PROLOUGE

Wind was howling fiercely on the other side of the glass window, rain plummeting down to the ground, and dark clouds blocking all rays of hopeful light.

Kira Otsuki sat on her bed, with the white sheets pulled over her body, and nothing to help her see in the dark but a small lamp.

But she did not want to see anymore.

She did not want to see anything of this world; she did not want to see anything that was here on this sideof The Gate. She only wanted to see what was on the other side; because that was where Edward was.

Her eyes fluttered again and closed for a moment as the harsh memories of that day came back to her mind, hammering her about the one minute in time she would never forget.

"'Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost.'"

"Kira?" Ed said, turning over in bed. He looked over in the darkness until he saw Winry on the ground next to his bed, clutching her knees to her chest. Her dark hair was over her face, the moonlight glistening over the tears she was crying.

"'That is Alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange,'" she jerked her head up suddenly to look into Ed's eyes. He moved back at the sight of her tears. He jerked again when she continued to talk, in an almost monotone voice, "Ed, you told me those words so many times, yet, you don't even understand them."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, a little agitated that she would say something like that, but her tears made him reply calmly.

"'To obtain something of equal value must be lost,'" Kira repeated, more tears falling down her face. She looked so sad and pitiful for those few seconds before her eyes turned glassy and she started yelling. "How can you possibly think anything will come close to "equal value" when it's your life!" That's when she realized she loved him.

"Kira!" Ed shouted back at her.

"You don't know anything!" Kira cried out, "You're so stupid, Ed! Tell me how Ed! What is equivalent exchange when it's your life?!"

Ed looked down at the floor, "Alphonse's life."

"That's what you're doing!?" Winry screeched, she started hitting his chest repeatedly. "You never wanted to get your body back to normal did you? The only person on this earth that matters to you is Alphonse."

Faster than she realized, Ed had pinned her down on the floor, both of her hands stuck in his, his furious eyes locking on hers, "Don't you ever," his words hit her like acid, tearing at the folds in her stomach, "ever, tell me Alphonse isn't worth it!"

He brought her hands up and slammed them painfully against the wooden floor. Winry cringed at the pain, tears forming in her eyes, joining those of her emotional anguish. Ed's eyes widened, as he realized what he had done. He loosened his grip but didn't totally let go of her hands.

"Ed," Kira's voice came out shaking. "I didn't....I wasn't thinking....."

As fast as it started, it was over.

That was the last she had seen of them, and would ever see of them.

That was their eternal farewell.

Even after all the time they had spent traveling together, thathad been her goodbye.

He was going somewhere she would not follow; or rather could not follow.

Although, she supposed that she could have found Edward somewhere in this world if she looked hard enough and searched everywhere.

But not now.

Now, he was completely and totally beyond and out of her reach.

Far past the limits of the science and knowledge of thisworld.

He was gone; and he was not coming back.

Her emerald green eyes flew open and she gasped a few times before calming down and leaning back against the pillow that propped her up. She let her head roll back as she gazed up at the ceiling, panting. The liveliness that had been hidden in her eyes had shown, but now, it slowly faded away again. A dull glaze draped back over them like a black curtain.

It was as if she were in a trance ever since that day. Ever since she saw that flash of blue light that would forever separate them. Even Alphonse was beyond her grasp. 3 years of memories were locked away somewhere deep inside him. Or perhaps they weren't even there at all anymore. Kira Otsuki was nothing to them anymore.

'Kira' was just a name now, just like everyone else's.

When someone spoke a name, it indicated which person was being addressed. But now, her name was just a meaningless title that people said if they wanted to speak to her. It no longer had any special meaning like it did when theyhad said it.

Whenever the Alchemists she had loved spoke her name, it gave her a sense of pride, and made her feel beautiful and important.

Edward's voice had a certain charm about it, that when he said her name, it rang out in her ears like a delightful melody.

But now it was just a name.

When people said it, it did not sing, it was just a dull, droning buzz.

She knew her name would never ring again.

Thunder blasted somewhere in the distance, and a flash of white lightning lit up the dark world for a split second; and then the world was dark again.

Sighing softly, the girl reached over and switched off the light. She lay down and pulled the sheets up to her shoulders.

Only when she was sleeping did the tears slow, but they did not stop altogether.

A few strays would slip by every now and then, scribbling wet trails on her cheeks and staining her pillow.

Nightmares were always waiting to pounce, lurking in the shadows and waiting to strike like assassins.

Like tonight.

Two loud gunshots rang through the air, making her jump from shock, her body tensing up and my fingers twitching. Next came two footsteps, a scraping sound, and a soft thud.

She wanted to scream, to cry, to run, to do something, anything, but she couldn't speak, she couldn't move. Her hands were shaking so badly she almost dropped the key she'd been holding.The key…And then, though she didn't know how, she forced her arms to move. She stuck the key in the lock, moved it around, as if knowing exactly what she was doing, and instantly heard the lock click. Without a second thought she threw open the door and rushed out of the room.

The first things she saw were the three State Military officers, one standing in the center, with short, black hair and dark eyes. He must have been Colonel Mustang. The other two stood on his sides, each raising a rifle and pointing it ahead. As the colonel lowered his arm, signaling them to lower their guns, all three turned to look at her in surprise, but she paid them no attention. Instead she turned to where their guns had been pointed, and gasped.

"EDWARD!!!" She screamed, running toward him.He can't be… Don't let him be…He looked up at her in shock.

"K…Kira?"

He was sitting slumped against the back wall of the shed, his head down, his arms hanging limply at his sides, blood pouring from two bullet wounds in his chest. She rushed up and knelt next to him, her back to the Military officers.

"Kira…" Edward tried to speak, his eyes wide. "Y-You can't… You shouldn't…"

"Now who's this?" Colonel Mustang said from near the door. Edward just glared at him. "You haven't told her anything, have you Ed?"

"No," he lied, shaking his head. "She doesn't know… anything… L… Leave her… out of this… Mustang…" It was becoming more and more difficult for him to breathe, she noticed with a pang of fear. She turned to look at the Colonel.

"I see… Well," he raised his arm, and his subordinates raised their rifles again. Edward's eyes widened and she turned back to him. "Just to be safe."

"NO!!!" Edward shouted, as she heard two more gunshots behind her. She was about to turn and look, but the instant the shots fired, she felt an incredible pain shoot through her. "KIRA!!!!" The edges of her vision blackened, and the rest flashed neon, making her brain go numb. Her back felt like it had been split open, which technically it had, and her head was threatening to explode. Losing her balance, she stumbled forward, leaning against Edward's shoulder as he stared at her in shock and anger. He turned back to Mustang. "DAMN YOU!! YOU BASTARD!!!" His shout was cut a bit short, however, when his breath caught in his throat and he coughed violently, spitting blood on the dusty floor.

"What did I tell you Edward?" the Colonel said, sounding as though he were reprimanding a child. "Those who aren't willing to make sacrifices to get ahead… just get left behind." He then raised his right hand to his brow in a mock salute, which made Edward snarl. And with that, he turned on his heel, walked through the door, and was gone.

And then she woke up the exact same way she fell asleep. Alone, and with tear stained cheeks. This nightmare was a new one, an unusual one. She contemplated the possible definitions. Why was Roy present? Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen Roy since Edward's disappearance either. In fact, she never found out what had happened to him. That was enough of a reason for her to find out. She glanced at the clock. 4:26 am. Just enough time to catch the first train to central.