Equivalent Exchange

A Fullmetal Alchemist and xxxHolic crossover

"Where am I?" Edward Elric asked aloud. He looked around. An old and huge mansion loomed before him. The doors opened. Two young girls skipped out, giggling. He stared at them warily.

"It's a customer for Master," they sang. "Please come in."

Edward's eyes widened. He made a move to go towards the gate. "I have to go. Please excuse me."

"Please come in," the two girls insisted. They took his hands and started to drag him towards the front door. His feet moved with them as if they had a will of their own. He stared, horrified. He had no choice but to follow them. They looked like ordinary girls but they had a strange aura. The aura vaguely reminded him of Homonculi but he brushed away the thought. His eyes wandered around the cavernous hall. The two girls let go of his hands and hurried forward to open another door.

"Please go in," they said with a bow.

Edward stared as the door swung open to reveal a dark and elegant sitting room. He did not want to go in but he felt some strange magic pull him forward. He entered warily. Golden eyes immediately landed on the center of the room where a beautiful woman lay on a chaise lounge.

"Welcome," the woman drawled. She sat up slowly as if to revel in his gaze. Her magnificent black dress clung to her body as if it was second skin. It also tastefully revealed her full breasts and long legs. Their eyes met. "Welcome to my shop."

"What kind of shop is this?" he asked point-blank. "What am I doing here?"

She crossed her legs. "You tell me."

"I was walking down the street when I noticed your house. The next thing I knew was that I was being dragged inside by your servants," Edward said, frowning. He tried to remember why he was on that street anyway. As far as he knew, he had no acquaintances on this strange place. "Let me ask again, what kind of shop do you run?"

Her laughter sounded like bells. "You don't waste time, do you? I run a shop that grants wishes."

Edward stared at her.

She leaned back, smiling mysteriously. "If you have a wish, I'll grant it... I can do anything."

"Master can do anything! Master can do anything!" the two girls sang as they circled Edward. He looked at them, momentarily distracted. The dark-haired woman smiled indulgently.

"They are my servants. This is Maru and Moro," she drawled. Her servants ran forward to kneel at her feet. "Now that you're acquainted, can you give us your name?"

The blond blinked. "I'm Edward Elric."

"Edward Elric, do you have a wish?" She looked thoughtful.

"I'm leaving. I don't talk to strangers!" Edward said loudly. He was wasting time. He did not believe in this woman and her tricks.

She gave him a small smile. "My name is Ichihara Yuuko, if that's what you're asking. Edward Elric, do you not believe in what said?"

He started.

"I can grant wishes for a certain price. I will take nothing more and nothing less because I do not want to upset the natural balance," Yuuko said softly. "I am very fair. That was what you called 'equivalent exchange', wasn't it?"

Edward Elric set his lips on a grim line. Nobody knew that he was an alchemist. As far as he knew, alchemists did not exist in this world. "How did you know that philosophy?"

"It's only the truth," she murmured "We must give and take. We must pay the right price. That's the only way we can achieve balance. Alchemists understand, ne?"

"What do you want?" Edward growled.

Yuuko laughed again. "That's the question that I should be asking you. If you still don't believe me, take out that thing from your pocket."

He reached inside and pulled out a bolt. It was one of the screws and bolts from his automail arm that Winry made for him.

Automail engineers did not exist so nobody can fix his arm and leg. His father had replaced the automail with prosthetics instead. He kept the little bolt as a reminder of the girl he left behind.

"Please give it to me," she said. He handed it to her. The girls took out a small basin full of water. It rippled as she set a small golden disk with carvings and writings on the water. She murmured his name several times as it swirled on its own.

"The places that you were born and where you live are different. You've experienced hardship and challenges while you were young. You have a good heart and a strong will." Yuuko's voice softened. "You're torn away from your loved ones in exchange for being with your father. Your journey to return to the place where you come from will be long and difficult. But rest assured that you have what it takes to do what you have to do."

Edward stared at her. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. She amazed him more when she told him the names of his parents, grandparents and beloved friends. She looked into his eyes and told him of the things that no one but himself knew.

"How did you...?"

Yuuko met his eyes. She smiled as she held up the bolt. "This will be your payment. By giving me your name, you gave me the ability to look into your past, present and future. Names have powers. There are no coincidences. There's only hitsuzen. Do you believe me now?"

