Chapter 3

Introductions

(-Ed-)

Edward loathed hospitals. It didn't matter if he was a patient or not, he hated them with a passion. The walls, the floors, even the uniforms the personnel wore were a flashy, pristine white…clean…orderly. It contrasted greatly to what the Elrics were used to: chaos, dirt, blood, and sweat. Not to mention the smell. Every hospital saturated itself with the same antiseptic bleach odor that would linger around him hours after leaving the building. The scent killed his nostrils and induced sneezing, irritating him to no end.

Above all the others, the worst reason he hated hospitals was because it reminded him of a very important fact. No matter how experienced a fighter he trained himself to be, no matter how skilled an alchemist, no matter how clever his wit…when it came down to it he was human. Humans could get sick, humans could get hurt, and humans could die. He wasn't scared of death. No, he knew that eventually he would die, as every mortal life ended, and he would be recycled into the earth and his energy would promote new life. It was natural and an undeniable part of life. What scared him was the thought that one wrong move on his part could snuff out his life before he had the chance to restore Alphonse to his real body, leaving the younger Elric on his own to live with their mistake.

The thought terrified him.

Edward lounged in a waiting area on a blue padded, steel bench, he on one end and his brother on the other. Neither of them spoke, both of them knowing instinctively of the other's tenseness. Tapping his boot on the shiny linoleum, Ed let his morbid thoughts simmer in his head. Thinking about his hatred for hospitals was far better than giving himself a migraine over the girl they were waiting on.

The brothers had brought her here after dealing with the train wreck's passengers, the hospital luckily being nearby. The colonel himself would be making an appearance there shortly, Ed having called his superior once they'd released the girl into the capable hands of the staff here. In the meantime, they had to be patient while the girl received treatment. Only when they were able to talk to her could Ed ask her the questions that welled inside him and made it hard to think about much else.

When the doctor came into the waiting room, Ed exhaled elatedly. He and Al stood, ready to hear the diagnosis.

"She'll be fine," the doctor concluded with a disarming smile. The warmth and sincerity of the gray haired man's droopy eyes did nothing to relax Edward who had been on pins and needles during the long wait. Neither was the good news he brought capable of calming Ed, not with his level of tension. He'd been wired since the fight. "A couple of scrapes, but otherwise, she's perfectly healthy."

The brothers exchanged a glance and Al asked, "Then why did she pass out?"

"Due to exhaustion, I believe. She's had a trying evening, just like our other incoming patients." He was referring to the other patients who'd been injured and rushed there. Ed didn't know how critical they were, nor how many people had died from the explosion. He didn't want to know. As callous as it may be, he needed to focus on other things, things that he could actually do something about.

She must have used up a lot of energy doing…whatever it is that she did.

He ran the scene over again in his mind. The girl had undoubtedly performed alchemy, melting Lust's flesh by accelerating the molecules in the epidermis to scalding temperature. Edward himself could do such a transmutation, it being more about damaging rather than using a careful hand and intimate knowledge of the human anatomy and the reactions necessary that a medicinal alchemist employed. It was rather simple. What spurred his confusion derived from her lack of an array. There'd been no time or anything accessible for the girl to draw one, nor had she been wearing a special accessory, like how the colonel wore ignition gloves with his special array stitched into the material.

That left very few possibilities on the table…

"You're sure she's alright?" Alphonse asked the doctor.

"Well," the doctor considered for a moment but shook his head. "She'll be fine. Don't worry. She's asleep right now, but feel free to pay her a visit, as long as you don't stress her out. I'll be doing another examination of her after she wakes up, and if everything checks out she's free to leave. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are other patients I must attend to." He gave a parting nod and walked off.

Ed watched the older man depart, wondering why he had hesitated. In the end he shrugged it off. If it was important the doctor would have told them. What was important was that the girl would be okay and would be able to curb his curiosity by answering their questions.

"I wonder who she is," Al commented thoughtfully.

Ed nodded, crossing his arms, "And how did she do that to Lust? You saw it, right? She didn't use a transmutation circle but it was alchemy."

"I saw it," Al assured. "It was…unusual. That's for sure."

