There's a reason why things happen...

and for some odd reason it only happens when us,

the outsiders, are around... Why was I born with this...

thing inside me...? I'm not immortal... nor am I

a homunculus... am I even human?

Chapter 30 ~ All is one

-Me-

::Dream::

It was dark. I had no idea where I was nor did I know how I get here to begin with. "Catherine Cairo-" Slowly, as if a blind fold was being taken off my face, the world around me started to brighten up. I soon found myself standing on a wooden bridge that almost seemed to be right smack in the middle of the ocean. I looked over my shoulder to see that it was an endless path towards infinity, and when I turned my head towards the path I was facing, it was exactly the same as the one behind me. I purse my lips together and made a fist, taking a few short steps forward then go on ahead as I thought, 'Guess I have no other choice. It's either I stay here forever or go on and see where this path takes me.' With every step I took, it felt like as if there was something inside me telling me to turn back.

I would if I wanted to but the last time I listened to my subconscious, Ed and I ended having the longest argument ever. 'Now that I think about it,' a depressing aura surrounds my head as my eyebrow twitches, 'whenever we don't argue about something for a while this tends to escalate a little bit quicker with each fight.' Soon I found myself standing before a white gazebo, covered in blue roses and seemed to have a similar architecture from the building in Xerxes (before the fall of the country). I come to a complete stop when I saw a figure sitting at the center of the gazebo, calmly sipping her tea as she had one arm crossed over her this distance, I could only see she was wearing a pure white gothic dress, long black hair with her bangs and the lower half dyed blue.

"It's been a while since you're last visit," she states, lifting her head slightly up to reveal her face. I glare at the woman in disgust and sarcastically comments at her appearance, "Is there a reason why I'm seeing my face on another stranger? Or is it just some sick twisted joke? Coz it's not funny." The woman chuckles then apologizes, "Forgive me, this form is simply borrowed from the last person that came to visit my doorstep. I rarely get any visitors considering how I don't distribute powerful knowledge like my cynical little brother does, but it does keep me interested to see who will arrive next." Doorstep? Distributing powerful knowledge? Visitors? Unsure where exactly this conversation was going, I took a few more steps forward. "Who exactly are you?" I ask her.

"Hm... I'll give you a hint-" The woman swipes her hand over her face and changes to Fate/Truth's. Her white eyeless face grins at me eagerly, "Don't worry. You're going to make everything ok." "Fate!?" I reached down for my sword, but all I grabbed was nothing but air. "Now now there's no need to be hasty. Killing me in your dreamscape won't do you any good." I cautiously stood up straight, asking the entity, "Dreamscape?" "Look over there," she coyly points over to something to her left. Hesitant, I slowly take a few steps into the pavilion. When I reached the end of the pavilion, I leaned over the wooden fence and looked around the vast ocean. I hear Fate chuckle behind my back, "Try looking up."

I followed her instructions and literally felt my jaw drop to the floor, my knees shaking in fear at the tall structure that was meters away from where we are. There was the gate, except it was ten times bigger than I remember it. "IT'S HUGE!" My nerves shot up when I heard sudden sound of running water. I quickly turn around to see Fate pouring a cup of tea, casually placing it across the table as she transmutes a chair at the same time. "How long are you going to stand there?" The way Fate is acting is a little- how do I say this- off from how I remember it or her to be. Or maybe that's Truth I'm thinking about? Soon enough, I found myself sitting across from Fate as she fondly gazes at the gate.

"You must forgive me for borrowing this face and choosing this form, I felt it might feel comfortable to be in this gender."
"Don't worry. I'm used to seeing random people with my face nowadays. It's something that has become a daily thing now..."
"Hmph... fair enough. I always felt estranged to how it feels to be defined by gender with you humans. I find them much more interesting on what they'll do next rather than Truth, he just loves to intervene with their lives."