He nodded slowly.

She gave the bolt to Maru. With a smile, she reached forward to carress his face. His eyes widened but he did not resist.

"What is your wish?"

He stepped back. "I don't have any."

Yuuko smiled again. She tilted her head as if listening to something. Her eyes glittered like rubies. "You're thinking about your brother."

Edward took another step backward. He was not scared but merely surprised. No one else knew, except their father.

Two years ago, he had crossed the Gate in exchange of resurrecting Alphonse Elric. His body traveled through many worlds and realms until he reached Earth. He had to accept that he'd left his brother, Amestris and everything he loved behind. It was the price that he had to pay.

His father had told him that Earth did not have alchemy. Its inhabitants believed in industrialism, machines and computers instead. There was no magic and no alchemy to use. It gnawed at him that he couldn't use his alchemic powers in this world.

He understood that he couldn't pass through the Gate in the same way again. But Edward was a National Alchemist who had persistence, diligence and determination. He decided to look for alternative ways. He wasn't ready to give up yet. Studying was easy. Research was fun. He used all of the available resources to search for the entrance to the Gate. He was not going to waste whatever he had in his hands.

Alphonse-or Al as he was fondly known- was probably the most important person to him.

They were brothers. They shared bonds that were deeper than they could imagine. It was in their shared blood, history and ideals that they thrived. Nobody can tear them apart. When their attempt to ressurect their mother failed, they agreed that it was their sin. They promised to bring back what they'd lost on that dark and rainy night because they believed that it would show that they loved each other, even if it called for sacrifice.

Edward wanted to know if he succeeded in bringing Alphonse back. He yearned to see his brother's face, hear his brother's voice and know his brother's feelings. He burned to know what happened to him.

Yuuko stared at him with a mysterious smile. She repeated, "There are no coincidences in this world or in the next. There's only hitsuzen."

He didn't say anything.

She crossed her legs. Edward Elric was an interesting boy in her opinion. She had met a lot of alchemists, mages, wizards, witches, clairvoyants, diviners, enchanters, magicians, mediums, necromancers, sages, Seers, sorcerers and warlocks in her long career. None was like him at all. He was young, intelligent and feisty with lots of courage. She knew that he had a bright future ahead of him.

As the witch of dimensions, she was no stranger to misplaced characters. Her job required her to travel and she did. She'd seen many worlds, realms and alternate universes that contained many, many things. It was under her job description to make sure that she'd watch over the balance of powers, keep the worlds from overlapping and maintain peace in all universes. She was prepared to deal with anything; she was proud that she can grant many unusual requests.

Yuuko instinctively knew that Edward Elric the National Alchemist wanted to go back to Amestris. It was an easy request, really. She was the witch of dimensions after all.

"What is your wish?" she asked softly.

Edward looked up. He grinned smugly. "You can grant anything, correct?"

"Yes, I can," she said lazily.

"I want to go back to my world," he said quietly "Can you bring me back to Amestris?"

Yuuko smiled. "There's a price."

"There's always a price," Edward nodded "What do you want?"

She gazed at him thoughtfully. "I wouldn't do business if I don't get paid."

Edward met her eyes. They stared on as if they were measuring each other. It was an important part of haggling, he knew. He wasn't going to let this witch cheat him from an honorable trade. Witches existed but not alchemists. It was quite fascinating to meet a true witch to tell the truth.

"I am respected in my trade," Yuuko said in a reassuring tone "I will take no more and no less. However, you must think twice about what you really want."

His golden eyes glinted with feral fire. "I know all about equivalent trade. It took my arm, leg and my brother's body. How can you be any different?"

Yuuko was impressed but she hid it. So the little alchemist was telling the truth. He traveled through the dimensions through the Gate of Truth. It would be easy to take him back with her magic.

"I want your memories of this world," she said evenly.

Edward looked surprised. He spent two years on Earth. The short and hot-tempered fifteen-year-old had grown, matured and learned from his experiences. The blond boy smiled at the irony. Alphonse gave up his memories to resurrect him and now

Edward was going to give up his own memories to reunite with his brother.

"What, not interested in body parts?" the blond said with sarcastically.

Yuuko laughed throatily. "I doubt that you'd want to be a part of what I'd like to do if I had such a chance..."

