The Mercury Alchemist

by AveryScarlet

What if there was someone who traveled with the Elric Brother's that never existed before? And that there was actually 8 homunculi? Meet Catherine Cairo, a once normal girl with the love for anime and FMA, wishing for her life to change. What she didn't expect was to be sent to the other side of the gate! Will she find out who she really is and find a way back home? EdxOC AlxOC

27. Chapter 25

'The past makes us who we are...

it forms us to the people we are today...

my past... who ever started this whole

mess... is the reason why I'm like this...

Am I a monster...? Or just an orphan...?'

---

Chapter 25 - Return to New Optain

-Alice-

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" I ask Winry in disbelief as we stood in the center of the inn. People have told us all around this was the best inn in town, saying how this place was where the 'big change' started for the town. "Yeah... Who knew Cat was so famous..." she replies in disbelief as we all gap in shock at what we were seeing. It was a gigantic ice sculpture... of Cat! "I remember now! Cat saved this town three years ago! Ed still has the news paper clip with him," Al informs us. I sweat drop thinking on that last part, 'He kept a newspaper article of her...? Good thing Cat doesn't know... they'd both die of embarrassment.' "Excuse me, may I help you?" a woman comes up to us formally, wearing the uniform of the inn employee.

"Ah! We were just wondering if there were any rooms left," Winry spoke up first, nervously glancing around how packed the lobby was and how there was a line at the reception. I look over as well. She was a tall black haired woman with squinted dark grey eyes, her bust was really impressive if you compare them to all the ladies in the room. Al shifts to look over as well only to back away in shock. "A-Audrey Mcdougal!?" he gasps and points his finger at the girl. Who is this Audrey Mcdougal?

-Me-

"Sorry for crying like that Ed... I don't know what came over me..." I apologize as I wipe the tears away with my gloved hand. "Don't worry! This isn't the first time you've cried in front of me," that earned Ed a transmuted ice fist to the side of his head, which he ignored no matter how much it hurt. I sigh and asked, "Did you tell everyone about... what I am?" Ed hesitates at first then answers, "No... Only Hughes, Al and I know about the philosopher's catalyst. It took a while to understand it, but at least it answers a few more things about your alchemic abilities."

"How so?"
"For starters you don't need a transmutation circle to perform alchemy, but also you don't need to do the same motion I do. All you do is either swipe your hands on any water surface or just focus on what you want to create. Almost like telekinesis. Also your wounds heal faster than the normal rate, right?"
"For as long as I can remember- Yeah I've pretty much been like that for a long time."
"It's because the catalyst inside you is enhancing your body's normal functions."

'Well that explains alot...' I groan at the back of my mind sarcastically. "So you know now... what's in my blood... Don't you want to you use it to get your bodies back to normal?" I blurt out, causing Ed to freeze in place at my sudden suggestion. He grabs me by my shoulders and yells, "Don't ever think that! I almost lost you three times Cat... Don't ever think I'd be so selfish as to do something like that! We'll find a way to get our bodies back. Even yours and Alice." He reaches down and grabs my automail arms, tightening his grip as he stares down at the ground, his bangs covering half of his face to prevent me from seeing the look on his face. Then something hit me- "Wait what do you mean three times?" I ask in confusion.

I remember almost dying in front of him twice. 'Unless-' I gap in shock as realization struck my face. He... remembers. He understood what I meant in my letter when I thought I would no longer see him again. I held back my tears as I spoke up, "Hey, let's go after the others. They might be worried by now as to where we are. We wouldn't want Winry to use her monkey wrench on us again." He nods, but doesn't make any movement on letting go. I flinch a bit when I felt a sudden familiar pang in my head.

::Memory::

Ed and I sat on the small hill side by side as we watch the sunset, me leaning against his shoulder as his head rests on top of mine. This is the only spot we can hang out like this since almost every one thinks we're a couple. And we're only 11 years old! "Hey Ed...?" I spoke up and removed my head from his shoulder. "I'm leaving Resembol... for good." Ed leaped onto his feet as he gazes down at me with wide eyes, shocked at the sudden news. "Why? I thought your family likes Resembol!?" he raises his voice, causing me to hug myself and look away with tears in my eyes. It's true, me and my parents have only been here for about four years already, so I never thought that my dad would suddenly think on leaving after staying here for so long.

He see's this and quickly apologizes, "I'm sorry Cat..! I just... don't like the idea you leaving me!" "Huh?" I was taken a back when Ed suddenly goes onto his knees and grabs my shoulders, forcing me to stare straight into his teary golden eyes. "You're the only precious person left in my life..." I felt so touched at this, but them it also made me feel a bit sad now. "Ed... you're not alone... you have Al, Winry, and Granny Pinako... As long as you have them you won't be sad," I reassure him as I playfully ruffle his hair. I'm about an inch taller then Ed, so I have the privilege to at least this much to him no matter how many months older he is. He still didn't lighten up, which means I only have one resort to get him to smile again if it's the last straw. "Hey what's that!?" I scream in fake surprise as I point at a random direction.

When Ed looks in the direction I pointed at, I quickly took this chance and tickled him on his most ticklish spot that I know best- his armpits. "Ahahaha! Cat stop... that tickles! You know how much I hate it when you do this!"

::Next Memory::

As I rose up, all I could see was nothing but fire. "Mom...? Dad...?" I whimper as I hug myself in fear. Everyone was-

::End of Memory::

Unconsciously, a single tear ran down my cheek much to Ed's surprise.