That was an understatement. It made Ed recall the experience again. When that brought nothing new to the surface, he delved back to the midst of the fighting, trying to remember if he'd seen her do anything.

"Oh," Ed said, remembering something. "Thanks by the way. If you hadn't have made that wall I would have been toast. I really was not looking forward to becoming a human shish kebab." He shuddered at the thought of how close it had been, fending off one homunculus and leaving him wide open for the other one… It could have ended badly.

Al stared at Ed with bright, glowing eyes, "But I didn't make that wall."

"Then who ?" Ed's confusion changed to understanding. "You mean that girl did that too?"

"Yes," he answered. "And she didn't use a transmutation circle for that either." A moment passed and Al suggested in a lowered voice, "Do you think she's like you, Brother?"

Ed considered it, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows. "Did she clap her hands together to make an inner circle?"

"No…"

"That answers that question." Ed closed his eyes and crossed his arms. "If she used no circles…then she must have used something."

"Like an alchemic amplifier?"

He nodded slowly, "And what amplifier do we know about that can power a reaction of that scale?"

"You don't think…" Al nearly gasped. "You think she has a Philosopher's Stone?!"

"It'd fit the bill. Only problem is that the nurses checked for identification and didn't find any items on her person. No stone, no dice. That means that theory's shot out of the water."

"Even so…she didn't use conventional alchemy. She may not have a stone, but there's a chance she could know something that'll help us get our bodies back."

"My thoughts exactly," he grinned up at his brother. "Which is why I'm looking forward to getting acquainted with her."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Al exclaimed abruptly. "She knew our names!"

"What?!" Al could not have surprised him more.

"She called us by our names."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?! This is important information, Al!"

Al shrunk under the fire of his brother's anger, "I'm sorry! With everything going on, it slipped my mind!"

"Got anything else you need to tell me that may have slipped your mind?" he growled.

"No! Honest!" Alphonse waved his hands in front of himself emphatically.

Ed hunched over and sighed, knowing that he was letting his stress get the best of him. No need to take it out on his brother. "So how does she know us? We've never met her before." He narrowed his eyes at Al, "You haven't met her before, have you?"

Al shook his head swiftly, "No, not before tonight."

"Then maybe she's a…stalker!" Ed spazzed out at the creepiness of the idea.

If Al had proper eyes he would be rolling them. At length, all he could do was sigh, "Brother, I think you're overreacting. She probably just knew us by some other means." Ed would have made a retort but Al's exclamation stopped him, "Look, there's the colonel!"

Indeed, Colonel Mustang was headed their way and approaching fast. For once, Ed was actually anxious to talk to him.

Huh…how strange.

Like the rest of the night had been. If nothing else, he had consistency.

"So what'd you find out?" Ed asked Mustang immediately, his curiosity overwhelming him.

Mustang spared him the formalities of greeting them and answered, "Armstrong and Hughes are leading a team in searching the wreckage. So far, it appears Ronin either died from the explosion or fled during the commotion."

"Did they find out what caused the explosion?"

"Not yet. They're still looking into it." Mustang's gaze slid around them, checking that any patients or personnel were out of hearing distance before he went on. "At any rate, I'm much more interested in your encounter with the Homunculi. You've yet to give me the details."

"Two of them were there, the ones that call themselves Lust and Gluttony," Ed informed him. "It's obvious that they had something to do with the train's impromptu stop."

"You're sure?"

"Let's see, it's not as if they confessed it to me," Ed began sarcastically. "Oh wait, they did. Not that they needed to. Those guys are nothing but trouble."

"Reminds me of a certain little alchemist I know," the Flame Alchemist mused wickedly.

Ed's eyes darkened considerably and he snapped, "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A TINY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK?!"

Al sweat dropped, "He didn't say that. Honestly, Ed."

Mustang smirked and continued the conversation like he'd said nothing, "What else do you have to report?"

Ed growled low in his throat, thoroughly annoyed, but complied, "We fought them. They ran. End of story."

He asked doubtfully, "End of story? There must be more, seeing as how you're hardly wounded and yet you wanted me to meet you at the hospital."

"There was a girl," Al spoke excitedly.

"A girl?" Mustang repeated, mildly curious.

