A/N: While I do not like putting A/N at the beginning of my story; It has come to my attention that many of you believe that I am stealing chika1345's story "Priestess Alchemist". I assure all of you that I am not. "The Sacred Alchemist" is indeed influenced and inspired by chika1345's "Priestess Alchemist" and both of our stories are following the plotline of the manga/anime. So, yes, they will look very similar but hers is different than of mine. In her story, Kagome is Roy Mustang's daughter, while in mine Kagome's father is an OC of mine and is deceased for plotline matters. She also made a few of the Fullmetal Alchemist characters into the children of some of Inuyasha characters, mine does not. In hers, Havoc and Riza are together, they are not in mine; Riza is attracted to Roy. Her story has many wonderful ideas, but they are hers and I would never borrow them without giving proper credit for the idea. She has contacted me not once, but twice on this matter and yet none have tried to speak with me? If you truly wish to know what I have planned out for my own fic, feel free to PM me and I will give you hints at what I am trying to convey. Her story is hers and my story is mine. The similarities are not intentional unless I state that I am using ideas from anyone. If you have any further questions or accusations that you wish to inform me about, just PM me and I will try to get back at you as soon as I can.

Disclaimer: FMA and Inuyasha aren't mine.

Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse

Rating: M

Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last thing on her mind.

The Sacred Alchemist

Kagome sighed as she pressed her back deeper against the wall. She's never seen Edward so angry before; the look in his eyes was terrifying. His eyes brightened to the unforgettable sunglow yellow and was laced with so much venom that the priestess nearly froze where she stood. Squeezing Kisara closer to her chest, the Sacred-Life Alchemist slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "What are we going to do, Kisara? Edward would never use living people to gain back his body." She smiled weakly when her kitten sneezed cutely before her ears perked up and fur bristled. Kisara then began struggling to be let go, mewing and hissing until her claws extended and grazed Kagome's hand. "Ow! Kisara!"

Kisara took off running, scrambling down the hall, her kitten ears twitching back and forth. She quickly rounded a corner until she padded over to the last door on the left. The cat then began to paw and scratch at the door. That was how Kagome found her kitty. Frowning, she walked over and gently picked her up by the scruff of her neck, scolding, "Kisara, bad kitty. Look at the mess you made of..." she gazed up at the nameplate on the wooden door, "Lt. Colonel Marshall's door." Tapping her cat on the nose, Kagome said, "Come, we're going to apologize to him."

Kagome knocked lightly on the Lt. Colonel's office door, opening it when beckoned to. "Excuse me, Lt. Colonel Marshall. My name is Kagome Higurashi and I wanted to say sorry for the mess that..." she trailed off when she was suddenly staring into a pair of livid green eyes. Kagome felt Kisara squirm in her arms and this time she let her go before being scratched again. She watched as the kitten hopped happily into Lt. Colonel Marshall's lap and mewed lovingly.

Lt. Colonel Marshall scratched the kitten underneath her chin. "I see you've met your "Aunt", Miki."

The priestess felt her mouth dry up as she continued to stare at the tall, young man sitting at the desk before her. He had long red-orange hair that was tied up in a neat high ponytail, his eyes were a livid green and filled with a burning anger that was directed at Kagome. His lips peeled back into a sneer as his voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Hello, Kagome-mama."

"Shippou..." the Sacred Alchemist said with a quiver in her voice.

Shippou placed "Kisara" down on the ground and placed a little green leaf on her head. "Transform." he whispered softly and a puff of smoke rose up around the kitten. When the cloud cleared a young girl of about twelve stood in her kitten's place. She had long blond hair that was dyed black at the tips, happy green eyes, and small black fox ears that was partially hidden by her hair. The girl grinned brightly up at Shippou when he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "This is mine and Kirara's daughter, Miki."

Miki started to bow her head towards her "aunt" but stopped when her father growled softly in warning. The little fox-cat hybrid did not understand why her dad would do that. This was the woman that he was searching for! Why is he not happily taking her in his arms? Miki has spent the last week with Kagome and she seemed like a warm and loving person. Plus, Kagome sounded desperate to find Shippou when she finally realized that she had left him behind without a word of apology. "Daddy?" she said warily.

Kagome took a small step towards the boy that once called her "mama" with a soft smile on her face. "Shippou, I finally found you. Just look how big you have gotten." she cooed, gazing at him. But when she tried to move closer, a low growl rumbled deeply in his chest as he glowered at her.

"Don't come near me, Kagome." Shippou said angrily as his eyes flashed red. Questions that had built up over the past five hundred years were repeating like a mantra inside his head. Why did Kagome leave him behind? Why did she not try to take him with her. Why did she not love him enough to just stay with him and formally adopt him; to become his real mother. Shippou would have loved to share his life-blood with her to let her gain his longevity. But she turned and left him behind with no one to care for him! Sango and Miroku was dead. Inuyasha had long left with Kikyou. Granny Kaede had died of old age. Shippou was left all alone! "Why?" he whispered softly, his hand tightening slightly on his child's head.

The priestess blinked. What was he talking about. "Shippou, what do you mean?"

Shippou moved his hand away from Miki's head so that he would not harm her in his fury. "Why did you leave me?! Why didn't you try to take me with you?!"

Kagome gasped, "Shippou...I..."

"Did you not love me? Was that it? You didn't love me enough to take me with you!" Shippou's eyes and voice were both laced with poison as he spat those harsh words in Kagome's face. He felt bitter. Bitter that she left him. Bitter that it took her nearly four years for her to search for him. Bitter that she must did not love him like she had said that she did. Bitter that he still saw her as his mother. "Why, Kagome?! Why didn't you stay with me?! I needed you!"

"Shippou, I'm sorry!" she cried as tears began to stream down her face. "I'm sorry that I didn't think to take you with me! I was so young back then. I did not realize that you truly saw me as your mother. Back then I only saw you as a younger brother! But once I had returned and you weren't with me, I missed you so much. I knew in my heart that you were supposed to be my son!" Kagome slowly walked over to Shippou, ignoring his warning growl as she placed her hands on his cheeks. "Shippou, my boy, my baby, my son, my kit. I love you."