"Just like how you did with us," I point out, glaring hard at her with a predator-like look in my eyes. Fate, once again, chuckles at my sarcasm, "No, it was simply something I did out of payment. You can understand this concept, correct? Trading is a simply way of living for you humans. It's the same with what we do. We do it in order to maintain balance." I still didn't like her answer. While sitting there, trying to figure out what to say next to each other, I just realized this. I'm sitting here in god-know's-where out in the middle of what looks like the pacific ocean, casually talking to Fate and having tea with her. I sweat drop thinking, 'That makes no fucking sense at all...' Truth never does things like this. He just smiles at you and takes whatever you have without remorse.

Though it does explain one thing with the stupid big grin on his white face- 'He's just having fun with us... should have known...' She finally spoke up, "I remember the first human that arrived to my gate. I thought he was a weak man, thinking at the time he would ask me things that I've only heard from my brother's side. But when I looked into his eyes it was different. He wasn't afraid. He seemed to be ready for what I was going to take from him. Just from seeing that look in his eyes, I felt this odd sensation inside my chest. My first human visitor and I couldn't bring myself to take anything from him. I sent him to the world I watch over, so that when he ever feels like coming back I could finally take something from him.

Though the second time he came back, I was prepared to take his life as it was something precious to him, but instead I ended up taking the life of the two people he loved by mistake." I was surprised to hear this sudden story from Fate. I almost thought I was the first human to come to our world's gate, but this leads me to become even more suspicious on the secrets that Fate holds over the humans back at home. "But this isn't what I brought you hear for." With a snap of her fingers, the beautiful scene completely crumbles into dust, leaving nothing but the familiar white empty space. "I brought you back here as payment from that 'person' again to assist you. I don't see why not since you've made the correct choices so far on who to save and who should die."

I felt something inside me crack at her words. I brought a hand to my chest and gripped onto my shirt, asking her in a shaky tone, "What choices are you talking about?" "Hm? Oh not really important or anything... but if you made your choice early in saving Nina a- what's her name again? Friza Hawkeye?" Fate puts a finger to her lips while trying to remember the name. Even though the name is completely ridiculous to belong to anyone, I immediately figured out who she was talking to once I piece the name back together. "Riza Hawkeye...? Why!? What would have happened to her if I saved Nina!?" I demand as I stood up and slam my hands on the table, desperate for an answer. Fate stares at me with those dead fish-like eyes and answers in a blunt manner, "She'd be dead."

The crack in my chest felt like it deepened at the revelation. 'I was right... saving those that aren't meant to be saved...' I covered my mouth and glanced away in disgust. "Though it's an endless amount of routes I could have chosen in case something like that ever happens! I could have killed her in a different time and place, take the life of anyone in a random accident-" Fate suddenly appears by my side. "Or I could just take yours in return. Equivalent exchange, right?" If this thing is meant to help me in something that I sure as hell don't know, then at this point it's failing very badly at it. "\Just one look into my eyes for 2 minutes straight sent her into a sudden laughing fit."Your bloodline is really interesting...! I can tell things will continue to be interesting till the very end!"

The gate appears behind my back in its normal state and opens up. Long black arms shot out and grabbed for my body, dragging me back inside. I fought back but to no avail, it wasn't enough to break me out of the gates grasp. "Agh! Enough with this shit!" I felt a hand on my cheek, finally stopping me and the black arms. Fate stares at me straight in the eye then takes a dagger out, its gold handle and red blade reflecting my confused face. She informs me as she tucks the dagger in my coat, "Soon you have to make a choice on whose life shall end. One of you has to leave this world. Two people with the same existence cannot stay in the same side, so one has to go back." The world around me starts to go dim. As I struggle to keep my eyes open, all I could see was Fate turning her back and walking away.

Then when I blinked, I swore I could see Jealousy and a man watching me as the gate finally shuts closed.

The night in which her time ended is

drawing near. His fate lies in both your hands.

Will you allow his time to be cut in half?

Or will you make the same sacrifice she did?

::End of Dream::

I shot up from my sleep, drenched in sweat and having difficulty trying to catch my breathe, as if I came back from a 10 mile marathon. Alice walks in the room on time to see me trying to stand up. "Cat you're awake!" she gasps, rushing over to me and helping me stay on my feet when she sees that I was about to fall over. "How long was I out...?" I question her while she sets me back on my bed. She smiles sadly down at me and answers, "For a few minutes... the boys are already getting settled in for the night." "And Wrath?" I ask her, my eyes following her as she walks over to pick up my suit case from the floor. "He was supposed to be sleeping in his room but," Alice faces me and scratches her cheek with a nervous smile, "he suddenly got scared and went to the Curtis' room."