"Yeah, she helped us using some form of alchemy I've never seen," Ed explained, becoming too preoccupied with the mystery girl again to be bothered with his anger towards Mustang. "She passed out though before we could ask her any questions. We brought her here to make sure she's okay."

"What exactly did she do?"

"Alchemy without transmutation circles."

Mustang cocked an ebony eyebrow, "…like you, Fullmetal?"

Ed gritted his teeth in frustration, "No, it was different than mine!" Had he not just said that it was a form of alchemy he'd never seen?

"Hm, that makes me wonder if her being a passenger was a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

The dark haired soldier crossed his arms contemplatively. "Think about it. The Homunculi, Ronin, and this mysterious girl all in the same area when the train was compromised? I don't believe in coincidences. She could be connected to Ronin, perhaps the instigator of this mess."

"I'm certain it was Lust who caused the explosion," Ed affirmed. "As for the connection to Ronin…I don't think that's true."

"Yeah," Al supported him. "Why else would she help us against the Homunculi?"

"And why were the Homunculi there in the first place?" The Elrics had encountered their group only a couple of times so far, but anything involving them couldn't be good. This situation was no different. What exactly were they up to?

Mustang turned to leave the waiting room, "Let's go find out." (A/N: Where are you going Mustang? It's not like you know where Taylor's room is. Stop it Mustang. Let Ed lead the way to salvation.)

(-Taylor-)

I floated in a pitch black sea, the waves of darkness setting me farther adrift. This sea was void of people and light alike, leaving me to drown in the darkness alone. I sunk down farther, the ebony waves encasing me in a shroud of shadow. My body immobilized, I could do absolutely nothing against this. Fear crept under my skin, warning me that I had been here before and wished not to repeat the experience.

So dark…

Suddenly, everywhere around me, thousands of eyes popped opened simultaneously within the sea of darkness. Their purple irises bulged from their sockets as each pupil locked onto me to watch me hungrily. I could do nothing but scream my torment inwardly as I too spared my body a glance. My insides quivered in horror as several eyes burst open on my living flesh. Down my naked legs, up my shaking arms, ripping open the skin of my middle, nothing could stop them as they ravaged my body. I tried to block my vision of them, to save myself from the madness by covering my eyes, but more eyelids snapped open on my palms to stare at me sickeningly.

Help me.

I gasped and lurched forward.

"It's alright. You're safe," someone assured me, causing me to flinch. To my left I found a large suit of armor. If armor could look worried, he did.

For several bewildering seconds, my head spun in an attempt to sort out where I was, what had happened. I glanced down warily at myself, finding my legs hidden under clean sheets. Other than my bandaged hand, everything checked out. No foreign eyeballs gawking at me. That at least had been a dream. Now where did reality begin?

The last thing I remembered was being outside and…there had been fighting…with previously believed fictional characters…and the suit of armor standing at my bedside proved that it hadn't been a dream.

Recurring nightmare then?

"Oh…" I shuddered out a breath, an icy fear creeping into my veins. My head turned to check out the rest of the room.

Ah! Ed! And Mustang! They were standing around my bed! Why were they standing around my bed?!

My bed? No, this wasn't my bed. This wasn't my room. I remained in Amestris. But where? The small room didn't tell me much. Pale walls, white blocky tiles, a bedside table, a small counter near the door filled with objects you'd find in a doctor's office, a lone window on the far wall with a mirror close to it, a stool underneath the window, and the wooden framed bed were the only things noteworthy and that wasn't saying much. Using common sense, I deduced that I was at a doctor's office or hospital. The million dollar question would be where exactly in Amestris this medical facility stood?

And yes, contemplating the very idea of my whereabouts in an alternate universe made my head spin. The incredulity of it all boiled uneasily in my stomach and threatened to make me puke or pass out again.

I focused my attention back to the guys milling around the bed. A small thrill went through me, one of fear and awe. I couldn't believe it. I was actually face to face with anime characters. I just couldn't believe it. What happened…that couldn't have really happened. It just couldn't have. It had to have been a dream…but… I had woken up practically seconds ago. That meant that the dream should be over. Why wasn't the dream over?