Tears brimmed in Shippou's livid green eyes as he stared down at Kagome. His hands balled up in tight fists as he jerked his face out of her hold. "It's too late for that, Kagome. My heart has turned bitter and cold." he walked over to his daughter and handed her the leaf he used to transform her into her humanoid form. "You may keep Miki by your side, her actions against my door are excused. You are dismissed, Sacred-Life."

"But..."

Shippou slammed his hands down against his desk, his lips pulled back into a snarl. "I said that you are dismissed!" he growled before directing his eyes back to Miki and softened his voice. "Miki, you are to stay by Major Higurashi's side and aide her as you see fit. Use that leaf to transform between your kitten form and humanoid form."

Miki looked between her father and her new master with a sad look in her eyes. She knew that her dad still cared for Kagome because if he did not he would have forbid her from travelling with the priestess. "Daddy..."

"Just go, Miki." Shippou looked back as Kagome, who was standing there staring back at him sadly with hurt evident in her dark blue eyes. "Leave me. Goodbye, Kagome." Once he said those words, he turned his back on them, his acute hearing behind his glamour spell heard the soft shuffling of their footsteps and creak of his door closing. Sighing, he sat down in his chair and reached into his desk's top draw. Shippou pulled out a silver pocket watch and clicked it open. Inside the top lid was a photo of him and Kagome beneath the Sacred Tree. He was sitting on her lap with a bright and happy smile on his face as he looked up at her; Kagome had her hands around his stomach as she smiled just as brightly down at him as small white flowers fluttered in her hair. "Kagome-mama...I love you, too." Shippou whispered as a single tear fell down his cheek.

Edward sat on the small couch with shadows hiding his eyes as Alphonse sat behind him. The once bright luminous red glow was dulled as Al stared at the floor in self-pity. Vaguely, the younger Elric heard the soft rumbling of his brother's stomach. "Brother..." he said. "Go eat breakfast."

Fullmetal shook his head. "I don't want anything." He stared down at his automail arms sadly, his eyes glazed over. "I'm tired of this. It's like...Just when I start thinking it's within my reach, it runs away from me." he stretched the metal arm out toward the ceiling before balling it into a tight fist. "It keeps going on like that. And this time. when I feel like I finally got a hold on it, I'm knocked down by what I caught." Ed laughed dryly as he placed his arm over his eyes. "Looks like God really hate those men that broke his rules. Are we going to live the rest of our lives like this?" There was a long silence between the brothers. "Hey, Al. There's something that I always wanted to tell you, but it was something I was too scared to say."

"What is it?" Alphonse said.

The door creaked open before Edward could answer and Kagome slowly stuck her head inside. "Edward? Alphonse?" Her voice was soft, almost sad sounding as she scanned the room for her boyfriend and his brother. Once she spotted them, she set Kisara down on the ground and watched as the little blonde cat run over to Al. "Oh? There you are."

Edward shot up at the sight of Kagome's red, tear streaked face. Did he cause that? Did he really scare her so much that she had cried? His heart twisted painfully in his chest as he rushed over to the priestess and took her in his arms. "What's wrong, Kagome? Did I make you cry? I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." He could not stand the thought that he may have been the cause of her tears, Especially since he was the one who was supposed to protect her beautiful smile.

Kagome felt her tears begin to leak from her eyes as she let Edward hold her. She had finally found her son and he wanted nothing to do with her. Wrapping her arms tightly around Ed's waist, she cried into his shoulder. "He doesn't want anything to do with me! He hates me! Edward, he hates me!"

"Stop crying, baby." Fullmetal cooed softly as he stroked his human fingers through her thick wavy hair. At the moment, Edward did not care if his younger brother saw him being affectionate to his girlfriend. Kagome was crying and needed him. "Kagome, please stop crying. Who hates you? If this is about earlier, then I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just so angry..." he stopped when she looked up at him with watery eyes.

The priestess sniffled as silent tears continued to travel down her face. "It's not because of earlier. I found Shippou."

Edward smiled gently as he rubbed her back in soothing circles, trying to stop her tears. "That's great, Kags. When can I meet him?" he panicked when the tears began to flow even faster down her pale cheeks and she shoved her face back in his shoulder, wailing loudly. Slowly, Ed put two and two together. If she was not crying because of how badly he had scared her and these most definitely weren't tears of happiness of being reunited with her son. "Kagome...you don't mean that Shippou hates you?"

Kagome let out a muffled cry as she sank deeper into Ed's arms, hanging onto him like a lifeline. "Yes! My son hates me for leaving him behind!"

"I'm sure that he doesn't hate you." Alphonse spoke up as he walked over to the couple, Kisara pressed comfortably against his chest. "How can anyone hate someone as kind as you, Kagome?"

The priestess raised her teary face and gave Alphonse a slight smile that did not reach her eyes. "Kind?" she said softly as her eyes refused to stop leaking salt water. "No, Alphonse. I am not kind. What "kind" person would leave behind the one person that depended on them? What "kind" person would leave a little boy who called her "mama"?" Her body shook violently in Edward's arms as she lowered her head in shame. "What "kind" person would make her only child hate her so much like this?" Tears ran down her face in silent streams before she buried her face back into Ed's shoulder, sobbing loudly.

Kisara mewed sadly, her green eyes locked on her master's body. Inside the little cat, Miki was furious at her father for making such a compassionate woman cry. Why could he not just forgive Kagome? She was practically a child herself when Shippou thought of the miko as his mother. The little fox-cat hybrid was happy to still be by Kagome's side. Even if her father denied her the right, Miki still would have found a way to get back to Kagome. Now if only she could find a way to cheer her master up?

Rumbling from behind the door alerted the teens of the growing commotion that was transpiring. Edward glanced over at the door before looking back down at Kagome. He smiled softly when it looked that she had fallen asleep. Ignoring the rumbling of voices, he picked his girlfriend up and carried her over to the couch, laying her down gently. Ed had just tucked a lock of dark hair back behind her ear when the door suddenly burst open, revealing Major Armstrong in all his glory.

