Disclaimer: I don't own FMA/FMAB.

Chapter 9

The 5th Laboratory

|-Edward-|

Edward watched as Andrea bolted out the door, leaving him, Al, and the other two officers inside the room.

"Brother!" Al called as he stood up. He bashed his fist on the older Elric's skull.

Said Elric winced in pain before glaring at the suit of armor. "What was that for Al?!"

"You shouldn't have said that!" Alphonse cried. "I know Andrea meant well when she showed us the documents and refused to tell us the truth!"

"How can you have so much faith in her Al?" Edward snapped. "We don't even know her that much! And she had our hopes up, only to have it crushed!"

"That doesn't mean you should pent out your anger at her!" Al said apprehensively, taking a daring step forward. "You have to see the good in people sometimes! Think about it! If you knew the truth about the Stone and saw how hopeful someone looked like when they were about to discover its secrets, would you try and crush their dreams by telling them or having them figure out themselves?!"

Edward was taken back. He was still angry, not being told the truth, but he did see some sense in Alphonse's statement. True, if he was in Andrea's position, he wouldn't want to crush someone's dreams directly. He couldn't bear to see such a heartbroken face.

Not knowing what he should do, Ed placed his gloved hand over his eyes once more and gritted his teeth. "Damn it!" he cried. "Damn it all to hell!"

|-Andrea-|

I found a nearby phone booth and took out a few cenz. I dropped the needed amount on the side and dialed Izumi's number. It was difficult, since I was used to pushing buttons on phones, not twisting a circle with numbers written on the front.

"Hello, you've reached the Curtis Residence." a voice greeted from the line.

I recognized at once the voice. "Mr. Sig? It's… it's Andrea."

A slight pause. "Andrea? I see. What do you need?"

"Um, may I speak to Teacher please?" I asked quietly.

There was a slight shuffle in the background and I heard the line being picked up by someone else. "Andrea? Is that you? What's wrong?" I heard her ask.

I don't know why, but I felt a sense of peace upon hearing her voice. "Teacher… I think I did something wrong."

I could almost imagine Izumi raising her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I gripped the telephone tightly. "It's… it's about the stone… and the Elric Brothers."

There was a slight pause before Izumi spoke up. "You've already met them?"

"Yeah. Don't worry Izumi, they're fine." I assured her.

"Aside from the fact that they became Dogs of the Military, I'm annoyed that they haven't visited my store for so long." She grumbled. I gulped.

"And? Why did you call?"

"… Teacher, they discovered about the stone." I mumbled.

"… What were their reactions?"

I paused, remembering how angry Ed was when I tried to defend myself and when he discovered about the truth. I looked down on my hands. "Ed… yelled at me but Alphonse stayed quiet."

"… I see." Izumi said. "So? What are you planning to do now?"

I stayed quiet for a few moments, twirling my finger around the cord of the phone. "Actually, I'm not sure." I admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I'm doing the right thing, but it always ends up hurting someone. I don't want to hurt someone because of the right thing. Maybe I should give up…"

"Andrea!"

I gave out a startled noise. I could almost hear Izumi's glare at me. "Are you telling me that you're willing to give up that easily?" she asked.

I stayed silent.

"Andrea, I can't say that I understand the burden you're holding." Izumi said. "But you can't give up so easily."

"But…"

"So you're willing to let Amestris fall because of your weakness?!"

I was taken aback by the sudden outburst. "From what you told me, only you know what will happen and only you can avoid it. With that said, you're only a human. We humans can only do so much in this world."

"I know…"

"Which is why we struggle. We struggle and fight! So what if you failed once? Will you let that failure bring you down so easily? Is your resolve to protect the ones you care about that easily shattered?!"

Slowly, Izumi's words dawned meaning. Was my resolve really that weak? I mean, yeah, I know there will be more people who will get hurt like Hughes, Scar, Winry, and more, but I can't possibly…

"Mistakes can always be made. But we can always do better next time."

When Izumi said that, I felt myself smile. My determination and courage came rushing back inside me. I clenched my fist tightly, nodding to myself.

"Yes ma'am!" I said.

I heard her chuckle at the end of the line before she ended the call. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it for a few moments before placing it back on it's place.

