"If what my dad said about the gate is true, Al's old body and mine should still be there, and now his soul is there too. Maybe life has no equal trade, maybe you can give up all you've got and get nothing back. But still… even if I can't prove it's true I have to try, for your sake… Al."

-Edward Elric

Fullmetal Alchemist

When I woke up I was expecting Truth's gate, or maybe I wasn't even expecting to wake up at all.

But I did.

Hearing came first. After so much strife, the sound of birds chirping brought a calm to me that I needed and relaxed muscles I never noticed clenched. Touch and smell came next in equal measure. The feel of cool, slightly damp grass just after a rain under my back and arm. The smell of the wet earth filled my lungs as I took a large breath. Teacher had long ago beaten the importance of my surroundings into me, and I stretched my senses, letting nature overwhelm me with a peace I haven't allowed myself to feel since I was a child. Since before… everything. Before it all started.

I don't know how long I laid there, but I kept no time. I opened myself to the world around me. After a time, I opened my eyes, a light grey sky drifting over me, greeting me to wherever I was. Though I wondered about everything at home, most especially my brother, I let those thoughts go for now. First, I had to figure out where I was. I moved for the first time since I had awoken, and heard a light clank coming from my right arm. Sitting up, I glanced down and couldn't help the sigh that escaped me at the sight of my auto-mail arm. I guess I never noticed. Rapping the knuckles of that hand against my left leg, the almost hollow clank that resounded confirming what was an easy guess. I sighed again and stood up, stretching my arms above my head and letting out a noise of contentment. Glancing around, I took in my surroundings. There were nothing but trees in sight. Moving over to a large tree limb that looked to have been blown off a nearby tree, maybe by my very arrival, I clapped my hands together and placed them against it.

Analyze. Deconstruct. Reconstruct.

A familiar and comforting blue light greeted my weary eyes, and I soon held aloft a black long sleeved shirt, the remains of the branch lying on the ground. Pulling it over my bare chest, I moved off in what I hoped to be a good direction, wasting no time in trying to find some civilization. Though I regretted not having my true arm and leg any longer, I was thankful that my pants and boots had made it with me. I was also thankful that no one was here to greet me. I don't know how I had arrived, and I certainly didn't feel like trying to explain myself to somebody. Absentmindedly transmuting my damp pants dry, I moved my pace to a jog and began my trek through the forest. Hoping to find some kind of town or city before nightfall, I was pleasantly surprised when only an hour after the start of my trip I stumbled across something I certainly didn't expect.

The forest ended abruptly and I found in front of me the largest city I had ever seen. It sprawled across the land and held within it tall spires made of glass and steel. The smell of the sea told me what was on the other side of it. A coastal city the likes of which I had never seen. I was in awe of it. I stood there slack jawed for I don't know how long taking in the breathless sight. I'm an experienced world traveler and I knew one thing for certain after seeing this. I was definitely nowhere near my home anymore. Taking a deep breath, I moved toward the edge of the city, ready to see what kind of place this was. Following what appeared to be the best paved road ever constructed by man, I did my best not to stare like a dumbass at some vehicles traveling down it in styles I had never seen. And certainly never in a quantity I had ever seen. Trucks and cars, though not impossible for civilians to have, were made in military factories almost exclusively for the use of our state military. The rest walked or used horse-drawn carriages. In the last ten minutes I had seen more styles of vehicle than I thought possible. Roofless numbers that looked sleek and built for speed, large behemoths that looked four times as tall as me hauling trailers longer than most houses were wide, and angry sounding trucks that sounded as if they needed to have an entire overhaul of the exhaust system just to name a few.

After walking for another hour towards a city that seemed to be getting no closer, I finally grasped just how truly huge it was. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined such a thing and being an alchemist I required a fair bit of imagination. Getting there was going to take the rest of the day. Or it least that's what I hoped. With it being overcast I couldn't be too sure on how close it was to dusk. Resigning myself to what was sure to be a tiring walk, I was surprised when a comparatively older looking vehicle pulled to the side of the road not much further in front of me. An arm reached out of the driver's window and waved at me. Moving to the side opposite the road I leaned down and was again surprised when the window started moving down on its own in a smooth and steady motion. It was mechanical then. Some kind of electronic system most likely. Peering in, I met the brown eyes of a grizzled looking man giving me a slightly neutral but welcoming look.