For some reason I wanted to laugh. I think I was still in shock, edging on hysterical. The same sort of unbelievable thoughts kept floating in my mind.

This isn't a dream. They're real. I'm here. Everything really happened. This isn't a dream. This isn't a dream. How isn't this a dream...?

"Hello," Mustang greeted me from his position at the foot of the bed. His baritone voice snapped me out of my fervent inner mantra. I blinked at him, a bit lost. He too looked the same as I had always seen him, only more realistic. He made a very handsome man in his military issued attire. He was so real. Too real. If it weren't for the unusual clothes, I wouldn't bat an eye if I passed him on the street. It made me giddy and nauseous at the same time. Maybe I really would puke. That would be a wonderful first impression. "My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. How are you feeling?"

Roy Mustang…was asking how I was feeling… Could this day get any more abnormal?

"I've been better," I answered truthfully, subduing the hysterical giggle that wanted to slip from my lips. I had the most absurd urge to poke the man, just to see if my hand would go through him or not. This had to be my imagination.

He gave a tight nod, "I've been told you've had quite an exciting night." Understatement of the year, buddy. "I have some questions regarding the train incident."

"Train?" I asked, still in my shocked stupor. Then I remembered the terrified passengers, the burning car, the Homunculi. "Oh, yeah… There was a train."

"The explosion the train suffered was no mere accident. Would you know anything about that?" Mustang eyed me critically.

I shook my head and answered honestly, "No." Although I had wondered what had set the train aflame, I couldn't understand why they were asking me about it. I could barely understand reality anymore. Maybe I was insane. Yes, that would explain everything perfectly. Insanity. I suffered from insanity.

"What was your purpose for riding the train?"

…they thought I was a passenger? Seriously? What did I say to that? 'No, I just appeared there.' No, they'd think I was crazy. Then again, I'd already established my mental state was less than stellar. I was conversing with TV characters for crying out loud! Yes, I had finally gone off the deep end. My mother would be so proud. I didn't feel crazy though, except that's what crazy people say…

Urgh! Forget about it, Taylor! You'll drive yourself insane thinking about it, if you aren't already. Just go along with it for now, freak out later.

But what consisted of going along with it? From Mustang's questions, I gathered that I was not in the best of positions. In fact, I was in over my head. I couldn't do this, whatever this was. And yet, I had no choice, no alternatives. I wanted to go home, desperately so, where everything wasn't crazy. But that wasn't an option. I had a sinking sense that I wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

Then where did that leave me in this situation?

"I was on the train because…" I began, not knowing where I was going with it. They were waiting for answers, answers I didn't have, and their stares were like a physical weight on me, pressuring me into speaking. Stressed, my mouth formed words without consent, "I…don't really remember why I was on the train."

Oh great, I should have just went ahead and told them I had appeared there!

"You don't remember?" Mustang asked doubtfully, his midnight blue eyes penetrating into my soul, intimidating me.

He knows! Don't panic… He knows! Don't panic! …LIE! YOU MUST LIIIIIE!

"I, ah, think I hit my head or something. It's a bit fuzzy." I wanted to face palm then and there. This was falling downhill and fast. Because really? Memory loss?

My life has become a movie cliché.

"The doctor didn't mention anything like that," said Al, his tone pinched with worry.

"Well, I…" my voice wavered. "I'm not sure why I can't remember then." Oh, man, that didn't sound believable even to my ears. They were going to know I was lying. I didn't know why I felt the urge to lie, but something told me I needed to. More than anything I just wanted to blurt the truth and beg them to tell me what the hell was going on. However, I refrained. I wasn't in my right state of mind right now and I had no idea if I could trust them with the truth or if they'd label me off as some loon. I'd thank my instincts for this later.

A large hand rested on my shoulder and Al told me, "It's alright. It was a pretty traumatic experience. Your mind is probably trying to protect itself by blocking it out."

"Yeah…probably," I agreed, going with the excuse he provided.

"I trust the rest of your memory is intact?" Mustang inquired. He so knew I had been lying. I could hear it in his voice. But why wasn't he calling me out? Could I just be paranoid?

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I mumbled, unsure of whether I would regret saying that or not.

