'Death is as sweet as they come...

For those who cannot die... there's nothing

for us except eternal life...

And I hate it...! Someone just... end it already!'

Chapter 23 ~ Truth Behind Lies

-Alice-

I silently sat beside her bedside as I held Cat's hand close to my face, fearing the worst if she suddenly dies right here in this hospital without me knowing it. That night when the lab collapsed was still engraved in my mind no matter how hard I tried to forget. I want to put my full attention on Cat, but still I can't forget.

::Memory::

I felt relief wash over me when I saw Envy step out of the smoke cloud with an unconscious Ed being carried over his shoulders. "Wait... where's Cat?" I ask, realizing that it was only Ed and Envy that made it out. Envy gazes at me after tossing the boy off and spats at me, "What makes you think I know dolly? She was gone by the time I got there. Why don't you go in there and see for yourself?" I follow the direction he was pointing at when Envy throws his thumb over behind his back. My eyes widen in horror as soon as I saw the building finally crumble to the ground, a sign that there's no chance for anyone to check the building out and cover up the evidence the homunculi wants to hide.

Then I realized something. "Cat! Cat!" I cried out as Al tries to hold me in place. "Alice you can't! If you go in there you won't make it out alive!" Al says. "No... no..." I hugged the metal arm that was wrapped around me to keep me form doing any more damage to my body and started to stare at the building with glassy eyes. "Wait where'd he go!?" Brosh yells in surprise after he and Ross finishes checking Ed. "What are you soldiers doing here at this time of night?" that voice... it sounds like- "Cat!" I was about to turn around and scream out in joy (since I can't cry), but I stopped myself as soon as I laid my eyes on the person. Brosh and Ross immediately stood up straight and simultaneously saluted, "G-General Katelyn Douglas!"

I sweat drop at this, 'Wasn't she call general of the army...? Must have fixed it... Cat told me before that Jealousy was a part of the military, but I never expected she'd actually agree to work with humans.' "Who's your commanding officer? And who gave you permission to enter? You all should know this area is off limits!" Jealousy questions the duo who both cower in fear at her dark gaze. She immediately spots us. Al and I quiver in fear when Jealousy orders, "Gomez! I want you to take some of the men and search the premises! Russo! Interrogate these two for me! I need to talk to those two." All of her soldiers salute and cry out, "Yes ma'am!" I hug Al in fear as he brings me closer to him for protection.

"You two... don't say a word about this incident to anyone. Also," she bents over and whispers into my ear, "the mercury alchemist is in safe hands... I suggest you make haste and head to the hospital..." I sat there shocked as I watched Jealousy walk off to the main entrance of the lab grounds. "Alice! You're okay!" I look down and saw that my body was repaired. But who did it? I stare off at Jealousy's direction, "What is she...?"

::End of Memory::

I squeeze her hand and muttered, "Cat... please don't die... I finally see you after 2 years of trying to face you again... I can't do this on my own Cat... I'm not like you! I can never do the stuff you've done... Honestly..? I suck at everything except screwing things up..." As I helplessly sat there with no clue what to do next, the door behind my back suddenly swings open. "Catherine!" Camilla cries out as she rushes to Cat's bedside the moment she spots us. I watch with a dumbstruck look as Camilla runs up to my right side and peers into the girls' face with tears in her eyes. "Um... miss Camilla?" I didn't know what to say anymore, if she asks what happened to Cat I'll have a hard time trying to explain how she ended up in the hospital in this state.

Camilla wipes her tears and asks me in a soft tone, "Can you please leave me alone for a few moments...? I need some time with Cat..." Well Camilla is like the nicest person in the world so I guess won't hurt. "Okay... I'll be right outside."

-Camilla-

I still couldn't believe this was happening. Here I am once again in this hospital only to find out the person most precious to me is at the point of dying any moment now. "Cat... Catherine... my little girl... I'm so sorry we did this to you..." I cried as I brushed some of her hair away from her face. "I should have told you before... I never thought I'd be able to see you again... Fate must really hate us..."

::Flashback::

"I'm not mad at my parents for abandoning me... If they hadn't I wouldn't be here with you guys. But," Cat innocently smiles up at me, "if I do find them, I'd tell them I forgive them. It would be nice to find out if my mom is you Miss Camilla."

::End of Flashback::

(A/N: This might end up looking a little crappy but I can't stop crying at this part...!)

"We had no choice Catherine... if we didn't send you through the gate you would've ended up going through the same fate as that person... But I'm so glad you came back... I got to see my daughter again... I'm sorry I forgot about you..."

Yes that's right, Catherine is my daughter. I thought my memories would be sealed forever, but every time I see her face the old memories would resurface to the point I finally realized- my daughter has been here with me this whole time. "I'll save her... I promise." My eyes widen when I felt a hand placed over my shoulder. My eyes soften after realizing who it was and my heart almost skips a beat to finally hear his voice after years of his absence. "Yes..." I sigh as I place a hand over his. Finally after so many years my family is finally reunited.

