"I'm tired of waiting. Can you put my arm on?" Ed asked Winry.
"But Scar said to wait," replied Winry.
"So what? I'm sick of waiting." Ed grumbled.
"I don't know. I have a feeling that this arm is for someone else…" Winry looked down at the mechanical arm. Dobby abruptly burst into the room.
"Dobby has message from Professor McGonogall for Elrics! Professor McGonogall say come down to her office immediately" Dobby's breathlessness indicated that he had run all the way.
"Can this wait until I get my auto-mail arm reattached?" Ed indicated to his right shoulder, which currently had nothing connected to it.
"Forget fake arm! Dobby knows Edward can get real arm back, and real leg, too!" Dobby jumped up and down in excitement.
"Are you saying…" Ed gasped. Al was speechless.
"Yes! Come on! Professor McGonogall is waiting!" Dobby hopped towards the door.
"Okay!" Ed jumped out of the hospital bed and raced over to the door.
"Alphonse, next time we see each other, I think you'll look different," Hinata smiled. He was still shocked. Hinata stood, and helped Alphonse up. "Al. You're going to get your body back."
"Yeah… I am…" Alphonse gasped, suddenly realizing what was happening. "Yes I am!" He hugged a blushing Hinata. "I'm going to get my body back!"
"Let's go!" Ed called him, and they both ran with Dobby towards McGonogall's office. They sprinted down stairs and halls, and past classrooms and students. They were joined by the equally enthusiastic homunculi Wrath, Sloth, Lust and Gluttony. Greed and Envy also trailed behind them, a little less excited.
They stopped in front of the stone gargoyle.
"Promptness," Lust said to the statue. The stairs to McGonogall's office was revealed, and they all ran up, not pausing until they reached the door. Lust rapped the door sharply.
"Who is it?" McGonogall called.
"Lust! We're all here!" Lust's voice was almost giddy.
The door opened, and they all entered. A large, complex transmutation circle was drawn on the floor. The Veil of Death from the Department of Mysteries stood in the middle. It looked newer and nicer. The raggedy curtains were embroidered with a pattern much like the tattoo on Scar's arm, and glowed with an ethereal light that changed every few seconds. Hohenheim, McGonogall, Izumi, Roy and Jiraiya were standing outside the circle. Scar was lying on the couch. He seemed to have hard time breathing.
"How did you do it?" asked Al.
"This Veil was already an incomplete Philosopher's Stone. We fused it with another one," explained Izumi.
"But how did you get the other one?" asked Ed. He glanced over at Scar. He noticed that Scar's right arm was missing the tattoo. It was grey and withered, and looked like it would fall off any second. "You didn't…"
"We all agreed it was for the best," said Jiraiya.
"I am… dying. Damn those chimaeras… that arm is… of no use… anymore," Scar managed to gasp out.
"No! I don't want to get my body back at the cost of another's life!" Al refused. "Why did you sacrifice your life? You could've healed yourself with that arm!"
"Alchemy has three steps. Understand, disassemble and reconstruct. That arm allowed him to skip the first step, and go directly to the second. But that's where it stops, isn't it, Scar?" asked Ed. Scar nodded.
"Why couldn't you just draw the poison out!" asked Al.
"I'm too weak… it's too late…" Scar coughed. "You must heal… and win… for my people… become the Fuhrer…give my people our land back…"
"Of course!" agreed Roy. He had been made fully aware of Pride's homunculus nature.
"Lust… come here…" Scar wheezed. Lust approached him.
"I appreciate this," Lust told him.
"You look so different… but you're as beautiful as ever…" he reached out his trembling left hand and ran it through her hair. "I hope you will remember… who you were before…" Scar fell into another coughing fit. His heart beat so loudly everyone in the room could hear it.
"Scar! Don't die!" Al shrieked.
"Thanks, Scar." Ed bowed politely.
"Is there anything else you want?" Jiraiya asked. His face was coated with sorrow. Tears were running down McGonogall and Izumi's cheeks. Roy was wiping away tears. Even Hohenheim looked sad.
"Save my people…" Scar gave one last cough. Blood spurted out of his mouth. Then, his red eyes faded to soft brown. He closed them. And breathed no more.
"Scar!" Al yelled.
"He's gone," McGonogall wiped away the last of her tears, and she was all business again.
"Anyone who has need of the Stone should stand in the circle," instructed Hohenheim. Ed, Lust, Gluttony, Wrath and Sloth stepped in eagerly. Al, Greed and Envy hung back.