"What's your name?" he asked, his expression unreadable.

"My name?" Was I supposed to lie? It was alright if I told them my real name, right? "My name is Taylor. Taylor Riley."

Edward smirked and spoke for the first time, "Taylor Riley? That's an unusual name."

Under too much stress as it was, I snapped, "And what, like you have such an ordinary name?"

He stared at me, unblinking, "My name is Edward. That's about as ordinary as it gets."

"Oh…"

I just snapped at him. I can't believe I just snapped at him. Way to make a first impression, dingbat.

"Speaking of names," Al began politely, "how did you know ours?" Mustang's ears practically pricked up at that. How much had they discussed about me?

"I " What was I supposed to say, 'I know you from your show'? Yeah, that would blow over real well.

Inspiration hit me. So I may be crazy. At least my creative genius remained intact. "I've heard of you. The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother Alphonse. I've heard a lot about ."

Ed cut off my words and began to rant, "Yeah, yeah. You've heard that Al's the younger brother and how you can't believe I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist and how you thought I'd be taller."

"No, you're perfect," I said the words before I could stop myself.

That brought Ed up short (no pun intended). He gaped at me, his mouth opened in an O.

"Uh, I mean you're fine- Not fine as in fiiine, just fine the way you are. Not that you're not attractive. Not that I'm saying you're attractive. But that's a wicked cool coat you got on there. Where'd you get it?"

God help me.

His mouth still partially open, Ed's brows furrowed while his eyes widened slightly, like he was trying to comprehend me and failing. In an unsure tone, he answered, "I made it…?"

"Neato…"

Seriously. Kill me now.

Mustang leaned over and stage whispered to Edward, "Do you two need a few moments alone?"

Edward's face went beet red. "Shut it, Mustang!"

Beside me, Alphonse giggled softly at them, his boyish laughter not matching up with the hulking suit of armor that encased his being. But it was still the most adorable sound I'd ever heard because it was Alphonse giggling! Excuse me while I give into my inner fan girl for a moment…and yes, that was sarcasm.

To overcome his embarrassment, Edward ignored his superior, turning back to me and barging into another topic. "What kind of alchemy did you use?" From the way he looked at me I could tell he had been dying to know.

Okay, fake fan girl moment was over. Back to the land of I-am-so-screwed.

I had completely forgotten. I had used alchemy. Me! I had created that gigantic wall with alchemy. But I had no idea how I had done it. I didn't use a transmutation circle. Did I need to? Was I like Ed? No, I hadn't clapped my hands together either. Then how did I do it?

…I'm seriously considering the technicalities of performing alchemy… Excuse me while I go bash my head on a wall.

"I don't know what kind of…alchemy I used. It was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing," I admitted. "In fact, I've never used alchemy before that." Of course I hadn't. Just saying all of this felt so…stupid. Because alchemy didn't exist.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

"You're kidding," Ed gaped, any remaining traces of embarrassment eclipsed by amazement. "What you did to Lust was…" His words trailed off.

The memory came back to me, strong and swift. I had melted the skin off of her. The sounds of her screams and the smell of searing flesh were forever etched into my brain. I shuddered and rejected the grotesque memory with all my might. "I panicked. I'm not sure what I did or how I did it."

Everyone reflected on my words. I think I had them stumped. Go me.

"What did Lust say to you? The woman," he quickly added, because I didn't know who he meant. Or I wasn't supposed to know, at least.

Right before I melted Lust's skin off, she had pulled me in close. "I'll kill you for that." And I swear to God, my life flashed before me because I could see it in her eyes that she would do it. In that moment, I knew I would die by her hand. She raised her arm and before she struck, her eyes widened. She gazed at me with such shock. "A sacrifice?" I don't know what she saw but it made her hesitate. That had given me enough time to lay my hands on her and…

"She called me a sacrifice," I said. I don't think I could have surprised them more. "What's a sacrifice?" I asked, but I think I knew what she meant. It wasn't anything good, that was for sure.

"Um." They all glanced at each other nervously.

Before anyone thought of an answer, the door slammed open, giving me a heart attack.