With newfound strength, I turned around and ran towards the 5th Laboratory.

|-Izumi-|

Izumi sigh quietly to herself and placed the phone down. She shook her head, a smile gracing on her lips at the thought of her blue eyed student.

"Honestly." She said, shaking her head. "Someone needs to watch after that girl."

|-Edward-|

"Man this air vent tunnel is narrow." Edward complained as he wiggled. "Good thing I'm short enough."

A few seconds after announcing that to himself, he held his head and banged it on the side. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I CALLED MYSELF SHORT!"

|-Andrea-|

It took me some time to find the 5th Laboratory since I didn't have a map along with me. At least I had some excuse to be late this time!

I found the 5th Lab's security guard covered in blood, his head impaled with a butcher knife. I gasped and nearly vomited at the sight, but I managed to gain enough self-control to at least close the guard's eyes.

"Sorry," I said softly to the corpse, covering it with a tarp I found nearby. "This is the least I could do."

I headed to the side of the fence around the lab, glad to find that the metal fence that Al used to climb up was still there. I was about to charge and grab the rope-like fence, but I remembered the incident that happened with my hands.

Using the circle on my wrist band, I transmuted some ingredients from concrete to attach themselves temporarily on my hands. I grinned as I took hold of the fence, grinning in victory as I climbed up with no problems at all.

As soon as I came up at the top of the wall, my eyes widened in shock as I spotted Al engaged in combat with Barry the Chopper's armor. It looked like Al didn't have problems with him, but I was still concerned.

I decomposed the concrete around my hands and jumped down. I landed on my bottom and internally winced at the pain. "Damn it Andrea, work on your landings." I chided myself.

"Huh? Another intruder?!"

I blinked, realizing that I said that statement much louder than I meant to. I started to sweat nervously as the two armors turned their gazes on me. I saw Al's armor stiffen in surprise.

"Andrea?" he asked.

I laughed nervously and waved my hand. "Er… yo?"

"COME HERE AND I'LL CHOP YOU NICELY!" Barry announced, his butcher knife glistening brightly against the moonlight.

I immediately stood up and ran away, ducking and jumping from side to side so as to avoid being sliced or chopped by a psychotic armor.

"Come here! I'll cut you up nice and clean!" Barry called.

"No way! That makes me want to avoid you more!" I squeaked in fright, quickly running over to Al. Using one of the spikes on his armor knees, I jumped over him and ran.

I turned around and saw Barry heading my way. I placed my hand on the ground, transmuting the soil and rebuilding its structure. The transmutation encircled around Barry, trapping him.

"What the— An alchemist?!" he cried as he struggled to get out of the solid trap I made around him.

I smirked. "No use getting out of that, Mr. Chopper." I said as I stood up.

Al walked towards me. "Andrea! What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!" he said.

"I'm here to help you guys! And what do you mean by I can't be here?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It's because it's dangerous here! Go back!" Al ordered, taking a step forward.

I shook my head. "No. Al, if you're battling Barry, who is a guard of this place, what's to say that Ed isn't too?" I asked. "He could be injured! I can help him. Unlike you who can't sustain injuries, Ed can! He can die. And I won't let that!"

Al seemed surprise. "Andrea…"

Barry's laughter rang through my ears. "And how do you know that he is that alchemist's younger brother?"

Al turned to Barry in confusion while I narrowed my eyes. I knew he was going to start this. He's going to make Al doubt Ed. There's no way he's doing that while I'm around!

"How do you know that his soul is real, and not a figment of his creation?" Barry challenged. "For all you know, memories can be implanted into a soul and made to act like a younger brother!"

"That can't be!" Al protested, though his voice wavered slightly. "I… I'm a human named Alphonse Elric! I'm not created! I have Winry, Pinako, and Andrea to prove my existence!"

"And how can you tell if they're only acting like it?" Barry asked. "How do you know that they're only acting like they know you, but in reality they don't? Your brother could have created your very existence, made you believe you're Alphonse Elric, and—"

"ENOUGH!" I yelled.

Al's head shifted to me. Barry blinked, obviously confused. I narrowed my eyes at Barry. "You want me to prove how Alphonse Elric really is a true human and not a creation by a regular state Alchemist?" I asked.