-Jealousy-

||Central HQ||

I collapse to the ground onto my knee's as another memory flows through my mind, my subordinates rushing to my side and kept on asking me what's wrong. 'That's stupid human... remembering something like that... especially one that isn't hers...' I grit my teeth and clutched the cloth of my skirt, a single tear running down my cheek as my eyes flash the color of blue.

-Back To Me-

||At the Hotel||

The first thing that came to my mind when we arrived was this, what the heck is going on!? "Ah! Miss Cairo!" Audrey Mcdougal squeals in delight at my presence as she rushes up to me happily. I jaw drop at this and stare at her at the younger girl. "You!? What are you doing here!?" I prepare to use alchemy only for Al to step in front of me and stops me, "She's not a bad guy Cat!" Ed steps forward and reminds his brother, "She attacked Cat on the train! Don't forget that she's the daughter of the very man that tried to destroy Central!" "Sara and Audrey didn't mean any of that! She just wanted to revenge her fathers death..." Winry's voice trails at the end of her sentence, understanding why Sara and her sister did what they did.

To my surprise, Alice steps in to defend Audrey, "Audrey isn't that kind of person anymore! She and her sister are simply pupils of Miss Dante. They may have gone down a dark path... but they want to follow a different path now!" I was skeptical about this, but seeing how serious they all were about the Mcdougal siblings being different and Alice already on the brink of tears made me think otherwise. "Alright sheesh," I held a hand out as I huff in defeat, "I guess I have no other choice but to take their word for it." Tears began to form in Sara's eyes. I panic at this and tried to calm her down, "Waah! What's wrong!?" She wipes her tears and reassures me, "I'm fine It's just... if only my sister were here... she'd be happy to know you forgave us!"

"By the way, where is Sara?" I question the younger girl, finally noticing how no one is trying to kill me at the moment. Audrey clasps her hands together and informs me in a happy tone, "She left 2 weeks ago to train near Briggs!" There was a moment of silence. "EH!?" She continues the story, "After hearing the story of someone surviving near the Fort Briggs for a month, my sister was inspired to do the same! Miss Dante refused the idea, so she just decided to runaway and train!" Ed and Al cover their mouths to try and hold back from laughing at the story, even I had to stop myself since the three of us perfectly know who that 'someone' was who survived in briggs. Alice whispers into my ear, "Wasn't that Izumi Curtis...?"

I nod and whisper back, "Let's just keep quiet... if she found out we knew Izumi she'd go all over us...!" "Well since you're here, I expect you'll participate in tomorrows Dance?" Audrey asks us all of a sudden. "Dance?" Winry asks. The black haired girl nods and explains to us, "It's the towns 3rd year anniversary! I heard that a famous alchemist came and saved the entire town from it's impending doom! Rumor has it that the two villains tried to turn every single person into a philosopher's stone. I don't really know the details... but only the townsfolk that have been here and witnessed it were told to keep it a secret from the military." I kept a poker face when I felt all eyes fall on me.

Now that Winry knows about me as well, she too is now apart of staring holes on the back of my head when she heard this. "Audrey! I need a hand here!" a man calls out to her, his face covered by the tall stack of bags in his arms. "Okay Mr. Ress! Sorry... It seems like Rudolf Ress needs me again," and that she rushes off to do her duties. Alice and I, on the other hand, were left dumbstruck at the name of the man. I held a fist up as multiple angry veins appear on my cheek and my fist. "Hey... isn't that the name of the guy who worked for Hitler?" I ask my friend in a dark tone. Alice, reacting the same way as me, answers me, "Yeah... the right-hand man of Hitler in the third Reich..." We take our history to heart, and our hatred for Adolf Hitler also reflects on those who helped him.

"Well well if it isn't the heroine herself," a familiar voice spoke up, placing her hand on my shoulder from behind. I turn around and almost lost it. "Clara!" I squeal in delight and hugged the older woman. "Woah there kiddo! I know it's been a while but isn't this a bit much?" Clara teases. You can't blame me for acting to hyper, she's practically like a big sister to me! She looks over my shoulder and smiles ecstatically, "Oh! Are these you're friends Cat?" I nod then point them out from tallest to shortest, "Meet my friends! This is Al, Alice, Winry and Ed. Ed and Al are the partners I told you about over the phone." "Hmm..." We all watch as Clara suddenly rushes up to Ed, putting a finger on her lips and began to scan every inch of his every being.

Ed felt disturbed a bit the more she went around and bent a little lower to take a closer look at his lower back. She suddenly grabs Ed by his shoulders and blurts out, "I approve! This is one fine man you got here Cat!" I felt a sudden heat rush through my cheeks, even Ed was embarrassed the way Clara had described him. There was just one thing that pissed the both of us off- "A little tiny on the tall size but it won't be a problem once puberty hits!" Alice holds me back as Al does the same to his brother and both of them try to hold us back from attacking Clara, I also wanted a go at her for indirectly insulting my own height. "Short in both temper and height... you two make a perfect couple!"

That made us explode. "Don't call me small!" If you were on the outside of the inn, you'd see a small blue light emit on the inside before a loud explosion came with it. Winry drags us both out of the inn as the owner yells at us behind our backs. "You both just had to lose your temper! Now we have to look for a new place to stay at!" she lectures on and on about how we should keep our temper, but was just kept a uninterested face as she continued to drag us away.

