I am so sorry for taking practically two months to continue. I had serious writer block and stepped away from the story for a while. Then it became hard to start back up again…. Again, I'm sorry for taking so long! I promise the next update won't take that long but I still have some writer's block. Once again sorry TT. Ideas are welcomed!

Don't own FMA. just Emily, strange white void with the tree, a few places I created and the blue stone.

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"Let me get this straight," began Al, "You plan to purge the Surrion Ancalime of its impurities in order to balance it out?"

""Yup! I figure if I get rid of what's making it unstable it'll alleviate itself self and won't need me anymore. Also, it won't cause any destruction! The world won't be destroyed, I won't have to die, Eclipse won't have to kill, and we can get back on our search! Everyone wins."

There was silence.

"But brother! In order to do that you need to no the exact chemical composition of the stone and the exact amount of whatever is making the stone impure!"

More silence.

"Yes, and?" Edward said. Alphonse slapped his forehead.

"And what if it doesn't work?"

"Go to plan B," Edward shrugged.

"Plan B? I thought by now we at least were on plan G. But that's besides the point. Do you even have a plan B?"

Mint, who apparently climbed up onto the bed mewed in agreement.

The Elrics turned their heads at the sound of the door creaking open, as Hawkeye peaked through.

"Fuery has the car working. Were leaving for Central now. Can you walk Edward?"

"I'm fine," The braided youth grumbled while absent-mindedly petting the white kitten that was at his side.

"That's good. Grab your things and head down, please. Alphonse, make sure he doesn't pass out on the stairs," with that Hawkeye vanished out the doorway.

Edward grabbed his coat, pocket watch, Gates notes and headed out the door. Alphonse scooped up Mint and followed, occasional helping his injured brother along the way.

Eventually every one loaded in the car. And left the abandoned house.

There was another silence. Not even the kitten made a sound.

Edward hated the silence so he tried to strike up a conversation.

"So ummm. I haven't seen you before," he directed his conversation at Kira-Kira. She looked up in surprise, "You were the one that patched me up right?"

"Oh, yes. My names Kira-Kira. I…Was Emily's mother."

"Oh I'm sorry," Edward looked down, "If I had gotten there sooner I may have been able to help her…"

"Its alright," Kira-Kira gave a warm smiled though Edward could tell she wanted to cry, "It wasn't your fault."

Now instead of just silence there was awkward silence. Somehow Edward felt like all of the silence was being compounded into a giant weight that was dropped directly on him making him fidget uncomfortably.

A few hours went by but to Edward they felt like days. Breda, Havoc, and Fuery (though against his will) struck up a game of cards. Hawkeye stayed alert watching out the window and Edward could careless what the colonel was doing.

"Guys were going to have to stop soon. Were low on gas," Hughes began, "Backwaters about 45 minutes from where we are now so we'll probably stop there for a rest. We can also drop Kira-Kira back at her house if that's alright with her."

"Uh… Yes." She smiled fiddled with her bag. In the process a piece of paper slid out. Edward curiously grabbed it and looked at it. He almost gasped.

Drawn on the paper was the sigil he accidentally used on the chimera.

"Who drew this?" He demanded.

"That must have been one of the sigils Emily drew," Havoc said looking over his shoulder.

"Oh! It must have fallen out of my bag!" Kira-Kira said reaching forward.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" Edward said keeping his stern expression.

"Yes I guess." She said with a hint of curiosity.

"Thanks," he said folding it and sticking in his pocket next to his watch.

'Why would you have that Emily. Why would you have drawn a picture of one of the gates.' He thought.

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Some time later they arrived in Blackwater. Kira-Kira directed them to her house.

It was a warm caramel color two-story town house. with a relatively large clean-cut yard. Hughes dropped everyone off while he looked for gas. Edward in boredom explored the vicinity until there was nowhere left but the backyard. He stretched and walked through the back door. He nearly tripped at what he saw.

What caught his interest was in the far corner of the yard. It was a tall sturdy oak with leaves the colors of flames. The ripe leaves danced in the wind before reaching their destinations on the ground. An old rope swing creaked lifelessly in the breeze. Its bark had transmutation circles carved into it.

Most would see the tree and pass it by with out a thought. However not Edward. He recognized the tree. It was the one in his dream. The one when he talked to Emily.

He staggered up to it until he was only a breath away from its bark. There was something carved near the base of the tree which he recognized from the void. He had seen it before but thought nothing of it.

"XS1f," He read.

"Ah the old oak!"