I turned to Al, giving him a smile. "No one would risk his or her life to accomplish the goal of a creation itself. No one would risk their life for a simple creation, as you say it. And the fact that Ed is risking his life to discover the truth or another possible way to find Al's body… what kind of lunatic would do that?"

Al's armored body seemed to relax at my words. I gave him a smile and patted his shoulder, despite the fact that he can't feel it. I turned back to Barry and gave him a glare. "Making people doubt their own beliefs is pretty low, Barry." I stated dangerously.

Barry scoffed. "Tch, who cares? He would've fell for the bait if only you hadn't interfered. And I still want to cut that body of yours!"

I ignored that last comment and turned to Al. "Al, I'm going in the building to search for Ed. You think you'll be alright here?" I asked, unsurely.

Al nodded. "Don't worry. I can take care of it!"

I grinned before running towards the wall of the building. I transmuted a gigantic hole in the building and took a step inside. I turned towards Al, giving him a nod. He gave one back before I descended inside the building.

|-Andrea-|

"DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT!"

I ran as fast as I could, hoping to outrun the stupid boulder that was currently hot on my heals. Where the hell did this thing come from?! I don't remember this scene having traps! Damn it, it was by mere luck I escaped the spikes of doom but the boulder of death?!

"No choice!" I claimed as I ran near the side of the walls. My circle glowed bright blue as a wall sprung up from the ground, blocking the boulder's way and stopping it from pursuing me.

I dropped to my knees and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank Gate." I whispered to myself. I was about to close my eyes and rest right there before I recalled the reason why I was in this situation in the first place.

"Oh no! Ed!" I cried as I bolted up, running straight down the hall.

Eventually, I ended up at a large room. It looked very old, with the interior filled with cracks and old building powder. My eyes knitted together in confusion. "What's going on? This isn't the one I remember at Brotherhood series." I muttered to myself, still walking forward as I scanned my surroundings.

I heard a moan of pain, and my attention snapped up. I turned to my right, only to find Ed bleeding and his body limped against a pillar. I gasped as I spotted the headless armor holding up a katana over it, readying to kill him.

"Stop it!" I cried instinctively. I transmuted a spear out of the ground and threw it with precise accuracy at the torso of the armor, successfully splitting it into two parts.

I grinned at my achievement and headed towards Ed, who was giving me a surprised look. "What are you doing here…?" Ed asked, struggling to speak as he held his wound.

"Don't speak." I ordered. I removed his auto-mail hand from his wound and placed mind over it. Using both my transmutation circle and the philosopher's stone hidden beneath my shirt, I stitched up his wound and replaced the blood to make sure he won't faint or die of blood loss.

I sigh in relief as I finished healing Ed. I gave him a smile as I sat back. "There. You're wounds are pretty grave, but I managed to stabilize your condition." I stated.

Ed was still staring at me with disbelief. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What? What did I do?" I asked.

"What did you— WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU IDIOT?!" Ed yelled, shaking his fist at me.

I blinked, not exactly understanding the situation. "Heh? I came here to save you, you dolt!" I cried. "And don't call me an idiot!"

"You are an idiot, you idiot!" Ed yelled looking at me angrily. I flinched, recalling how he used the same expression to express his anger before when he figured out about the stone.

I stayed quiet and hung my head down. "Sorry." I muttered.

Ed looked startled at first. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the stone." I continued. "I couldn't bring myself to."

Ed looked at me with an unreadable expression before he sigh. He stood up. Slowly, I looked up at him only to find his left hand outstretched towards me. His face had a mock scowl. "You really are an idiot."

I was surprised at first, but I took Ed's hand and pulled myself up. It was weird to know that I was about the same height as Ed even though I'm a few months younger than him.

"You don't have to apologize." Ed said as he turned to the pile of armor in front of us. "We would've figured out the Truth either way. Actually, I'm thankful you let us find out about it ourselves."

I turned to him and hung my head down. "Sorry." I mumbled.

Ed sigh and scratched his head irritably. "Stop apologizing, will you? There's nothing to be sorry for. And if there is someone who should apologize, it's me."

I looked at Ed, surprised. "How come?" I asked, puzzled.