-Alice-

I know this isn't right, but curiosity got the best of me. Cautiously, I brought my hand to my right pocket and brought out the envelope Cat gave me the night before. When I opened it I immediately recognized one thing that brought me to the brink of tears (well if I was in my real body). It was written in our old secret code. I still remembered the day Cat decided to make this right before she lost faith in our friendship.

::Flashback::

Cat and I watch in wonder as we watch Ed and Al furiously try to read the research notes gave them. "Say Alice," Cat starts as I answered, "What is it?" "Why don't we make our own secret code! Alchemists' do that all the time to hide their secrets!" she smiles brightly at her idea. I ponder on it them nod in agreement, "Sure! But it has to be something only the two of us can figure out!"

::End of Flashback::

(A/N: I wanted to wrote the code and translate it, but after 4 hours of typing it all down cause I'm so rusty with it, the power went out. So you know what? Fuck it! I am not gonna do that crap again. I'll explain later how the code works. I seriously wanted you all to see it but I just don't want to take another freakin 4 hours just to do all that again and translate it.)

Dear Alice,

I had a feeling you would be curious enough to read Ed's letter. So I decided to write one just for you since you're the only one who cab decipher my message. Think of this as a little small test to see if you still remember, here are my instructions:

At the back of Ed's letter is a small, but important, part of the research we were trying to decode. It will explain everything to him and everyone else about us... and what I really am. You may not understand now but once you translate everything to Ed you'll understand why I'm in this current state. Whether or not I survive means nothing. With this you might have a chance on how to get home without me and how to bring everyone back without fighting Jealousy for the stone.

I know this is a lot to ask Alice, but at this rate... I'll be dead.

- Cat

I ran down the halls as I held the letter close to my chest. 'Hold on Cat... please just hold on! This letter is very important, and if this will be her final wish... no! I can't think like that! I need to find Ed!' I scream in my thoughts. Even if he doesn't want to see me, I'll just have to force him until he accepts her letter whether he likes it or not. The moment I turned a corner my head collided into a wall of metal. In order to avoid suspicion about my fake body I fell back and pretended I was hurt. "Ow..." I groan and rub my nose. "Ah I'm sor-! Alice...?" it was Al. Out of all places for us to Reunion is here. Why!? "A-Al?" I stutter as I tried to stand back up. I look around and notice that we were all alone, no bodyguards or Ed in sight. "What are you doing out here all by yourself? Aren't you suppose to be with Ed?" I ask him while at the back of my head I was screaming, 'Shoot! This is the part Al and Ed get into a fight! I can't interfere!'

Al tilts his head and sadly stares down at the ground, "I got in a fight earlier with brother... we're okay now but... I can stop feeling guilty about the things I said to him..." I smile up at him. "That's not good Al! My mom always tells me," I put a hand on my hips and tried my best to imitate my mom, "if you keep your feelings bottle up from your loved one it'll eat away at you forever." "Your mom sounds like a nice person," I could hear the smile behind his voice. I smile at him brightly, "Of course! A mother is always right! Right? Besides we're only human Al, we need to let those negative feelings out even if it'll hurt you and the person you care about the most." We stood there in silence for a few moments. That's when I remembered my current mission.

I grab Al's hand and start to drag him down the hall, "I'm such an airhead! I almost forgot what I'm out here for! You have to help me talk to your brother Al, I need to take to him urgently!" Al starts to panic, "We can't now Alice! He just got his wound stitched up again! He needs his rest!" I stop in place to turn so Al could see the sadness in my glass eyes. (Me: Gah! I keep forgetting she's in a body of a doll! DX I keep saying tears and crap like that!) I squeezed his hand even tighter, "Please Al... I don't know how long she can last at this point..." He gasps in shock at first then looks down at me with smiling eyes and nods, "Alright." We both soon found ourselves bolting towards Ed's room, determination now filling up my soul now that Al is here with me to do this.

"Al...?"
"Yeah?"
"About before... I'm really sorry!"

He slows down and stops as I halt in place a few feet away. I am really glad I don't have the ability to cry anymore, if I did I wouldn't be here crying my eyes out uncontrollably and easily lose focus. "We really wanted to tell you guys... Cat was unsure the most since she's been with you guys longer... But you have to believe me when I say this! The things she's told you in the past are true! Cat has never once lied to you! And I... really enjoy being with you Al! I really like getting to know the real you!" I let my heart out, standing firmly in place with an unwavering gaze. I was nervous at first but when I saw Al walk up to me, I immediately shut my eyes closed until heard something above my head. I peek a bit to see he was giving me a simple pat on my head. "I understand. Thanks for being honest," all I could do is blush (Me: Well you know how anime is like XD) and simply nod with a smile on my face.