"I have come, Edward Elric!" Alex said loudly, a sparkle gleaming off his little blond curl.

A glare entered Edward's eyes when he saw Kagome cringing her sleep and he directed it to the large alchemist. He marched up to the man and shoved his automail hand into his face, covering his mouth. "Shut it! Kagome just fell asleep!" he hissed, eyes glowing with fury and certain pain if his girlfriend was to be woken up. Fullmetal directed his glare to the two soldiers that were supposed to keep anyone and everyone who was not Kagome from entering the room.

Maria looked away with a grim look. "I'm sorry."

Danny cowered behind Ross, crocodile tears streaming down his face. "When a guy that annoying got close, we had to talk."

Alex glanced over at the sleeping priestess and wonder why her face was blotchy as if she had been crying. He moved over to the girl, he'd come to see as a niece as saw that her lashes were still wet with tears. "Edward Elric! Did you make Kagome cry!" he said, glaring at the small alchemist, his gauntlets appearing over his fists.

Edward jerked his head back as if he's been slapped before he narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell would I make her cry! I care about her too much to hurt her!" He lowered his head in shame when as he remembered that he was not with her when she confronted Shippou. Possibly, if he had been with her, he could have stood up for his girlfriend when Shippou verbally attacked her. "Someone very close to her heart made her cry. It isn't my right to tell you who though."

Armstrong nodded as he turned back to the sleep girl. "Sometimes the truth can be cruel, can't it Edward Elric?"

The Fullmetal Alchemist froze up at the large alchemist's words as realization hit him. "Hey, Al? Do you remember what Mister Marcoh said." He rolled his eyes at his brother's intelligent answer of "huh" before pressing on. "Come on, what he said at the station." Edward raised his human hand to his chin, his eyes turning serious. "The truth behind the truth. I get it. There's still something else." While he hated having to wake Kagome from her slumber, he needed her to help him. "Kags, baby, wake up." he said softly as he shook her shoulder gently. Ed smiled softly when Kagome opened those beautiful dark blue eyes of hers.

"What is it, Edward?" she said as she sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes. They were still sore from her crying. Kagome blinked in confusion when she saw Maria, Danny, and Alex all in the room. "What are they doing here?"

Edward grabbed Kagome's hand and led her over to the table where everyone was standing around. "You remember what Mister Marcoh said back at the train station?"

"Yeah." Kagome nodded. "He said that if it were you and me we might be able to uncover the..." Her eyes widened in realization as she flashed a bright smile at her boyfriend. "The truth behind truths! Which means there must be something else in the process of making a Philosopher's Stone! Mister Alex, is there a map of Central around?"

Armstrong nodded and quickly went over to the bookcase that covered the entire right wall, pulling out a thick book. Opening the book to a certain page, he pulled out a folded up slip of paper. Upon opening the paper, it revealed a map of Central. When everyone was around the table, he pointed a large finger to four different areas on the map. "There are currently four locations within Central that are Alchemic Research Institutes that work for the military." He pointed to one of the sightings. "Among those four the one that Doctor Marcoh worked for was the Third Research Institute."

Kagome glanced over at Edward and placed her hand over his. "Hey, didn't you pass through all of them after we got our national licenses?"

Edward nodded. He did go through the four Research Institutes after he became a State Alchemist. It was during the time Kagome was sulking in her room over the death of her little cousin that he decided to occupy his mind by visiting the buildings. "Yeah, but this one didn't look like they were doing research that was all that important though..." His golden eyes narrowed at the map as he spotted something. "This one," he pointed at the little blur on the paper, "What's this building?"

Maria opened her guide book, scanning over the contents carefully. "Previously, that building used to be the Fifth Research Institute. It is currently only an unused, deserted building." her dark eyes narrowed slightly to read the fine print underneath under small picture of the abandoned building. "However, due to danger of collapsing, entrance is prohibited."

Golden eyes narrowed even further as Ed stared at the little blur on the map. "It's this one." He pointed to the building next to the old Fifth Research Institute. "There's a prison next to it. To make the Philosopher's stone, they need to use living humans as raw materials. Which means there's a place where they're supplied with raw materials."

Danny's eyes widened at the small alchemist's words. "Now that I think about it, executed Death-row inmates don't have their remains returned to their families."

Kagome's eyes slowly began to glow silver with her suppressed anger. So there was no other way to make a Philosopher's Stone other than using humans as the raw material for it. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the map. "That means to the public they're put to death on the gallows within the prison, but while they're still alive they're secretly moved to the Research Institute." Her nails dug into the skin of her forearms as she closed her eyes tightly. "And over there, they're used for experiments for the Philosopher's Stone!"

Edward wrapped a calming arm around Kagome's waist and drew her close to him. He knew now that he would have to give up his dream of returning Alphonse back to normal with the use of a stone. His girlfriend would never allow him to use human beings as materials. He glanced over at Maria and Danny and saw the grim looks on their faces and gave them a deadpanned look. "Don't look like that. She was just explaining. I'm sure she's just as sick as you."

Armstrong crossed his arms over his chest, his baby blue eyes taking on a serious gleam. "However, that is ultimately speculation at present. The Nation may have no connection to this. This research organization may have acted independently."

Alphonse leaned over the desk, his metal palms creaking slightly under the pressure. "Who's in charge of this research organization." He could sense Kagome's anger since it was her powers that flowed through him to make him feel human again. He could feel his skin tingling even though there was none, could feel his body growing hot with rage, feel his palms getting sweaty.

"That would be the "Iron Blood Alchemist," Brigadier General Basque Grand." Alex said grimly.

Kagome narrowed her silvery-blue eyes. It was that man. The one who kicked her out of her uncle's house. The one caused Nina's death by trying to hide her away. That bastard will never let her, let alone Edward near his research. She placed a hand on Ed's shoulder when she saw him lowered his head to glare at the ground. "Mister Alex, is there any way you could talk to Grand for us."