-Alice-

"At least Cat has someone to play with," Clara laughs at their reaction as we follow after the three. "So you both are alchemist?" I almost fell over when Clara suddenly asked us that. I wave my hands in air and stutter, "N-No! I-I'm ju-just a mechanic in training! Al here is the alchemist!" She peers stares up at me then to Al. "Tell me again how you both became friends with Cat? Cause you two pretty old to be pals with Cat... or is it she's just small?" she wonders out loud on the last part of her sentence. I sweat drop thinking, 'Is this woman really Clara...? I know she was never an actual character but it's weird to see her so... not being a thief.'"Hm..." Al jumps a bit when Clara slithers her way behind his back, running her fingers on his armor as he froze in place (anime) blushing.

I noticed this and unintentionally glared at Clara. She saw this at the corner of her eyes then stops messing with Al, earning a sigh of relief from the boy after seeing Clara leave him to confront me instead. Clara looks up at me and asks, "How old are you?" "About seven feet tall!" I gloat, lifting my head up proudly and put my hands on my hips. "Hm..." I jaw drop when I see Clara completely forgets me and goes after Al. She runs her fingers over his metal arm, causing the boy to steam a bit seeing the woman suddenly touch him like that. "I haven't seen a man in armor in a long time... how old are you young man?" The way her tone was almost made me want to scream at the woman. "F-Fourteen!" Al blushes in embarrassment.

She blinks at me much to my relief, but that didn't unfazed her one bit. More like she seemed even more determined to hit on the boy. "Oh? Too bad... but the younger the better!" I silently scream as Clara suddenly hugs Al's arm. In the far distance ahead, Cat calls out, "Clara stop hitting on the boy already!" Clara pouts, "Aw~! But I haven't talked to such a fine man ever since my last boy friend..." Anger boiled up inside me, the way she was straddling Al's arm like as if it was a pillow is really starting to make me want to burst any minute now. "You're such a party pooper Cat... Oh well," Clara pulls away and winks at the boy, "we can always talk later." That's it! I grab Al out of her grasp yelling, "Hands off old hag! He's mine!"

-Back to Me-

I watch in amusement as Alice drags Al away, walking right past the three of us and marches on ahead without any idea where she was going. Clara walks up to us earning a thumbs up from me. "Nice job Clara!" "You planned this?" Winry gaps, her eyes widening in shock. Clara winks and scratches the back of her head, "Well it wasn't easy. I may like to use my skills of deception to trick people, but me being a pedophile? Now that's something I can never be." It was hard to convince Clara to 'flirt' with Al until I explained to her behind everyone's backs about Alice's hidden love towards Alphonse, she understood what I wanted to do and agreed to help. "But one thing that I didn't like," the three of us back away in fear as Clara furiously glares in the direction Alice went off to, "is her calling me an old hag!"

"Ahahaha... sorry sorry..." at the back of my mind I thought, 'At least Alice's old jealousy towards Clara is still bottled up inside her... Ever since she saw the Phantom Thief episode, Alice has hated Clara with all her heart to see the woman 'seduce' poor little Al like that. I know it's been years since we last watched that season, but at least I know she still likes Al more than a simple little crush.' "Ah! Well if it isn't the girl of my dreams," I blush to hear this while Ed punches the wall beside him. I gasp to see the two walking towards us on our right, "Fletcher! Russell!" "It's been a while Cat!" Fletcher smiles up at me. I knelt down a bit and compared his height from before, "Did you get taller? You grew up a whole lot since I last saw you two!"

Russell ruffles his little brother's hair and teases, "Well he has been drinking 5 liters of milk every day just to reach up to your height!" "Brother!" I watch as Fletcher kicks his brother's shin. "And... he's starting to... act like you..." As Russell falls to the ground in pain, I gave out a long sigh of annoyance before helping the boy up. Clara crosses her arms and proudly smiles, "These two have been working extra hard in their alchemy training! There hasn't been a day where I haven't seem them bugging Dante about alchemy training. Russell has been most especially busy on trying to get strong enough for your approval in joining the military!" I nervously laugh while thinking at the back of my mind, 'Shit...! I forgot to talk the colonel about that! Maybe next time...'

"Ahem!" I then immediately remember a duo with me. "Oh I almost forgot! Guys, these two are the Trigham brothers! The tall one is Russell and the correct sized one is Fletcher," I introduce the two. I'll have to do it again later when Alice and Al finally come back to us. Winry crouches down a bit to take a better look at Fletcher and jokes, "Trigham brothers and Elric brothers... I swear Cat, I think your attracting way too many brothers to handle." I laugh a bit at this then placed a hand on Ed's shoulder, saying, "Guys meet my friends Winry Rockbell and Edward Elric! This guy here is the partner I've told you so much about over the phone." I think I saw Ed blush at this on the corner of my eye, but I just ignored this and watch in amusement as the two boys jaw drop at the sudden 'reveal'.

"Nice to meet you," Winry greets. Ed mumbles and glares at the right, earning a hard elbow jab in the gut from me. "Ow! Why you- Er... yeah nice to meet you..." Ed groans, rubbing his side in pain as I flash him a look that said 'Be nice'. What I never expected to happen was to see Russell casually walk up to Winry, grabs her hand and kisses it. Ed and I jaw drop at this while Winry stands there blushing like an idiot. "It's a about time I get to see a new pretty face such as yours-" he compliments, accompanied by a short wink from him. I immediately marched in between the two and intentionally slammed my foot on his, earning a long cry of pain and shielded the girl behind my back. I whisper to her as Fletcher reluctantly helps his brother up, "Don't be tricked by his looks Winry... he's way younger than us..."