A sweat drop forms on the side of my head as I ask her out loud, "Are you really sure this is thee Wrath we're talking about? He didn't seem like the type to act like a wimpy kid after eating those red stones..." She laughs at the memory, "You're right there...!" I comment as Alice starts to unpack, "Of course I'm right! Besides, we still have to figure out how he got here in the first place." I laid back down on the bed and told Alice, "Don't unpack... I have a feeling we'll be leaving tomorrow..." She was about to ask me why until she too remembers what will happen tomorrow- it was the day the boys confront their teacher about committing the taboo. Alice lies down on her bed as well, staring up at the ceiling. "Is it bad that we know things before they happen?" Alice blurts out.

I flinch, slowly turning to my side and tell her, "Not really. If you think about it, we could take this to our advantage." Alice turns over on her side to look at me, questioning my logic, "How so?"

"Jealousy wants to see me suffer. She's supposedly jealous of my existence and wants to be my replacement. I think her plan is that in order for nobody to notice, is to make the closest slowly hate me until they find my existence repulsive. Things have been slightly altered ever since we've arrived and I think it all has to do with Jealousy. I don't even want to think about every single person I've met back in New Optain... that would be going too far, even for Jealousy. But there still is that possibility. So if we noticed that one thing has slightly changed, we'll know. We'll know that Jealousy's been there."

Alice shot up, exclaiming, "Don't tell me that that Jealousy is here!" I tried to calm the terrified brunette, "She's not here! At least not now... she's long now by now. Even if Jealousy was here, she wouldn't be stupid enough to attack us in someone's home." She still didn't seem to buy it by how silent she went after hearing what I just said. Alice hasn't entirely mentally recovered from what Jealousy has done to her, dying twice only to come back as something else is a horrifying memory. After a few minutes of silence, I got off my bed and grabbed my book, causing Alice to sit up in surprise. "What are you doing?" Alice asks me, tilting her head a bit to the side in confusion. I tucked the book under my coat pocket as I explained to her, "If we want to take a step further we need Izumi's help. But first I need make peace with Ed."

"Again?" smiles the giant, lying flat on her stomach and rests her head on her arms as she watching me with her large brown eyes. I sigh, "Yes... again... I swear this is a stupid pattern that only the two of us have to go through... We fight, make peace, we fight over something again when I plan on confessing something on Ed..." "So how about confessing your feelings to him then? Maybe he'll listen to you," her suggestion almost made my heart beat hard against my chest, enough for it to feel like it was about to come out of my chest. "Alice!" I whine. Bursting out laugh, Alice rolls off her bed as I roll my eyes and walk out of the door, too annoyed to deal with her crazy shenanigans.

||Hallway||

I stood in place as I nervously glance to the ground, rubbing my automail arm while Ed glares daggers at my head. "What is it you want...?" he asks me. I flinch at his tone. Finally gaining up the courage to look up, I almost wanted to cower away in fear when I saw how pissed he was to see me. "I... Um..." I just couldn't do it. By accident, as I stepped back after having second thoughts, my book accidentally falls to the ground. "Your book...?" I start to panic when he bends down to pick it up. "Cairo..." I wanted to run when his tone suddenly darkens. "What exactly are you planning to do with this?" he demands, lifting the book in between the two of us. I nervously glance away as I answered in a quiet voice, "Nothing..." He saw right through me. "Don't lie to me Cairo."

I wipe my hand over my face and finally confess, "Errrr! Alright! I was going to ask Izumi if she knows anything about the Philosophers' Catalyst! But I didn't want to ask her anything until... things are okay between the two of us." This only made Ed even more upset. "Okay? Okay!? Just okay!? Cat- as much as I want to trust you, how can I? You kept such an important thing from me... You knew! You knew and yet you decided not to say anything!" he yells in frustration, flailing his arms around to show how mad he was. I couldn't help but snap as well, questioning the boy, "Well what did you want to me say Elric? 'Oh hey I happen to be the girl you've been searching for all these years!' or something like that? If I told you at the time you gave me this ring, would you have believed me?"