"Wait! How do you know I'm being honest?" I ask him in confusion. "Easy," he points out, "your a terrible liar!" That struck me right in the heart. I sulk on the ground with a depressing aura hovering above my head. How could he say that to me!? I know I am but... I try at least! "Hehehe... I'm just kidding! I guess Cat was telling us the truth the whole time," I look over at him in shock. 'He was testing her? And me?' "Cat told us many things over about herself. And when she told us a few things about you I couldn't help but wonder now if they were true." Al is a really sly boy for his age, no wonder so many people write fanfics on him being the mischievous brother between the two. "So that mean-" Al's eyes smile down at me, "I believe you! Sorry I just needed to make a small test there to see if you're being really honest with me. Like Cat said to us before, people have their reasons on doing the things they do."

I just wanna hug this boy and kiss him to death! "Let's go Alice!" extending a hand at me, I couldn't stop smiling and take his giant armor glove hand in my own wooden hand.

Me: Gomen Alice! I'm still trying to get used to you!
Ali: It's fine! :) I mean after 2 years of redoing this story I can understand. I mean 2010 wasn't that big of a year to start with anyway!
Me: That was the year FMA brother hood ended!
Ali: Oh yeah... Oopsy?

||Ed's Hospital Room||

I, literally, threw the doors right as soon as Al told me this was Ed's hospital room. Ross had her gun out in panic while Brosch jumped away from Ed, after what it seems like he was helping the boy get back in bed, and held hands up in the air. "Huh? Al what are you doing here? And why is Ms. Chronos with you!?" Ross questions the boy and her eyes widen when she spots me. Ed looks over and the moment he saw me, his eyes went dark and he immediately looked away. I could see Brosch and Ross were unsure on what to do or say next at my sudden presence, after what happened yesterday, they were both at a loss to suddenly hear such thing about Cat and I out of the blue.

"Ed I need to talk to you plea-" I didn't even get a chance to finish. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Either of you! I've had enough lies for one day... if you think you can apologize after what happened I'm not going to listen to you." It pained me to hear how serious he was. "Brother you have to listen to her! This is really important!" Al pleads. "No! Besides what are you doing with her Al? How'd she know we're here?" I froze at that. I can't flat out tell him she's in the same hospital as him after-

"Hold on... you don't remember...?" I ask him hesitantly. He raises an eye brow asking, "Remember what?" I tremble in fear to the point I almost collapsed onto my knees, Al was able to catch me in time before I fell to the ground. "This can't be... she sacrificed so much and for what...?"

I went on my knees and begged even further, "Please Ed! This is the last thing I will ever ask from you...! I promise this will be the last time you'll ever see me again!" Ed stares down at the letter in my hand then notices something, "Wait what do you mean 'you'll never see me again'? What about Cairo where is she?" It was ear-wrecking to hear Ed us Cat's last name in that kind of tone. I know that both of them still can't forgive us now that they know the truth, it just doesn't feel right the way they're reacting to us now. 'At least Al isn't as cold as his brother...' I thought as a small amount of relief swept over. This was a hard choice to make. Ok not really but I have to choose my words carefully, if I flat out explain the situation Ed might get angry, or if I takes things slow here he might accept the letter.

'Though that's a 20 percent chance of that happening...' I thought nervously with a depressing lines forming on the side of my head. (A/N: I didn't know how to describe it before so I looked it up and kinda figured out what to call it. Thank you internet!) "Brother Cat didn't mean to-" I extend a hand to the side making Al stop. I silently held the letter in front of my as I shut my eyes so I wouldn't see the reaction on Ed's face. "Please Ed... just take it... If this is going to be her final wish... the least you can do is accept her letter to her..." I begged one last time. If this was going to be Cat's last wish I need to do this for her, I can't screw this up. Ed stares down at my letter.

Suddenly, I heard the letter being pulled out of my hands much to my joy. I almost wanted to jump at Ed and thank him, but if I do it would just make things worse. We all watch as he rips it open the envelope and unfolds the piece of paper inside. "What's this...?" All of us look over to see nothing but a bunch of random numbers. It read the same kind of code Cat wrote on my letter. I almost felt like crying seeing how Cat was so familiar on our old secret code, and what's worse is that she still remembers it by heart even though it's been so long since we last used it together. I took it back saying, "Guess she thought most of this through... I'll translate it for you Ed, but only you can read it alone. No one else can except you."

Ed was unsure but nods in agreement. "I know it's too much to ask... but can you guys leave us alone for this?" I ask the trio. Brosh was about to say something but Ross steps in and smiles at me, "Sure, we'll give you some privacy." It surprised me at first how Ross still trusted me, even after all the things she and Brosh heard, she was still willing to trust my intentions. I know we barely talked, but it felt nice to know that Al wasn't the only one to trust me. After they left I immediately started translating the letter. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." Ed mutters under his breath. I stopped for a second at this then continued on writing. It took me a couple of minutes but I was still successful to decipher her message.