Okay I had to exaggerate just a tiny bit there. She turns pale at this and steps back to Ed's side. I think I'll tell him later to save both our prides regarding out height differences from him. She then looks at the two then starts to giggle, "You sure are a magnet for siblings Cat. First the Elric brothers, then the Mcdougal sisters, now these two!" "The way you point it out is starting to creep me out..." I shiver at the idea of how many more possible set of siblings I'll meet in the possible future. A strange bell began to ring, loud enough for probably the entire town to hear with how painful it was to my ear drums. "Is that a knew alarm system for you guys!?" I yell, covering my ears in pain. The others did so as well when the bell's ring began to intensify.

"Dante was the one that made the bell tower! She said that it helps remind her of her younger days! That's why she made it so loud!" Russell yells. Ed yells in annoyance, "Is that old lady deaf or something!?"The back of my mind screams, 'That bell is almost as loud as Big Ben!' I didn't realize what I was doing until a bright spark emitted once I stept back, accidentally transmuting a small ice dome around me. Once the bell finally came to a complete stop, I kocked the thick ice dome into pieces, earning a whitsle from Russel- impressed at my alchemy. "You've sure improved," he comments. Fletcher jumps a bit saying, "That is one heck of an upgrade you've gone through Cat!" "Yeah... upgrade..." I gulp nervously as Ed eyes the back of my head.

Then I finally remembered something- "Say Clara, is Dante still in town? There's something I wanted to talk to her about." Clara stares at me with a grief stricken look in her eyes, then slowly looks down at her feet saying, "Dante... hasn't been herself lately..."Fletcher suddenly began to panic and grab his older brother by the wrist, saying, "I almost forgot! We need to help the rest of the town for tomorrow's festival!" "Shoot I almost forgot! Sorry Cat we have to go. Dante will punish us if we don't finish helping the town! See ya!" We watch as the two brother dash off, leaving the three of us to figure out what just happened. "Well that was weird..." Winry mutters out loud. I nod, saying, "Yeah... I wonder how long it will take for Al and Alice too."

I do have this strange odd feeling they'll be back any second now. Russell and Fletcher ran in the exact direction those two went earlier. "You've been really quiet Ed," Winry points out. When we both turn to face him, he immediately turns red and silently grabs my hand, pulling me away in the opposite direction where we're supposed to go. "Ed? Ed!? We're leaving the others behind!" I call out, trying to get his attention. "Shut it! I want to completely forget that tall freak! Let's just go before that guy comes back!" I sweat drop thinking, 'Jealous! He's completely jealous of Russell! But... wasn't it he was hitting on Winry and not me?'

-Winry-

"CAT!" Alice rushes up to me, dragging Al with her like a ragged doll. "Did you see Russell and Fletcher!? Oh Winry! Where's Ed and Cat?" she asks me, dropping a very dizzy Al as he collapses on the ground behind her back. I was going to question about it but I decided to leave it out- telling her what happened is for the best, "Ed dragged Cat off somewhere. I don't really know where they went... but he seemed really upset after those two left. This is even weird, even for Ed to act like this." After Al got back up on his feet, the two look at one another and started to laugh, like as they were secretly telling a secret to one another through each others eyes. I can't read Al well, but Alice's face showed everything. I put my hands on my hips and demand, "Now what?"

-Me-

||Dante's House||

"When she said this Dante person was acting weird..." Ed starts as we all back away in disgust. I finish his sentence, "I didn't think she meant it like this..." Dante glows with some sort of strange pride as hearts began to float around the couple, some of them bouncing off of me and Ed. "Ah Catherine! I'm so glad my old pupil has come to visit me!" she smiles, still cuddling with her new lover. I huff and smile at how happy she looks, 'That explains why there was an old lady that looked like Dante... Cause it was her! At least in this life she's found someone who truly loves her.' Alice looks at me and I knew she was thinking the same thing. Dante has a better life here compared to her other version, and I am so glad I was able to stop Dante from turning this whole town into a stone.

"See what I mean...?" Clara groans, pinching the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes to hide the annoyed look she held. Clara is taking care of Dante. I can imagine the pain of seeing old people love everyday under the same roof... "So this is the young lady everyone's been talking about," I was taken aback when Dante's boyfriend (husband... or whatever!) suddenly slides right in front of me. He holds a hand out saying, "It's nice to finally meet you in person. I swear, this young woman never stops blabbering on about her favorite pupil." "Pffft!"all of us glare shot a short glare at Ed. At least he didn't burst out laughing as he usually does, but the problem is this is the first stage, if he starts snickering then we need to get him out of here to calm him down.

"I see! And you are..." The man smiles and answers, "Just call me Robert!" I bit my lip to prevent myself from laughing. Well he does look like a normal old man, small old fashioned glasses, partially bald head, short white beard, and had a very simple brown suit on. There's nothing here to worry about except about how terrifyingly sweet these two show off their love for one another, even Alice couldn't keep a straight face at seeing their romance. And she loves that kind of stuff! "Now that you're back Catherine-" the atmosphere immediately changed around us when Dante brought her cup of water up and tossed it right at me. I quickly responded to this and froze it in mid air, the water coming out only to freeze into solid ice.

Dante smiles as I stayed in position, slightly stepping backwards and still my arm outstretched. Clara hums and pushes everyone out of the room, "I think we should leave these two alone..." Once they all stepped out of the room, there was complete absolute silence between the two of us. I reach down for my sword out of instinct but stopped myself, after all my battles I got so used to using alchemy on my sword I can't remember the last time I went through a proper alchemy fight with anyone. 'If I make the first move she can use alchemy on me when she see's an opening... if I wait for her like this than she might over power me if I let her take the first strike... first hit always counts...'