"I don't want to live at the cost of another's life," Al repeated.
"Don't let his death have been in vain," Izumi told her student gently. After some more consideration, Al stepped in as well.
"I don't want to be human," Greed refused. "I want the Stone after you're done with it."
"What about you, Envy?" asked Jiraiya.
"Maybe if I became human… would you care?" Envy glared at Hohenheim, who didn't answer.
"Make a decision!" Lust urged him. Envy exhaled noisily, and joined them.
"Good. Spread out a little," said Hohenheim. They did what he asked. Hohenheim, Izumi and Roy walked to certain points of the circle that were marked with a particular rune, and crouched down.
"Are you ready?" asked Roy. Everybody nodded. He, Izumi and Hohenheim slapped their hands down onto the runes. The lines of the transmutation circle began to glow in the same way as the Veil. The Veil shifted from a brilliant orange to soft white, and the circle followed suit. It glowed brighter and brighter, until the room filled with a light so blindingly white that those standing outside the circle had to look away. When they looked back, the Elrics and the homunculi were gone.
"Where are we?" Ed asked. They were in a place that was as white as the room they had been trapped in just a few days ago. Except this place was bigger, and more frightening. Everyone was standing in the same position as when they were in McGonogall's office. No one moved. They were all waiting for something to happen.
"You're back," a voice called to them. Ed turned around, and saw a large, intricately carved Gate. The person who spoke to them was standing in front of it. It had a distinctive silhouette, and that was basically all that contributed to its appearance.
"Who are you?" asked Lust.
"I am Truth," said the figure. "Have you come to reclaim what is yours, Elric?"
"Yes!" Ed and Al replied in unison.
"Very well," the figure opened the Gate. They faced a long, white hallway. "Call to it."
"Call my… body?" asked Al.
"It won't come to anyone else. Go ahead, call," said Truth.
"Um… well…" Al stood in front of the Gate. "Here, body? Come here, Alphonse Elric's body?"
Nothing happened. Just when Al was about to doubt his existence again, he heard footsteps. Al could make out a figure approaching. The figure got bigger and bigger. Finally, it stood in front of Al. It looked thinner than before, and its hair was longer, but it was definitely Al's body. It was wearing the same clothes it had on the day it was lost, except the clothes were smaller and shabbier than before. It had a blank smile on its face. It held out a hand. Al reached out and pulled it towards him. The doors slammed shut.
"I don't believe it… it's your body…" Ed gasped. He first hugged Al's soul and then body.
"You never lied…" Al felt like crying. To his surprise, he saw that his body was shedding tears. "How do I get my soul back?"
"Just step out of your armour and into your body," said Truth. Al closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held onto his body with both hands, and willed himself to return to his original body. A strange sensation occurred inside of him. When Al opened his eyes again, he was facing the piece of armour that had served as his body for years.
"Edward… I'm back!" Al cried joyfully. The brothers wept and hugged. "I've got my body back. Now we have to restore you."
"What do you want?" Truth asked the homunculi.
"To become human," said Lust.
"Are you sure? When you become human, you will age, and you will be able to die." asked Truth.
"We understand," said Sloth.
"Just do it!" Envy urged him.
"Very well," Truth opened the doors again.
This time, they were faced with complete darkness. Five small points of light glinted in the distance like tiny stars. They shot out from inside the Gate. They zipped out with whooshing noises, and shot into the homunculi's hearts. All of the homunculi's eyes widened. Strange auras enveloped them, and they crashed to the ground.
"I feel so strange…" Gluttony gasped.
"You're still changing. You'll be fine," Truth told them. He turned to Edward. "I suppose you want your arm and leg?"
"Do I call it to me?" asked Ed.
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple. Equivalent Exchange states that something can't be created from nothing. Your arm and leg are not in there, andthey can't be madefrom scratch," said Truth.
"If they're not there, where are they?" demanded Ed.
"Someone else took it. Are you sure you want it back?" asked Truth.
"Yes! Of course!" yelled Ed.
"Fine. Here you go."
Truth turned towards Wrath. His right arm and left leg started to break off into particles. A strange wind swept them towards Edward. The twirled round and round his shoulder, shaping into an arm. The leg particles circled around the stump that the auto-mail was still attached to. The particles grew over the auto-mail,eatingaway at the metal and wires as theyformed into his leg. Edward raised his arm up into the air, and flexed his fingers. He kicked out with his leg.
