Chapter 20

Author's Note: There's a small surprise in here for everyone, including Dark. Hope you enjoyed the ride to here, since this is the first leg of the race, it's ending soon. In fact, next chapter is the last. Thanks to everyone who reviewed:

Fate12343 (Being my supporter from the beggining and my partner in crime! Love you!)

Kiyumi's Sapphire Wings( And her magic keyboard)

MSCS

Thanks to you three... Hopefully more will read this. :/ The other stories will probably get more.. and I'm slightly intimidated by book seven's area... I want to do that one so badly... :P And book nine will either be Soul Eater or Rosario+Vampire. Put your vote in your review or send it to me over email at fullmetal alchemist elric live. ca. Take out the spaces and shoot it to me, or in a PM. The email had to be changed... someone hacked me or something and I cant get into my old. got to the new one... I will answer as Shinji in some Emails so... watch it... and some emails might be answered by Autumn.. Yes, and I changed my penname.

Enjoy.

-Winged Alchemist, Shinjitsu Elric-Mustang.

Now that Autumn has been rescued, life can finally settle down a little. Yep. It's been a month, things are fairly normal. I'm set up to go to Azumano High this year and we're on Summer holidays now. My birthday is just five days from when school starts. Five days from today. Krad is recovering, slowly, but Emiko says he'll be as right as rain by Halloween. That's good because Krad wants to dress up as Edward Elric. I'd love to see that. I'm also going as Ed and we're planning on having a fight over heights. (Him being like 100 cm taller than me.. XD No, like 50-75... Wow, I'm short) and Autumn's going as Fate. Yep, I'm helping her costume. Dark's going as Roy Mustang... Oh my god, hilarity is going to ensue with that. Emiko is staying behind with Kosuke, Towa and Argentine. I haven't included him in here much, sorry Argentine... Well, lets get on with my birthday.

"Shinji... Come on downstairs." Dark smiled. "It's your party."

I smiled as I looked up at him, my amethyst eyes gleaming with pride. I was finally fourteen, if I was Dark's tamer, today would be the day he'd end up in me... probably drive me crazy along the way. I followed him downstairs, the lights were off, then a flash of white magic flickered around the lightswitch. The lights turned on and the others stood there, Krad in his wheelchair, and shouted "SURPRISE!"

I laughed. "It's not much of a surprise when I'm told!" Dark smirked.

"Sorry guys! I couldn't resist!" He laughed, everyone sweatdropped.

"Anyways," Emiko smiled as she made way for us to sit at the table, the room was filled with balloons, streamers and all sorts of decorations. But, the heights...

I looked up, yes, up, at the balloons. "Party."

"Damn my height..." I muttered... "I'm the shortest here... I'M NOT SHORT! I'M FUNSIZED!" I shouted, Towa (Who was the second shortest) Looked at me with a weirded out look.

"Shinji... calm the magic down girl, just enjoy the party." She patted my back, With jumping on my head, I laughed as he Kyyuuuued.

I nodded and sat down, Krad smiled as he pulled into the gap beside me.

"Sucks for being in the chair, but it's better than being bedridden..." He stuck his tongue out as he downed a glass of milk. I stuck my tongue out.

"How can you stand that shit?" I asked, sticking my tongue out at the vile drink.

"CAKE!" Autumn sung. I smiled as Emiko carried a huge cake and put it on the table, Dark and I eyed the masterpeice (It had the image of Daisuke's painting, to Aut's request) and licked our lips.

"Chocolate?" I asked hopefully. Emiko nodded. They started Happy Birthday after Dark snapped his fingers in a Roy Mustang way and ignited the candles. I laughed as Autumn and Krad started the 'Are you 1? Are you 2?' happily. I laughed as they got to fourteen. I smiled as Krad picked something off his lap. I smiled as he handed it to me. I unwrapped the gift quickly and soon I was looking at a black coat that mirrored Dark's exactly. I picked it up, it was my size. A pocket on it was rimmed with yellow and had From Krad embroidered on it in the same gold that matched his eyes and hair and a cross pendant was on the center. It was a copy of his own. Dark pushed something with a slice of cake on a purple paper plate across to me. I put the cake aside and unwrapped it. It was a box. I opened it. A new IPod Touch sat on a set of clothes. I wasn't a clothing person, but the clothes were:

Leather pants and a tan belt, a black tank, a black sleeveless jacket with a high collar and white wristbands. there was also a grey sleeveless turtleneck. I blushed as I put the clothing together in my mind. Dark's outfit. I smiled as I thanked him and turned the unopened IPod in my hands.