"I misjudged you and took out my anger at you. I shouldn't have done that." He said solemnly.

The sad and sullen look on Ed's face made me cringe. I didn't think he should be looking so glum. If anything, I'd rather have him mad at me instead of having him sad.

I chuckled. "Well, if you forgive me, I'll forgive you." I said, trying to cheer him up. "Equivalent exchange, right?"

Ed looked at me before a small smile curled up his lips. "If you put it that way, then yeah. Fine."

I cheered. "Alright! Now I don't have to deal with a moody and angry Ed anymore!"

A vein appeared on said alchemist's head. "What did you say?!"

"Perhaps the two of you are too mixed up in your reunion. Am I interrupting it?" a voice cut off.

Both of us froze and formed a defensive stance. Bead trickled the side of my face as I realized who was talking. The sound of footsteps rang throughout the room, and I felt fear and anxiety as moments passed by.

"Nice to meet you, Fullmetal Boy." A low and feminine voice greeted. From the shadows, a woman walked out. My eyes widened in fear as I recognized her appearance almost immediately.

"H-homun… homuncu…" I murmured, unable to speak due to my fear. Ed turned to me, confusion written on his face. "What?" he asked.

"H-homunculus…" I managed to whisper.

Ed gasped as he turned to Lust, who was standing in front of us with a smirk on her face. He narrowed his golden eyes at her, staring at her dangerously. "Homunculus…? There's no way!" he said.

Lust only smirked. "There is no such thing as a no such thing." She countered, walking towards us. "I'm impressed, Fullmetal. You were able to uncover this much. But maybe you have realized a bit too much."

I was too focused on Lust to realize that there was someone behind me. I felt someone's arms hold my neck tightly. I gasped in surprise and yelped in pain. Ed snapped his head to me, his eyes wide. "Andrea!" he called.

"Ed!" I rasped, struggling to breathe. The person's grip tightened around my throat, and my breathing was restricted. I managed to open my eyes and move my vision to the right, spotting my captor's face.

My eyes widened. "Y-you're… Envy…!"

Envy sneered. "Very good! But I'm wondering. Who told you that? Not much know about my existence." He said, tightening his grip. I gasped, trying to suck in as much air as possible, but I couldn't. I spotted black spots in my vision and I thought I was going to be killed right then.

"No! Stop that! Let her go!" I heard Ed cry. I heard a scoff as the grip around my throat loosened. I fell forward, expecting to fall on the floor, only to be caught by Ed's arms. I coughed, trying to breathe in properly.

"Andrea! Are you okay?" Ed asked, concern laced in his voice.

"S-somehow…" I managed to say between coughs.

His hold tightened on my shoulders. I looked up at Ed's face finding anger inside his golden pools. I quickly turned away, blushing when I realized that I was staring straight at his face. Stop that Andrea! No fangirling! No staring!

I stood up with a bit of help from Ed. There were two homunculus and two of us. Even Ed would have a tough time dealing with one of them, and having two of them is way too much. Plus if Envy's our opponent, our chances aren't looking too good.

"We don't intend on harming you," Lust noted as she raised her hand. "As long as you don't get in our way, that is."

"And if we do?" Ed challenged.

Lust's smirk stayed, and before I knew it, two of her fingers had impaled Ed's left shoulder. A shout of pain escaped the boy beside me and I gasped in both surprise and horror as blood seeped out of his shirt.

"Ed!" I cried as I knelt down. Lust's fingers then retracted slowly, causing agonizing pain on him. He yelled in pain, and I couldn't stand this.

"Please stop it!" I pleaded. Lust then pulled out her fingers from Ed's shoulder, leaving them to bleed. Using my alchemy and stone, I managed to fix the wound. Though the pain was still there, I was relieved that Ed didn't have any life threatening injuries.

It took me on look at Ed's face to know that he's on the verge of passing out. He was struggling to keep awake, I could tell by the way he blinked. I turned to Lust and Envy. "Let us go! We won't get in your way! Ed and Al are only looking for their bodies!" I said.

"That is true," Lust said as she repositioned her hand. ", but I have a question; how do you know about Homunculus?" she asked, her slit eyes narrowing.