He didn't say anything. Instead of answering my questions, Ed steps back and slams the door in my face, almost making me stumble back in shock at his unexpected reaction. Too pissed to say anything at the stubborn shrimp, I slam my hand on the door hard enough to display how upset I am. "You know what you half sized runt? I am sick and tired of this bullshit! Everything you find something out I was planning on telling you beforehand, this happens! This is why I never tell you things until I feel like it's time because I know you how badly you always react!" I rant at the door, not caring is anyone inside the house could hear me. I doubt he even wanted to listen what I had to say. Here I am trying to make peace with him, and this is what I get in return?

Though I was hoping I'd get be able to get back his attention by insulting him, except I could tell that my words only fell on deaf ears. I groan after my head finally cools down, muttering to myself in defeat, "Why do I even bother...? Nothing I say to him will reach him at this point..."

-Fate-

Me: It's been a while since we did this!
Cat: Yeah, you were so focused on finishing a chapter you told us to stay quiet so you could write.
Me: Yeah will I had to type as fast as I could whenever I go to the library during my 7 hour long break. ^^|||
Cat: 7 hours!?

Right as soon as Cat fades back into the world of the wake, the large gate opens not long after. "He's early..." I comment, taking another sip from my tea. It wasn't real tea. It was simply an object I created after taking a small peak at the world I allowed to form, and the first thing that took my interest was the smell. Coffee had this repulsive stench that made the face of the human I was borrowing wrinkle a bit. Then there was tea. Even though I couldn't taste it, I felt relieved for some odd reason when the soothing scent entered the human's nostrils. The man steps into the veranda and immediately slams both hands onto the table.

"What do you think you're doing fate? I thought you don't mess with the lives of humans!" he demands, clearly upset of my numerous interventions with his offspring. I wasn't fazed. It was more amusing to see how quickly he responded when I decided to communicate with her through her mind. I answer back, mirroring the same way Cat usually answers back at someone in sarcasm, "Would you rather have her brain overload from too much information with another trip through the gate? Or let both worlds split due to me not doing what I was told to after taking my payment?" He knew I was just following tradition of equivalent exchange.

It just set him off when he sensed that Catherine was in a place she shouldn't be in so soon. But what can a lonesome being such as myself do? I'm just doing what I've been doing for decades now. A long sigh escapes his lips, ruffling his golden hair and starts to mutter something to himself. He puts his hands in his pockets after calming down, asking, "So? What did she want you to show my daughter? She wouldn't be so reckless unless it was absolutely necessary." I lean against the table with both elbows on the surface, one hand swinging a certain small red bead and the other under my chin as I flash him a devious smile.

I point out to him, amused at the look he was giving me, "Don't look so surprised Sir Flamel~! Without her, Catherine would have been long dead at the rate she's been going." The man glares at me. "So adding people who are meant to be dead in a world they never existed is helping her. Yeah I feel so relieve to know my daughter is safe." I almost giggle at his own display of sarcasm. 'Like father like daughter...' It didn't take long for our conversation to end. Time runs differently here. While it seems like a few seconds, in reality, it is almost around hours once a human returns back to their 'dimension'.

I sigh, bored once again as silence drops in again, "Another wait... Truth must be having fun with all those humans at his fingertips."

-Normal-

Cat sigh in defeat as she walks down the hall, lifting up the book and talks to herself, "He says that I'm stubborn? Well look who's talking half pint..." "Cat...!" a distant voice calls out from behind. "Huh?" Right when Cat was about to turn around, Alice suddenly runs up to her in a state of panic. She grabs the blonde by the shoulder, saying, "You have to help me! It's Wrath!"

||Butcher Shop||

Cat jaw drops as Alice covers her mouth while staring at the sight in disgust, both girls utterly speechless. "What the fuck did you do!?" Cat exclaims. Not even two steps into the shop, Cat finds herself surrounded by not only debris but meat splattered all over the place. "The walls, the floor, the counter- even the ceiling is covered in shit! Literally shit!" points out the alchemist while Wrath stands there, trying to pretend he was innocent. The dog's ears goes down as it sits beside Wrath, pretending to act sorry for what happened while still keeping a big piece of meat in its mouth. Crossing her arms, Cat glares at the two and scowls them, "Do you know how much trouble you're in Wrath? It's a good thing Alice decided to go out for a walk. If not, you'd be so dead right now! Especially us!"

