"What do you mean 'he's gone'?!"

Winry dropped the unfinished automail model onto the floor, surprising the poor dog. Her beautiful face turned pale. The wet blonde haired young man in front of him hadn't said much but the look upon his face showed her that he was serious. That Edward Elric had been really gone.

The mechanic shook her head. Suddenly, her knees were weaker than they'd ever been. She sat down on the wooden stool, one hand covering her beautiful face.

"There was a flash... I felt something like a big hole trying to suck us, I couldn't see anything though... When I opened my eyes, Ed hadn't been anywhere," Al explained, they both knew, after the war with the homunculus and both brothers facing the Truth, something like this wasn't that surprising anymore, but it didn't make they worried about it less, "I've been searching for any clue but I found nothing..."

Winry shook her head quickly, "oh no, it is my fault!"

Al frowned, "no, this is not. Why would it be?"

Winry looked down, she bit her lower lip, refused to look at the younger man, "I was so angry. I wished... I wished that he would just go and never come back..." She started crying, "but that wasn't what I really feel! I was just too angry! I... I mean..."

Alphonse sighed. He hugged the girl gently and rubbed her back to make her feeling better, "don't worry, this isn't your fault. Ed must be somewhere. You know that my brother is really a genius, he would find a way to come back to us. I promise you I would do something."

Alphonse tried to calm Winry by hugging her. He understood her feeling. She had always been scared that one day Ed would be gone like this. The war had been ended but the scars it left hadn't healed yet. The blonde man frowned. He had to find out what had actually happened to his brother.

"Don't worry Win," Al whispered, "it's Ed we're talking about. He's gonna be alright. Don't worry..."

"I am going to walk you home."

The tall orange haired guy folded his arm in front of his hard chest. His scowl looked as deep as usual. He watched the auburn haired beauty tying her shoe laces.

She looked up and smiled, a faint pink tinted colored her cheeks, "oh, don't worry, Kurosaki-kun, I can go back by myself."

Ichigo shook his head, "after what had just happened today? No way in hell!" He added sternly, "we don't know what's going on. Chad and Ishida couldn't find Urahara right now so we had to wait until tomorrow."

Orihime smiled. She had finished tying her shoe laces but she hadn't stood up. She was happy because Ichigo concerned about her but she realized that she was no longer need protection. She had been training herself these past few months and she knew that she was able to protect herself now.

Ichigo, of course knew that she was not a weak girl who always need to be protected but it was just so natural for him to protect her. He didn't care even if she could defend herself or not. He would not take any risk to put her in danger.

"You couldn't leave Ed-kun alone, could you?" Orihime stood up and turned to see her classmate still scowling at her, she smiled, "I will be okay. I promise I would call you to make you sure I am home, safely and soundly."

He sighed, sometime she could be as hardheaded as him.

"Fine," Ichigo frowned, "but call me once you get home."

"Un!" Orihime nodded, grinning ear to ear, just the thought of having another reason to call the boy made her happy, "see you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo grunted. He watched the girl opened the door and leaving the house. He knew that Orihime was not weak. He had seen in the latest battle how much the girl had become stronger. She could protect herself indeed but it didn't change the fact that he wanted to protect her with his own strength. Ichigo cursed. He had been thinking about this weird feeling lately but the more he thought about it the more confusing it became. He had this feeling for sometime already but he knew he wasn't ready to admit it.

Back in Ichigo's room, Edward Elric the National Achemist of Ametrist, the hero who had defeated the homunculus, was half sitting on the bed, looking outside of the window. It was raining out there. It was hard to believe that this world wasn't his world. It didn't look that much different than his but he knew that this wasn't his home world.

The blonde alchemist sighed. He wondered if Alphonse were alright. He had been there with him when... Something had sucked him in.

He frowned. Had he crossed another gate?

Someone opened the door, Edward turned his head cautiously. A girl with dark hair, younger than his brother entered the room and put a glass of warm white liiquid onto the table next to the bed, "Yuzu said you might need a glass of hot milk to warm yourself up. She said it might help to make you feel better."

Edward groaned, even in this world such disgusting drink still existed, "why should I feel better drinking the cow juice?!" He pointed at the innocent glass of milk, "t-that disgusting thing is not good... No... No... Never!"

The younger Kurosaki folded her arms, "you hated milk that much?" The girl furrowed her brows, "Yuzu had kindly prepared it for you and this is how you react? What a great manner. Yuzu is just being nice because he pitied you. My brother took you home after helping you who got hit by a car!"

Edward face turned red, so this brat was actually Ichigo's younger sister, he should teach her how to talk to older people. Besides, why would he tell her such a lie? As if he would let a car hit him! Edward suddenly realized something. He narrowed his golden eyes.

"Oi, brat, what's your name again?"

Karin wrinkled her nose disgustedly, "I haven't told you," the girl tilted her pointy chin, "I am Karin."

Edward chuckled, he was right.

"W-what's so funny?!" Karin blushed, this weird man was laughing at her, the nerves!

The Fullmetal Alchemist shook his head, "nothing, sorry," he chuckled, "your voice reminds me of my little brother. He sounds just like you. Well, he wasn't as violent as you though."

"I am not violent," Karin growled, seeing how Edward chuckled annoyed her, "if your brother's voice similars to mine, then he must be girly."

Edward grinned, "or maybe you're just manly."

Karin face turned even redder. She knew she would be in trouble if he punched this guy in his face so she turned on her heels and left the room. She slammed the door close behind her.

Edward laughed as he looked outside the window once more. The girl did sound like Al but the way she behaved was totally different.