The moment I finished the last sentence, I really wish I was in my real body to cry. "Cat..." I whimper. 'So this is it... there's nothing else I can do for her...' Ed notices this and instantly grabs the paper from me as I collapsed on my knees in tears. He scans the paper. His eyes widen in shock as he takes in every single word that was written down. In that moment, Ed jumps off the bed and bolts out of the room with the letter in hand. Leaving me alone in the room while everyone else outside try to call out for him to come back.

-Ed-

'That idiot! Why would she do such a stupid thing for me!? She never thinks things through... never!' my thoughts scream as adrenaline rushed through my legs. I felt the need to see her again. All the hate I had for her disappeared the moment I read her letter, replacing it with fear and regret.

Dear Ed,

If you are reading this then that means I'm no longer in this life anymore, or I'm still in a coma. Either way there's nothing else that you can do for me at this point. I want to apologize... for everything... I never intended to deceive any of you, all I was trying to do is protect you- from myself. As you now know Alice and I aren't from here, rather, we are from the other side of the gate. Another world that is completely different from yours. I know this doesn't sound possible but you should know Ed, you've been there already a few times. You just never realized it.

I have a research journal back in my apartment, the thing I've been trying to study this whole time contains enough information for you to understand. It's your choice though what to do with it. Destroy it, keep it, show it to those you trust, just don't hand it over to the military. You should know why with the kind of history your military has. The reason I'm telling you this now is so that you can understand why I did it. Why I had to lie this whole entire time about my origins. Believe me when I say this, everything I told you before about my past and what had happened to me wasn't a lie.

Alice was really one of the thousands used as a sacrifice for a transmutation and I was forced to do it, I was forced to kill so many on my very first transmutation. The person who did this is the very same one who attacked you in the 5th laboratory and is the sudden new General. I don't know where she comes from. All I know is that she's wanted is to kill me since the very beginning. We many look a like but we are polar opposites, she's an insane blood thirsty monster. That's why I went after you. Even if I know you hate me with all your heart for finding out about me, I still wanted to save you. I don't want the last thing you see is my face.

A face you hate so much.

You know... I never actually thought you guys would ever figure out who Alice and I are, but I guess in the end you did. I always knew a nosy shrimp like you would figure me out eventually. I was just never prepared. I guess I never truly was now that I think about it... Don't get me wrong though Ed, I've always wanted to tell you; that I knew who you were from the start, your pasts, what the stone was made of... Nina's death... I never meant to hurt you.

I thought I was trying to protect you guys this whole time, not from others but from myself, my existence was a danger to everyone's lives. Three years in this world can do a lot if I'm not careful. Alice is safe because she's only been here for about a few days. She's fine as long as there's someone there to help her. I know this is a selfish thing to ask of you after all that's happened but... please, take care of Alice for me? And make she she and everyone else goes home safely? She can be the one to explain to you about that properly.

I can't expect you to agree, but this is the last thing I'll ever ask of you. Alice can't do things by herself. She's a terrible liar and is really clumsy. The only time she can do things properly if she's serious. Please Ed, I don't care if you don't forgive me just don't take it out on Alice.

I'm sorry... I never wanted this to happen. And thanks Ed, but I don't think I can have this anymore. You should give this someone who you can trust, not someone who can crush you in the end. About what I said back then, when I told you I never wanted anything to do with you, it was a lie. I almost believed it myself when I blurted that out, but truthfully I'm glad I got to meet you again. I'm glad you still remember me after so long. Knowing you, I thought you'd forget me after I seemingly 'abandoned' you.

Thank you and I'm sorry.

- Cat

She could have said something. She could have told me everything! "I'm not letting you go... not this time! Not after finally seeing you again!" I cried out as I rushed to her room. If I know this hospital well enough I know it's the same room she's always been in and the same doctor that always see's her.

-Normal-

Ed reaches the room just in time before Cat's doctor was about to take her away. "Cat!" He almost felt his heart drop to see what's happened to her; she was as pale as a dead person, hardly breathing at all, and was struggling in her own sleep. She was surrounded my nurses and the doctor was trying his best to keep her awake. A nurse walks up to his side when she caught sight of him at the door. "Edward Elric, correct? I must advise you to please leave. We're about to prepare an emergency operation on Catherine Cairo," she informs him. "What's going on!? Why does she need an operation!?" Ed demands. The nurse's face is quickly struck with grief and looks at the weak girl as she tells him, "Multiple sword fragments have been found inside the stomach area. We don't know if it'll be possible to take them out in time... her blood pressure has dropped tremendously and some are already guessing that she won't make it. The doctor is trying his best to save her but she's too weak for the operation to push through."

