I don't know when this will actually get posted, because for this to make sense I have to repost the entire story.
At first I handled it like I had in Central Headquarters in Amestris; by picking randomly which corridor to turn into or which door to go through.
This, unsurprisingly, just caused me to become even more lost than I was before, and as an added bonus it frustrated me to all get out. The halls were crowded with students sheltering from the rain but none of them stopped to tell me where I was.
My body was aching, my legs were protesting with every step I took down the ever accursed hallways and my head was beginning to pound. I rounded a corner into yet another hallway and spotted something green at the far end.
Walking up to it, I discovered that it was a small paper cut-out of a frog with an arrow drawn on it in black marker. The arrow was pointing down the hallway to my right. I stood looking at it for a while, debating over whether or not following it was a good idea. I decided that following some form of directions was infinitely better than picking at random. I turned the corner and immediately saw another frog on the wall to my left, pointing down the hall.
Halfway down yet another frog directed me down a side hallway lined with large vases full of flowers and large windows. I found a frog stuck to the door at the end of the hallway and slipped through it.
The frogs led me through hallway after hallway, door after door, and once through what I suspected was a secret passageway. Sometimes it seemed as if I almost recognised where I was but then I would turn another corner and be lost all over again. It wasn't until I was standing outside a door marked with an arrowless paper frog and a red paper flower that I recognised the hallway leading to my room.
I smiled at my inept sense of direction and mental mapping skills as I opened the door and walked inside. I slid my staff under my bed and climbed into it myself. Sleep slid into my mind, making my thoughts fuzz. I sank into the welcoming restive blank.
"Frog! Food!" A voice floated through my sleeping mind. My eyes fluttered open I rolled over, and fell out of my bed and onto the floor. I was lying at someone's feet, I rolled over; it was Kitty. Still phased halfway through the floor, so I was really lying at her waist. "Come on!" she said grabbing my hand and phasing back through the floor and into the kitchen.
This time I managed to flip over as we fell and land on my feet. I sat in the same seat that I had last night, in fact everyone did. The food was similar; a beautiful home cooked meal by Storm. But the atmosphere was different; it didn't have the same weight.
I got into the conversation and enjoyed it. Though I had been sleeping just previously, when the meal was over I was tired and ascended again to my bedroom. Along the way I followed yet more green paper frogs with arrows drawn this time in red marker. I crawled back into bed and sank into the fortress of my subconscious.
And so time went by, days turned to one week, then another, and still another. I made friends, and good ones too, but something never clicked. I was surrounded by the unique and special, but I still felt out of place. Kurt and Kitty and Rouge were my friends and companions.
I was standing on clouds. I could see my castle! In the distance, shining brightly. I stretched out a hand towards it but collided with the barrier. Red-tinged and extending as far as I could see in any direction.
I turned away, and I was in the Danger Room facing the grid of light pink blue-streaked barriers. Again I turned and saw the castle. Turn, Danger Room. Turn, castle. Turn.
I sat up fast, my eyes snapping open and roving around the room. What did that mean? The barrier around the castle was specific; to me. Could someone else get through it? I thought it over, running the facts through my mind. It fit; getting into my dimension by a means other than Porting would get me in.
But who could do that? My mind sparked and I shot out of bed. I scrabbled underneath it for my Elemental Staff, slipped on the holster, and sprinted for the door. I slowed momentarily to open and close it quietly and went flying down the hall is search of a Blue Elf.
The dorms were gender separated, half and half or so, so I knew where I was going. I bolted through the door separating the wing halves and stopped short, I had no idea where Kurt lived. Did he room with someone? A memory tugged at the back of my mind, a conversation with Rouge during the extended tour on my second day.
"And Kurt and Evan live over there. That one; twelve doors up on the right hand side."
Twelfth door, right hand side. I started running again; counting the doors as they slid by me. Ten, eleven, twelve. I skidded to a halt in front of the door, raised a hand, prayed to Jed this was the right room, and rapped on the wood.
I waited, silent, for some sound. Hearing nothing I knocked again. This time I heard someone inside the room shift around. A light went on and I heard footsteps. The door swung open and I was greeted by a bleary and annoyed-looking Evan.
"What are you doing here? At this time of night?" He asked.
"Is Kurt here? I have to talk to him." Evan raised his eyebrows at me but walked back into the room. I shifted slightly to the left and watched him walk to his roommate's side and shake him.