At the back of her mind she thought, 'I knew this brat would be troublesome to bring... but this... this is too much!' "It's not my fault! I thought this stupid mutt was Envy when I saw it in the shop!" Wrath defends himself, at the same time glaring at the black dog. "And why exactly were you inside the shop?" Alice questions the boy. Wrath just stands there with his own version of a poker face, which was just him standing there making a stupid face. "Unbelievable..." Cat face palms when she sees his reaction. She rolls takes her jacket off and drops it to the floor, rolling her sleeves up as she moves toward the middle of the shop. "Looks like we have no choice but to clean this place up ourselves..." Cat says as she claps her hands together.

She tries to clean as much gunk as she could so they would have a faster time cleaning up the place, but instead of most of it evaporating into dust like she wanted it to, all the stuff from the ceiling shook a bit then fell down to the ground. All four just stood there, blinking a bit before Cat starts to steam in frustrations and bursts out. "Err screw this! We'll just have to do this the old fashion way! And you-" Cat points at the dog and looms over the poor animal with a demonic aura surrounding her, "-you'll be eating all of the meat that's scattered all over the floor!" It freezes at first in fear but then its eyes began to sparkle happily. Alice mutters herself, "That dog's the only one that's got it easy..."

++Later++

After cleaning everything up, the dog lays on it's back while whining in pain from how bloated its stomach is. "Why didn't we just toss all this garbage out?" Wrath questions the two. Cat huffs and crosses her arms, "Hmph! We had to make the darn dog do something!" "Not feed it till the point it looks like it's about to explode!" Alice exclaims. Cat walks up and opens the door, ordering the dog, "Now get out of here! If I see your sorry face again, I swear I WILL use you for meat instead!" It yelps in fear and runs out of the door in fear as fast as its legs could carry it. "Now then..."

||Meat locker||

"To replace the meat that dog ate..." All three of them stare at the long line of hanging dead meat, feeling the cold air run up their spine the longer they stared. "I change my mind! Let's just pay for the meat!" Cat turns to leave only for Alice to grab the back of her coat. "Oh no you don't! You got us into this and YOU should be the one to handle!" Forced to look back inside the meat locker, Cat instantly cowers in the corner in fear. "Cat... don't tell me you're still afraid of the dark..." After a long pause, Alice falls to the ground while Wrath face palms. "Fine I'll do it!" Wrath offers. He hold up the knife but when he steps into the meat locker, he felt chills crawl up his spine and ends up cowering right next to Cat.

"Guys! Don't make me do it!" Alice begs the two to get up, showing that she was just as scared to go in there like they were.

||Back in the house||

Cat slumps herself against the coach, Alice taking a tired Wrath in her arms and carrying him back to the Curtis' room. "So tired..." As much as she wanted to finally get some sleep, something in her body told her to stay up. She didn't understand why but didn't even want to think hard on it after all the stuff I had to go through today. "Can't sleep?" Izumi asks, giving Cat had a near heart attack at Izumi's sudden appearance sitting beside the tense girl. As she tries to figure out a way to escape, Izumi silently watches the fluster in place. "Ah well you know... with all that military work and stuff going on around my head... it's not really something I can sleep with," Cat lightheartedly jokes while thinking at the back of her mind, 'Someone save me!'

"... Is the military really the place you want to be?" reluctant to ask, Izumi turns her heard away to hide the disgust in her eyes. Cat didn't know how to answer this. At the start, she knew that there would be consequences if she joined the military. She would be close enough for the enemy to keep an eye on her, her life would be at risk 24/7 non-stop with many people out to kill Cat for the things she's done and worry about Jealousy at the same time. "Why did you join?" questions the woman with a serious expression. Nervous on the inside, Cat sit straight up and recomposes herself, unwaveringly answers, "I don't regret joining the military." This sudden answer shocks Izumi.

