Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Legend of Korra

Ayana

They decided to head to Resembool for a few reasons. If Winry was there, she could tune up Ed's automail. And they were hoping they might run into Al there, too. But the main reason was they simply needed somewhere to hide, and the Rockbell house was as good a place as any.

The journey would be shorter than their trek from the north, with her improved health. Within the first week, Greed caught a glimpse of the scar on her back; her shirt must have ridden up, and he asked her about it. It wasn't exactly pretty, and while she wasn't necessarily embarrassed, she was self-conscious about how it looked. She showed him both sides of it anyways, and he was blown away that she'd actually survived.

Later that night as they were sitting alone by the fire, Edward reached over and tentatively lifted her shirt slightly, silently asking if he could see, too. For some reason, showing it to him felt worse than letting Greeling see it. Not meeting his eyes, she pulled her shirt up enough to reveal the scars. She felt him running his fingers over them lightly.

"Why did you do it?" He asked her softly. She looked over at him; he was still examining the scars.

"Isn't it obvious?" She replied seriously. "I couldn't let Kimblee hurt you. I love you too much."

He looked up at her in surprise; he must not have been expecting her to say it out loud. She didn't need him to say it back; she already knew. But he said it anyway.

"I love you, too."

His beautiful, golden eyes pierced hers, and she felt overwhelmed with so many emotions it was hard to sort them out. She loved him, but it would never work between them. She'd have to leave Amestris at some point. She didn't belong here, and her world needed their Avatar back. Regardless, though, that knowledge didn't change the feelings she had for him.

He was giving her a soft, inquisitive look as he wrapped her hands in his. She knew what he was asking but couldn't bring herself to let it happen. She was too emotional to think straight right now. And besides, it was probably best to not give him false hope. They were both aware that she'd eventually have to leave this world.

So, she broke eye contact by turning her head away and closing her eyes. She hadn't even realized she had a silent tear running down her cheek until she felt his finger gently wipe it away. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and she suddenly felt like she just wanted to be alone.

She stood to leave and tried to walk away, but he tightened his grip on her hand. She glanced back at him over her shoulder to find him gazing at her sadly.

"Don't go." He pleaded softly.

She couldn't answer; her throat was too constricted for words. But when she pulled her hand gently, he didn't resist, and he let her fingers slip from his.

She left him by the fire and found a tall tree nearby, and airbent herself as high as she could. Sitting on the branch with her back to the trunk, she hugged her knees to herself. She wished things weren't so complicated.

She couldn't stay here, she knew that. But maybe if she left the portal open, she could come back and visit. That was better than never seeing him again, at least. But was leaving it open really a good idea for everyone? Was she being selfish by wanting it open simply for future visits? But Kin had suggested leaving it open for other reasons, too. Ugh. Why was this so difficult to decide? Why couldn't things be more simple?

She sat in the tree alone for a while, lost in her thoughts, before she decided she shouldn't fall asleep up there. She jumped to the ground and caught herself with a gust of air. The fire had died down, and she could see everyone spread out and curled under their blankets. She found Ed and snuggled under his blanket next to him, and he immediately wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.

The rest of the journey to Resembool was uneventful, and they eventually found themselves approaching the Rockbell house. Winry wasn't there, but Pinako was. She welcomed them in without hesitation and invited them to make themselves at home. She admitted she hadn't heard from Winry in a long while and was worried about her. Ayana hoped she was okay. She should be with Al and Mei, if they had all stuck together. Hopefully, they would turn up soon. For now, all they could do was wait for Winry to show up or the Day of Reckoning to arrive, whichever came first.

Greeling wouldn't tell them exactly when the Promised Day, or Day of Reckoning was, but he insisted he'd make sure they were back in Central in time for it. For now, he ordered them all to just be patient.

They sat in the backyard, enjoying the spring weather and watching Heinkel and Darius play keep-away with Den in the yard.

"Hey Greeling, I got a question for you." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and flashed him a smirk. She knew he hated that nickname.

Sure enough, he responded with an irritated voice and snapped. "Don't call me that!"

Ed, who was sitting on her other side, chuckled quietly at his reaction.

"Sorry. Greed, I have a question for you. Wrath told me months ago he knew where my portal was. You don't happen to know, too, do you?"

She'd been wanting to ask for a while but found that half of her didn't really want to know. If she didn't know where it was, maybe she could pretend it didn't exist, and prolong her time here. But that was a foolish way to think, especially with Harmonic Convergence coming up. It was drawing near, she could feel it, and it was vital for her to be through the portal before then.

Greed paused, looking lost in himself with his eyes unfocused. Finally, he dodged her question with one of his own. "The prince wants to know if you'll keep the portal open, when you pass through."

Why would Ling want to know that? Was he thinking about his country's legend about it, and he wanted to find whatever 'mythical powers' they believed were inside?