"Nurse! Make sure you find a donor ASAP! I don't think the blood bank has enough blood with her type."
"But doctor there's no time! There's barely anyone with blood type AB in this hospital to donate enough blood for her operation!"
"Find someone quick! She's not gonna go like this! I'm not going to lose her now!"

For a second he thought he was too powerless to do anything, but then he remembered- "Wait! I'm blood type AB!" (A/N: This is just a guess! O_O Cause I have absolutely no idea what his blood type is!) he announces to the two. Overjoyed to hear this, the nurse looks at the doctor for approval whole instantly nods in agreement. "Follow me! This way!" He did as he was told and follows the nurst, Cat being pushed behind his back. He slows down a bit so he was by her side. Taking hold of her hand, Ed whispers to her, "I'm not losing you... you're going to be fine..." It felt like everything went by really fast. Ed and Cat laid in separate beds as the nurse staff prepare them both for the blood transfusion and her operation.

He looks over to her as a ventilator mask was put over her face. (A/N: I have no idea if they have that in that timeline/universe since I know the medical ventilator was invented in the 1950's. Oh well! XD) He turns away and shuts his eyes as sleepiness started to submerge as more of his blood is transferred from him to Cat. It was a reckless move, Ed knew that, but he wasn't going to sit by and watch as Cat is on the brink of death right before his eyes. Seeing the boy pass out, the doctor looks at the nurse staff who all nod and leave the room silently, as if it was a silent order for them to leave him be and do everything alone. Taking his glasses off and his surgical mask, his golden eyes flash into view as he stares down at Cat's weak state.

"I'm going to save you... This time I'll make sure nothing can hurt you ever again..." he mutters and raises up a needles filled with, once again, red liquid inside it. This time it was glowing in anticipation. As sunk the needle through her skin, Cat started to fight back in her sleep as the 'doctor' started to inject the red liquid into her system. With Ed's blood being used as support to keep Cat alive, the red liquid started to do it's work on her body and fused with the new blood that was flowing through he veins. Unbeknownst to the two but the doctor, another tube was stuck on her other arm where black looking blood was being transferred out of her body and into a container. "Alright," he takes the needles out and prepares for the surgery, "as long as the stone is working I can take out the shards without damaging any important organs in the body... I just hope it's enough till I can remove every piece out of her..."

Outside the operation room was Camilla, her eyes glued on the blue doors as the surgery commenced. No one else knew about this surgery; Alice, Al, Brosh, and Ross were searching for them around the closest parts of the hospital when they saw neither of the two were in Cat's room. Camilla puts her hands together in a prayer and whispers, "I know you can do it... I know you can save our daughter... just like you've always had..." "Miss Camilla!" She turns to see Alice and Al running up to her. "Ah! You're that tall lady from before... Alice am I correct?" she asks, still confused at how Alice's resemblance was exactly close to the little girl she knows. "Have you seen Cat? You're the only person I know who last saw her!" Alice panics, trying her best to keep her voice down.

Camilla nods and looks back at the door, "She's in a critical stage right now. Since there wasn't enough blood to give her as means for her survival, Ed offered his blood to keep her alive." "Brother is in there!?" Al exclaims in shock to know his own brother was in there as well. A small smile crosses her face and turns to pat the two on the shoulder. "It'll be fine! Those two are fighters! Just wait and pray that Cat will make it."

++Later++

-Ed-

I sat by her bedside and stared at her for a long period of time, not even wanting to blink in case she made any signs of waking up. "You idiot... I didn't come all the way here to see you die," I grip onto my pants tightly. "If this is karma for what I said to you... back at HQ... then karma is a bitch... I know I didn't want to ever see your face again... but this wasn't what I meant!" I should hate her, resent her, never forgive her for her betrayal and yet- why did things have to come to this? I put a hand over my face as tears were on the brink of pouring out. There's no way I'm going to cry, crying won't help if the person I care about is here on the brink of death. I look over to where her coat was hung, all torn up and almost beyond repair. I don't know why but I couldn't help but walk up to the coat and take a closer look at it, like as if there was something about it that was nagging me at the back of my head.

::FlashBack::

A flash of blue jumps in front of me before the homunculus could even get near me.

::End of FlashBack::

I gasp and immediately turned back to Cat. "You were there... you were the one who saved me..." I bit my lip as I felt hot tears starting to come down my cheeks. I march up to her, grabbed her by her shirt and lifted her up to yell at her face, "You really are an idiot aren't you!? What were you thinking!? You think leaving me behind after all this would make me happy!? No! I'd rather be annoyed by you every single day of my life rather than not having you there...!" I panted really hard as Cat continued to lay limp, not reacting to a thing I just said to her right in her face. I lowered her back down onto the bed as my bangs start to cover my eyes, hiding away the pain as I stared down sadly at her cold pale face. She was dying. This time from saving me again like she's done before, except this time I don't know if there's a chance she'll ever recover after what she's gone through just to save me.