"I cannot." Alex said grimly as he locked eyes with the priestess. "He was murdered by Scar a few weeks ago. Right before he attempted on your lives," He had a ghostly look on his face as he explained that Scar was going around killing State Alchemists affiliated with the higher ranks of the military. Among those that were killed, there were most likely have been some that knew about the truth. The Major grabbed the map and folded it back up before placing it inside the book from whence it came. "Should there be anyone of high rank in the military other than Brigadier General Grand that is involved in this research than it is inevitable that this will become complicated. I will probe into this matter and inform you later. Until then the second lieutenant and the sergeant are to keep quiet on this matter! Kagome, you and the Elric Brothers are to stay put!"

The Sacred-Life Alchemist sighed at the brothers' loud shout of "what" and quickly moved away from them when the large Major was upon them, his baby blue eyes dark. Armstrong then, in a very menacing way, told them that that a child had no business doing such dangerous things even if it there may be a way to restore their bodies at that place. Edward waved his hand up and down in surrender at the scary alchemist, claiming that he understood.

Ed sighed when the Major backed off. "We won't do anything dangerous like that."

Alphonse felt a drop of sweat roll down his cheek, but made no move to wipe at it since he knew that there was none. "We'll just wait for what the Major has to report."

Kagome giggled nervously. She knew that Ed and Al were lying between their teeth.

As soon as night fell, the three bodies of the young alchemists dropped out of the window of the room they were assigned to stay in. With Kagome using her priestess abilities to mask their presence, they quickly made their way over to the abandoned building of the Fifth Research Institute. Like hell the Elrics were going to stay put. It was their own fault that their bodies were like the way they were. And it was their responsibility to find a way to restore them.

Of course Edward had tried to find a way to make Kagome stay behind because they did not know what they were getting into. If there was going to be any signs of danger, he did not need his heroic girlfriend getting hurt trying to protect him like she was so fond of doing. But she threatened to go and tell Armstrong of their plan as well as telling Ed that she'll never let him kiss her again. That made Edward quickly agree to let her tag along.

Kagome held out her arm to stop the brothers from going any further as she pointed at the lone soldier standing in front of the gate. "A guard at an unused building is strange." She turned her dark blue eyes on her companions and tilted her head to the side. "So, how do we get in? Make an entrance?"

Al shook his head. "The guard will see the light of the transmutation." His eyes took on a teasing glow when Edward picked Kagome up bridal style, eliciting a squeak of surprise from the girl. He kneeled down and cupped his hands together, creating a cradle for his brother's foot. Once Ed had Kagome secure in his arms, he tossed them into the air.

Edward somersaulted through the air with his girlfriend clinging tightly to his neck, her face buried in his shoulder. He landed on the balls of his feet on top of the wall and sat Kagome down gently. Carefully, he began to pick away the sharp barbed wire with his automail hand and inched it down to Alphonse. "I don't want to admit it, but at times like this, I'm glad these aren't my natural limbs."

Alphonse grabbed the wire, barely feeling the sting of the metal stabbing into his palms. Kagome had told him that he would feel some pain when hurt, but it would take many more sessions before the feeling became intense like it should be. "I feel the same way." he whispered as he climbed up the side of the wall. He watched his brother grab Kagome back into his arms and leapt down to the ground.

"Damn." Ed cursed when he spotted the entrance, "The entrance is also sealed shut."

Kagome looked around for some other type of entrance, cursing softly when she found that all of them were blocked off. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, she blinked when Kisara suddenly meowed loudly, poking her little paws out of her bag. "Kisara?" she pulled the little kitten out of her bag. "Did you sneak into my bag?" Kagome raised a brow when it looked like the feline was trying to tell her something. "You want me to look up?" Following the direction her pet was squirming in, Kagome spotted a ventilation above her head. Flashing Kisara a bright smile, she said, "Good work, Miki!" Kagome called the little fox-cat hybrid by her real name and the kitten purred while rubbing her face against the priestess' chin. Kagome signaled for Ed and Al.

"Nice!" Edward praised, giving her a quick squeeze before climbing on Alphonse's shoulder. He pried the screen open with his hands and peered inside. "Looks like this continues all the way to the end..." he turned back to his girlfriend and brother. "You two stay here."

Kagome tossed her arms to the side and stomped her foot. "What do you mean stay here? What if you need help?"

Ed looked Kagome directly in the eyes, trying his hardest to keep his gaze from scaring her. "Look, Kagome, I know you want to help me. But I don't want to risk you getting hurt trying to protect me. So, stay here with Al. His huge body isn't going to be able to get in through here." He glanced down at his brother before crawling into the vent. "Use this time to meditate with him so that he can gain his senses back, please."

The Sacred-Life Alchemist watched her boyfriend crawl deeper into the vent before crossing her arms and huffing. "Only because you asked so nicely." She sighed, turning to Al with her hands already glowing pink. "Well, shall we begin, Alphonse?"

"48! Hey!"

"What is is 66?"

"We got some rare guests here." the voiced called 66 said with a giddy tone.

48 rose to his feet, the sound of metal against metal echoed through the small room. "Really? Do these ones like they will provide some entertainment?"

66 giggled manically. "I'm not expecting much from the two guys, a shorty and a freak piggy in armor, but," his voiced pitched with excitement. "There's a girl among them!" he threw his head back and laughed loudly at the comment 48 made. "I'll let you take the shorty, but the piggy and girl are all mine!." he brandished a large cleaver in his metal hand. "I'm gonna mince them!"

Edward grimaced at the tight surroundings he was placed in when he began to crawl further into the vent. It was a bit more cramped in here than what he first thought. A normal-sized person would not be able to get through, so he was glad that his body was small enough. It took Ed a few seconds to realize that he called himself small before he exploded into a self-hating rage. With tears of anger flowing down his face, Fullmetal kicked out the screen beneath him and jumped out of the ventilation system. "What the hell do they mean by "currently not in use?"" he hid his grin behind his hand."Bingo."

