Hundredth Reviewers:
100: Wandering Hitokiri
200: Namikazelil
300: Half Human Homunculi
400: Namikazelil
500!: KatrinaEagle
Other Stats: 168,425 words, 34 chapters, 512 reviews, 18,801 hits, 5 C2s, 87 faves, and 86 alerts! You guys are the BEST! Thank you so much!
Zilo: I'm glad you liked it so much, azori! You know, I just might try that...
Ed: You are NOT putting us in a damn closet.
Dante: And I would NEVER serve others.
Zilo: But if I wrote that you—
Ed/Dante: NO!!
Zilo: (gives chiyochan a bunch of tissues) I hope you haven't died yet!! Hehehe. And thank you! You write the sequel, and I am SO tuning in. I wonder what kind of things Chiyo would do in FMA?
Ed: WILL YOU STAY ON THIS FIC ALREADY?
Zilo: Jeez. Sorr-ee.
Zilo: Congratulations, KatrinaEagle, on being our 500th reviewer!
Envy: No, keep going. I like this.
Zilo: Here's the epilogue!
Zilo: Here it is, arden_anam! OMG! The Sora-muffin died!
Chapter: (is bricked with calculator)
Zilo: All of those are coolio, except that last one! I TRIED SO HARD TO MAKE THE CHAPTER LONG! (cries)
Envy: Oh, God, not you too...(knocks out Zilo)
Ed/Risty/Zoe: Hey!
Risty: Don't cry, tiggeranddash!
Envy: (regenerates) What-EVER.
Zoe: Well, here's Zilo's next chapter, so buck up!
Risty: alexthegreat, KodeLyokoKrazy, HeeHeeHee, thank you for your reviews! Zilo would thank you herself, but Envy knocked her out. (gives Envy meaningful look)
Envy: What? You want me to APOLOGIZE or something?
Risty: Well, you could try controlling your temper...
Envy: (snorts)
Risty: Aw, but we love your long reviews, Colonel Bastard!
Zoe: But we're glad you liked everything!
Risty: Uh, uh, please don't get angry! Zilo did it for suspense! Please don't stop being her friend! Please! (tears up)
Zoe: (pats Risty's back) Well, let's ask Ed if he likes Risty May! Ed! You like her, DON'T YOU? (gives meaningful glare)
Ed: (turns bright red) W-W-What the hell are you asking me that for? Just leave me alone!
Riza: I've heard that the answers to those questions and more are in the sequel, so maybe you can rein in your anger for that.
Risty: B-But...I was just trying to do the right thing, Koinu-chan...
Zilo: (revives to get the cookie) It's like they say, teenagers are dumb! (devours cookie)
All Teenagers Present: HEY!!
Zilo: (hugs K-c) Don't worry, Hana, there's definitely a sequel! Hope you'll join us!
Zilo: Yes! I ALWAYS look forward to Asj Johnson's reviews!
Envy: Suck-up.
Zilo: SHUT UP! Anyway, all the questions that the ending raised will be answered in the sequel, which gives you an incentive to stick around!
Zoe: Hey, yeah! What happens to me?
Zilo: You'll see here! But at least my writing was effective how I wanted it to be!
Risty: Oh, the short you sent was so interesting!
Zilo: That's my line! And it was really great to read! It made me wanna know what happened next! If you'd like, I can send you a more detailed review on my thoughts when I was reading it, like you do with me!
Zilo: Heheh, looks like I accidentally fooled agent000! I'm sorry, but I'm just addicted to cliffies. It's easier because I know what happens afterwards, haha!
And, the epilogue ties up a couple of ends, but not the most important one! THAT will be reserved for the sequel. So I hope to see you there! Have a good one!
Zilo: Little Patch of Heaven! That part of the movie freaked me out too, because I thought that Ed had gone nuts and was randomly breaking his automail.
Ed: I'm not an idiot, jeez!
Zilo: I'm glad you liked it mostly! I was nervous about writing in the different characters' points of view because I didn't make them, obviously, so I couldn't know for certain what they were all thinking. At least I was effective.