I saw her lift her cane up and briefly slam it on the ground, a small spark emitted and I knew immediately she transmuted something in the room. I warily scan the room for any transmutations in the room, knowing Dante, she'd try anything to make sure I don't spot it before hitting me. I immediately sensed something from below my feet, and at the exact moment I jumped back, the carpet below rose up in an attempt to wrap itself around me. There was no water for me to use, except the nearly forgotten frozen up on the floor, Dante picked the perfect time and place to start our little 'spar'. If I had known we'd be doing this here and now, I would've brought that old crummy canister with me!

-Ed-

We watch from the outside as lights continuously emitted from the windows, wincing at every loud crash that was heard. "Dante really needs to lay off the poor girl every time she visits," Clara huffs with a small smile on her lips, crossing her arms as she stairs up at the apartment windows in amusement. "This is a normal thing!?" I ask the woman in bewilderment. I know my teacher is harsh on us at time- actually all the time- but I never thought the reason why Cat improved in alchemy was because she had to fight her mentor every time she visits. I can't even think of wanting to visit my own without shaking all over in fear. "I think I'll head off for now! I need to get our stuff ready for when Dante and I move to central," Robert told us all of a sudden.

"Ah! I see... Have a safe trip back home," Clara says in a nonchalant tone, not really caring what the old man wanted to do. Robert takes hint to this and leaves his head bow down, waving a silent farewell to us and leaves. "Do you think there's something going on between those two...?" Al whispers into my ear. I shrug saying, "She just doesn't trust that Robert guy is all. I wouldn't either if I were in her shoes! Who would still want to date at their age?" "Like you when you saw Cat talking to that boy earlier?" Al teases me out of nowhere. I instantly turn red, but instead of saying anything I just kept my mouth shut to keep myself further embarrassment, and also it's also the terrible truth.

-Back to Me-

Once I finished up restoring everything to normal, except for the extremely crooked upside down ceiling fan, everyone was allowed back inside after the short indoor sparring match. "Since you're all here, why don't you all stay over for the night?" Dante offers. Alice's eyes shine at the idea, "We'd love to!" "Hey hold on a second-" I didn't have a say in this as Winry cunts in with the same enthusiasm as the brunette, "If it means no more angry inn keepers? I'm in!" I look over at the two boys who were both just as unsure as I was on staying at my teacher's place.

++Few Hours Later++

I just couldn't sleep. After we were escorted into our rooms by Clara, I tried almost the entire night to go straight to bed, but no matter what I do, I keep wanting to ask Dante about the book. Even though I decided not to anymore, I just couldn't stop looking at the brown book lying on top of my blue coat every time I turn to my side. I sat up from under the covers and gaze at the book. 'I came here specifically just to ask Dante about the book... now that I'm here I cant bring myself to... and at the same time I want too...' Finally coming to a decision, I got out of bed and left the room with the book in hand. As soon as I got out, I immediately hugged myself and the book in fear at the sudden long darkness right down the very same hall I'm supposed to walk through.

Shivers ran down my spine the longer I stared at the dark hall. I laugh nervously to myself as my face goes pale, "I forgot... They use lamps to help them get through the night... Hah hahahaha..." 15 years old and I'm still afraid of the dark like a helpless 4 year old- how very typical of me. I used to have a long list of fears- call me paranoid but when I first woke up that day, almost every single thing scared me for some odd reason. I was afraid of animals, the night, day, food, random objects, and there were very few people I could look straight in the eye without running away or screaming. Now that I think about it, I was a afraid of absolutely everything that came my way. It was like as if everything was so... new to me.

"Catherine?" Out of nowhere, wrinkly old hand grabs me by the shoulder, causing me to raise up my hands and mindlessly scream in terror, "Waaah! Don't eat me I taste like shit!" I crouch on the ground in fear only to hear... laughter? I bring my head up and look over my shoulder only to see that it was none other than Dante, the only old lady in the house to have the hands of an 90 year old.

Me: Oh I forgot that one detail! Dante is only around 70 years old here.
Cat: Seriously!? She looks like she's- mph...!
Me: Cat... remember it's YOUR teacher we're talking about here...

"Couldn't sleep either?"
"Yeah... you could say that..."
"Well since we're both up, how about we both have small chat in the living room then?"

I was hesitant at first until I remembered what I wanted to do in the first place. I lift the book up with both hands, exclaiming, "I want to talk to you about this book first! I know you know something about who wrote this for me!" She was silent at first, but once she takes the book from my hands I swore I saw her eyes already on the brink of crying. Dante quickly walks past me and said in a hushed tone, "Follow me..."

||Living Room||

I explained everything to her- and I mean everything, my past, where I'm really from, Jealousy, and the book. There was no other choice if I wanted to confront her about what I found out in the research. She picks the cover and reads the title out loud, "Blue Rose... what a peculiar name for a book that contains so much information." I explain myself on that part, "After someone tried to ransack my home, decided to change the title and book cover in hopes of keeping it hidden away. It was originally called 'Parallel Worlds', containing a whole lot of information on the gates of your world and mine as well as... the philosopher's catalyst..." I watch her intently as she flips the pages of the book, scanning some parts that she found most interesting.

Then I blurt out, "There was one line that I found interesting when I was deciphering the book.. 'Dante's inferno is the key to unlocking the first gate.'" I watch intently as Dante stops flipping the pages, her eyes glued onto a certain part of the book I knew she found familiar. "The 'first gate' means the first part of the information that's been locked away, and only a certain is the key to unlocking those answers. 'Dante's inferno'... That could mean anything... but then I remembered something, Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. I remember that the poet himself , Dante, passes through the gate of Hell, which bears an inscription, the ninth (and final) line of which is the famous phrase "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." That's what I first thought it was referring to at the time... but then I realized it had two meanings behind it."