-Back outside with Kagome and Alphonse-

Kagome smiled as she watched Al interact with her kitten inside her barrier. Slowly, his glowing red eyes had changed into the dark golden color of his former self and his voice deepened to the right pitch to match his current age. She looked up at the vent that Ed had left in and frowned. What was taking him so long? "He's been gone for almost an hour now." the priestess whispered. A tingle went off in the back of her head as warning bells went off. She quickly strengthened her barrier just as a large cleaver smashed down on it. "What the?" Kagome said as she stared into the glowing white eyes of the thing that attacked her an Alphonse. "Who are you?"

Alphonse looked up and saw the gleam of a second blade. He acted quickly, grabbing Kagome and jumped out of the way when their attacker broke through the priestess' barrier with the combined force of both of its weapons. Al narrowed his dark gold eyes, which were slowly turning back red. "Why did you attack us?" he pushed Kagome back behind him because he knew of her tendencies of jumping in front to protect her friends.

The suit slowly yanked his cleavers out of the ground as he giggled hysterically. "Okay, okay! For a big guy and a little girl, you can react pretty quick. This wouldn't be any fun if you weren't." He turned his glowing eyes over to Kagome and his animalistic mask tilted to the side. "You asked me who I am, so I'll ya. Number 66! This is only the name I go by when I'm working, though." His mask opened in a mocking smile."I got a real name but you'll shrink once you hear it. I'll tell ya when I finish you off."

The priestess glared at the man. His aura felt similar to Alphonse, almost as it he and Al were the same thing. If this thing was here to try and kill her and Alphonse, just what sort of danger is Edward in. She flinched at the sound of metal scraping against metal as 66 rubbed his blades together.

"I'm going to take you apart nice and neat." 66 said, looking directly at Kagome. "Don't worry, just scream.

-Back inside with Edward-

Golden eyes widened as he stared at the large transmutation circle before him. He's never seen this type before and Fullmetal memorized each and every circle possible. Edward walked over to the transmutation circle, stepping into one of the five points. "What is this? " He looked around the perimeter of the room. "Is this what is used to transmute the Philosopher's stone?"

"Correct." a voice said, causing the young alchemist to jump and look over at the samurai suit walking towards him. "I don't know where a kid like you came from, but you seem like you want to learn more about the stone." The samurai's glowing eyes narrowed at Edward as he tightened his grip on his sword. "I am one of those that were left with the task of guarding this place. For now, call me Number 48. I am ordered to remove all outsiders that enter. Don't think badly of me, kid."

Edward gave the samurai a deadpanned look as he took his glove off his automail. "Ditto." He clasped his hands together before sweeping his human hand over his metal one, transmuting a gleaming dagger over it. "Don't feel bad about losing to a kid."

"Ho!" 48 exclaimed. "So that's alchemy. Come on." his eyes gleamed ominously as he suddenly appeared in front of Edward. "Show me what you can do."

Fullmetal gasped in surprise as he quickly dodged 48's first attack. For a man in a suit, he was fast. He grimaced when even though he managed to block the second attack, the samurai's sword still sliced through the fabric of his jacket. Edward was glad that he made Kagome stay behind with Alphonse. Her alchemy would not have been able to do anything against this type of opponent. Then she would have gotten seriously injured while trying to protect him. Anger marks appeared on his face when 48 claimed that his blade could strike through even steel. "Don't joke around!" Edward growled. "I'm going to get killed by Winry if this gets broke again!"

48 slashed again with his sword, grunting when the child blocked his strike again with his steel limb. Going in for another attack, he failed to notice the boy getting into an offensive stance until a foot connected with his stomach. His eyes lowered to the ground for a brief second when the boy lowered his leg to stare at him with disbelief.

Edward took a few seconds to let the fact that when he kicked the samurai it sounded hollow. Like the suit was empty. His lips curled up in a nervous smile as sweat rolled down his face. "You can't possibly be hollow on the inside?" Ed asked, his voice tense.

"I'm surprised." 48 said as he placed his sword on his shoulder behind his head. "You found out quickly."

"I spar a lot with a guy just like you." Fullmetal confessed, his mind drifting to Kagome and Alphonse. "I could tell by how that just felt."

48's eyes took on a curious glow as that information piqued his interest. "Ho? So there's some else like me on the surface."

Edward grimaced, his eyes glowing with his anger as he shook his head. "I don't like this. There's another idiot besides me that would think about bonding a soul onto a suit of armor.

The samurai brandished his sword in front of, spreading his feet shoulder-width apart as he got into an offensive stance. His glowing white eyes locked with Edward's. "I will introduce myself once more." he began, his voice void of all emotion. "The 48 of my name is my death row number. When I was alive, if that's what is should be called, when I had a body of flesh, I was a killer that was called "Slicer" by the public. To the rest of the world I was executed two years ago.." He shifted his stance slightly, his blade reflecting the moonlight that filtered through the small window. "The skills of Slicer were respected and then used as raw materials for an experiment. Now, I serve as the watchdog of this place."

"So, where's the seal that's the medium between your soul and the armor?" Ed asked, his brows furrowed into a scowl.

Slicer tilted his head down at the young alchemist, chuckling. "So, I don't have to explain everything." he reached for the white cloth that was tied to the lower half of his mask. "I don't know much about alchemy. But it seems that the blood is connected to the soul. Then the iron inside the blood is synchronized to the metal of the armor." He lifted up the top part of his mask, revealing the blood symbol hidden underneath. "Yes, this is my head's blood seal. Destroy this and you win."

Edward laughed bitterly as he straightened his stance slightly. "Thanks for telling me your weak point. You're a nice old guy."

48 lowered his mask, his glowing eyes narrowing at the old guy comment. "I'm the sort of person that likes to break the tension during a fight."

"Since you're being so kind, you wouldn't mind letting me go like I am now, right?" Fullmetal was starting to get worried about Kagome and Al. If this guy was supposed to be a watchdog, who knew if there were more of these ex-killer's soul-bond suit walking around. If so, then his girlfriend and brother may be in trouble.

Slicer's white eyes narrowed at Edward, a blazing glow shadowed by darkness that seemed to pierce right through the young alchemist. "Would a killer ignore and allow the prey in front of him to escape?" His voice was empty except for killer intent echoing off his words. 48 raised his sword and dropped into a fighting stance, causing Fullmetal to stand in a defensive stance. "Now! I will come at you!"