Envy: I AM NOT PAIRING UP WITH HER, DAMMIT!
Zilo: You know you want tooooo...
Envy: NO I DON'T!!!!
Zilo: I'm afraid I can't tell you how Risty affects everything (at least not now)! You'll have to wait until the sequel to see what!
Ed: It better be something good, and not bad!
Zilo: Yeah, yeah, sure. Since I didn't get anything else from you, I accepted that as your entry! Thanks for entering, eh?
Zilo: Hooray, Namikazelil! I'm glad you liked it!!
Envy: Yes, : But it was still mean!
Envy: Whatever.
Zilo: I'm looking forward to sequeling! Even though I'm having to do a lot of research so I'm not just pulling things out of my butt, but anyway!
Zoe: Gross image.
Zilo: The contest is closed! The submitted Omakes have been judged by me, my sister, and my two betas! The 2nd place Omake (AKA the runner-up) gets an honorable mention!
Risty: Yay!
Zilo: I'm sorry, I have to pause for a moment to bring up a review for Chapter 32. I didn't quite realize the gravity of its wording until I read it aloud to my sister Eri and our dad walked in. Ahem. "NO! KEEP GOING! KEEP GOING! KEEP GOING! KEEP GOING! AH! DONT STOP! PLEASSE!!" You can imagine what my dad thought I might be reading aloud to my impressionable Eri.
Risty: I don't get it.
Envy: You wouldn't.
Ed: You don't need to either.
Zoe: Yeah, wait until you're older.
Risty: ...(mildly irritated) Guys...I'm not a baby.
Epilogue: Don't Leave Anybody Behind
One Year And Six Months After
Zoe scribbled a receipt and handed it to the man. "Here you go, come again!" she said to him.
"Thanks!" the man said, picking up his packet of meat and exiting.
Zoe yawned widely, covering it with her hand. She reached back and fluffed her low ponytail, which dipped halfway to her shoulder blades. The ends felt kind of fuzzy. She should probably trim her hair soon. The 18-year-old never used to let it grow so long.
The back door opened, and Al came through, looking sweaty. "Dude, no," Zoe said, pinching her nose.
"Sorry!" Al said with a laugh. "I was just looking for my book."
Zoe glanced around the storefront and pointed to a chair behind the counter. "Right there," she said.
"Thanks." Al went over and picked up the book.
"How'd it go today?" Zoe asked, her voice coming out nasal because of her closed nose.
"I'm still getting bruises," Al said, shrugging. "But Teacher said I'm getting much better, so I'm glad for that at least!"
"Hooray, now please go shower," Zoe said.
Al laughed again. "I'm going," he said, going back through the back door.
Zoe grinned and released her nose as she tallied up the money from that last sale and put it away in the cash register. He probably didn't even stink, but Zoe wasn't taking her chances. She wondered idly when Sig would come to relieve her as she bent over to get a box at her feet.
The front door opened and closed. Zoe grabbed the box, set it on the chair, and straightened up. "How can I--" she broke off at the sight of the familiar girl.
"Zoe!" the girl exclaimed, sounding relieved. She bounded over to the counter, her high ponytail flapping behind her. She was dressed for a completely different era--denim jacket, jeans, sneakers, and a lavender shirt that said "VOTE FOR LELOUCH" in white letters. She carried a backpack and a tote bag, both bulging. "I'm so glad I finally found you! I have been running around for ages, trying to find you! I finally got some intel from Riza—I mean, Lieutenant Hawkeye—that you were here."
Zoe was stunned and simply stared at her. The girl paused at the counter, seeing her gawking look. "Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly.
The back door flew open, and Izumi came out, looking like she hadn't just been beating up a minor in the backyard. "I'm here to relieve you, Zoe," she said, "so you can--" Like Zoe, her voice stuck in her throat when she got a good look at the girl. However, she was quicker to respond. "Risty May?" she said in a stunned voice.
The girl's breath hitched, but she shook her head.