"Yo, Fuzzy dude, wake up." Kurt opened his eyes and sat up.
"Vhat is it?" He said groggily.
"Frog wants to talk to you." Kurt's eyes flicked to me standing in the doorway. He slipped out of bed and padded across the room towards me. He was wearing black shorts and no shirt; I supposed with fur he wouldn't need much else. On the way to the door he grabbed a white short sleeved shirt off of a chair and pulled it over his head.
"Guten Abend, strange time for a call."
"I think I know how to get back home." I said in one breath. Kurt's confused face broke into a warm smile.
"And you need zhe Fuzzy one to complete zhis plan?"
"Indeed I do. There's a barrier around my dimension that I can't get past. But I have fairly good reason to believe that it wouldn't stop you; so I need you to do the teleporting while I steer." Kurt thought about this for about five seconds.
"Sounds like a vell thought out plan in vhich nothing can go wrong!" He said sarcastically cheerfully. I poked him with my staff.
"Hey, so will you help me?"
"I vould love to, but I can't teleport anywhere I can't see or don't know well, I might end up inside a vall." He replied, I lapsed into thought.
"What if we took Kitty? That way even if we did somehow land in something, scary thought that, she can phase us out right?" That might work, I really hoped so.
"Zhat could work." Kurt started. "But-"
"Then let's go ask!" I said enthusiastically and grabbed his wrist and pulled him after me until he started running. Of course, typically, I got lost very quickly.
"You know where we're going right?" I asked Kurt, he rolled his eyes and grabbed my arm and we appeared outside a door that looked remarkable like every other door in the mansion.
"This is it?" I said, he nodded and I reached out and started knocking on the door. I kept up a consistent sound this time and the door was yanked open by an annoyed looking Rouge.
"What is your problem? Oh, hi Frog, what're you doin' here?" she said, surprised.
"We need to talk to Kitty." I said, the girl in question popped into view at the sound of her name, dressed for sleep in short shorts and an oversized black shirt.
"What is it?" She asked, yawning.
"I think Kurt can teleport me back home but we'd like to take you with us so we don't die if we end up in something solid." I said bluntly, Kitty looked at Kurt for confirmation, and he nodded.
"Sure I'll help; just let me put on some warmer pants." She disappeared and Rouge leant against the doorframe.
"Think you'll be comin' back any time soon?" she asked.
"If this works absolutely, if it doesn't you're still stuck with me so either way yes, I'm coming back." I replied. Kitty ran out with warmer clothes on now.
"Shall ve get going zhen?" Kurt asked, I nodded and held out my hand. He took it and Kitty took his other hand, there was a pause, and then we disappeared in a cloud of black blue-smoke.
Again we passed through areas of red and black. We were speeding along; over the ground. Then we were floating in a black space, darkness on all sides. We weren't standing on anything, just floating. I gasped in shock, and heard Kitty do the same.
My grip on Kurt tightened as I held out my ring and focused. I felt a small and scarily weak tug at my heart and the beam of golden light like the sun's rays shot into the black void.
"Well looks like it's that way." My voice echoed, only in a muted way. Kurt nodded, closed his eyes and we vanished again. This time it was like we were being drawn by a string through the black void, in a split second we flew through black, white, and black again.
I focused on the light leading me onwards and always holding onto Kurt. The three of us appeared with a soft 'bamf' and the usual a cloud of sulphuric smoke; in the Entrance Hall to my castle.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, do you have any ice-cream in there?
I stood frozen; staring around at the high ceilinged room like I had never seen it before and dropping Kurt's hand.
"We did it." I whispered. Kurt blinked and looked around with a quiet sort of curiosity, Kitty walked around and stood next to me. "You guys are the best!" I burst out suddenly, hugging her and then Kurt. I grabbed both of their hands and ran up the stairs. "Come on! I want you both to meet Ed!" They followed behind me as I ran through the castle halls, saying nothing as we checked the bedrooms, kitchen, refrigerator, and Main Hall.
"Yet you kept getting hopelessly lost in zhe Mansion." Kurt remarked with a mischievous grin as we sped up the stairs leading to the library.
"So I have no sense of direction, sue me. Anyway; I live here." I said as we slid through the door to the library first floor. "If he's nowhere else he'll be in here somewhere." I said as we started walking through the shelves in search of the misplaced alchemist. The first floor was empty of all life forms, as was the second.
"How many floors are in this place?" Kitty asked, I shrugged.