Dante takes a small sip from her tea then asks, "And what might that be Catherine?" I gaze at her sternly without one thinking of looking away, making my final accusation to her, "If I remember correctly Dante... your home was burnt down to the ground 20 years ago. You described it to me once during my training with you that you thought of that time as your own version of hell. And inferno is the italian word for hell back in my world."

"How long did it take for you to realize this Catherine?"
"About one whole night, plus the two hours after taking a short break. I didn't want to believe it at first, but considering the possibilities..."
"You had no other option but to accuse me of knowing who the author is, correct?"
"Yes... I'm sorry it's just that I really need to know... who I really am..."

I bow my head, expecting for the worst possible reaction from Dante only to jaw drop at the sudden burst of laughter coming out of her. I blink at her in disbelief as I mutter, "D-Dante?" "I can't believe I was caught that fast by his own flesh and blood... as expected of his child..." chuckles the old lady as a content smile crosses her lips. "His child...?" I repeat in confusion as I watch Dante stand up from the couch and head towards the walls, placing her hand over the picture frame. I could only watch in silence as my eyes were glue on her turned back. Finally she spoke up, "I have not once seen him for forty years ever since he came back from the other side... unchanged and already with another woman in his arms... That man is the very author of the book your holding... your father..."

++That Morning++

I silently sat on my bed as Dante's words from last night continue to sink on.

::Flash Back::

"My father is the one that wrote this!?" I jaw drop at the information. I had a slight idea it was possibly him after suddenly remember him and the mysterious transmutation circle I got- it's just that I've never expected that I was actually right! I immediately jumped to the top, "Who's my father!? When was this book made? And how did he get through the gate!?" She raises her hand up and answers, "I am not in that position to tell you Catherine. You must be the one to find the answers you seek. All I am is simply a messenger when you found out, nothing more."

::End of Flash Back::

I grip the top of my blanking, thinking, 'Every single time I think I've found a lead... it always leads me to a dead end... I haven't found the stone with their souls in it... found a way to get home... and now I have to look for someone who I barely even remember!? Whatever god is out there... quiet it already!" A knock was heard from the door, and not long after it opens up to reveal Alice. "Morning," she greets, walks in but ends up bumping the top of her forehead at the doorway. I burst out laughing at this while she yells at me, "Stop laughing! I get it I'm super tall! You don't have to rub it in!" "Alright alright! Stay there I'll help you out!" I ended up having no other choice but to transmute the upper part of the doorway for Alice to walk in.

I plop myself back on the bed, asking, "So what is it? Is it about the festival?" Alice loves festivals so I know once she hears something she likes- she'll ask me none stop until I give in or think of a way to take her mind off it. Out of nowhere, Alice confesses, "I overheard your talk with Dante last night... I didn't mean to but I heard you outside my room so..." There was nothing but utter silence between the two of us. I was speechless. "And... I'm so happy for you!?" I found myself being pulled in a bone (literally) crushing hug, my face colliding with what I think is her chest. Tears fly out of her eyes and she exclaims in delight, "Your dad is here in FMA! Out of all places he's here! Now all we have to do is look for him, get our answers, and maybe he knows how to get everyone back to the other side! This is great!"

"Now hold on!" I shove her back, panting really hard as Alice tilts her head in confusion. "I never said I'll ever find him! Neither of them! Why would I look for someone that abandoned me...? For all I know these stupid memories are just some stupid daydreams my head made up!" I cover my mouth once I realized too late that I had let my secret slip out of my mouth. I was so mad at the idea of looking for my possible father that I accidentally told Alice about those 'memories' I've been seeing in my head- even the doctor back in central didn't know what to make of this. Alice lowers herself to my level and asks me in a serious tone, "Cat... what memories are you talking about?" I flinch at this, grinding my teeth together as my nails dug harder into the fabric of my pants.

I told her truthfully in a hushed tone, "Ever since I arrived in Amestris... I've been having these weird memories pop up in my head... sometimes about my parents... having a happy life... and then there were times there were memories that aren't really mine... I feel like I was there! But at the same time... it's like I'm not... I even had crazy memories of my life with the Elric's and Rockbell's..." She pushes on, "Do you remember their faces? Your parents I mean..." I wipe my eyes when I felt that I was about to cry and sniff, answering, "Not much... the memories of my parents first triggered when I met Miss Camilla... Mrs. Hughes even pointed out once how I look so much like her..."

"That's true... when I first saw Camilla I almost though she was you! Except with brown hair of course... But maybe it's a coincidence?" Alice shrugs, probably just as unsure as I was about her. I don't want to suspect her of anything. She's been so nice to me, pratically like a mother to me! Yeah she's lost her daughter and hasn't seen her husband in years- there's just no way she could be a part of any of this! Right...? 'With all that's going on... who else can I trust? Dante knows who my father is... knew who I was this whole time... Any one at this point who was never suppose to exist isn't so trusting at this point either- all except Dante and Camilla.' I look back up at Alice as she continues to watch me. I bit my lip as I thought at the back of my mind, 'I have to tell her... at least before something ever happens to me...'

::Flash Back::

I grit my teeth after writing the final piece of information onto the last page, reading it over again and again to check if the answer I got wasn't my imagination. 'Someone must keep the gate open in order for one to pass through and shut it so no unwanted entity can cross both worlds... does that mean... I'll be stuck here?' I'm the only one that can perform between the two of us, and I don't want to risk Edo Al's life if I ever get the chance to tell them. Now's not a good time for either of us.

