Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Bloodlines or Fullmetal Alchemist

This story takes place during the end of Bloodlines, just after the end of Jill's fashion show, when Sydney leaves for Keith's house. Spoilers will come for later parts of the series, as well as for the Fullmetal Alchemist series.

I was still a bit upset as I searched through Keith's old apartment, remembering my recent argument with Adrian. He could be so infuriating at times, didn't he understand how unreasonable he had been? Regardless, it was best to leave him alone and give Jill a chance to celebrate her success tonight. Being here, I had the chance to search for Keith's chemicals, hopefully left behind during the Alchemists' raid on his home. After all, those chemicals were legal substances for Keith to possess, so there was no reason for them to be missing.

Even so, it seemed I wasn't having any luck. The cupboards held tons of junk food, and the compartment that held his tattooing supplies was empty. No signs of extra chemicals remained, leaving this to seem like a waisted trip. With a sigh, I decided at least it was quiet enough for me to look into other matters, opening up one of the yearbooks given to me by Laurel. It didn't take long to find the section on Kelly, but I was already a bit exhausted from the late night, and the argument with Adrian.

I set the book aside, deciding that perhaps I hadn't completed a full search of the place. Keith could still have the chemicals hidden away elsewhere, just not in an obvious location. After all, explaining away a hoard of chemicals to regular human authorities could be a bit of a hassle, if they ever stopped by. Maybe Keith had a slight moment of intelligence and hid them away, though it would be shocking if he had thought that far ahead when performing his illicit business with the tattoos.

Walking down the hall, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing but a bedroom and a bathroom down here, at least that was what I thought at first. I paused after a moment on my way back to the living room, seeing a strange pattern, hardly discernible, in the paint on the wall. Reaching over, I could feel that it ran down the entire length of the wall, meeting the ground. This was another hidden compartment, but based on the size of the crack, it could possibly be an entire room that was hidden. Strangely, it was hidden even better than the compartment for his tattooing tools, actually sealed completely with just the strange pattern on the wall to hide the room. Frowning, I tapped the wall gently, listening carefully to determine if my hunch was correct. As I ran across the length of the wall, I realized the truth. Behind a portion of this wall, there was a hollow location, a room that Keith wanted no one to find. I wondered what he was doing that he thought was worth more effort to hide than the tattoos, and that curiosity was what got the best of me.

Returning to the kitchen, I decided that I would have to be a bit crude in my methods of getting inside that room. Keith didn't seem to have many tools lying around the house, so I settled with a knife from the kitchen. Returning to the wall, I began to slash through it, breathing heavily as I realized how much time this would take without the proper tool. Even I had no clue how Keith got inside this place, there was no hinge or door that seemed to exist, but it didn't matter to me. I'd make my own entrance if I had to, it wasn't like anyone else was going to be living here for a while. Besides, the Alchemists had the funds necessary to cover any damages I caused and they were on much better terms with me since I managed to uncover Keith's treachery.

Even with the time it took to get inside, my efforts did not seem to be wasted. Within, I simply stared blankly in surprise, wondering what could have driven Keith do do something like this. Even I knew that it was futile, that magic like this didn't exist. It was drilled into all of our heads as children, that even though our origins were from those that sought to turn lead into gold, we had moved on to a truer path when we discovered vampires. This was the exact opposite, the sign of someone who believed that we could do the impossible just like vampires could with their magic.

On the ground was a massive circle, with intricate designs within. On the outer edge, six symbols were drawn, using ancient alchemical runes that Alchemists today saw no need for. Just underneath them was yet another circle, where a hexagon was drawn within, using the symbols to dictate where the corners would meet. From there, it appeared to have a triangle within, with three more alchemical symbols drawn in the center of each side. Another circle was in the center, and three lines were drawn, intersecting the corners of the hexagon and meeting in the center. Overall, I recognized it as an attempt at ancient alchemy, but it would require deciphering the runes to interpret just what Keith meant to do.

Seeing this, part of me understood his secrecy. While it wasn't expressly forbidden to draw things like this, it was frowned upon if you believed in magic of any kind for humans. The world operated on natural laws, ones that we valued above all else. It was why we saw vampires as evil, since they broke the flow of the laws we viewed as the proper flow of the world around us. Even attempting to break them would make an Alchemist be frowned upon, which was why no one even bothered learning ancient alchemical symbols and circles such as these.

Glancing around the rest of the room, I could see that it was rather small. There was a bookcase in the corner, which from a glance I could tell held books on ancient alchemy. Pulling one out, I frowned as I glanced through the descriptions. It was supposedly on bioalchemy, a form of alchemy that focused on living creatures in a way. Strangely, it held no mention of altering humans within. It focused on plants and animals, though some of the runes looked similar to the ones Keith had drawn in his circle. Handmade notes were written on the edges of some of the pages, one word catching my eye above all else. Human transmutation, something that seemed to send a chill through me just at the very term. The idea of altering a person in any way, it was just wrong and vile. Was that really what Keith was looking into?