"You've all gotten what you wanted. Good-bye." The room flashed even brighter. The white light was so brilliant everyone had to cover their eyes. When they finally ventured to look up, they were standing back in McGonogall's office.
"Al! You're back to normal!" Izumi cried happily. "Ed, you got your arm and leg back, too!" she ran in and hugged them.
"Is everyone else okay?" asked Jiraiya.
"I can remember so much…" Lust gasped. "I was made from an Ishbalan woman. She was Scar's brother's fiancée. But I also know that she's not me. I have all of her memories, but I know I am a separate being… with my own soul."
"I remembered everything even before I became human!" said Envy. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel like I can do alchemy. But I don't think I can do magic or ninjutsu anymore."
"I was a woman named Tricia Elric… you were her sons," Sloth smiled at Ed and Al. She held out a hand, which liquefied and splashed to the ground. The water gathered back and reformed into Sloth's hand. "I can still change into water, but I am not able to perform magic or alchemy."
"Tricia Elric… she was the only woman I ever loved." Hohenheim stepped into the circle and put his arm around Sloth.
"Mom!" although Ed and Al knew she wasn't really their mother, they ran over and embraced her anyway. For a moment, they looked like the perfect family. It looked like nothing had changed. As if Hohenheim had never left, as if Tricia had never died, as if Ed and Al had never committed the greatest sin in alchemy. But everything had changed. That happy family no longer existed.
"Don't just pretend everything's fine!" Envy yelled. "Don't pretend none of this ever happened! Don't pretend I don't exist!"
"Mommy…" Wrath was addressing Izumi. "Don't you remember me? You sent me away… but I came back."
"I remember you. You were my child, whom I transmuted back. I'm sorry," Izumi hugged Wrath.
"I was the only homunculi that was able to do alchemy before, but I feel that I've lost that," said Wrath.
"We're not truly human. We were not born that way, and so, we keep some of the characteristics we had as homunculi," Gluttony was talking without drooling for once. He grabbed McGonogall's coffee mug and easily crunched it up, to demonstrate his point.
"But we have souls. We no longer need to rely on Red Stones. We've both kept our ends of the bargain," Lust bowed respectfully to McGonogall.
"What now?" asked Jiraiya. "Are you going to stay and fight with us?"
"Voldemort will undoubtedly learn of our possession of the Philosopher's Stone," added Roy. "It won't be long before he comes."
"Of course we'll fight!" declared Gluttony.
"You made us human, which was something Dante would not do," said Sloth.
"As homunculi, we were loyal to Dante above all else," said Lust. "And now, as humans, we're loyal to the Order of the Phoenix."
"What about you, Greed?" asked Hohenheim.
"This battle doesn't matter to me that much," shrugged Greed. "I'll live either way. I'm not going to help you. But I won't hinder you either."
The door to the nurse's ward opened. Ed entered, beaming. He was carrying Wrath on his back.
"Your arm! You're better!" Temari rushed over to him.
"Where's Al?" asked Hinata.
"Hi!" Al entered the room after Ed. Hinata gasped. The armored boy she had known and found beauty in was gone. Standing in his place was a thin boy with grey eyes and long, blonde hair.
"Al! You got your body back!" Hinata ran over and hugged him. "I knew you were real!"
"I'm a little taller than Ed, too," Al whispered, and they both laughed.
"I heard that!" Ed snarled.
"Wrath is missing his arm and leg," Winry observed. "And speaking of legs, where's your auto-mail leg, Ed? If you don't need it anymore, I want it back."
"My real leg grew over it and broke it," Ed grinned sheepishly. Winry gasped. "The limbs Wrath had before were mine. Can you fix him up?"
"Of course! Set him down right here!" Winry pointed to the hospital bed Ed had previously occupied. Ed carried Wrath over, and gently set him down. Pomfrey immediately fluttered over and began dressing his wounds.
"You can attach his limbs as soon as I put on some disinfectant," Pomfrey told Winry. She turned to Al. "You should get some clean clothes that fit."
"Okay! Bye!" Al waved at everyone, and ran out of the room.
"I'm going to be on guard in about 2 hours. I'm going to get some sleep," announced Hughes, also leaving.
"Oh no! Guarding! I left Neji alone the whole morning!" Hinata gasped. "I'd better go, too!"
"Crap! We were supposed to be guarding today!" Ed told Temari
"Don't worry. I put Ino on duty," Temari assured him.