Cat continues, "From the start, I knew that what I would be selling my soul to be bound by the chains of the military until I die or retire. But I didn't want that to stop me. I don't want to live in fear forever. Yes becoming a state alchemist is not really something I enjoy, but it's worth it."

"Worth what?"
"If it mean protecting every one I care about and to make up for those I couldn't."

Izumi was caught off guard at the girls sudden serious demeanor. One minute Cat was quiet and acts just as childish as Ed on a certain level, now she was an entirely different person. "Protect... huh...?" she mutters to herself, slightly smiling and wraps her arm around her chest. A nostalgic feeling slowly boiling up inside as Cat's words echo in her mind. "Things have livened up a bit when you brought that child here," Izumi crosses her arms with a proud look in her eyes, "My husband is really good with children. Right after we finished up the meal, those two just wouldn't stay in place." She tries to catch her breath as Izumi sets herself beside the girl.

-Back to Me-

Hearing things brings back so many memories of what Izumi had to go through after the transmutation. I gaze back at the ground with sad eyes, my mind wondering around the memory, 'Izumi and Sig really wanted a child... And at the cost for trying to bring their only child back, Izumi committed the taboo only for Truth to steal her ability to have children.' "Ed and Al told me a few things about you before coming here," I lied. "They told me about your 'weak' state. But after seeing you send Ed flying and flip Al with ease, I almost had my doubts there for a moment." She warily smiles at my responds, thanking me, "You're a really kind person Catherine. You remind me so much of someone I met a long time ago."

-Izumi-

This girl looks almost exactly as the one as that woman. I can never forget our encounter, it was the time I was still pregnant and nervous about what will happen once the child is born.

::Memory::
++10 years ago++

It was another normal day at the shop, trying my best to help my husband while careful not to over exert myself. I fondly rub my hand over my stomach, talking to little bundle of joy still growing within me, "You're really causing mommy a bit of trouble here... but don't worry. You're worth it." The sound of the bells rings from the front of the shop. With Sig still out, I panic and rush to the counter, only you end up crashing into nearby empty crates. "Is everything okay back there?" a voice calls out. I slide my way in, ignoring the pieces of wood stuck in my hair. I greet the customer with a smile, "Yes! Can I help you?" She gaps at me in disbelief and puts her hand close to her lips when she starts to giggle. "Are we interrupting something?" she asks.

"N-No not at all! I was just in the back chopping some meat while my husband was out," I blabber, slightly embarrassed for my previous actions. She was a very beautiful lady. Her long curly brown hair reached down to her waist, sharp blue green eyes, and a light pink dress that almost mirrors the kind of aura she had. I gap in awe at her appearance as she looks around the selection. A small hand reaches up and starts to tug the top part of her dress. "Mama! Paper! Paper!" a small tiny voice whines. The lady smiles and pats the child's head, playfully scowling her, "Now sweetie! You know how I feel when you use alchemy." "Your daughter can use alchemy?" I ask her in amazement, utterly surprised when I peered over to see the child was no older than five years old.

The little girl shyly hides against the lady's legs, her small hand clutching onto the pink fabric. I only caught a glimpse of her golden blonde hair. Must have inherited that from her father. "Hehe... She takes after her father a little bit too much," she takes out a small blue rose from her basket and hands it to her daughter, "every time she gets her hands on her father's book and a piece of chalk, she'd start transmuting either ice all over the furniture or flood the house!" "I see..." I couldn't help myself from looking down at the medium sized bump on my stomach. She notices this and questions me, "Is this your first time?" I was caught off guard and ended up shyly glancing to the side.

The lady puts a hand on her cheek, still smiling as she comments, "Its fine! I was scared too when my daughter was first born! She was such a small infant..." A loud thump was heard below us. "I'm not small..." The lady just laughs at the child's reaction while I just smile at how cute she was.