Edward practically jumped out of his skin at the new voice. He whirled around giving himself whiplash in the process to see an old woman.

"Yes the old oak. My son would carve new transmutations in it he discovered. Whenever he got a stroke of genius he'd sit on the swing and ponder. He often read to my granddaughter Emily up on the lower branches too. Even when he died she adopted the place as her own. She thought it was to empty with out someone there. Unfortunately it is empty once again." The old woman sighed.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" Edward screamed pointing at the old woman still spooked.

"I beg your pardon!" The woman said taken aback, "Is that how you talk to your elders young man!" the woman said in a huff.

"You still didn't tell me who you were!"

"I can't believe you were the one Emily gave the stone too. I'm Emily's Grandmother!"

"Oh," Edward said.

"Oh grandmother!" Kira-Kira said running in, "I'm sorry Edward. Grandmother Gianni. Please come help me…." She dragged the old woman inside leaving Edward to ponder.

'It's the same tree as in my dreams, alchemy sigils and all. Except this mark,' he traced his finger over the carving XS1f. It looked relatively new.

Time for scientific mode Elric.

'X. What could X stand for. X could be an unknown variable. For an equation maybe… Or a location. Oh! X marks the spot. X indicates place. Since it's on the tree I'm assuming this is the location. So X will be the tree,' His mind rambled, 'Then S could have something dealing with this location. Like direction. South. S is south. Tree, South and then 1f. That could be distance. 1 foot. Tree south one foot.'

Edward looked at the symbol and traced from it down one foot to a hole in the roots. Gently he stuck his automail hand inside groping around the small cavern. Finally finding something he brought it out.

It was a few pieces of parchment rolled up and neatly tied with a red string. The paper had dirt smudges on it and tears at the edges. Otherwise it looked practically new. Gently Edward broke the string and unrolled the paper.

"Alright Emily. What did you want me to find," He said in anticipation. He walked inside and spread the papers out on the table.

There were three pieces of parchment. Edward began to read the first one.

"I've been having strange dreams lately. Daddy is in all of them but it's not really him. Daddy has brown eyes. This one has blue. He tells me he is not father but the conscious of the stone. It's a white void with strange things floating around. Blue-eyed Daddy shows me things in them. Destruction and symbols for alchemy. I can tell something is wrong. He tells me to remember everything I see. To remember everything he is allowed to show me. I don't want to forget so I draw what I can remember.

Grandma found my drawings and told mommy. Mommy got scared and asked me how I knew these things. How I new about the alchemic sigils since no one ever taught me. I told her and she took all the pictures away. She hid them where I can't find them. I asked for them back but she refused. She said to forget. She doesn't understand that daddy told me to remember. I can't forget.

I talked to blue eyed daddy again. He looked sadder today. When I asked him what was wrong he told me not to call him daddy. He said he was only using the image of its last keeper. I asked what he was then. He said he was the conscious of the Surrion Ancalime. Is that what this thing daddy gave me is called?

Then the colors came. The void lit up in many unearthly colors. I discovered the colors were symbols the arranged themselves like a book page. Blue-eyed daddy told me it was extremely important and to never forget it. The symbols then twisted and changed into an alchemic circle. Like the ones daddy carved into our tree. He said it was also important.

So I remembered. I copied them down word for word flawlessly symbol for symbol. But… I didn't understand any of it at all."

That's where it cut off. Edward stared at the paper, "What did your Surrion copy of your father tell you to remember that you couldn't understand?"

Edward looked over the other two papers and gasped. He looked over it again.

"There is no way in hell…" He said with clenched teeth.

Edward however was not angry. He was overjoyed.

In a rush he grabbed for the papers and ran out of the door. He didn't even realize he dropped one of the papers.

'I can't believe the answer was here so close all along. Thank you Emily. You may not have understood what these symbols and scientific gibberish meant. But what you didn't realize is that you copied down the exact chemical composition of the Surrion Ancalime.'

And with that he rushed off...

And unfortunately forgot he was injured.

After crashing quite painfully into the ground he decided to walk. Still he was too happy to care. Because with a little chalk, some patients, and a big enough alchemic circle, the Surrion Ancalime, and Eclipse would be out of his life forever.

At least that's what he hoped.

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And we no nothing ever really goes as planned does it Edward!

Once again I'm sorry for taking so long! I promise not to take two months to update again. --. Please give ideas! They would make this easier. I only have a few chapters left or so. I will not give up on the story even if it takes a long time. I plan to finish though!

Please review. Flames used to roast marshmallows.

See ya next chapter!