"Now we really, really have to go!" Ed ran out of the room. Temari saw his point, and chased after him.
"So much has happened since we met," Gaara told Luna.
"Yeah. Do you suppose Envy really killed your father?" Luna remembered the conversation they had when they'd first met Envy.
"I don't know. I don't really care," shrugged Gaara. "That man has been nothing but cruel to me since the day I was born."
"Still, he's your father. You should care," said Luna.
"Why? No one cares about me. My only purpose in life is to return their hate by killing," said Gaara grimly.
"I care about you," said Luna.
"Oh." Uncomfortable silence passed between the two. They soon redirected their attention to the bed across from Luna's as Winry began to attach auto-mail. When he thought she wasn't looking, Luna saw a pleased smile play upon Gaara's lips.
"Dante. Nearly two months have passed. How much longer do you need to rest?" Voldemort strolled back and forth impatiently.
"I may be getting younger, but my soul is not getting bigger," the body that previously belonged to Kin was lying limply on a dirty, tattered couch. "Every time I do this, I get weaker. This will probably be my last body."
"I don't understand why this is taking so long!" Voldemort roared. "We are three mighty magicians! We should be able to defeat those puny muggles, mudbloods and blood traitors!"
"Shinobi," Orochimaru corrected him.
"Alchemist," added Dante.
"Whatever! The point is, why are we, the all-powerful immortals, hiding in this dirty little hole when we could simply blast them all away!" Voldemort hollered.
"Patience," Orochimaru hissed.
"I'm starting to disintegrate again," Dante held up an arm for her allies to see. Her whole forearm was covered with revolting, bubbly red blisters that were spilling pus. Even Voldemort had to wince. "Red Stones just don't do the trick anymore."
"Your last body certainly decayed fast. It practically crumbled the second Kin transferred." Orochimaru remembered.
"The same will happen to me if I don't get the Philosopher's Stone!" Dante sounded stressed.
"We should put our plan in motion. Perhaps the Stone will help you, too, Voldemort," Orochimaru told his fellow snake-man.
"We must also destroy Harry Potter! You call yourself the ultimate villain, Orochimaru? Why did your soldiers get beaten by a bunch of little kids!" Voldemort roared.
"Why are we still talking about that? They were clearly outnumbered, and the 'kids' are clearly stronger than you think. Your men were too cowardly to even go, probably because they know that they are much weaker than mine," Orochimaru crossed his arms and licked his lips smugly. "We know who is stronger between the two of us."
"Prove it!" Voldemort pointed his wand at Orochimaru.
"Enough," Dante pulled herself up. "Damn this body… we cannot waste time arguing. I may as well tell you know that only alchemists from my world can make it. I am the only one here that is able to perform alchemy. I am the weakest at the moment, but I am also the oldest and wisest here. You had better keep me alive."
"Only alchemists from your world? I specifically remember a wizard named Nicholas Flamel who created the Stone that fool Dumbledore protected seven years ago!" Voldemort argued.
"Ah, yes, Flamel. You shouldn't be surprised that we are not the first ones to universe-travel. Flamel was half-wizard and half-alchemist, giving him both powers. He was also my alchemy instructor," explained Dante.
"Wait, you're still able to do alchemy, aren't you? In a body that has a different Chakra system?" asked Orochimaru.
"Who do you think I am? I've already thought of this," scoffed Dante, "Every time I change my body, I gain youth at the loss of a little bit of my soul. But my soul is intact enough that I can carry the abilities of the last body I had. It configures my new body to allow it to do the same. Before this, I never had an opportunity to put my soul into a body with another Chakra system. However, now I am able to perform both ninjutsu and alchemy. The next body I change into will also have the same power."
"Interesting," Orochimaru stroked his chin. His partners could already see plans for his soul forming in his mind.
"The circle for a Philosopher's Stone should look something like this," Dante grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment, and started drawing. "Normally, this would take quite a while to draw. Voldemort, you must memorize this. When we get to the battlefield, you can simply magick this and we can get started right away." She handed the sketch to Voldemort.
Voldemort looked at it carefully. He pointed his wand at it, and uttered a spell. The ink on the paper was sucked into the tip of the wand. "Anything else?"
"Go prepare your people," Dante crashed back down onto the couch. She waved her hand at Voldemort and Orochimaru. "We go tomorrow."
Note: I actually like Scar… I really do. It's too bad he died, but at least he had a honorable death (sort of), right?