"How long has she been doing alchemy?"
"She just recently started. I told my husband it was a bad idea, but as soon as she spoke her first sentence he went straight to teaching her."
"First sentence!? Don't you mean first word?"
"No no! She literally said a full sentence! I think it was, 'Papa you smell like burn garbage' or something similar to that. Though I didn't want to say anything... but he did smell like that when he came back home..."

While we were talking, at the corner of my eye, a tiny hand reaches up and quickly steals a piece of paper which had the drawing of a transmutation circle on it. A bright blue light emits from in front of the counter. We both look down and scream when we see the child's head enveloped in ice. "Ah! Now look at what you've done! Go to your father this instant young lady!" Not really taking her seriously, we watch as the child happily skips out of the shop to meet with her father, who was waiting outside the shop when the door opens up. I felt a sweat roll on the back of my head when I see the man panic once he sees the child. "I'm so sorry for all this," the lady suddenly bows to me. I wave my hands in the air and said, "No it's fine! I was just surprised to see such a child with such talents at her age."

All I earned was a long exhausted sigh then a sweet smile. She introduces herself to me, "My name is Perenelle, or was at least that's who I used to be anyway... I've been thinking of different names to call myself by." "Izumi Curtis... Why do you want to change your name?" I ask her. I really cannot see why she would want to change her name. Even if it was a name I've never heard of before, it sounds to me like it was a well thought name for a person as nice as her. Nervous at first, Perenelle explains her reasons to me in a hushed tone, "It's the name of the me I left behind... if it wasn't for my husband, I wouldn't be as free as I am today and have a real family that loves me. The birth of a new life is something every mother should be proud of."

Her words made me look down at my belly again, images showing in my mind and the countless possibilities this child will bring once they take their first breath. She smiles when sees how proud I was now. "A newborn child is something every mother works hard for... even before they are born..." Perenelle takes my hand and continues, "But once they are, you will know at that point it was all worth it. Right, Izumi?"

::End of Memory::

Now that I look at the girl, she not only reminds of Perenelle but her child now that I take a better look at her. "Catherine, may I ask you something?" She didn't seem to expect this but nods anyway. I cross my arms and look at the window with my eyebrows furrowed, "Are you from the other side?"

Cat: Another one!?
Me: Hehe...
Cat: Uh... why are you looking at me like that?
Me: Hm? Oh I was just imagining the number of people screaming right now!
Cat: Then why are you looking at me!?

-Back to Me-

I literally heard the sound of breaking glass shattering all around me at the question. "Come again?" I ask her, pretending that I didn't hear her the first time. I felt her eyes bored into me as I stood there, too scared to even say anything now that I am (once again for the second time) have been discovered again. This time I have no idea how in the heck she found me out so quickly. 'I made sure to act as normal as possible... no distancing... no weird reactions... so how the hell did Izumi figure me out!?' I start to panic and tried to think of a way to change the subject. She raises her hand up, forcing me to stay quiet and listen to what she has to say. "A couple arrived here years ago," Izumi tells me. "They were simply looking for a place for their daughter to live a normal happy life."

"They were a very odd family, especially the type of clothing they wore," Izumi bursts out laughing at the memory while I sat there in depression, as if multiple arrows struck the side of my head. "That woman taught me a lot about pride and reward for delivering a new life. She would come by every day with her daughter, happily giving me advice my husband and I would need in the future. Especially if the child is able to use alchemy like their's. Though she had an odd taste for men... her husband is very secretive at first but then turns into a loud mouth whenever someone says something about her and their daughter. But then-" she suddenly punches the table in half. "-he sure had a way to piss people off with that serious and sarcastic facade of his..." I was sweating all over at the sight of the poor table. It didn't deserve it.

"So uh... why are you asking me if I'm from the other side?" I ask her, trying to change the subject for the house's sake. She blinks then realizes the kind of attitude she displayed, giving a short cough and claps her hands together, repairing the table back to it's original state. Sort of... "Your eyes," I was surprised at Izumi's answer. "I've met different kinds of people during my young days as an alchemist, and also seen any faces come by to the shop. There is only one person in the world I know that has that eye color. She already told me a few things right before she disappeared. So whatever you have to say won't surprise me. Well most all of it." "Uh... well..." I did not know what to say about this. This is the second most important person that has ever asked me that damn question, and that is something I really don't want to get used to.