His cheeks grew hot. Her gaze was sensual and sweet; he immediately knew her intentions. He wasn't such a boy that he didn't understand what she meant. "Have my memories then. I doubt that you'll find them useful."

She tilted her head slightly to expose her long, smooth throat. "You have no idea."

Edward watched as she gestured for her servants. They brought forward a medium-sized box that was covered with lots of glittering jewels. He waited. Maru opened the lid and he was curious if it contained some kind of machine or contraption that would somehow return him to his real world.

"Ah, it's good to be awake!"

He stared at the small, fat and furry white thing that leaped out of the box. It had rabbit ears and a large red gem sitting on its forehead. He wondered if such an animal really existed on Earth. It stretched its muscles and leaped towards Yuuko who received it with open arms.

Maru and Moro danced happily as it greeted them.

"What's that?" he yelled as it leaped up to have a good look at him.

"I'm not 'that'! I'm Mokona!" The white furry thing said indignantly. "Yuuko-san, it's really a long time since I've last seen you."

"Well, it's been a long time since we needed your expertise," the witch said lightly. "We have a visitor who wants to return to his world."

Mokona shot her a look of confusion. "I'm not supposed to be used until..."

Yuuko silenced it with a look. "It's my duty to grant wishes. I will grant his wish for a fair price."

Edward listened to the exchange with confusion. He stared at them apprehensively. The witch promised. It was true that he was expecting a great display of magic but it was certain that he was going to be disappointed. "What's going on?" he asked pointedly.

She turned to him, smiling. "Fare you well, Edward. It was a true pleasure to be in the presence of a National Alchemist."

He grinned. "It's great to be acknowleged. I don't know how to thank you."

Yuuko gave him one of her secret smiles.

"Take Mokona because it will take you to Amestris. You won't remember anything about Earth, your travels, your experiences or our encounter. This is knowledge that you shouldn't have. However, I will let you keep the warning that you must never cross the Gate again. You never know when it might require a greater sacrifice," she said seriously. Edward nodded with understanding.

"How about my father? Can you tell him where I've gone?" the National Alchemist said in a low, urgent voice. He loved his father although he would not dare to admit it. He can foresee the consequences of his actions but he would not dwell on it.

What was important was his journey to return to his home.

She lay back on her chaise wearily. But she smiled cheekily. "If your father has a wish, he will find me."

Edward smiled back.

Mokona who was listening to the exchange tapped Edward's cheek. "You're not a man yet, aren't you? You're so short that when I leap up, we're at the same height!"

"WHO'S SO SHORT HE NEEDS A STOOL TO STAND ON TO BE NOTICED?!" Edward's volatile temper erupted.

The witch laughed softly to herself. Mokona was always good at provoking tempers. But it was always great fun to watch them bicker. It was a way to force clients to relax and let down their guard.

Yuuko summoned her magic to grant Edward's wish.

The magical circle lit up underneath her and illuminated the whole room. Maru and Moro smiled serenely at Edward. He stared at the obvious display of her powers with wonder.

She smiled as Mokona leaped to his shoulder, waving. He didn't have time to think.

There was a great flash of light.

Finally, there was nothing.

oOoOoOo

Peace.

It washed over him like cool water. He'd never felt so peaceful as now. Birds were singing in the trees. A pleasant breeze fanned his face. He opened his eyes to see an endless stretch of sky. With a yawn, he sat up and looked around. The lake's reflection blinded him before he realized where he was.

Edward Elric got up and started running towards the familiar old path that led out of the woods. His heartbeats accelerated as he headed towards the huge white house on the hill. He was running so fast he had a stitch on his chest. He was home.

He sped up when he saw a tall blonde girl come out. Even from his distance, he could see disbelief and relief on her face.

Oh, he thought that his heart would burst with love! He couldn't help himself when he yelled, "Winry! I'm home!"

She ran down the stairs to meet him.

They collided. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her and swung her around. She was laughing and crying at the same time.

Their hearts sang with joy. Winry Rockbell didn't hesitate this time. She hugged him hard. "Ed, you're home. Welcome home!" she murmured. "We thought you'd never come back..."

He looked down on her. They stared at each other when they heard another familiar voice join them.

"Onii-san!"

Edward turned to receive a welcoming hug from his brother.

It was so good to be home.

oOoOoOo

A/N: There! I did it. It's not yet the end of the story, that's for sure…