"This whole time I knew... I knew you were that girl I met... your smile, laugh, your kindness, understanding... everything about you all points to that girl." I brought my real hand to her cheek, sending shivers down my spine when I felt how cold it was. "Cat... please wake up..." I breathe onto her hand in hopes it would warm her up. The door behind his back opens up. "Ed!? What happened!? I heard you had to go though an operation!" it was Winry. I almost forgot, I called her up earlier this morning to fix my arm. I smile at her weakly then turn my attention back to Cat. She follows my gazes and gasps in shock.

-Al-

I place a hand over Winry's shoulder, who looks up at me with tears in her eyes. "Let's go Winry... I'll explain everything to you," I tell her in a quiet tone. Ed needs to be alone with Cat, her getting better is the only way for Ed to calm down/ he won't be able to talk straight after giving up so much of his blood and can't stop worrying over our friend.

-Ed-
(Me: It's all about him today! XD)

It was hard to get it, but Brosh and Ross were able to find the book just as Cat requested. They told me that someone had vandalized her home and had found the book before them, most of the pages are still intact but it's now hard to make out some of the words. The original book (the Blue Rose) was missing so they could only bring back the deciphered version of it Cat wrote up. But instead of answering all my questions, it just made me even more confused than ever before, most of the information I read felt more advanced than from what I'm used to reading. Philosopher's Catalyst? Parallel worlds? Possibility of crossing? More advanced alchemy on the other side? Most of that is complete blasphemy! And that transmutation array, I've never seem anything like it before. I think it's called the 'Grand Arcanum'. Though there's one thing for sure- I know what Cat is now.

Philosopher's Catalyst

(image of the Grand Arcanum)

Through years of research I have found it is possible to enhance the power of the philosopher's stone to a higher level, enough so that less souls in the stone are used and can last longer no matter how many are tapped inside. Not many can achieve this since it is nearly impossible to get the ingredients, but the only way to make it is through natural birth. The Catalyst is not only an enhancer but also a perfect living container for the stone. It can be considered as a human born homunculi but there is a difference, homunculi have no need to constantly replenish their stone as they have no souls to perform alchemy. This one, however, needs to since it is considered 'human' in a way but has an even more advanced use of alchemy than average human beings. It can she considered to be perfect version of a human being.

The only thing is that it has a shorter lifespan. After many test experiments on animals and estimated from the number of humans years, I can say the catalyst can only live up to 18 years. If not careful and use the stone much more frequently than required, the lifespan will shorten as the Catalyst, as a container, can only withstand so much. There are two ways two end the Catalysts' life: 1) never let it replenish it's philosopher's stone and 2) take the stone out by force.

N.F.

Theory of Parallelization

As we know there is a gate inside all of us human beings, without it we are powerless. But what if on the other side of that gate is another? A gate that opens up to a world much more different and advance than ours? The Catalyst is possible to cross through it freely as it is a **** of the *****, there are no limitations to the crossing nor are there any side affects during that time. The one main problem which has never been solved is *********

For once I really can't do anything without her. I can't think straight. I place my head on the mattress and whispered before passing out, "You better wake up soon Kitty... this isn't the time for you to bail out on me now... not when I'm so confused..."

-Me-

Cat: Finally!
Me: Not everything is about you Cat -_-
Cat: Shut it! It's been too long!
Me: You just want to see Ed again :3 Especially after the special valentines event you had to do with-
Cat: O.O Don't tell them!
Me: For those who didn't see I-
Cat: Don't!

::Dream::

It feels like I'm floating, like my body is weightless and is just freely moving around nothing but air.

Cat...

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt so heavy, like something is trying to keep my here in the darkness.

Cat...her...

This time I used my voice, "Who...? Who's... there...?"

Ca...th...erine...!

I recognize that voice. it's- "Ed...?"

::End of Dream::

I slowly started to open my eyes. My vision was hazy at first with all the white around me, but as my eyes started to adjust to the like a golden image started to appear above my head. "Cat!" I was shocked to see it was Ed. He hovered above me with tears in his eyes. "Ed...? What are you-" I was unable to finished as I suddenly found myself being pulled into a hug. "You idiot! Don't do that to me again! Don't try to save me and almost die for it! I don't want to lose you!" he cries and hugs me even tighter. I stayed in his arms in a daze, still trying to register what was going on. The door slams open and I saw Alice, Al, Winry, and everyone else standing at the door. "Glad to see your awake now Cat," Hughes smirks as his eyes glint evilly at the sight. I blush at this and push Ed away.