-Wrath/Ran-

Me: Ok this will be a little confusing at the start... I'll let you guys decide what you want him to be called. Coz to me no matter what, he's still Wrath. ^^;
Cat: I for one still want to call him Wrath.
Ali: I like Ran better! Ok it's a girls name... but I think it might actually suite him!
Me&Cat: Speak for yourself...

I took one last peek at the two in the living room then rush out the door when I saw I was in the clear. I even checked the shop a bit to see if the dog, or any other starving animal, got inside again. Earlier was unexpected, especially with their Alice catching me out of bed while I was trying to stop the dog from doing anymore damage inside. With no intruder inside, I silently dashed off into the dark streets of Dublith as fast as my now human legs can carry me. Even if I'm not a homunculus anymore I can still use this small body of mine for certain purposes, but if seems like years inside the gate had a large affect on me unlike the other time I got out. My body was ten times more sensitive to whatever sensation, hunger strikes me in a matter of hours, and the one thing that annoys me the most is my stomach.

Ever since I woke up in this human body, my stomach has been begging for food non-stop. It's like this body is trying to make up for the years I didn't eat when I was trapped and when I ate those red stones back then. 'She said to meet at this very spot...' I slowed down when I spotted a certain flickering lamp post. The only one that different from the rest. "Switched roles," a voice spoke up, a dark figure running past where Wrath stood. "Switched lives... How convenient for a being with control to let us reunite in this kind of new life." Wrath sneers at this, "Don't talk to me about life! I willingly let them take mine to be with MY mom! Not to be brought back to meet people who have the same faces but have no idea who I am!"

Red eyes glowed in the darkness behind the boy's turned back. The voice answers back in a dark threatening tone, "You haven't been around for hundreds of years now, have you?"

-Fate-

"One life... one century...

I wait for thee to return...

A hopeless soul... needing guidance..

One must wonder what it means to live...

In this cage... in this prison...

I await... for you to come...

With no purpose on living... I sit here and wait...

while you live on until you die..."

Once I finish singing the melody, I heard the gates open up behind my back. I quickly turned around, expecting to see him again, only for my hopes and expectations to be quickly shot down when HE arrived at my door step. I glare at my 'guest' in disgust, greeting in a dull tone, "Welcome back. You sure took a while." "Don't be do upset big sister! I thought it would be nice to come visit you again!" Truth grin as he happily waltz his way into the area. I sat back down on my white ceramic chair as Truth sits on the ground Indian style. "Yeah... a millennia of doing nothing but sitting while endlessly waiting for someone to arrive..." I still had some bitter grudges against Truth. After going through the trouble into creating him just to keep me company, he goes off to make his own gate and leave me here.

"So? What do you want Truth? You wouldn't come here unless you were paid to do as part of the toll we must take," I said, crossing my arms and sat there glaring hard at his white figure. Truth dramatically places the back of his hand on his forehead(?) and leans back, "Oh you've seen through me!" Not wanting to be around it/him any longer, Fate extends her hand and impatiently waits. Truth, once again, grins. "Here you go! A present from yours truly."

To Be Continued

God I was listening to Poker face by Takeuchi Ryouta and the Jelly Fish song while writing this whole chapter. Not a huge fan of DMMd (besides even if I was I have to be really care in playing it at home) but the anime really got me. I was a little bit sad that they didn't even at least pick one route with the guys (like almost every other otome anime I've seen..) but I was glad there was no "ahem" moments. Except for the fucking kiss of course. XD That was just random. So if you're curious and never heard about either the song or the anime (or the game at least if you're into THAT kind of side of yaoi) then go look it up on youtube or any other source! Anyway, I am so sorry this chapter ended up a little shorter than usual. I'm getting my laptop fixed tomorrow so I have no idea how long it'll take before the next update. Please R&R and please tell me your thoughts on what you think about Fate's sudden importance in this chapter! Also, I want to thank those who participated in sending their questions for the Mercury Alchemist Q&A! I'll be setting it up real soon!