, and he'd heard tales that the man's limbs were rotting off one by one. He would be the most intrigued by her services.

And it all happened as Chrollo had predicted. They climbed out of the small fishing vessel Chrollo had hired to bring them the last leg of the journey to Meteor City's doorstep, and were met by a group of people before they had even set foot off the dock.

Winry exchanged a glance with a calm, placid Chrollo as they were ushered into a vehicle, to be escorted to the Assembly.

I apologize for the delay. Unfortunately I was hospitalized for a bit.

I'm still a little out of it, but we are nearing the end of the story now. Stay tuned.