She answered candidly. "I haven't decided yet. Why?"

Greed sat there for a moment, apparently communicating with Ling inside him. "He won't say. Says he was just curious." Greed finally replied.

"Well? Do you know where it is?" She pressed. She wasn't going to let him dodge the question again.

He wouldn't meet her eyes as he answered. "Yeah, but you're not going to like it."

She and Ed both sat up straighter in eagerness. "Tell me! Please! I need to know."

He sighed heavily. "It's underneath Central, Avatar. The city was built on top of it."

She stared at him, stunned. "What!? It's been that close, this entire time?"

"It's not as simple as it sounds. But I can't give you any more details."

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons." Greed replied cryptically. He refused to answer any more questions about it after that.

Edward

After dinner that evening, Ed found Ayana sitting on the roof watching the sun set. She must have airbent herself up there. Not having such luxuries himself, he ended up going inside and climbing up from the second story balcony. He sat next to her and grabbed her hand in his.

"I can't believe it's been under Central this whole time." He mused. He glanced over at her. "Any theories on where?"

"One. And I'm pretty confident I'm right." She met his gaze. "It's in Father's lair."

He raised an eyebrow. "You think so? Why?"

"Think about it. This country was created for the sole purpose of creating this giant transmutation circle, right? Central City is the center of the circle, where the founding of the country started. That means Father himself founded the city, which means he purposely built it over top of the portal to hide it. It must somehow play a role in his plans for the Promised Day." She looked thoughtful. "But Greed said Father was planning on opening the portal of Truth that day. I wonder if he thinks he can open the spirit portal by opening Truth's portal."

"I don't see how that's possible." Ed responded slowly. "They're completely unrelated to each other."

She sighed. "I don't know. All I know is, I have a hunch that that's where the spirit portal is, that Father wants it for some reason, and Bue plays some kind of role in it, too."

"But we were there, after escaping Gluttony's stomach. We didn't see a spirit portal when we were down there. At least, I didn't. Did you?"

She looked stumped at that. "No. I didn't. But I can't think of any other place that makes sense. Maybe he had it hidden in an adjoining room or something."

Ed didn't remember seeing any other doorways besides the one Scar and Mei had come through, and the elevator door. But maybe he had just missed them. He didn't voice any of this, though.

"They want you alive, and you're not a sacrifice. Do you think they'll try to force you to open the portal?"

"I've wondered that, too. I refuse to open it for them. If they try to force me, they're going to have a bad time." Her voice was hard as she spoke.

A few days later, Greeling expressed his desire to leave. He said they needed to start heading back to Central if they wanted to make it in time for the Promised Day. Ed was disappointed that neither Winry nor Al had showed up, but there was nothing for it now. Hopefully he'd find Al in Central. They decided to give themselves a few more hours before departing.

Granny made a plate of sandwiches, and he grabbed one and headed upstairs, trying to find a quiet corner. The chimeras and Greeling were sitting at the table, talking in low voices. Ayana was nowhere in sight, but last time he had seen her, she'd been leaning against the large tree out front, napping.

Wandering into Winry's room, he sat at her desk, sandwich in hand. He ate slowly, his mind mulling over what was about to happen to his country. This giant transmutation circle, and Father using the entire Amestrian population to create a Philosopher's Stone, gave him a feeling of dread. Before they headed out later today, he should tell Granny to take a trip out of the country just in case things don't go well.

He was brought out of his reverie by a thumping sound behind him. Turning to look, he found Winry standing there staring at him. He stared back in shock; how did she get in here without him hearing? She screamed in fright, apparently thinking she was seeing a ghost or something.

He jumped up from the chair. "Winry! I…."

"What's going on?" Two strangers burst through the door and stopped to take in the room and its occupants. Before either Ed or Winry could respond, Heinkel, Darius and Greeling appeared.

"Hey, you're from Briggs! Did you follow us here?" Darius accused.

As the men quarreled, Winry approached him, armed with a wrench. "Okay Ed. Why are you in my room?" She sounded pissed.

"I was just trying to find a quiet corner to enjoy my sandwich!" He explained truthfully, eyeing the wrench and hoping he wasn't about to get pummeled with it.

He got lucky, she used it on everyone else instead as she yelled at them to get out of her bedroom. He waited in petrified silence. There was still a chance she was going to hit him, too.

However, after a moment, she lowered her weapon and sighed. "I was worried about you." She sounded sad.

"Yeah, I was worried about you, too. I thought you'd be with Al." He replied.

She abruptly turned around and approached him. "He's at the train station with Major Miles! If you hurry, you might be able to catch them before the train leaves!"

He stood and made for the door in excitement, but a thought occurred to him, and he slowed. They were still considered fugitives; he couldn't go running through the town in broad daylight. And sneaking around the village would take too long; he'd miss the train.