"Hold on a sec- What's going on here!? Why am I in the hospital!?" This makes no sense at all. I remember the fifth lab, Jealousy. I gasp, "Alice what happened with 'you-know-who'!? Did she get away!?" Alice was about to open her mouth but Al interrupts her, "Sorry Cat but you can't hide it anymore. We told everyone already." I felt the world starting to get smaller and smaller. "We had no choice since everyone else needed to know what happened," I gap at Ed in shock. 'Wait, isn't he suppose to be mad at me at the moment!? Why is he acting like what happened last time never happened!?' I was so confused I felt my head starting to spin. "Now with that said," I watch as Ross marches up from the group and comes up to my bed side to... slap me in the face!? I felt a large amount of pain cross my right cheek.

"Stop hiding everything from us! You may be our superior but you're still too young to keep things from your friends! Rely on us for once."

I am at a complete loss now. Brosh walks up to Ross' side and both suddenly bow and shout at the same time, "Forgive us for our sudden actions!" I put a hand on my cheek at a sudden loss of words. I just woke up only to find everyone is acting normal around me. Winry notices this and nudges Alice on her side. "Hm..? Oh! Right let's go everyone!"she cheers and starts pushing everyone out of the room. Winry follows, "Alright alright get moving! These two need their privacy! Get out now!" The door slams shut, leaving me and Ed alone in the room in complete and utter silence. I scratch the back of my head in irritation as I groan, "Geez what's going on here...? Am I dead? Or did none of that happen?" "It did happen..." Ed says, lowing his head so his bangs would shadow half of his face. I bit my lip nervously and said, "You seem to be doing okay... did you get your arm fixed by Winry yet...?"

"Yeah but she bonked me on the head when she found out I was in the hospital and yelled at me and Al for fighting each other," I sigh in relief to hear this story. At least it's good to know nothing has changed much. Now to the serious topic.

"I guess you'll tell everyone else back in HQ now... There's no way to explain why I'm like this..."
"Yeah... Everyone but the military."
"Eh!?"
"Hughes already called up and told Mustang everything after he found out you were in the hospital. Winry knows as well now. We didn't have a choice since she kept asking for answers."

I slump on my bed and stare at the wall across from me. "I can't believe it... So much for all that hard work in keeping my identity a secret..." I sigh as I place a hand over my eyes. This is too much to take in after I just woke up, they did this much while I was still asleep. I remove my hand only to see Ed staring down at his lap with a huge blush on his face. "What's wrong?" I ask him. "It's nothing! I t's just..." his blush deepens even further. I tilt my head in confusion then notice how pale his skin is and the... needle in my arm. 3..2..1... "Why is this still stick in my arm!?" I screech as I reached to rip it out of my skin. Ed stops me saying, "Don't! I gave up too much blood for you!" I freeze when he told me that.

"Your... blood...? You mean right at this very moment your blood is swimming around inside my veins..." I breathed with a blush crawling up my cheeks. He turns away saying, "They didn't have enough blood for you and since you didn't have any relatives I offered my blood. To keep you alive for the operation." I grip the fabric of my blanket tightly asking, "Why... why would you do this for me...? After all the hurt I caused you and Al... You still have the heart to do this...? I already confessed I knew everything and yet you still saved me..." "You saved me before as well," he spoke up, "and besides you did save me as well. After reading your letter I had to- No... wanted to save you as much as possible." I was completely speechless. Ed searches for something in his pocket and took his fist out, revealing the silver ring as he opens it up for me to see.

"I did give this to someone I trust... even till now I still trust you," and as soon as Ed said that he takes my hand and slips the ring back on my finger. I put a hand over my mouth as I felt tears start to crawl down my cheeks. Have you ever felt so happy over something so small from the person you love the most in the world? I do, and this overwhelming feeling I never want it to end. Ed reaches up and wipes the tears from my cheek, a small smile crossing his face. "C'mon don't start crying on me now Kitty..." he jokes. I sniff and answer back in annoyance at that dumb nickname, "I told you not to call me that midget..." "Who are you calling a short little shrimp you can't even see! You're so short you'd drown first before realizing it's raining!" Ed yells as multiple veins pop out on the side of his head.

I felt a vein of my own pop up, all I did was give him a twitching smile and say in sarcasm, "I won't m ake fun of your height anymore! I wouldn't stoop so low." A fight commenced between the two of us, we sent out so many short insults to one another we ended up having a small wresting match. The only time I realized what kind of position we ended up in was when the door suddenly opens up. "What's going on here- Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to peep!" Neither of us got the chance to see who it was. The door immediately slammed shut by the time we stood to look at who it was that barged into my room. I look back at Ed and turned red when I saw how close our faces were, my arms pinned above my head, and the main fact that... he was on top of me!