Second Lt. Maria Ross walked past the room the three young alchemist were residing in, doing her usual rounds. At first she thought it to be strange when the girl insisted that she sleep in the same room as Edward and began to refuse, but when the Major explained that Kagome still experienced horrible nightmares of something that transpired in her past and that only the presence of her friends kept them at bay did Maria relent. Ross paused at the door of the room and sensed that something was off. It was quiet. A bit too quiet.

Pulling down her gun, Maria used her booted foot to kick open the door. Her dark eyes widened at the sight of the empty room with only the window open. "We've been had! I thought it was too quiet!"

Danny raised his hands to his head and mussed up his hair as crocodile tears fell down his face. "Oh no...Major Armstrong is going to scream at us for not doing our job..."

Anger marks appeared on Ross' face as she clenched up her fist tightly. "Those little brats! Why can't they think about things from our standpoint!?" she holstered her gun and walked out of the room, grabbing her long trench coat. "We're going." she felt her brow twitch in anger when her partner asked where were they going. "It's obvious, isn't it!? The old 5th Research Institute!"

Edward grit his teeth as he clasped his hand over his automail to stabilize it as he used his dagger to block Slicer's strike. He quickly swung his arm down to temporarily disarm 48 long enough for him to attack him. Ed angled his blade to aim for the blood seal hidden behind the armor's head, but was blocked and thrown back. Something clinked in his metal shoulder, causing Edward to pause. 'Huh? Something didn't feel right with my shoulder...' He grimaced as he remembered Winry's words about his newly constructed automail. While he would be able to move faster with the lighter metal, his strength was lowered. His eyes widened when 48's sword came dangerously close to slicing through the soft flesh of his neck and Edward quickly dodged it. "ACK!" He yelped. 'I'm going to be in trouble if I don't end this soon!' Fullmetal aimed for Slicer's head again only to catch the long braid of white 'hair' attached to the top when 48 ducked under his blade.

Slicer saw an opening and quickly took advantage it, bringing his sword down. Edward narrowly avoided the attack as he somersaulted backwards on one hand. He grimaced in pain when he felt his human shoulder split open and a thin line of blood crawled down his arm. The cut was centimeters away from slicing the tendon that controlled the muscles in his shoulder. Any deeper and Edward would not have been able to use his arm. Golden eyes widened when Fullmetal realized that he backed himself into a corner and swiftly ducked under 48's sword, and had to flip onto his head when Slicer stabbed the spot where he had just been.

"You're just like a monkey." 48 commented, unintentionally setting off Ed's infamous anger.

Golden eyes went dark and teeth gritted as Edward roared, "WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

Slicer ignored the boy's rage and continued talking as if Edward never said anything. "I'm happy to have a worthy and energetic prey." He pulled his sword out of the stone floor." With your wounds and fatigue, I can see where this fight will lead. Your friends outside are probably being taken care of by my companion around now. They can't come and save you."

Edward's eyes widened before his long blond bangs covered them when he lowered his head. So, Kagome and Alphonse were in danger. He could only hope that Al would be able to keep the little priestess from jumping out to protect him. "So, is that companion of yours strong?"

"He is strong." 48 said. "Though weaker than me."

Fullmetal let out a laugh of relief. If the guy outside fighting Alphonse was weaker than the guy Edward was fighting, then Kagome would be safe. "Then I don't have to be worried as much." He wiped at the blood that dripped down from the cut below his right eye. "Since way back, I've never won a fight once, whenever I get in a fight with him."

-Back outside with Kagome and Alphonse-

Kagome grinned brightly when Al shoved his fist into the face of their attacker. She laughed when the larger man fell humorously to the ground headfirst. That's what he gets for threatening the priestess. Alphonse was very protective over her since she was the one helping him and his brother. He's come to see Kagome as a sister to him. She rolled her eyes when 66 made several attempts to cut Al only for the younger Elric to dodge and block each strike with ease. Kagome always knew that Alphonse was stronger than Edward, but never said it to her boyfriend's face.

"Just get chopped, Piggy!" 66 said as he aimed his blades at Al's vital points, missing them completely each time. "It won't hurt a bit!"

Alphonse sighed. "Even if you say that..." he gasped when his heel connected with a stone that had fallen to the ground and made him lose his balance.

66 saw his chance and quickly thrust his blade into the joint of the kid's elbow. "I'm gonna get some roast shoulder!" He raised his cleaver and swung it towards Al's shoulders. His glowing eyes widened when the boy broke his thin meat carver by flexing his arm and blocked his chop with his forearm. He howled out in shock when Alphonse force palmed him in the face, knocking him back and causing his helmet to fall off. "Bastard. My head just came off." he reached over and picked up his fallen helmet when the boy spoke up about his body. "There's a little reason for that."

He placed his helmet back on his head, giggled hysterically. "I'll tell you about this old story. You've probably heard of it. This is the story of a butcher named Barry." he glanced over his shoulder at the girl and saw that she was still hiding behind that shimmering pink bubble she had constructed when he first attacked her. "Once upon a time, there was an old butcher named Barry in Central City. Barry loved slicing up meat. But one day, cows and pigs weren't enough for Barry anymore. He started to roam the city night after night and took people apart. Eventually, Barry was arrested, but before that there were up to 23 people that became his victims. He struck fear into the hearts of the citizens of Central. That man of course was sent to the Gallows." He chuckled, "All's well that ends well! This is one of those old stories that's been going around."

66 turned back to Alphonse, knowing if he stared at the girl for too long, he would he punched by her little body guard. "Anyway, the truth is that old story didn't stop there. What they say about Barry dying at the Gallows is a story for the public. He avoided the death penalty on the condition of being a guardsman for a certain place. However, he would lose his flesh and have his soul bound to an iron body." 66 tilted his head back and laughed maniacally. "Yeah! He's right in front of you! I'm Barry the Chopper!" he turned to gauged the girl's face since it was known that Barry enjoyed chopping up women the most.

Kagome and Alphonse both tilted their heads to the side. "Who?"