"32 GB?" I gaped at the number. The pricest one.

"Yeah," Dark shrugged. "Was the best one for my Shinji." I blushed brigthly.

"Here's mine. It's small... but..." Autumn broke the tension by pressing a small box into my hand. I opened the small box.

"Wow, it's beautiful! Thanks, Autumn!" I looked at the gift. It was the Yang half from the ying and yang symbol. She touched the Ying half.

"Yeah, matching set. It fits us, you know, all four of us." She blushed slightly as she looked at Krad, Dark and I.

"Thanks... It's awesome." I smiled sadly, thinking of something I had to do. I put the necklace on.

"This one's from me!" Towa smiled. She held out two 50 dollar ITunes gift cards. I gaped.

"Holy crap Towa!" I exclaimed. She beamed.

"Ehe! I take that as THANK YOU!" She laughed. Argentine came up. He handed me a bag.

"Here." He muttered as he sat down and started eating cake and ice cream. I looked at the bag. I pulled the gold and black tissue paper out of the bag. I saw professional art supplies.

"T-Thanks!" I stammered, looking at the high quality paints and the canvas, the brushes, sketch book and pencils... and a whole other arsenal of drawing materials. Musta cost a fortune.

"Argentine! You stole my gift idea!" Both Sato and Dai pouted, bags on thier laps. I smiled.

"You both got me more art supplies?" I asked in a I'm not believing you guys tone. The two nodded.

"Mine's some of the type the Hikari used." Sato handed me his. My eyebrows shot up.

"Wow, thanks, Sato..." I mused as I opened it, looked at the suplies with intrest and set the two bags beside my chair. Daisuke handed me his mid-step as he walked over. I smiled as I opened his, With nestled in with the suplies.

"WITH!" I smiled. I pulled the little rabbit/Doppleganger out and set him on the table and pulled a strawberry from the plate beside the cake of all sorts of berries and kyuued in thanks and chomped on the berry. I smiled.

"Shinji, there's a whole bunch of things that are coming in the upcoming ventures. I wish you two could stay longer..." Emiko started, her ruby eyes staring at me, expecting something.

"After we've saved the worlds, we'll live in this universe." Autumn and I said in unison, our expressions twins of the other. Kosuke smiled.

"Dear, her gift." He told her. Emiko nodded and pulled something out of a velvet bag.

"Here." She handed it to me. "This is a Hikari artwork of no special ablity but save your life, but only three times." She told me sternly. "It also changes into a weapon when the need is the greatest." I held the scarb in my hands.

"It's shaped after a scarab..." I looked up.

"Yes, the Hikari who created this had a great intrest in Egyptian artifacts." Sato informed me. "This one also was one who liked to abuse Krad in many ways, one was pulling him off the blood line for a year and torchered him in a tower that forced him to become human, with all the needs... And no means to fill them."

Krad shuddered at the memory of the Hikari. I placed my hand on his shoulder and he weakly smiled.

Dark.

I sat on the roof with Shinji, right by my side, looking out at the stars.

"It's funny how far we came, and there's still something I need to do before we move on." Shinji smiled sadly, tears gathering in her eyes. "I don't mind spending everyday..." She softly sung.

"She will be loved, she will be loved, loved, loved..." I sung softly, dropping her my feelings for you.

"Dark... I need to do something..." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What?" I asked, kissing her softly.

"I can't continue to be with you." She said, tears streaming down her cheeks like no tommorow. My heart shattered into shrapnel and peirced my insides, hers doing the same thing, I took it.

"Why?" I asked her, tears gathering in my own eyes.

"I'm going home." She sobbed. " I can't stay on this quest anymore..."

I looked at her, my ex I guess now. "I'm sorry.." She said as she flew off. I heard the familiar sound of her violin case being opened. She played Trisha's Lullaby slowly. I heard the melodic sounds of the notes being drawn out in a melodramatic song. I heard it morph into 21 Guns by Green Day, a key lower, making the song dark and sad. I flew in. She was crying as she morphed her notes once more into Ikuto's Song. Or, Tsuki no Violinist as the actual song is called. She finished the song and put the instrument away. Autumn and Krad came into the room.

"I'm going home." Shinji looked at them, a pained look in her eyes. "Carry on without me."

Last cliff hanger, I promise.