"No," Zoe said, finally finding her voice.
Izumi acknowledged both denials by taking a second look at the girl. She was a bit too short, her skin darker than Risty's, and instead of a startling blue, her eyes were dark brown.
"I'm Risty May's cousin," the girl said.
"Astrid!" Zoe exclaimed a split second later.
Five minutes later, 17-year-old Astrid McHale was sitting at the kitchen table with the Curtises, Al, and Zoe, gratefully eating plain rolls. Between bites, she explained what was going on. Mason was still in town, so he wasn't there for the story.
"I came to get Zoe," she said, taking a huge bite out of her 4th roll. "Your mom's super worried about you. She would've come herself, but she can't."
"Why not?" Zoe asked.
"She's too old. There's an age limit on the chain letters, or so we're told. 19 years."
Zoe's brows scrunched.
"What about Risty May?" Izumi demanded.
"I'm going to get her next. Ma'am. We decided I should come get you first, Zoe, since you're older and have less time," Astrid explained.
"'We'?" Izumi repeated.
"My mom and dad, Zoe's mom, and Risty's mom and dad," Astrid explained. "They all discussed it thoroughly and decided I was the only one who could come. Everyone else is either too young or too old." She finished off the roll.
Zoe considered. That made sense, then. "I'm turning 19 in two weeks," she pointed out.
Astrid stared at her for a long moment. "You are?"
"Yeah." Zoe looked at her oddly, then realized why she might be surprised. "Time runs differently here than it does back home.
"Oh. Then I got here just in time," Astrid said, recovering. "Everyone's pretty worried about you."
"I want to come with you to get Risty May," Zoe said.
"No!" Astrid said immediately. "We don't know how long it'll take, and if you turn 19 before we find her and get home, you have to stay in whatever universe you're in."
Zoe gasped in dismay. "But what about you?" Izumi asked.
"I've still got a year and 79 days," Astrid said. "I'll be all right."
Zoe was surprised to hear this. She and Astrid had always been the same age.
"Why 19, I wonder," Sig rumbled.
"We don't know," Astrid said, starting in on her 5th roll. "Whatever the reason for the age limit, we have to respect it. Zoe, do you have any stuff you need to pack?"
"I've grown out of all my stuff," Zoe said, indicating the shirt and trousers she wore. "All I have are Risty May's things..." She trailed off, then abruptly stood. "I'll go pack." She left quickly.
"Did I upset her?" Astrid wondered aloud.
"She's a temperamental girl. Tell me, do you know where Risty May is?" Izumi said, commanding Astrid's attention.
Astrid turned back to her. "We hope. We're not sure though. I talked to some people here who gave me some clues. Um...my dad thinks she's dead."
Al started in surprise. "Do you?" Izumi asked, eyes narrowing.
"I won't let myself think of that until I see proof. I just believe she's still alive, and hopefully in safe hands," Astrid said.
Izumi nodded solemnly.
"Do you think she's with Brother?" Al asked suddenly.
Astrid glanced at him while Izumi frowned. "We hope," Astrid said.
"He's alive?" Izumi said, sounding surprised.
Astrid nodded. "He's alive. On the other side. The question is whether or not Risty's with him."
Izumi and Sig exchanged glances, and Izumi sighed in relief. "So she was right," she said, mostly to herself.
"I'm back, let's go." They all turned to see Zoe with her old, beat-up suitcase in hand.
"You want to leave now?" Al said, sounding dismayed.
Zoe gave him a smile. "Yeah. I don't want my mom worrying about me."
Astrid stood up and went to her. "You've got everything?" she said.
Zoe patted her suitcase in response.
"You think you're leaving without a proper goodbye?" Izumi said sharply, standing.
Zoe immediately snapped to attention. "Mrs. Curtis, Mr. Curtis, thanks for your hospitality all this time. I really appreciate it," Zoe said dutifully.
"Good," Izumi said. "Remember to respect your elders."
"Thank you for your help," Astrid said to them, bowing. Izumi and Sig nodded to her.
