A/N

Fixed again

TQ LeFay Strent and my beta reader DocWinters

Darn forgot lots of things.

Disclaimer ~ I do not own anything except for my OC, Reverie . If I had own FMA, I would have been very happy but FMA belongs to its genius creator, Hiromu Arakawa. All hail.

Anyways I want to tell you guys that this story is more on Brotherhood but I will mix the events of FMA. I mean FMA has good character insight but Brotherhood had good plot pacing. This is after Liore in Brotherhood but Nina death was like the one in FMA. This is AU after all.

1. In Search Of Salvation.

Equivalent Exchange.

Human kind can not gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth. But the world isn't perfect and the law is incomplete.

We were still young and naive back then.

She breath in heavily, but it was still uneven and came out in pants.

It was supposed to be a normal day. How-How in the world did it turned out like this? She suppressed a sob as she fell to her knees, the blood around her splashed and sloshed. Dead deformed bodies laid around her like a horror house only it was not for fun, it was reality. The acidic taste of the bile rise into her throat as the stench filled her nostrils and the blood seeped into the linen of her dress.

It was once yellow and clean, now it is stained with blood.

Tainted... Just like she was now. She wasn't innocent; she never will be innocent again. How many times had her hands slit the necks of the deformed beasts? How many times had she heard their loud and agonizing shrills? How many times had she seen their bodies fall before her eyes? It was too much. She had killed multiple times and yet the act itself still brings her grief and pain. But not as much as those beings that lay dead before me.

She swallowed hard and let out a scream that would chilled the hearts of those that headr it. Tears stung her eyes but she refused to let them fall. If they fall, I will fall apart.

She slowly stood up; orange flames swirled around her and cleaned the remains of the blood from her. Thank you, Enma. She held the cloth on where her heart was supposed to be and looked down at her bare foot. She doubted that she will ever come to terms at what she did.

If only I had a second chance to save a person.

All of a sudden a gate flew open and thousands of black hands reached out to her and engulfed her. She closed her eyes tightly and resisted the urge to scream. Why should she resist? This was what she deserved after all. This was her punishment.

"Oh?" Truth smirked "A new chess piece?"

"Things will get interesting soon," He smiled, his teeth was the only thing that was visible on his empty beings.

I'm very tired.

Ed thought miserably as he leant against the wall of the alley way, basking under the soft evening glow of the sun. He enjoyed the heat that seeped into his body from the brick wall. He was aware that his brother Al was watching him warily with his glowing red eyes but he didn't care. He was tired of the cruelty in this world and the horrors that he had seen. Why,oh,why did she deserve that? Why did she has to suffer in the hands of that- that mad man?

Why did Nina have to die?

But, I wish I could have saved her. If only I have a second chance.

What had she done to deserve this? He knew that he had committed a sin that made him lose his limbs and his brother's body in the process. Nina, however, was still an innocent child that still has a full life ahead of her. She doesn't deserve this. He should have done something and yet he had no idea what he could have done. Maybe he could…

No, the dead can't be brought back to life. Not ever. Ed screwed his eyes shut and slammed the fist of his genuine hand against the wall causing it to bleed.

"Brother," Al placed a hand on his shoulder "We didn't know."

A small sad smile formed on his face. He shouldn't be surprised. His brother was very perceptive when it came to his emotions. He could barely hide anything from him. Al was right, deep down inside he knew that but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. Wounds might heal but scars will always remain. He would never be as naïve as he was before.

"I know," Ed finally spoke after a moment of silence "We're only human."

"Let's go, brother," Al spoke in an even voice but Ed knew that he was holding it in for his sake.

Ed merely nodded because he did not trust himself to speak. Al was right. He could not afford to mope around anymore. He needed to keep moving forward and away from the alley of blood behind him. The place where he had lost faith in the world. The memory of clapping his hands and trying to reverse the process multiple times in vain even though deep down inside he knew that she was never going to come back.

First things first, he needed to find Nina's murderer, bring him to justice and then he will continue his search for the Philosopher stone. Shou Tucker, I will never forgive you for what you have done.

That aside, he needed to find the sick being who did this. He didn't just give up his title as a State Alchemist just to linger around like a fool when the murderer was still prowling around. He will make sure that whoever killed Nina paid for what they did. When all this was over, he is going to return to his quest for the blood-red stone.

The Philosopher stone, an object that he required to return his brother's body and maybe even his limbs. He needed it and will stop at nothing to get it.

It was their only salvation.

Keep moving and never stop. The world would continue to revolve and time doesn't wait for anyone. The things has pass but even if we move forward the scars of the past still remains. If only a second chance was given.

A/N

I know, I know, I just can't help but to frown at how short it is. PLS bear with me here, I need to start with something so I can go on with the plot I plan up.

Ok I fixed my grammar with the help of my Beta reader :) (Tq Doc. Would have done this earlier but I was sick with fever and had to prepare for my OBT test)

Oh! LeFay, tq for pointing that out so I can improve my story.

*Gives everyone a kit-kat.* Take a break everyone!

From,

Yuni-FMA