"COLONEL MUSTANG! I AM HERE!" Armstrong announced in his booming bass of a voice as he burst through the doorway. Dear lord, if I had thought Al was bigger in person, Armstrong was a mountain!

Mustang's eyes narrowed at the loud interruption, "That you are."

Ed and Al began edging away with fear in their eyes and I would have laughed if not for the absurdity of it all. Armstrong saw them and bellowed, "Elric brothers! So good to see you again!" My ears…my poor, poor ears.

"Hi, Major," Al waved uneasily as Ed grimaced and nodded, half hiding behind his brother. I'd call him a coward if not for the fact that I'd do the same thing. As it were, I remained stock-still on the bed, praying he wouldn't notice me.

"Armstrong," Mustang called. "Do you have anything to report or is this a courtesy call?"

Armstrong's demeanor changed, a serious tone entering his words as he answered, "Yes. We located Ronin."

"And?" Mustang pressed.

"He was amongst the poor souls caught in the blast."

Okay, I was officially lost. Welcome to the nation of the hopelessly confused; population: one wayward ginger.

"And his research?" Mustang inquired hopefully.

"Destroyed beyond repair."

"That bites," Ed grumbled, scuffing his boot across the white tile in annoyance. He appeared to be vastly disappointed. It made me interested in who they were talking about and what kind of research he did.

"Do you know what caused the explosion?" Al asked. Huh, they had asked me the same thing.

Armstrong nodded, "There were traces of an alchemic reaction. The origins come from Ronin's holding car."

"This is an interesting development," Mustang mused, surprised. "Ronin may have been the one to do it. He could be the one who orchestrated this whole fiasco."

"Maybe Lust was after Ronin," Al suggested.

"That would explain why the ho " Edward started to say but his words became muffled when Mustang covered his mouth with a gloved hand. The blonde slapped his hand away with a snarl. Before he could yell at his superior, Mustang spoke.

"You forget yourself, Fullmetal," he told him, his tone and expression saying more than his words.

Ed stopped and glanced at me. He seemed to catch on and he quickly reworded what he had been about to say, "What I meant was, that would explain what they were doing there. Whether they were after Ronin or were working with him, it's clear there's some connection there."

They were trying to keep sensitive information a secret to me, me who was just a seemingly innocent, slightly amnesiac bystander. If they only knew. To be honest, I was surprised they were talking about this at all in front of me, seeing as how they were questioning me before and couldn't decide on whether I was a suspect or a victim. Perhaps they forgot I was here for a moment. Or maybe they were gauging my reaction.

One look at Mustang, his dark gaze pinning me down, clarified things for me.

Yep, gauging my reaction. I almost wanted to ask if I passed the test, but I refrained. That was asking for trouble.

Armstrong turned and, oh God, he saw me. His brows went up, "Young lady!" He stepped over to me and offered me his hand. "I did not notice you, seeing as how tiny you are! I am Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Armed Alchemist!"

I shook his overly large hand while a vein in my forehead twitched, "Tiny?" Who talks like that? He released me and I shook my fingers to get the feeling back in them. Ow.

Armstrong gave me a smile, almost hidden underneath his prominent mustache, and turned back to Mustang, "The young miss is a witness, I presume?"

"Something along those lines," Mustang allowed, his eyes narrowing the smallest margin at me. Why me? "We were in the midst of questioning Miss Riley when you arrived."

"I see. I apologize for the interruption, but I'm afraid you'll have to postpone this session. The Fuhrer requests your audience."

Fuhrer? Oh dear. I forgot this place had a Fuhrer. One who was a homunculus. Oh shit, this wasn't about me, was it? If so, then I was royally screwed.

Mustang sighed, then glanced at me.

I gulped.

(-Ed-)

"I'm going to have to figure out what to do with you," Mustang concluded, staring at the girl.

"Do with me?" Taylor asked, sounding taken aback.

Mustang nodded, "Lust calling you a sacrifice concerns me. If we let you go unprotected they may come after you. As much as this may inconvenience you, we need someone to act as your bodyguard for the time being."

Ed blanched as Armstrong stripped off his shirt and did a pose to show off his muscles. "Allow me to guard this tiny, young lady! I would be happy to use my strength for her protection!"