::End of Flash Back::

I never told Alice after my sudden out burst in the room, the information just choked me when I tried to tell Alice the cost of what would happen if we found the stone with (hopefully) everyone's souls inside it. Alice told me before that she only took a soul out hand placed it in a body. So far Alice is the only one that ever came out. At least, that's how she last remembers it. Noticing how quiet I've been the past few minutes, we were suddenly interrupted when Ed, Al, and Winery run into my room and slam the door shut behind them. "Guys, what's wrong?" Alice asks the three. Ed pants as he leans against the door, "That old lady is going nuts down there! One minute she and that Clara lady were talking, next thing we knew- they tried to get us clothes for that festival!"

This caught my attention. I got up saying, "But we already got tickets for Rush Valley! I already told her last night we'd leave in the afternoon!" "Yeah well-" Windy couldn't finish when someone on the other side tried to force the door open. "Catherine open up! We both know you're in there!" Clara yells from the other side. Oh shut. "Catherine if you don't open this door right now I'll have to use that on you again," this time it was Dante, and the moment she said that memories of my training with her began to rush at me all at once. "No! I am not doing it again!" I yelp in fear.

-Normal-

Without a second to think on what to do next, Cat makes an immediate dash towards the window that was beside her bed and did the impossible- she jumped out the window. "WHAT THE HECK!?" All four jaw drop at this odd and terrifying action Cat just did, paralyzed by shock as they stare at the now broken window. This has never happened before! Ever! "Ow...!" they hear her groan from outside below where they were. (A/N: I stupidly forgot to put that Dante lives in an apartment on the second floor...) Unable to control himself, Ed immediately jumps pit of the window after Cat, worried senseless on what happened to the girl. "Ed! Cat!" Alice gasps as she rushes towards the window to check on her two friends.

Behind her back, Al and Winery gave each other a hive five and then opened the door to allow Dante and Clara in. Alice hears their footsteps and turns away from the window, gapping in shock as she questions them, "What's going on? And why are you making those weird faces like as if you accomplished something?" Winry holds her hand and then starts the count down, "And in 3... 2... 1..." "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" the two screech from outside.

-Back to Me-

"Ow...!" I rub my leg in pain after making that sudden jump out of the window. I know it was a reckless move to make at short notice, but there is no way I am going to stay there with Dante planning to use that on me again! "Cat!" I look up in shock as Ed jumps down to where I was and lands a few inches away, dashing towards me and slides to a stop. "Are you okay...!?" he asks me worriedly, checking is there was any piece of broken glass on me. Ed see's the gash on my leg but keeps quiet as we both watch it heal, and thankfully no one nearby has seen this. I reassure Ed with a small smile, "I'm fine Ed... You don't have to worry about me." Ed tries to say something, but every time he would open his mouth he would close it immediately, trying to hold back from whatever he wanted to tell me.

I was about to ask him what's the matter when- "What the...!?" We both look down at the ground in surprise as the floor around began quake. It stopped for a brief moment, much to our relief, until large roots began to wrap themselves around me and then Ed, pulling us apart from each other. "Ed!" I reach out to him as I start to panic. Then out of nowhere, I felt a sharp pain in my head as I was then surrounded by the women of time, the men doing the same with Ed.

::Memory::

"Ed!" I reach out to him as watch in horror as Envy stabs d through his torso, Dante splashed to watch me suffer as I helplessly the events transpire. Al screams as well, "Brother...!"

No! You have no right to see that! Stay out of this you fake!

::End of Memory::

I paint as I felt a sudden force pull me back in reality, Winery and Alice helping out of the wooden bonds as they both eye me in concern.

-Jealousy-

||Heading towards Eastern HQ::

I silently clutch my head in pain as my soldiers march on ahead of me, my energy depleted after forcing Catherine out of that unwanted memory. Bertha notices this and begins to slow down to check on me. "You okay ma'am...?" She reaches down to pat my shoulder but I slap it away, unintentionally glaring dagger sat her. She jerks a bit in surprise as I realize too late what I just did. I go back to me cold demeanor, "Who told you to get out of line soldier...?" "Sorry ma'am... I won't do it again..." I snap at her, "You better not!" She did it again, dig into memories that don't even belong to her. She should just remember her own past rather stick her nose into mine, or else.

-Back to Me-

||New Optain||

"Hold on..." I glare at my reflection and scream at the top of my lungs, "Why the fuck am I in a dress!?" I was forced to wear a knee-high sleeveless gown, accompanied with a pair of long black gloves, and killer heals that are killing me. "Just hold still Cat! And... there! All done!" Winry steps back to praise at her so-called work. Now here's something that I know people love to put on my head- a stupid bow. At least this one's red instead of pink. "Let's just have some fun for once! You've been really tense lately," Alice states. I smirk at point out, "At least I don't look like a leprechaun." Alice turns pink and looks down at her green dress in embarrassment, the bottom skirt covered in not only glitter but a few clover designs as well.

Winry starts to shove the both of us out of the room so we could join the others. "Save the fighting for later! We need to meet the boys now! Ed and Al are probably there already-" we both stop when we heard a loud uproar from the outside. Sweat dropping, we all probably had the same idea what's going on outside. 'Ed got insulted again about his height...'

-Ed-

||Town Square||

We bash our foreheads together as we glared evilly at each other, pissed off after one short little insults we said the moment we came face to face.

"You're pretty tall for a punk huh?"
"At least I am tall! That way I can easily sweep Catherine off her feet! You'd just collapse after lifting her up!"
"I'm with her for 24-hrs a day! I've been with her longer than you kid so keep dreaming! She's mine! Not yours!"
"Oh? And does she agree to that?"