"I was born in a village in the East area, so I didn't know much about stories about famous murders from Central." Al explained, much to Barry's shock.

"I'm from Tokyo, Japan." Kagome said with a shrug of her shoulders. "How would I know about you? A murder form Ametris."

66 drooped his shoulders in defeat. "A nick and a foreigner." he sighed, "Okay, so you don't know about me, but you have some reaction from looking at my body, right. You're both not acting right!" He glared at Alphonse and then at Kagome. "It's supposed to be more like "Gyaah!" or "Waah!" or "What the hell is that body?!"

Kagome was in near tears with her laughter when Barry let out a shrill scream when Alphonse lifted his helmet from his body to show that he, too, was just a soul alchemically bound to a suit of armor. She fell to the ground and rolled onto her side when 66 shouted the exact sentence that he had just said that she and Al should had remarked when they saw his body. She instantly sobered up when Barry called Alphonse a fellow inmate and claimed that instead of fighting him for the rights to kill her that they should do it together. "Alphonse is not a criminal, you idiot!"

Barry glanced back over at the girl to see that a small cat had poked its head out of her bag and bared its little fangs at him. He rolled his glowing eyes. "Oh? Then why is he like that?"

Al placed his helmet back on his body, admitting to himself that since Kagome had been working with him, it felt weird to pull his head off. "There's a little reason for this. After my body was gone, my older brother transmuted my soul."

66 paused for a few seconds before an idea hit him. "Do you trust your bro?"

"Yeah, of course." Alphonse replied immediately. "He put his life on the line to transmute my soul."

Barry gained a look of bliss as he gazed up at the moon. "Aaah, the love between brothers is truly a beautiful thing." He turned his eyes back on Al. "Even if it is fake love. I mean are you really brothers?"

Kagome narrowed her dark blue eyes at Barry. Just what was he trying to say? Was he trying to say that Edward and Alphonse weren't really brothers? That was not possible. When she was training with Al, his eyes turned a shade of gold that was similar to her boyfriends, maybe a little bit darker. She felt Kisara paw at her hand and glanced down at the little kitten and saw that her pet was holding the leaf that Shippou had left behind in her mouth. "You want to transform, Miki?"

Alphonse tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Well, our personalities are really different and they say I'm taller than my brother when I'm the younger brother."

66 scratched the top part of his mask. "No, no. I didn't mean that. What would do you if...Your personality and memory were artificially created by your brother?"

The priestess felt her eyes widen. Barry was trying to confuse Alphonse by putting torment into his heart. He was using a tactic that painfully reminded her of Naraku. He was trying to pit Al against Edward. "Don't listen to him Al! There's no way that could be true! Remember our training! You're definitely a human being named Alphonse Elric!"

Barry cackled at the little priestess before turning his glowing eyes on her. "What the hell is a "soul?" How do you prove that something that can't be describe, can't be seen exists?! His brother, you, the people around him, everybody's probably tricking him, eh?" He laughed loudly once more before gazing back at Al. "That's right! Where's the proof that person she was talking about really existed?! Where's the flesh?!"

"Then what about you?" Alphonse said in a shaky voice.

Just then a guard appeared, his gun already poised to shoot. "Freeze! Entrance here is forbidden! Leave immed..." he trailed off when a sharp and bitter pain erupted from his cheek.

"Shaddup." Barry said as he ruthlessly sliced the top part of the soldier's head cleanly off. The body of the man fell to the ground and blood pooled around 66's feet. "Then what about you," was it? It's simple!" He flicked his wrist, splattering the red fluid that clung to his cleaver. "I love cutting the meat of living people! There ain't nothing better for me than killing! I kill, therefore I exist! This is the proof that I exist! I'm satisfied with just that! Even if your friend defeats my companion and head towards here, this building was built like a maze."

-Back inside with Edward-

"Even if they do arrive, they would waste a great deal of time." Slicer said calmly.

Ed smirked, his golden eyes locking on the corner behind his enemy. "And your point it?" He made a quick gesture with his eyes to catch 48's attention before shouting, "Al, Kagome! Do it now!"

48 quickly drew his sword, aiming to cut down the intruders behind him before they gained the upper hand on him. "When did they...?!" he trailed off when he saw that there was nothing behind him It was a trick and he fell for it. Before, Slicer could change his stance, Edward was already upon him.

Edward quickly used his dagger to remove 48's helmet from his body, smirking when he was called cowardly. "There's no such thing as being cowardly in a fight." He began to walk away when Slicer's body fell to the ground and removed his dagger from his automa with a quick swipe of his hand. "Time to move on. Al is protecting Kagome, so I shouldn't be worried about them too much."

"Well?" 48 said impatiently. "You haven't destroyed my blood seal yet. Hurry up and destroy..." he paused when Edward walked over to him and picked him up by the long rope of 'hair.'

"Because your soul is in here, the main body is only a lump of steel if I detach the head." Edward concluded as he lifted 48 into the air until he was eye-level. "Besides, there's something I want to ask you."

Slicer beat him to the point. "About the Philosopher's Stone?"

Edward narrowed his hardened golden eyes. He knew that if Kagome saw him now, she would be terrified of him. That's why he was glad he made her stay behind with his brother. "Spill your gut on what you know."

"I can't tell you."

Anger marks appear on Ed's temple as his hand tightened around the rope of 'hair'. "Hey, hey. The loser isn't suppose to be resisting."

Slicer openly laughed at the young alchemist, angering him even further. "I haven't lost yet."

Fullmetal's eyes widened to their fullest extent before a searing pain erupted from his side when the Slicer's sword pierced his flesh. Grimacing, he dropped Slicer's head to grab his bleeding wound and gaped at the fact that the body of his opponent was still able to move even though the blood seal was not attached. "That's impossible!?"

"There doesn't have to be just one soul in one suit of armor." a voice that was slightly higher than the one that belong to head said casually.

The head of the armor's eyes gleamed ominously. "I forgot to tell you, but the killer named, "Slicer..."

"Was a team of two brothers." the body said.