Taylor paled at Armstrong's offer. Ed didn't blame her. The Major had that effect on most people.

"That won't be necessary, Major," Mustang said with a smug expression. "I have someone else in mind."

Mustang stared at Ed very pointedly.

"Me?" he asked, surprised.

"Is it too hard of a mission for you?" the older man baited.

"Of course not!" Ed snapped. "But you know how much traveling Al and I do. We don't have time to baby-sit someone." He suddenly realized how offensive that probably sounded, so he looked to Taylor apologetically, "No offense."

She blinked as if she never expected him to apologize, "Uh, none taken."

"Besides," Ed went on, "we tend to run into a lot of trouble on a daily basis."

"Perhaps you're right. I can always assign Armstrong to her," Mustang suggested with a sly smile.

Edward glanced at the girl and she looked at him back. The fear was obvious in her eyes and she was staring at him beseechingly.

"Please God, don't leave me alone with him," those mossy, green eyes seemed to scream.

He covered his face so he couldn't see but the image had been burned into his mind. Here this poor girl was, practically on the chopping block, and Ed was her last hope.

It really sucked sometimes to be such a good guy.

Ed sighed, "Fine! I'll do it." After all, he couldn't just leave her with Armstrong of all people. No one deserved that.

"If you insist, Fullmetal," Mustang's smug smile deepened. "Tell me when you have any new information on this," he glanced at Taylor, "curious matter. Come Major. We're leaving." Mustang strolled out of the room.

"Farewell you tiny people, with the exception of Alphonse of course!" Armstrong bellowed as he left.

The door closed before Ed and Taylor shouted in unison, "I'm not tiny!" Ed and Taylor stared at each other. Ed chuckled and she blushed.

"Thank you," she said, not meeting his eyes, "for not leaving me with him. He's kind of intimidating."

"Don't mention it," Ed scratched his cheek. This girl had only known Armstrong for two minutes and already she grasped what a pain he could be.

"So do you live here in Central?" Al inquired, changing the subject. "Your parents must be worried about you."

Taylor stared into space for several moments. "My parents…" She shook her head, "No, I don't live in Central. And don't worry about my parents. I'll just go with you guys for now."

If Al could have frowned, he would have. His voice held distress, "But your family "

"They know I'm a big girl," she interrupted almost rudely. No, not rudely. Desperately. Taylor sighed, wringing the sheets between her fingers, "Don't take this the wrong way, 'cause I know how much trouble you guys are going to for me. But even if I could go home and even if you guys were with me I'd just be putting my family in danger. It's easier on everyone if I stick with you two."

Alphonse looked to Ed. Edward had spent more than enough time with his brother since he became stuck in the armor to read his behavior. Al was silently asking him if this was really alright.

Ed pocketed his fists, "She's got a point." What he left unsaid was that there seemed to be something more to it than that. "We'll go check with the doctor and see if you can leave," he told her, seeking a quick escape. She nodded and he exited the room with Al hot on his heels.

"I don't know about this Brother," Al began uncertainly.

"Did you catch what she said? She said, 'even if I could go home'. Could, not would, implying that there's a reason keeping her from going home."

"Why wouldn't she be able to go home?"

"There are loads of possible reasons. She could have issues with her family. Or she could be a runaway or something."

"That's awful!" Al cried sympathetically.

"It happens." It wasn't his place to ask, but he still couldn't help but wonder what circumstances caused this to happen to Taylor, and why she was so reluctant.

They continued to walk down the hallway when Al commented out of the blue, "She was nice."

Ed shrugged, "Yeah." She seemed like an okay person. But what Ed was truly interested in was the mystery that surrounded her. This mission might be worthwhile after all, if he could figure this girl out.

A few steps down the hall and Al spoke again, "She was really pretty, wasn't she Brother?"

"Ack!" Ed turned away, face red. "I didn't really notice," he lied.

Al laughed softly, the little brat.

(-Taylor-)

"Your parents must be worried about you."

What Al had said, it made my stomach clench. What were Mom and Joeli doing right now? Would I…ever see them again?

No, I would not go down that line of thought. I needed to think about something else.

Easier said than done.