"You look like you need a ride m'boy." I blinked. I hadn't understood anything he had said.

"I'm sorry but I don't understand what you're saying." He blinked back at me and sighed. I'm guessing he didn't either. He shrugged and smiled at me, gesturing me into his car. I grinned and opened the door, hopping in with a quick "Thank you."

Though he didn't understand me, I'm guessing he got the message when he smiled and nodded. With that, we were back on the road and making our way towards the city. A couple of minutes into the drive he fiddled the knobs of what I assumed was a radio until a guitar and a warbling voice filled the inside of the car. I leaned back and stared out the window, enjoying the rest and the ride. Soon enough, we were past the edge of the city and well onto the roads of the city itself. I stared almost unblinking at the sights outside that thin pane of glass. Glowing billboards and masses of people making their way through their lives. Vehicles crowded one another on the wide stretches of road. I looked down at the door and pressed the little button with what looked like a window on it and down rolled my window. The sounds and smells of the city smacked me in the face. Exhaust and trash and food intermingling with the smell of people, creating something truly… unique. Loud blaring of horns and the melting mass of thousands of voices.

I was nearly overwhelmed. After a short journey through the city and taking in yet another new culture, we pulled up in front of a three-story building dwarfed by the buildings around it. The old man driving the car got my attention and pointed right at the building, waving me off to go inside. I raised an eyebrow and nodded, stepping out of the car. Waving as the man drove off, I turned around and went towards the building, pulling open one of the doors and stepping inside. Blinking for what I'm sure was one of the last few times for the next week, I let an absolutely shit eating grin cross my face. He had taken me to a library.

As it turns out, it wasn't hard to find a book to translate my language. After speaking what I'm sure seemed like nonsense to the person at the front desk, I was lead straight to a section of the library and handed a book by the librarian that, happy days, contained a word to word translation of the local tongue and my language, called German here. Almost immediately I headed towards what I found to be the history section. A few hours there gave me the troubling news that I was not only nowhere near my home, I wasn't even on the same world. The books spoke of world wars and people with amazing abilities called super heroes and super villains. Maps showed completely different landmasses and there was no mention of Amestris or anything surrounding it. After another hour of panicking I continued my studies.

Super powers. So far beyond what I knew of science that I could hardly wrap my head around it. Never let it be said though that I won't try to understand almost anything. And so my studies continued, much like they had when I was learning anything else new. No interruptions and no breaks. Before I knew it, someone who looked to work there was telling me the library is closing and I had to leave. I thanked the man at the front desk in what I now knew to be English and made my way out.

Stepping out I looked around and for the first time realized my problem. What the hell was I going to do about a place to sleep? Food would probably be a good idea too. I sighed and moved towards a street that seemed to have a lot of alleyways, knowing the fastest way to go about this. I'd like to say sure enough I was soon attacked and thus had some extra money, but it was another hour before someone finally made a move at me. Though I don't like to admit it, being… height challenged did make me a good target.

"Wallet and cellphone you little shit, make it quick." Twitching at the height crack but wanting to move on with this I decided to do this quickly. Before another move could be made by the thug I grabbed the hand clutching my shirt and twisted it, driving the thug to his knees to avoid any major pain. Snapping his arm at the elbow using the forearm of my auto-mail, I then drove his head into a brick wall just as he was inhaling to scream.

"Sorry." I mumbled out. Can't be too careful with violent people. It's unfortunate but lessons really need something to help them stick. Searching the unconscious man provided a folded leather item and a thick roll of the local currency. Always know what you need for where you're at. The currency was one of the fifth or sixth things I looked up. Moving down the road I then headed towards what seemed to be a semi-busy dinner place. Get food where the locals congregate. They'll have something good. Sitting before my first ever cheeseburger and fries, I inhaled it and dug in. Delicious.

Turns out what I later learned was called a wallet held even more of the local currency. I guess I had lucked upon a somewhat successful thief. Almost done with my meal, I felt and heard a very defining thing in my life. The vibrations of combat. Of debris hurled and bodies thudding. Of something dangerous going down. I had to investigate.

A/N: Figured this was a good place to stop the first chapter