"Um...goodbye, Zoe," Al said, looking a little sad.
Zoe smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up. "Keep training, Squirt."
Astrid grabbed onto Zoe's wrist in one hand. With the other, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper, which she held before them like a shield. She closed her eyes as Zoe and the others stared at her, and the paper started to move of its own accord. Then, Astrid and Zoe were gone. It was like when one films an object and then uses a cutaway to remove it. They were there one instant, and in a split second, nothing was where they stood, except for stirred-up dust motes.
The Curtises and Al stared at the spot, as if expecting them to reappear. "She's really gone?" Al finally said.
"It looks that way," Sig rumbled.
Izumi remained silent as they all continued to look. Finally, after a full three minutes, she clapped her fist into her palm. "Nothing productive will happen with us standing around here," she said, heading for the door to the shop. Sig rumbled an agreement and got up, going to where they kept the new meats.
Al remained at the table, still staring at the spot where the two girls had been. He would miss Zoe, but he was glad she would get to go home. He was doubly glad Astrid had shown up. Now he knew without a doubt. His brother was alive.
And he would find him.
Edward's eyes blinked open, and he yawned widely. He had fallen asleep sprawling on the couch, the book he had been reading now lying open on his chest. He sat up on the couch and swung his feet onto the floor, wondering what had woken him, and checked the clock on the wall. It was almost eleven at night.
"I'm back!" a voice called. Ed stretched his arms over his head, hearing a pop in his left arm and a creak in his right. He turned to look over the back of the couch. "About time you got back!" he commented, draping his crossed arms over the back of the couch.
"Sorry I'm so late. We fell behind schedule a little," Alfons Heiderich told him, hanging his coat up on the coat rack in the corner. "Not only that, I misplaced yesterday's notes and had to spend an hour looking for them all."
Ed yawned. "Other than that?"
"Not a bad day," Alfons said, smiling. "Did you go to the doctor today?"
"I was going to, but I got busy," Ed hedged.
Alfons sighed. "Ed, I thought we talked about this. Those chest pains don't look like they're going to go away on their own, so you should have someone check it out and make sure you're all right. You can't use pain pills for the rest of your life."
"I'll do it tomorrow," Ed said, scowling. "I didn't have any today, so I'll be fine."
"What is it with you and going to the doctor?" Alfons said.
"Hungry?" Ed asked, changing the subject. "I made some dinner. It's cold now, but I'm sure it's still edible."
"Wow, thanks, Ed," Alfons said with a laugh. "I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll just head to bed. Oh, and here, you left your coat outside again." He tossed the dark brown coat at Ed, who caught it before it could smack him in the face.
Ed sniffed it, then grimaced. "It smells like smoke. Ugh."
Alfons shrugged. "You know that one guy always makes fires to burn the leaves he rakes up. I don't know why you insist on leaving it out there," he said.
"I don't do it on purpose," Ed protested.
"How can you not do it on purpose?" Alfons said. His attention was then distracted by something on the floor. "Oh—did this fall out of the pocket?" He bent down and was back up a moment later, holding a small white square out to Ed. "Here you go."
Ed took the item and flipped it over. For a moment, he looked at the picture silently, then smiled at Alfons. "Thanks. I was looking for this."
"A friend of yours?" Alfons asked.
"Yeah. She was. Is, I mean," Edward corrected himself.
"She's a pretty girl. I didn't know you knew any Gypsies, though," Alfons commented.
Ed didn't bother to correct him. "Anyway, I'm off to bed. Don't stay up too late with those books, all right?" Alfons said as he headed for his room.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ed said, waving a hand.
He waited until Alfons had closed the door to his room to sigh and let himself sink back into the couch. He held the picture in front of his face. It was the one he had carried around when she went missing. That was almost two years ago, he reflected.
Why was he always thinking of her in past tense? If she were really dead, then he would be also. That had almost happened to both of them, once each when the other received—ironically—an injury to the chest area that caused them to lose consciousness. The fact that he was alive meant that she was also.
