SailorStar9: This is Chapter 11 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OC.

Chapter 11: Final Confrontation

Finally, Ranko mused, perched on her spot on a building roof, her eyes surveying the small chapel her pacifier led her. The time to the final battle. Roy, I hope you can forgive me for not saying goodbye. Activating her 'Rain Flames', she dispelled the 'Cloud Flame' illusion her predecessor placed on the church. With the gate before her, she entered. Stopping before the stone slab on the wall, her pacifier shot a beam of 'Rain Flames' into the circle on the top of the stone and a door opened. "Finally." she whispered, entering the underground city. "The Lost City: sacrificed to create the Philosopher's Stone and erased to hide that fact."

"Rose…" Ed muttered, entering the dance hall to find Rose dancing by herself.

"Ed…" Rose stopped. "You finally came…"

"Rose, why are you here?" Ed was confused as the older girl led him into a waltz.

"I've been waiting, all this time." Rose replied. "Ed, I…"

"Rose…" Ed flushed. "Rose, was Al brought here?" he pushed her off. "What is this place?"

"The baby!" Rose exclaimed, hearing her baby's wails. "My baby…" she reclaimed her child from Dante.

"You should keep dancing with her." Dante scolded. "She's been waiting for you, ever since we fled here. You cruel man."

"Lyra, did you bring Rose here?" Ed questioned.

"Dante told me only the oldest of the alchemists know of this city." Dante replied.

"While we're on the subject, I forgot to ask how Dante was killed." Ed remarked.

"She was killed by the Homunculus known as Greed." Dante answered. "I told you."

"You're lying." Ed insisted. "The transmutation circle I found at her house was one capable of sealing a Homunculus. I even found the bones from the original Greed's skeleton. Greed shouldn't have been able to go anywhere near Dante."

"Is that right?" Dante echoed. "But the fact still remains; Dante is dead."

"But what if the body that was there was nothing more than a soulless shell?" Ranko cut in, her pacifier blazing.

"What are you suggesting?" Dante turned to the 'Gate Key'.

"I know exactly what she means," Ed glared. "I'm saying that maybe someone has been living for hundreds of years because they are using the Stone to transfer their soul from body to body. Back then when you faked your death, you transferred your soul into Lyra's body. Isn't that right?"

"Stop it, Ed." Lyra protested. "I'm just…"

Ed transmuted a spear and tossed it at Lyra in retaliation.

Lyra countered by transmuting a black lance. "That could have been dangerous."

"When did you see the Gate, Lyra?" Ranko hissed. "You just transmuted without a circle. That's the key, Dante!"

"When did you figure this out, Ranko of Rain?" Dante was amused.

"So, it is true." Ranko muttered.

"Honestly, this body is very nice." Dante remarked.

"How many people have you sacrificed?" Ed pressed.

"Who knows?" Dante shrugged. "Less than ten, if that's a comfort. After all, I would've to had to use a Philosopher's Stone each time."

"You murdered the people of this city to make the Stone." Ranko accused.

"Long time ago, another city in the east disappeared overnight in a similar fashion." Dante supplied. "But just so you know, I wasn't the one who made the Stone."

"Hohenheim-sama, right?" Ranko asked.

"Is this how he was able to keep living too?" Ed snapped. "What for?"

"Because we are worth that much." Dante replied.

"You make the Stone in secret, using it only to prolong your own lives." Ed retorted. "How is that justified?"

"Human beings can't handle the Philosopher's Stone." Dante reasoned.

"Is that why you destroy everything when you fail at creating it and leave behind a legend that says coming close to the Stone leads to destruction?" Ed demanded.

"Yes, so that humans won't get close to the Stone." Dante answered. "But if they manage to find it, we take it away at the last second to use it wisely. After all, who knows what humans would do if we let them have the Philosopher's Stone? I'm just preventing foolish humans from destroying this world. You could say the reason I continue to live is to keep humans from doing something foolish with the Stone."

"Are you out of your mind?" Ed barked. "You're human too!"

"Not anymore." Dante corrected.

"Lust!" Gluttony burst in.

"This is disappointing." Dante remarked. "I was looking forward to making love with Hohenheim's son after I transferred to this girl's body."

"Am I the only one disturbed by that?" Ranko muttered.

"So, you're choosing Rose's body now?" Ed demanded.

"Yes, I have a new Stone now, too." Dante replied.

"Al!" Ranko realized. "Where's Al now?"

"Where's Lust?" Gluttony pressed. "Where's Lust now?"

"Why don't you ask him, Gluttony?" Dante shrugged.

"Lust!" Gluttony charged at Ed, who defended using his Automail arm.

"She died." Ed replied. "It's my fault."

"Lust…" Gluttony echoed. "Died?"

"Yeah, your friend, 'Wrath' sealed her." Ed supplied.

"Gluttony?" Dante muttered, seeing the despondent Homunculus on the ground. "Gluttony!" she barked as Gluttony lumbered off.

"Here I come!" Ed turned to the matters at hand.

"Ice Bolt!" Ranko used her hardened 'Rain Flames' to create a single ice shard that came crashing down on Dante. "I knew it." She remarked, the front of Dante's torn dress revealing her decayed body.

"You can't keep reattaching your soul forever." Ed added. "It's equivalent trade. Punishment for the foolish things you've done."

"Equivalent trade?" Dante scoffed. "You still believe that childish concept?"

"It's no concept at all!" Ed snapped. "It's a principle of alchemy; no, for the entire world. You said it yourself; in order to gain something, you must present something of equal value."

"It's exactly what you would tell children." Dante replied. "That everything should be equal, or that something isn't fair. But in reality, there is no such thing as equivalent trade. You need something of equal value to gain something. If that were true, then you could gain anything as long as you presented something that was equal. But isn't that strange? Because it doesn't mean you'll gain the same thing, even if you pay the same price. You remember the exam to become a State Alchemist, don't you? Many people spent hours studying in order to pass it. That was the price. But only a handful actually passed. For starters, even though people learned alchemy the same way there a major difference in their abilities. Human lives aren't equal either." She transmuted an earth snake which snatched Rose's infant from Rose's hands. "At this rate, the baby will die." She threatened. "I can kill him very easily. Was the baby born just so he could die? This baby is desperately trying to pay the price for survival. But is death the only thing he can gain from that price? However, there are those who get away with murder. No matter how hard they try, people die when their time comes. Compared to those who are born fortunate and never had to do any work to lead happy lives, isn't this horribly unfair? Isn't this universe cruel? You can make the argument that it's beautiful in its own sense."

"Cut the crap!" Ed roared, reversing Dante's summon.

"My baby…" Rose muttered.

"Equivalent trade is only an excuse the weak make to console themselves." Dante declared, Ed having returned the infant back to its mother. "That somehow, if they pay the right price, they can be more fortunate."

"This baby doesn't have to make an excuse!" Ed snapped.

"Like father, like son." Dante shrugged.

"Could it be…" Ranko gaped as the transmutation circle on the baby's stomach flared up. "I won't let you!" she activated her 'Rain Flames' to force the 'Gate' shut.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.