I set the book back down, grabbing another one that looked like a simply notebook. Keith's writing was scrawled out on the pages, notes on alchemy as if it was actually possible. Part of me felt reassured in the knowledge that he couldn't have done anything, but it still made me feel sorry for the boy that had apparently lost his mind while living so far away from others in Palm Springs.

Glancing down, I noticed a few glass containers filled with chemicals resting on the shelves, all labeled and including the measurements of exactly how many were within. "Thirty-five liters of water, twenty-five kilograms of carbon, four liters of ammonia….what do all of these things have in common?" I wondered, thinking out loud. There were plenty of others, but I stopped there see that there were nearly twenty containers in the line. Glancing down at the notes in my hand, I realized exactly what it was. These chemicals were all present in the human body, chemicals that made up a person.

I backed away, a bit stunned at my revelation. Keith truly thought it was possible to create life, to make a new person. To be honest, part of me wanted to know if it was possible as well. It seemed like his notes were scientific in nature, nothing at all focusing on magic. In general, they seemed to follow the laws of physics, focusing on the conservation of mass and energy above all else. Theoretically, if any of the transmutations outlined in the book I had skimmed were possible, it meant that this too was possible. "Is it possible to create life? For humans to bring back the dead?" I wondered, glancing back down at the circle behind me.

Everything seemed to be set up, to be in place for that very thing. If Keith had been about to attempt it, it made me wonder what had stopped him. After all, he had everything necessary. From the looks of the circle and my basic understanding of the runes, it appeared to be accurate as well. The runes spoke of the human body, of life and death, and seemed to tie into the energy of that cycle.

I knew I should step away, that I should leave this room and never return, but I had to know the answer. I had to know if it was possible to perform Alchemy, if it was a secret that even my own organization had yet to discover. This would be huge if it was possible, giving us the ability to help people all over the world. Using simply a handful of chemicals and a circle, we could ensure that people didn't have to die. Part of it felt unnatural, just like the strigoi, but it appeared to rely on science and that made me feel more comfortable as I knelt down by the circle, gently pressing my hands to the edge of it.

I felt the energy channel open up, seeing blue sparks seem to form and run along the lines of the circle. Already, I could feel a mixture of fear and amazement at what I was seeing. It was possible, alchemy truly was an art that humans could use. My awe was short-lived, however, as the circle turned dark, black shadowy hands seeming to rise from within and reaching towards me. I screamed, wanting to get as far away from them as possible, but they latched onto my legs, wrapping around my body and dragging me to the center of the circle. Glancing down, my horror only grew as I saw what appeared to be a massive eye opening below me, drawing me within. I closed my eyes, wanting it to end soon, but nothing seemed to change. I opened my eyes once more, hesitantly, feeling afraid of what had just transpired.

Instead of being in that room of Keith's house, I was now in an unknown place, surrounded by nothing but white. In front of me was a massive stone door, which opened and revealed more shadowy hands within. I wanted to get away, but they grabbed me and pulled me inside before I could, forcing me to see the truth. Within, I could see every secret contained by alchemy, knowing how it worked and operated. Anything from the chemical components of the world around me to transmutation circles was forced into my head, revealing just how wrong I had been about the world. Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, like I had learned far too much too quickly, I was thrown back out, landing in front of a strange human-like creature.

It had no face, even if its figure appeared to be a human. It simply had a single smile, teeth showing on its white face as it glanced over at me. "Who are you?" I asked, a bit breathlessly. This thing was terrifying, just like everything else inside of this place.

"Why, it has been a long time since I've had visitors. You ask who am I? One name you might have for me is The World, or you might call me The Universe, or perhaps God, or perhaps the Truth. I am all and I am one, so of course this also means that I am you." he explained, leaving me frowning in confusion. This thing ruled over the world, he controlled everything. I didn't understand why I was facing him, why I was here, but he seemed amused by my presence.

"So, it seems an exchange is in order. After all, I have given you a glimpse into the ultimate knowledge within the Gate of Truth. The Laws of Equivalent Exchange still apply, and I know just what to take from you. Knowledge for knowledge, of course, so I shall take away all knowledge you posses on yourself. Your memories will vanish, memories of your life and how you've lived. I do hope you are pleased with the exchange!" he stated, seeming pleased.

I tried to get away, I truly did, but I could not fight against the black hands that seemed to deconstruct my very being, reaching inside my head and tearing away everything that made me who I was. I was torn apart and put back together, thrown out of the room and left lying on the floor, afraid and confused. I couldn't remember who I was, or how I had gotten here. All I remembered was a white room and man, who gave me so much knowledge at a terrible price.

So, I was trying to get ideas for my first fanfiction that is currently on hiatus at the moment...but this ended up being what I thought of instead. Ugh, I can't write anything other than crossovers these days! All well, I hope you enjoy this strange crossover, the first one in its category Updates will be determined based on the number of reviews at the moment. The two stories in progress with the most reviews will be updated weekly, all others will get monthly updates. Check my profile page if you want to see when the next update is expected. Feel free to review and tell me what you think, to be honest, this idea seems strange even to me so feedback is welcome!