But then where was she?
Edward closed his eyes. The last memory he had of her was just before they opened the Gate together. What had happened inside had escaped his memory. The next he remembered after that was when he came out on the other side, he was very, very sick, and his automail port was back. And she was not with him.
He still remembered how adamant she had been about staying with him and helping him. He wished he had been firmer in sending her away. In truth, he had allowed himself a little selfishness and let her stay. He had known what he was doing was risky, but he had appreciated not being alone.
Now he regretted it. He should have continued to argue with her and worn her down. After all, nobody could beat him for stubbornness. Now, because he'd been selfish just one time, she was who-knew-where. He could only hope that somehow she had been sent back to the other side of the Gate. Maybe she and Al were perfectly fine on the other side. Maybe—though it wasn't likely, a person could hope—she had somehow been sent back to her home.
Something told him she wasn't okay, though.
Ed sighed through his nose. A thought floated through his mind, but he pushed it away. The last time he had tried to reach her through their mental connection had been a dud, just like the dozens upon dozens of other times he had tried when he had realized she wasn't on this side of the Gate. He'd finally given up trying five months ago, but sometimes wondered if maybe one more try might be the trick.
No. It's useless. It won't do me any good to wallow in the past, Ed told himself. He finally got up from the couch and made his way to his bedroom to get ready for bed.
But even as he stripped down to his underclothes and undid the high ponytail his hair was in, the thought of trying one last time wouldn't leave him alone. Finally, when he was in bed, the lights off and the dim glow of moonlight peeking through the slightly opened curtains, he gave in and resolved to try one last time, just to shut the annoying voice up. And then he wouldn't torture himself with this again.
He relaxed his body and focused on her image in his mind. He thought of the last time he had seen her, when she was wearing that extravagant dress, her hair loose, her blue eyes lit up with determination to help him.
Nothing.
Ed tried harder, focusing entirely on her. He thought of memories of her to properly direct his thoughts, like he always did before. What she looked like, what she sounded like and talked like. How she would always grab and hold onto the necklace Izumi had made for her. How she got so easily flustered. How she always used to trip over absolutely nothing.
HOW DARE YOU!!
Ed jerked upright, his eyes flying open. The screamed statement echoed in his head. His heart was beating wildly from surprise.
"What the hell was what?" he wondered aloud.
Once his heart had calmed down, he lay back down and covered himself up. That sudden loud voice had startled him. He tried to focus on its memory. Had it been her?
He wasn't sure if it had been her, or if he just wanted it to be her. Huffing in frustration, Ed turned over and yanked the covers over his head. Maybe it hadn't been a failure, but it hadn't helped either.
I hope you're okay, Risty May.
Zilo: That's it! Show's over!
FMA Cast: FREEDOM! (stampede for the door and break out, cheering wildly)
Zilo: ...Jerks.
Zoe: So now what?
Risty: Yeah, what happens next, cousin?
Zilo: Well, the story has officially reached its end. Buuut, there's an extra-special chapter after this! It's not mandatory to be read, but it's filled with lots of special features, the winner of the Omake contest, and a preview of the sequel! So you won't wanna miss it!
Risty: Sounds like fun! I can't wait!
Zoe: Well, guess we'll meet back up then?
Zilo: Yep! See you there!
OMAKE THEATER
Honorably Mentioned Runner-up in the Omake Contest
"There," Dante said, standing up. "Now, for our next matter." She
turned to Risty May.
"You see, dear, we've started Gluttony on a diet." Dante's face suddenly
broke into a huge smile. "We think feeding him humans is a bit barbaric, so
we're trying to cook him some human food. It's easier to digest anyway!"
Envy spoke, "We have a problem though. Everyone just lost their memories and
now we have no one to cook."
Al laughed nervously, "Is there a reason I'm transmuted to the floor, then?"
"Yes, you're going to be our oven," Dante said carelessly without turning
away from Risty May.
"WHAT?!" Risty and Al shouted at the same time.
submitted by: Koinu-chan (!!)