I kicked him off the bed and cried out, "Get off of me you pervert!" Al and Alice rush in after hearing the commotion from outside and tried to hold us back in order to prevent us from going at each other's throats. At the back of my mind I thought, 'Even if you didn't hear me at that time... even if you don't entirely remember me... I guess I'll just keep another secret from you Ed. This time I will make sure you never find out until I feel ready to tell you. I won't hide anything from you again, for now.' I stop struggling to give a taunting, yet sweet, smile at Ed. He see's this and turns away with a small tint of pink coloring his cheeks.

||Outside||

-Jealousy-

I glare at the group at a fair distance away from the hospital ontop of a nearby building, watching as the Fullmetal Alchemist turns his heard away in embarrassment. I grit my teeth and this and turn my back before anything else happens. "I swear I will kill you Catherine Cairo... this time I won't let you slowly die in agony... I will personally end it myself." Right when I was about to leave, a large wave of pain struck my chest the moment I was about to take a step forward. I knew she could feel this pain as well. I collapsed onto my knees and clutched my chest tightly.

-Normal-

As Jealousy wheezed in pain, Cat too felt the pain inside her chest but not as strong as Jealousy. Cat waved it off when Ed notices this. "No! You're not taking this body back! I won't let you!" The homuculus cries out as she shuts her eyes tightly in pain. She then lets out a loud cry that sounds like as if a thousands souls were crying in agony. Once Jealousy had stopped, she opens her eyes to reveal ocean blue eyes, the same eye color as Cat's. "Not this time homunculus... this body was mine to begin with... not yours..." She tried to stand up on her two feet after most of her energy had been drained when the pain had subsided.

'Jealousy' was acting different then she was earlier. She looks over her shoulders and stares at the glass window of the hospital, her eyes now similar to that of a regular human being. As Cat and Ed once again argue about something 'Jealousy' sighs and starts to smile at the two, feeling a sense of nostalgia sweep over at the familiar sight. She reaches for something under her shirt and pulls out a pendant, a locket with the initials Cat and Alice read the day they found it and a silver ring, both shining as the sun shines down on. "Good thing I was able to steal this back before she had the chance to open it... No matter what timeline I'm in things can never change. The life of a human being shall stay the same, both how they live on and how they die."

Turning back from the hospital, she looks over at then one last time before disappearing.

||Hospital||

Camilla rushes through Cat's hospital room the moment she learns, from the same doctor that had done the operation, that the mercury alchemist was already in her room. "Catherine!" she cries out. Everyone in the room stares in surprise at her sudden appearance. They step aside to reveal Cat, who smiles brightly as soon as she see's Camilla. Tears form in the woman's eyes and rushes to her bedside then brings the girl into her arms. "Thank god you're alright...!" Cat was shocked at this but accepts the hug. "I'm fine Miss Camilla! The doc way better than I thought he was!" she laughs lightly. She says something inaudible for anyone to hear. Cat asks in confusion, "Huh? What was that?"

"Oh it's nothing!" Camilla says quickly as she pulls away to wipe the tears from her eyes. Outside, the same man as before, that Jealousy confronted, act as Cat's doctor, and comfort Camilla when the girl was still in a comatose state, stood beside the door entrance and walked away with a relieved smile. He knew exactly what Camilla has said and repeated it out loud, "Thank god you're alright... my daughter..."

To Be Continued

Gomenasai! This was suppose to come out yesterday but my laptop died before I could save and publish! The last part may sound a little crappy because I'm using my phone to type! So this is how the code words; a is to 1, b is to 2, c is to 3, and so on and so forth. Think it's easy? Try it! And you'll see how hard it is...

Cat: Today Alice and I will be in charge for today! We'll be talking about-
Ali: Cat and Ed's romance! X3
Cat: What!? O_O
Ali: Now we know so far those two are really bad when it comes to expressing their feelings for each other. Right?
Cat: Hold on-
Ali: So we're open for how you think these two will get together! And we are not (entirely) doing this for more comments!
Cat: Wait! Stop! STOP!
Ali: Eh? What's wrong Cat?
Cat: You know hat's wrong! Talking about a romance that is not happening between me and Ed is really an embarassing topic!
Ali: But then what else is there to talk about? Without the author in for today we have no clue on what she was suppose to announce! I heard it's really important!
Cat: Fine... AveryScarlet does not own FMA. All rights belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.
Ali: She only owns me, Cat, Jealousy, Camilla, and many more fun OC's to come!
Cat: Please R&R. We thank you all for the support you've shown us after so long.
Cat&Ali: See you next time!
Me: waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiit...!
Cat&Ali: Eh?
Me: *skids infront of the two* Huff... huff... Okay I made it! Okay what some of you don't know is that there is a poll asking who your favorite OC is correct? Well it's because of one purpose... many of you can ask questions to TWO of my Oc's. That can only happen IF they are the most voted characters. So go on voting! You just PM me and my OC's will answer any question your pretty little heads can think of. I will be doing this for Winds of Hope so keep an eye out! If you're lucky, I will publish your question and my OC's answer out in public. I would like for you to ask in the reviews but that would just fill up the reviews filled with questions. I'm not that kind of person that's desperate for more reviews.