He frowned when suddenly he remembered about his only family once more. He could imagine that Alphonse must be worried.

And Winry...

Ed sighed.

He had to find a way to get back home.

"No! We couldn't find it anywhere!"

"The reiatsu, try to follow the reiatsu!"

"Oh no! We need help from the fourth division! Hurry! Somebody please find the captains!"

One of the shinigami entered the room, announced to his fellow shinigami officer that one of the captains were on his way to the room. He looked pale but so was everyone in the room.

"Kurotsuchi-taicho is on his way!"

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi wasn't really what they expected. They actually expected someone like Jushiro Ukitake, who wouldn't kill them even if this tragedy might have been their fault.

They only had few second before the mad scientist entered the room. His face was painted as usual but even if it was impossible, they could see anger plastered on his face.

"What's going on?!"

"Thanks for the food," Edward put back the empty plate on the tray. He didn't feel too well to leave the bed. There had been no injury found but he felt as if his body had been beaten with a wood stick.

"You're welcome," the oldest Kurosaki grinned as he accepted the tray, the black haired man had done the medical check up to Edward and decided that what he needed was good food and enough rest. "I will take it back to the kitchen. You should rest, tomorrow we will find a way to send you back to your world."

It surprised Edward how Ichigo's father could accept his story so easily. He didn't seem surprised at all. He frowned and looked as if he thought about it seriously for a minutes before he then grinned widely and told him jokingly that he didn't need to worry because his son would definitely helped him. Ed wondered if humans in this world were all like them. They accepted the fact that there was a man from another world slept in their bed so easily. Isshin didn't seem to doubt his story at all.

"Your father is a positive man," Edward folded his arms, Ichigo who was busy making his futon* on his bedroom floor turned to look at him, "he talked as if he could solve this by tomorrow."

In a way, Isshin Kurosaki had reminded Edward of his own father. It would have been difficult to choose which one of those fathers who was most annoying. From the way Ichigo talked to his father, Edward could see similar relationship between those father and son, though he knew that Ichigo was more lucky because his father might have never been abandoning his family.

Ichigo growled, "that shitty old man was talking like that because he wish that I could solve this matter by tomorrow." Ichigo was about to add another rude remark about his father when his cellphone was ringing, surprising the blond man on the bed. Ichigo looked at the screen and smirked, "hello?"

Edward looked at the orange haired man. He had realized that the small little object was a telephone but he hadn't understood how it could work without any cable. Sure this world had so many interesting stuffs.

"Kurosaki-kun, I am sorry I called you this late. I was taking a bath and watching Laugh Hour, I forgot that I had promised you I would call you..."

"It's okay, I am glad you're home safely," he fought the urge to smile as he realized there was another man in his room, "have you eaten your dinner?"

"Mmmm," she sounded so delicious when she did that, Ichigo realized, he could imagine her pouting her mouth, "I did but I am still hungry. What's your dinner, Kurosaki-kun?"

Edward could here faintly a girly giggles from the phone. She wondered if the girl on the phone was the auburn haired girl earlier. For few seconds, Edward was watching Ichigo who was now having his back facing him and lowering his voice so the alchemist wouldn't be able to overhear the conversation.

It wasn't like Edward was interesting in Ichigo's love life. He decided to ignore the boy and lay down facing the ceiling. For a reason suddenly he could see a face painted on the white ceiling.

He narrowed his eyes. He knew it was just his imagination but he could see it clearly. It was Winry Rockbell's face. She was crying. Even when he closed both of his eyes, he couldn't get rid the image of Winry crying.

Edward hated this. He had never been wanting to make her sad. She was important to him and he would protect her no matter what. Unfortunately, he had made her cry so many times. Even today...

Edward sighed. He could hear Ichigo saying good night to the girl on the phone and suddenly he really wanted to go home.

"So, what's a captain like you doing here?"

Kisuke Urahara grinned when he saw the captain entered the room. Kisuke had just arrived an hour ago when he felt the familiar reiatsu. The blonde haired man flopped down to the tatami mat. He didn't smile, somehow Kisuke had an idea why Shinji Hirako was coming to him.

"There's problem."

Kisuke laughed, "of course! Why would you come here if everything were okay?"

"I am serious, Kyoraku's needed you to come to soul society right now."

Both blond men were starring at each other for almost a minute before Kisuke finally looked away. He sighed and shook his head but that doesn't mean he objected. He was just trying to clear his mind. He had a vague idea of why Kyoraku wanted him to be in the soul society and he knew he had no choice but to follow the order, but this is not a decision he really wanted to take.

"Me? Entering the soul society? You know it is impossible."

The captain snorted, "who are you kidding? We both know you could entered the soul society anytime you want it."

Kisuke looked at the black cat on his laps. A pair of golden eyes looked back into his eyes which were hidden under his bang and the shadow created by his stripped hat. The cat knew that the blond ex-captain was actually asking for her opinion though he didn't say it loudly.

"I don't think Kyoraku would ask for your..." The cat avoided to say 'help', luckily she was a quick thinker, "...assistance."

Kisuke Urahara raised his hidden brow, he knew what the cat woman was trying to say. It seemed like he had no choice. Lazily, Kisuke stood up, surprising the black cat on his laps.

"Alright, I understand," he sighed, "let's go."

.

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Note: I don't know if you realized it or note but Karin's and Alphonse's voice actor was the same person (and Ed's and Hitsugaya's voice actor was also the same person. So I inserted the joke.

And I need a beta reader.

*futon: Japanese traditional mattress to sleep