"What are you guys doing!?" Winry appears from the crowd and immediately goes in between us, pushing Russell aside and bashing... me on the heard with her wrench! I clutch my head in pain as Winry apologized, "Sorry Russel. Ed over here is just too hot headed to keep his cool." "Hey he started it!" I yell. "Guys? What's going on?" Cat spoke up from behind my back. I stood up to face Cat, but all I did was jaw drop once I saw her. She was- "So pretty! Cat you look amazing in that!" Fletcher comments, causing Cat to turn slightly pink and look away in embarrassment.

-Back to Me-

Alice notices this and immediately starts to make her move, saying, "Okay guys let's go! Let's give these two some 'privacy'!" Al and Alice begin to push the others away from us, practically dragging Russell away by the collar after realizing too late what it is they were planning to do. "Now hold on a second-!" I chuckle at Russell's failed efforts in trying to get out of Alice's grasp, there's no way he can get out of her firm grip. I look over at Ed, who was still staring at me with large eyes and his mouth slowly gaping even wider. I put a hand on my hip and ask the boy in a teasing manner, "Aren't you going to ask me for a dance? Or you just going stand there like an absolute idiot as someone else asks me?" Ed finally snaps out of it, finally taking a hint at what the three were trying to do.

I lift my hand up and immediately he takes the chance and pulls me into his chest, something which I did not except him to do at all- especially out here in the open. Nobody wasn't paying much attention to us as many were already to find a partner already. Once the music began to play, I suddenly found my world spinning as Ed already made the first move in dancing. "Since when have you been such a good dancer?" I ask, realizing how well we were both doing without making any mistakes on stepping one another. He grins and puts his head next to mine, whispering into my ear, "I have a good teacher to thank…" I blush and buried my face into his shoulder as he pulls away, grinning at me in amusement while watching me try to hide how red my face is.

'Geez… this guy really remembers everything now…' I thought as I secretly smile, happy to know he fully recognizes me now. I don't have to ask him because I can tell with the way he acts, we both met when we were kids a long time ago. Don't know how, it just happened without me realizing it.

::Memory::

"Say Cat, do you know how to dance?" Ed asks me all of a sudden. I put a finger on my lips to think about then nod, explaining to him, "My friend taught me a bit from her dance lessons. It's pretty simple if you ask me." He turns into a dark shade of red and sheepishly asks me, "Can you… teach me how to dance?" "Huh? Sure!" I happily stood up from my spot, extending a hand to help him stand up. Nervous at first, he finally takes my hand in his. Once he does, I immediately pull him up on his feel and stepped a bit closer to Ed until there was no gap between us.

"Now just follow my footsteps! We'll start with a simple waltz, alright? Now… 3-"

::End of Memory::

"I still can't believe you remember that…" I mutter out loud without thinking. Ed squeezes his arm around my waist even tighter. "Of course…! You know how hard it was for me ask…? I was so sure you'd say no..!" I guess I should really thank Alice, Al, and Winry for this later- then I'll kill them for making these sort of plans behind our back.

-?-

I watch through the crowd as I watch my daughter happily dance in the arms of Hohenheim's son, almost the exact same they did in the other side long before they were separated. For a moment there, I almost saw my wife and I in their place at. Our first ball dance was the first time I ever met her and truly fell in love, although I only flirted with her to annoy her at the start- I slowly began to fall for her. As cheezy as it may sound- I have never met such an incredible woman such as her until that night. "Priscilla…" I sigh as I silently walk out of the crowd, slipping into the dark night without anyone taking notice of me. "Sorry to make you wait for so long… but it seems it's almost time for me to come home. Things are finally starting look up now."

-Jealousy-

||East City||

I clutched onto my locket close to my chest, the initials of my old name and lover on once with while the other with my parents. "Flamel… What have you done?" I ask out loud as rain began to pour down on me. I had no duties today- so I had enough free time to walk around as my homunculus self and not in the annoying guise 'father' placed upon me as cover. In my right pocket, the red stone I've been holding onto for the past 3 years began to glow. I ignored it as usual and jumped up towards the nearest roof, starting my usual duties in search for a potential sacrifice in this new area.

-Dante-

||New Optain - Apartment||

I sat by the window as I watched almost every citizen dance in the streets of the town, watching in content to see the peace I've worked so hard on for my home. Then, outside the dancing crowd, was a man. A man with familiar golden hair. I put my spectacles over to help me get a better look at who this stranger is, and once I was able to fully have a clear vision on the man I gasp when he turns around. His eyes were glued onto me as I felt my hand begin to shake and drop my spectacle in shock, petrified on the spot as we both stare at one another right in the eye. "Nicholas…?" I said out loud.

To Be Continued

Okay guys I'll make this short and quick. Next month I might not update anything for a while... My grandma just died about an hour ago and... it's really a depressing moment right now so sorry that this chapter isn't entirely finished. :( So please follow me on Twitter for further announcements on when I'll be able to update again and I'll extend this chapter when I get the chance. I just didn't want to miss another month of not updating this fanfic.

Update

Thanks for your support guys! (Well kinda...) I have this horrible feeling that halfway through this chapter it felt half-assed while trying to properly finish this one! :( But I guess it's because of what happened that the other half of this chapter ended up lazy. And also... I've been feeling a little discouraged at the lack of reviews I'm receiving... So right now I can barely tell if I'm doing any good with this story or not. But I can understand! :) What matters the most is that there are still people reading this and I really thank you for that!