"What's wrong?" Winry asked.

"We're fugitives right now. We can't risk being seen." He explained sadly.

"Winry?" Granny had appeared in the doorway and looked shocked at the appearance of her granddaughter. She recovered quickly though and smiled. "Welcome home."

Later that evening, Greeling asked Winry to give his automail a tune-up before they left, and she of course agreed. She had him lay down on a bed in the workshop and extend his arm, and as she was working, she filled him in on everything that had happened since they had separated in Baschool. Ayana was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room listening to Winry's story, too.

Apparently, after escaping through the mines and meeting Al, they'd changed course and headed to a small slum town, where they took refuge with the Ishvalen population there. They had been able to decode the notes with Scar's help and found out about the countrywide transmutation circle. The notes had also revealed a reverse circle to counteract it, a circle activated by alkehestry. And, after successfully luring Envy to them, Marcoh was able to reduce him to his true form; a small green parasite. Mei had parted ways with them to take Envy back to Xing to present to her emperor. From there, Scar and Marcoh had gone their own way, while Al, Winry, Yoki and the chimeras had journeyed to Liore, where they'd met Hohenheim.

"Hohenheim said something about heading to a slum outside Central called Kanama. You should go there and get his full story from him." Winry said as she stood up and put her tools away. He sat up and flexed his automail to test its movements. She continued, "You know, it's almost the Promised Day…"

He saw her turn to look at him out of the corner of his eyes, but he didn't look up as he replied.

"Ling and Greed told me about it. It might be a chance for Al and I to get our bodies back, but its most likely going to end in tragedy for Amestris. Look, Winry. I want you to take Granny and Den, and leave the country for a while…"

She didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. Swinging a wrench at him, she retorted angrily.

"I'm not going to run away! I know you're just trying to protect us, but you need to try to save everyone!"

Ed recovered from the blow quickly and stood to face her. He noticed Ayana staying well back from Winry's reach. A wise decision.

"We're going to do everything we can to save everyone but there's a chance it might not work!" He yelled at her. Why couldn't she understand?

"I don't want to hear excuses! I want to hear you say you're going to save the country and then get your bodies back, do whatever it takes to make that happen!" She glared at him angrily.

He broke eye contact and huffed, "Winry, you make it sound like its easy."

"This isn't the time to start doubting yourself, Ed!" Winry's voice sounded exasperated. He didn't feel like arguing with her, so he simply grabbed his jacket and walked out of the room.

Ayana

That evening, after Ed's tune-up, they left the Rockbell house. They retraced their steps back the way they had come a few weeks ago. Greeling had agreed with Ed's appeal to go to Kanama first, to see what Hohenheim had to say. Ayana knew that hadn't been an easy request for him to make, but he must have come to the same conclusion she had; knowing Hohenheim's info took priority over Ed's hatred for the man.

They traveled quickly with the knowledge of the upcoming Promised Day looming over them, since Greed had finally revealed the exact day. And for her, the upcoming Harmonic Convergence as well. She knew it was fast approaching but was unsure of the exact day. They needed to defeat this Father guy fast, so that she could make sure she was ready and waiting at the Tree in time for Vaatu's escape.

They set a fast pace and were able to make it back to the outskirts of Central within a fortnight, and they located Kanama without too much trouble. It was midafternoon when they arrived, and the slum was still bustling with activity.

They had just entered the slum when Ayana stopped cold. A chi presence hit her senses, and it felt similar to Father's. It couldn't be him, though, right? Why would Father be in a slum?

"Hey! You coming or what?" Greed called over his shoulder. The other three had stopped, too, and turned their heads to look at her.

"Yeah…" She replied slowly as she moved her feet to follow. They waited for her to catch up before they began walking again.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked quietly.

"I don't know yet. Maybe nothing." She didn't want to worry him. There's no way it was Father she was sensing, so who was it?

She got her answer when they finally tracked down Hohenheim. He looked, and felt, exactly like Father.

Edward immediately approached him and sent him flying with a punch, muttering under his breath.

"You could have at least warned me." Hohenheim complained as he rubbed his jaw and stood. "I see you've made some new friends." He observed.

"I wouldn't say we're friends, it's more like were all stuck on the same sinking ship." Darius responded.

"And I happen to be the captain of that ship." Greed said smugly as he pointed his thumb at himself.

"So, you're in charge? Then I'd like to thank you for keeping an eye on my son." Hohenheim glanced down and added, "That's an interesting tattoo you have there."

Greed gave him a calculating look, but then he smirked and held up his hand to showcase his ouroboros tattoo. "Yeah. Guess there's no point in hiding it. But how about we make this honesty thing mutual."