Edward, now, wished that either Alphonse or Kagome was here with him. Separate souls for the head and the body was seriously cheating! It was two against one! And being injured like he was, Ed was at a disadvantage. "You, guys, are cheating! Two against one is not fair!" he said in a whining voice as he tried to stop the blood coming from the wound on his side.

The older brother rolled his white eyes. "Who was the one that said there's no such thing as being cowardly in a fight?"

"Yeah, yeah." the younger brother said as he placed on hand on his hip. "Our main job is to rid of any outsiders that get inside. Don't take it personally." He raised his sword, "Now let's start round 2, Shrimp!" the younger brother paused and pointed to his blood seal at the neck of the suit. "But...before that, I'll tell you where my blood seal is just like my brother did. My blood seal is right over here! Aim for it and destroy it, Shorty! 'cept going by your shaky stance, looks like you won't be able to!"

Edward took each insult to his height and used it to fuel his anger. "Shit." he cursed as he lifted his hands into his alchemic stance, clasping them together. "Don't underestimate me."

The younger brother charged, using the same speed that his brother had in their fight before. "I'm not going to give you time to transmute!"

All Fullmetal was able to do was shakily dodge the strike the body of the suit aimed at him. He's lost too much blood from his wounds. He's starting to feel shaky. Pain exploded from his abdomen when the hilt of his opponent's sword rammed into his ribs with enough force to crack a few of the bones. Blood pooled in his mouth and he hunched over to spit it out. 'This is really bad! Am I going to die here?' As he backed up against the wall, the word 'die' repeated in his head like a mantra until an image that he did not want to see entered his head. "Ah shit..." Kagome would kill him if she knew that he was about to do. He raised his hands and clasped them together.

"I told you, I wouldn't give you time to transmute!"

Ed ducked, the tip of the blade slicing through his cheek before pressing his automail against the armored chest of the younger brother. "I just remembered that horrible guy." a white light flitted over the fingers of his metal hand and into the body of the suit, deconstructing it. Blood splurted out of the wound on his side as he fell to the ground and gripped his injury.

"Dammit!" the younger brother cursed as he wriggled around. "You really screwed me up, you damn kid!" finally he stopped moving and called out for his older brother.

"Yeah..." the elder said. "This is pitiful, but we lost, Little Brother."

Edward looked at them wearily. "So, there were really 3 brothers!" he exclaimed before saying in a softer voice, "You're not going to say something like that, right?"

"Hmph. Good job, kid. This time you really did win." the older brother said honestly.

Fullmetal narrowed his eyes, his breath coming out in puffs. "Okay, so tell me everything you know."

The head rolled its eyes. "I can't tell you. Now, destroy us and get lost."

It was Edward's time to roll his own gold-tinged eyes as leaned back further against the wall he was resting on. "Spare me the role of being a murderer." Kagome would never forgive him if she learned that he took the life of another. He would not be able to look her in the eye and say that he would be the one to protect her smile anymore. He opened his eyes when the elder of the Slicer Brothers called him soft that he was not asking to kill them he saw telling him to destroy them. They were no longer human. "If..." Ed began, holding his wound tightly. "I accept the fact that you're not human beings, that'll mean I'll accept that my little brother isn't a human being. My little brother is a human being and you guys are too. I don't want to kill. Plus a very special girl wouldn't want me to." Edward blinked when the younger of the Slicer Brothers' burst out in hearty laughter.

"From the time we could tell right from wrong, we brothers stole, destroyed, and killed." the elder began, his own voice mixing with laughter. "We were labeled as outcasts and savages, and thus loved. To be treated like human beings for the first time ever, after throwing away our bodies rather than our hearts." His glowing eyes settled on Fullmetal's surprised form. "Kid! You said you wanted to know about the Stone."

"Brother!" the younger said after recovering from his laughing fit, sobering up quickly. "If you talk, we'll be punished!"

The elder brother glanced over at the prone, deconstructed body of his younger sibling. "We'll be punished anyway for being totally useless in terminating an intruder. And we've already died once. It's a little too late to be afraid." he looked back over to Edward. "Kid, I'm giving you a farewell gift. I'll tell you everything! But as I said before, I don't know much about Alchemy. I know nothing of the Philosopher's Stone."

"Huh!" Ed exclaimed, cringing when that sent a shock of pain down his spine. "Then what's the point in talking?!"

"I don't know about the stone, but I know of who made it." the elder sibling said, his eyes locked with Edward's. "In other words, the ones who told us to guard this place. They are..." Before he could finish, two blades pierced the helmet where his blood seal was located.

The blades retracted until they returned to a woman with long, dark brown hair that fell to her hips and burgundy tinted lips. "That was too close." she said, her voice teasingly playful. "You mustn't blab too much, 48."

A man with wispy black hair dressed in an effeminate outfit placed his hands on his hips, a scowl on his face. "Oh my. Why's the Fullmetal shrimp here?" Envy grinned widely as his violet-hued eyes locked with the golden orbs of Edward. "Well then. What do you in a situation like this?"

Edward's eyes never left the woman who had just pierced the older Slicer Brother's seal. Where has he seen her before? She looked familiar. 'Damn it! I'm can't remember!' His eyes widened in realization when Kagome's locket flickered through his mind. The image of her and another woman standing under a large tree, their arms wrapped around each other in friendly embrace while smiling brightly. 'It's her! It's Kagome's friend, Sango!'

I'd like to thank everyone who took a guess at who Lust was. She is indeed Sango! But anyway, as I said in my A/N at the top, if anyone has any inquiries about my story and where I am trying to go with with, feel free to drop me a PM and I will clarify anything. I am not stealing chika1435's story! It heavily inspired mine! And we have talked about this matter twice now! She told me that you are going straight to tattle to her, but no one has tried to confront me about it! Stop trying to instigate things and get my story deleted by the Admins! If you have a problem with my story come talk to me!

To my supporters and readers: Thank you for standing by me. That message above was not directed towards you. But, the next update may not come up around the end of May or beginning of June. I'm sorry for the delay, but I have to get my own ideas straight for this story. So, others will stop thinking that I am taking things for "Priestess Alchemist"

Ja

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