"Last count was six, but another one might have appeared or something." Both Kitty and Kurt stared blankly at me as I stuck my head into the reading room just off the third floor.
Inside a small blonde figure was standing at the window. When the door opened they turned around. My eyes met golden ones and I stepped away from the other two and walked slowly across the small room. I stopped in front of Ed and we looked wordlessly at each other.
"I'm back." I said quietly and slipped my arms around him and hugged him close to me. I hugged him tighter than I had anyone ever before. Ed's arms slid around my waist and pulled me even closer to him.
I stepped out of his arms and gestured to Kitty and Kurt; who were standing by the door, Kurt with a smirk on his face, Kitty looking over her shoulder at the library. "Ed this is Kurt and Kitty; they helped me get back. Guys, this is Edward Elric." Ed walked past me and shook the two's hands when he reached them.
"Vagner, Kurt Vagner, but in zhe Munich circus I vas known as zhe Incredible Nightcrawler." I giggled; the three of them looked over at me.
"Nothing, continue." I said, snickering a little. I noticed the desk next to the window Ed had been standing at was strewn with papers and books, I walked over to it. I sifted through the paper; the top pile was equations and what looked to be notes on alchemy.
What they meant, or even said, was far beyond me, I couldn't read Ed's handwriting even when he wasn't writing about complex alchemy. Under the notes were sketches of transmutation circles with more notes around them. I heard Ed laugh from behind me and turned away from the desk and walked over to him and Kurt and Kitty.
"Thank you so much, I really don't know how I can thank you enough." I said to Kurt and Kitty.
"Bitte schön Kleine." His tail swished and I grinned.
"Happy to help." Kitty said.
"Hey would you two mind meeting a few people before you go home?" I asked, Kitty shook her head.
"I'd be honoured." She said, Kurt nodded in agreement.
"Okay then, let's go see Oryx." Ed said, and Ported us to her castle. Both her and Al were very happy to see me, and I them. They thanked Kurt and Kitty profusely and insisted on keeping them both there for a very early breakfast. After the meal we discussed our plans on sending Kurt and Kitty back home again.
"All we have to do is get rid of the barrier and we can send you back. Since I have to guide you and I can't get in if the barrier's still here." I said, Kurt nodded, Ed looked confused.
"Barrier, what barrier?" He asked.
"The one around our entire dimension, it stopped me from Porting back." I explained, Ed looked slightly less confused now.
"How do we break this barrier then?" I frowned as I thought.
"Well, you could try with Alchemy." I suggested Ed was fine with this plan so we traipsed down the cloud to the nearest barrier wall. It seemed that in my dimension you could see the barriers. This one cut through some cloud and a little edge of the Forest.
As Ed set up to try and break it down I wondered why this one was so close to the castles and why they hadn't noticed it before. Ed clapped his hands and pressed them to the barrier's shimmering surface. The red tinged energy field flickered and almost faded.
Ed dropped to his knees, still keeping his hands pressed to the wall. I stepped forward and held out a hand, but Kurt stopped me from getting any closer.
"Zhat vould not be a good idea." He said quietly. The barrier gave one last defying shimmer before it faded out of existence. Ed fell forward and I ran over to him. "Are you alright?" I asked the shaking Alchemist.
"Never better." He said, I helped him to his feet and turned to Kurt and Kitty.
"You ready to go back?" They nodded and I dashed forward quickly and, grasping their hands, focused on my memories of the Mansion's grounds. I felt the sideways tug and the three of us landed on soft grass before Ed could take a step towards us.
I felt bad about leaving him behind, but I wanted to say goodbye to the people who had taken me in when I turned up out of the blue without thinking twice about it.
Kurt, Kitty and I walked up the steps to the Mansion and in the front door with the sun rising behind our backs. The Professor was waiting for us in the foyer with Rouge, Jean, Bobby, Scott, Storm, Logan, and Evan.
"So you got back then?" Xavier said, smiling, I nodded and smiled back.
"But how on Earth did you manage it?" Storm asked I pointed to Kurt.
"Kurt and Kitty got me home." I said, "We teleported there." The X-Men exclaimed happily. Xavier continued to smile proudly.
"I'll try and come visit you guys, I had a lot of fun here." I promised the group at large. I thanked Kurt and hugged Kitty one last time and focused on my far away castle.
Next time on CCC: Mirror image takes on a whole new meaning.