I swallowed, not knowing what to do. I was holding Ed in my arms, who was struggling to stay awake and I couldn't possibly fight and defend him at the same time. Also, I'm not cut out for battle at all! I'm only medical support!

My eyes hardened as I mustered enough courage. "W-who's your master?" I asked, my voice wavering slightly. "Is it Dante?!"

When Lust gave me a confused look, my suspicions were proved correct. "So it is him." I murmured to myself.

"That doesn't matter." Envy said as red light cackled around his right arm. The light disappeared and his arm was replaced with a sharp and blunt blade. "Let's kill her. She knows too much and she isn't a candidate."

I bit my inner lip. "I… I've seen the Truth!" I lied. "But that isn't all. I've seen farther than the Truth. I've seen the future itself!"

This caused both Envy and Lust to look at me in shock. "The future?" Lust mused thoughtfully. Envy narrowed his eyes. "Don't lie to us, human. We can easily snap your neck."

"It's the truth!" I said, still lying. My stomach felt queasy as I kept through with my lie. I hated lying, but if it's going to save both me and Ed's life.

"Andrea… what are you saying…" Ed asked. I turned to him and pulled him close.

I gave him a smile and placed my hand on his forehead. I sent some energy waves into his brain, letting him relax.

His eyes, albeit reluctantly, closed. Soon, Ed was out cold on my shoulder while I was surrounded by Homunculus around me. I turned to Lust and Envy.

"I've seen the Future and the Truth." I said. "If you let me and Ed go, I'll tell you everything you want to know with all honesty."

Lust narrowed her eyes. "How can we trust you?"

I hesitated before speaking. "I'm giving you my word as a human and an alchemist." I said lowly. "That's the biggest promise I've ever made in my life. I won't screw up."

Though Envy seemed unsure of the situation, Lust readily agreed. "Fine." She said as she turned around. "In a few minutes we'll explode the building. Get Fullmetal Boy out of this place and we'll see you about that promise." She said as both she and Envy disappeared in the shadows.

Once I was sure both homunculus were gone, I turned to Ed's unconscious figure. I slung his flesh arm over my shoulder and slowly stood up, holding his torso with my right arm to support him.

"I guess it's his auto-mail that makes his body heavy." I thought to myself as I carried Ed's body back the way I entered the building.

We neared the exit and it wasn't before long when parts of the building started to explode around us. I admit I was scared, but I had my priorities to settle first. I managed to get both of us out of the building, and I was relieved to find Al, Ross and Brosh waiting for us outside.

"Andrea! Brother!" Al called as he walked to us. Brosh looked at Ed and turned to me in surprise. "What happened to the two of you?" he asked.

"Questions later!" I said, starting to run. "The building is about to explode!"

The three of them looked at me comically. "HEH?!"

As if on cue, a giant explosion took place.

|-Andrea-|

I waited outside of Ed's room, my gaze fixated on my lap. Even though I have high confidence in my skills with medical alchemy, I'm still worried for Ed's safety and health. I guess there are times when my doubt can lead me to delusional worry.

I heard the sound of armor and immediately knew it was Al. I turned to my side as Al sat himself on the seat beside me. "I hope you don't mind." Al said.

I gave him a smile and shook my head. "No, it's fine." I assured. A few moments of silence passed by, and my worrying got the best of me.

I turned to Al. "Is Ed alright? Any bruises? Broken bones? How about his blood levels? Are they fine? How—"

"Slow down Andrea!" Al said, bringing his hands up. "I can't understand a word you're saying!"

I blinked and sigh. I buried my face in my hands. "Please tell me Ed's fine." I moaned miserably in my hands.

Al chuckled beside me. "Brother's fine. But I think you're more worried than I am of his health."

"Of course I'm worried Al!" I said, standing up. "I'm the one that got you into this mess. I have every right to worry!"

Al tilted his head. "What do you mean by you got us into the mess?"

I paused before saying, "If I told you sooner about the stone, you guys wouldn't have been injured like this. I hate having to place the ones I care about in danger."

"I see." Al said in understanding. "But if you did tell us, we wouldn't believe you and pursue researching until we found proof. It's best that you hadn't told us at all, even though I felt a bit betrayed."