I pushed the covers off of me and stood. There was no dizziness thankfully. In fact, the only injury I had was the scratch on my hand. A white bandage that the doctor must have put on there covered my palm, the material stained slightly with blood. There was no telling how deep the cut was but there was no pain. Not even a stinging sensation. One less thing to worry about.

I wandered to the window. Morning had yet to come and the night continued its temporary reign. How long into the night, I had no clue, but it felt pretty late. The fight must have been mere hours ago though. The train, the Homunculi, the weird alchemy, my talk with Truth, it all remained fresh in my mind.

Who was that Ronin guy they were talking about? I wondered, running my fingertips across the cool glass.

I had never heard of him from the show. How did he fit in among the craziness? The only things I knew about him was that he was on the train, the brothers had been interested in his research, and he was dead. Oh, and the Homunculi may or may not have been there because of him. That must mean he's important, right? Well, the others didn't look that heartbroken over his death. Maybe not then. Why should I care in the first place? This shouldn't be real anyway.

Shouldn't…and yet, the glass underneath my palm felt very solid.

Exhaling a gust of air, I pressed my forehead against the windowpane. This was way over my head. What I wanted most right then was to be home. I wanted for all of this to go back to not being real. Sure, the show was cool and everything, but I felt so lost and out of place here. And why Fullmetal Alchemist of all things? Couldn't I have gone to Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas instead? At least there people wouldn't try to kill me. If my mind had conjured up anyplace to put me in, I would think my all-time favorite movie would be the first choice.

For the umpteenth time I puzzled over how a TV show could be real, and why life chose me out of everyone in the world. I was happy enough with my own semi-complicated life, thank you very much. Why me? How had it come to this?

I continued to brood, looking out at the city lights. Al had said we were in Central, right? Whoa…pretty big city.

Pushing away from the window, I went to stand in front of the ordinary mirror on the wall beside it. My reflection looked tired and absolutely defeated. I reached out to touch the other me's face, to trace that pale reflection staring back at me imploringly with her shadowed eyes. Halfway there, my sleeve brushed up my arm and I caught sight of my forearm.

I gasped and swiped at my arm on instinct. No, this couldn't be brushed off so easily. The black things on my arm were markings on the skin itself. I froze completely, staring at my marked flesh and trying to process what my widened eyes told me. Slowly, ever so slowly, I rolled up the sleeve and saw more, lines of black ink stretching across the canvas of skin in several lines, circles, and angles, many of them connecting at certain points.

What…the hell.

Breaking out of my shock, I jerked up the sleeve on my other arm as well.

"What…?" I gaped.

There were more on my other arm too. Afraid of knowing how far they went, but even more anxious of not knowing, I lifted up my shirt to see my stomach. They were there as well.

They were tattoos… The tattoos were a familiar series of intricate circles and designs that connected with funky symbols.

"These are… No way."

The array that brought me to the gate in the first place…it had been permanently etched into my body.

The beginnings of hyperventilation started as I pushed away from the mirror. My feet stumbled once over themselves but I managed to make it back to the bed and slump down on the edge. I leaned over, pressing my forehead to my knees in an attempt to calm down. I felt faint and panicked enough to start crying, although, surprisingly, no tears came.

I just want this day to end already.

Deciding this was long overdue, I forewent my homework and edited/rewrote the rest of this chapter. My priorities are as straight as my gay ex-boyfriend.

I did so much work on this chapter, it's like it's not even the same chapter anymore. So many little plot holes I fixed, so much more detail... Can you tell the difference? Has all of my hard work paid off? And by the way, if you've read the original TBA before, what do you like in this that I've changed or improved?

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, but there's one person who I wanted to respond to but they didn't have an account on here, or they weren't signed in at least and I couldn't find their profile. Yessss, I'm talking to you epicman. That was very sweet and creepy of you to say, and to be honest, I don't know how to respond. ...NOOOOO! I WILL NOT BREAK YOUR HEART INTO A BILLION PIECES! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! I THINK IT'S PRETTY! *snatches heart and dashes away to a nondescript location to hide it* There! Now I can keep it safe and let nothing happen to it. ^_^

On that note, I'm going to go do that studying thing I've been avoiding. See you later, my furry friends!