"We need to talk. The Promised Day is tomorrow." Ed interjected in an annoyed tone.

Hohenheim swept his gaze over them all. "Very well, I'll tell you everything. Please, sit." He indicated the logs that were arranged around the nearby fire.

They gathered around and sat, and Hohenheim relayed his entire story. Ayana was astounded, but she believed every word. It explained why his chi felt different, and why he looked like Father.

He had started his life in Xerxes as a slave. His master, having used Hohenheim's blood in an experiment, had created the first homunculus. At the time, it was simply a ball of energy in a flask. The king of Xerxes, in his quest to gain immortality, used the homunculus's knowledge to create a large transmutation circle around the city and surrounding areas, and sacrificed the entire population to create a Philosopher's Stone. But the homunculus had tricked the king, and the immortality was split between himself and Hohenheim instead. Essentially, they were both living, breathing Philosopher's Stones. The homunculus created a body for himself, leaving the flask forever, and journeyed forth from Xerxes in search of more knowledge and power.

"I left Xerxes as well and ended up in Xing. There, I learned alkehestry, although it was a much more primitive form of it at that time. I combined it with what I learned with the alchemy my master had taught me. Eventually, I left Xing and traveled west in search of the homunculus. I knew that he was dangerous and needed to be watched. I found him residing in a small village. I observed from a distance, but one night a strange creature approached me. I had never seen a being like it. It looked to be an odd combination of animals, almost like a chimera. It could speak and introduced itself to me as Bue."

Ayana sat up straighter at that. Hohenheim's eyes met hers and held them. "He said he was drawn to my power, which I believe was his reference to the Philosopher's Stone inside me. He wanted to know if I could use it to open a portal for him. I'd never heard of a portal and told him so. He led me into the village discreetly, to a large building at the center. It had been built around a large, black orb, the likes of which I'd never seen. Explaining that this was the portal, he wanted me to open it. But upon touching it I was blasted backwards, and fled the village before anyone came to investigate the noise. Bue followed me out, and after some coaxing on my part, he explained that it was a portal back to his world, and he voiced his desire to return home."

Hohenheim finally paused long enough for Ayana to interject a question. "How do you know of Harmonic Convergence, then?"

Hohenheim's glasses glinted in the firelight. "Bue told me. He told me a quite lot about your world, young lady. You are the one known as the Avatar, correct?"

She nodded, slightly embarrassed by everyone's attention being on her now. "Did he tell you the exact date and time of the Convergence?"

"Isn't that something someone as important as the Avatar should know?" Hohenheim replied in a slightly accusing tone, which made her feel even worse.

"I know it's this spring or summer, but beyond that, no. I was ripped from my world nearly a year ago. I thought I had plenty of time still and hadn't memorized the date. I admit it was a mistake." She replied miserably.

Hohenheim studied her carefully before replying. "As it happens, the Promised Day and Harmonic Convergence will occur at nearly the same time. The homunculus, the one you call Father, is going to use the solar eclipse tomorrow to set his plan in motion. Shortly after the eclipse is when the planets will align, and the Convergence will happen."

Ayana panicked. Tomorrow? She had to get through that portal! She couldn't let Vaatu escape unchallenged. She would die before she let that happen. She'd been preparing nearly her entire life for the Convergence, and yet she suddenly felt like she wasn't prepared at all.

Hohenheim must have seen the alarm in her reaction. He said kindly, "Don't worry. If everything goes well tomorrow, we'll defeat Father, and you can open the portal and return in time for the Convergence."

Edward was sitting next to her, shaking his head in denial. Hohenheim glanced over to him. "I figured this would be harder for you to accept than it was for Alphonse."

"You told him all this?" Ed asked in dismay.

"I did. I'm sure he has his own thoughts, but he still accepted it. Listen, Ed. I need you all to help me. Father needs to be stopped at all costs, and I need all the help I can get."

Ed jumped to his feet angrily. "I'm not teaming up with you because I want to help you! I'm taking down that bearded bastard, but I'm not doing it to help you! It's just that combining our strength seems like our best option, that's the only reason I'm even talking to you right now! But I'm not doing it to help you!" Turning on his heel, he stomped away from the fire and into the darkness of the evening. Everyone else besides his father stood and followed him.

"Avatar, a moment." Hohenheim called, and Ayana paused. Everyone else kept walking except Ed, who also stopped but did not turn. He stood with his back to them, listening. She turned to face his father.

Hohenheim stood and closed the distance between them to stand right in front of her. He had a very serious look on his face.

"Whatever happens tomorrow, I need you to promise me something. I know how badly you want to get back to your world before the Convergence, but you must promise that no matter what happens, you will not open the portal before we defeat Father."

He must be worried Father would use it as an escape route. The thought had crossed her mind, too, and she was all too happy to agree to this. "I promise."