Edward Elric was dead.

Or so he thought. He had given his mind, body and soul to recover his little brother Alphonse. After he had woken up to discover that Al used the Philosopher's stone to bring him back from death, he knew he couldn't live without repaying him. It was equivalent exchange, wasn't it? That's why he thought that when he closed his eyes, he would never open them again.

But…he did. After he had transmuted his body, he felt this odd ripping feeling throughout his entire form. It was familiar to him; he knew he was going through the gate, it had happened to him only about an hour ago. That time was different-he was able to pull himself back. This time he wasn't so sure that he would be able to again.

After what seemed like a hundred years of darkness, Ed could feel his conscious mind awakening. He had been sleeping, that much he could tell. He was lying in a bed of some sort…just like the time before. His eyebrows tightened on his brow as he stirred with a groan, surprise still in his mind. "How the hell… did I get here?" he spoke his thoughts aloud, but no one seemed to hear him. Perhaps he was alone. He raised his right hand to rub his eyes, expecting to feel real skin, but instead was met with cold metal. This certainly woke him up, and he sat in the bed, looking down at his body. His right arm and left leg were still auto mail. Why was that? He was also dressed in his usual attire for sleeping-his boxers. Only these were white. A frown crossed his lips, and his head swiveled around to check out his surroundings. As he did so, he felt something soft brush against the middle of his back, and his reached behind him to feel his hair. Okay, there was one difference… his eyes spotted a small mirror in the corner of the room and he swung his legs over to stand, noticing as he did so that the ground was a little further away then usual. So he was also taller, but not by much. Still, a delighted grin lit his features as he walked over to the mirror, bending down to peer into it.

The face that stared back at him was his, no doubt about it. His hair fell longer then it had before, but he still had the same bangs that perfectly framed his face. He even had his strand of hair that stood up from his head like an antenna…. Well, that would certainly add to his height. This long hair would bother him, and he noticed a small black band lying on a little table. He seized it and slipped it on his wrist, and his hands automatically went up to braid his hair, but he stopped them. It just… didn't fell right. Instead he settled for a high ponytail, and then it was time to see what clothes he would have to deal with.

Edward couldn't help but grimace slightly at the state of the closet. He thought of his platform boots, leather pants, and red jacket briefly. He missed them already… how sad. With a thoughtful frown on his face the whole time, he managed to put together an outfit he was reasonably happy with-a button down vest, matching pants, and a jacket. A grin broke out across his face when he discovered a pair of white gloves. So this Edward didn't have a too horrible taste in clothes. Though it didn't matter either way, as he would have gone out and bought gloves if he didn't have any.

After he had gotten dressed, he walked around to explore his surroundings. It seemed he wasn't in a house, but an apartment, and he was very much alone. Ed felt a pang when he remembered Al wasn't there, and he felt a sob rising in his chest. He fought that down with difficulty, however, and swallowed several times to get the lump out of his throat. He /would/ get back to Al. He knew it deep in his heart.

First thing was first-it was time to explore more. He had no idea how long he would be staying in the world, and so he might as well get to know it. He strode out the door, trying to look confident, and took the stairs three flights down to the ground floor.

Just as he was opening the door, he collided with a strange girl and sent her sprawling face down on the ground. Feeling his cheeks redden slightly, he bent down to help her up.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that. You okay?"

A pair of perfect emerald eyes stared up at him, and this Ed faltered for a minute when the girl spoke. "Oh, hey Ed! You should watch where you're going; you could kill someone one of these days."

He blinked at her a few times, trying to escape the trance her eyes had him in. He didn't know this girl… Ah well, she probably knew the Edward that belonged in this world, in this body. Finally, he was able to stammer a few words. "R-right, sorry."

She merely smiled and lifted herself to her feet. Hair as dark as midnight tumbled down her shoulders, and her skin was a perfect ivory, a stunning contrast with her eyes. She was, very surprisingly, a couple of inches shorter then Ed, and the boy felt his insides swell with pride at this discovery. Her clothing was fairly simple-she was wearing a light blue summer dress over plain black shoes.

That moment marked one of the rare occasions where Edward wasn't feeling completely confident with himself. He was afraid she'd try to talk to him, and not only did he not know her name, he didn't want to come off like a blubbering idiot either. After muttering a quick, polite goodbye, he hurried out the door.

What awaited him was a vaguely familiar scene. It came back to him in a flash-this is where he had gone when he passed through the gate before! He groaned inwardly-that had not been one of his best experiences. He would have to deal with living here, though. With his teeth grit and his jaw set, he started down the street.

Author's notes

So, this is my very first fanfiction. I may have written one or two when I was ten(probably about Pokemon XD) but this is pretty much my first one. I was just inspired one day-I thought, hey, the last episode of FMA left a gap. Who knows how big of one. So I decided to try and fill it. I hope you like it, and I'd appreciate a review if you have time. I decided to create a female character to perhaps add some romance to spice it up a little bit later on. I'm also thinking about doing a few chapters about Alphonse waking up in his human body. Tell me your thoughts.