I gave Al a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It's fine. But please don't lie to us again. If we can trust you, then you'll have to trust us in return."

I laughed. "Equivalent Exchange, huh?" I said. "Alright Alphonse, you win."

He laughed at my response, and soon I found myself laughing too. Once our laughter died down, I turned serious. My hand trailed to my chest, holding the Philosopher's Stone I wore around my neck.

"Al," I started, catching his attention. ", I trust both you and Ed. There are things I need to tell you, and things I cannot until the right time. But as soon as Ed wakes up, I promise I'll reveal to you guys the things I know of."

Al placed his hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to force yourself to tell us. We can wait until you're ready." He said.

I shook my head. "No, I don't want you guys to mistrust me so I'm going to tell you the truth. But I have to wait until Ed wakes up, because he deserves to know as much as you do."

"Thank you Andrea." Al said sincerely.

I smiled at him. "No problem."

|-Edward-|

Edward groaned, rolling to his side as he felt himself wake up from sleep. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking them to get used to the sudden light. His eyes scanned his surroundings; what the hell?

He sat up, immediately regretting it once he felt a wave of pain wash over him on his left shoulder. Only when he looked at his body did he realize that he was covered in bandages.

"What happened?" he asked himself.

"You don't remember?"

Edward turned towards the source of the voice, only to find Maria Ross and Denny Brosh looking at him with concern. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to answer. But memories and images from last night's events flashed through his mind.

"Andrea!" he blurted out. "Where is she? Where are the homunculi?! Is she fine?! How about Al?!"

"Calm down." Ross said. "Andrea's fine. She's waiting outside along with Alphonse."

Edward sigh in relief as he realized that both Andrea and Alphonse were safe. But was she fine? Did she have any injuries? He hoped not. He would feel devastated if he knew she got wounded because of him.

"Edward?" Ross called. The said teenage boy snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the officer.

"Yeah?"

The female officer sigh before standing up straight. "I apologize in advance for what I am about to do!" she announced firmly.

Edward raised his eyebrow, confused. He was about to ask when he felt a sudden pain on his right cheek and a strong force that pushed his face towards the left. His golden eyes widened as he realized that he was slapped.

"What on earth were you thinking?!" Ross demanded. "Going out on your own! You could've been killed for your reckless behavior!"

Edward only stared wide eyed. This was the first he had been slapped.

"Why won't you trust us adults for once?" Ross asked, her features softening. "We adults are supposed to protect the children, dog of the military or not."

A pause. Suddenly, Ross' stood upright. "I apologize for doing such a scandalous act towards a superior officer! I would gladly accept any type of punishment in reurn!" she said in a strong voice, saluting.

Brosh followed. "Please forgive her, sir!"

Edward blinked, still slightly fazed. "Uh, no. I won't punish you. Why would I do that? I deserved that slap."

Both officers sigh and relaxed. "Good. It's because if you're a State Alchemist, you have a ranking equivalent to a Major in the military, which means you're our superior." Ross explained.

"You don't have to act so tense or be too kind you know." Edward assured.

"We don't? Alrighty then!" both officers chiped cheekily.

Edward twitched.

|-Andrea-|

I was walking down the hall of the hospital towards Ed's room when I started to cough violently. I leaned on the wall of the hospital, trying my best to contain my coughs. It took a few minutes for my cough to settle down and for me to walk inside Ed's room.

When I did, I was met with an odd sight. Ed was trying to push Al away with his leg while Al was holding a glass of milk in his hand. I blinked, obviously confused with the situation.

"Uh, what the eff just happened?" I asked.

Both brothers relaxed. Ed was pouting on his bed, his cheek puffed up and his arms crossed while Al gave Ed a disapproving look. (I know armors can't give looks, but you know what I'm talking about.)

"Brother still doesn't want to drink his milk." Al stated, pointing an accusing finger towards the older Elric.

"I'm not drinking and that's final!" Ed said childishly.

I blushed at how cute Ed look while pouting but managed to keep myself from squealing. "Ed, you have to drink your milk." I chided him. "If you don't, I'll have trouble healing you!"

Ed perked up. "What do you mean?"

"Well, milk contains calcium which is a necessity when building bones, right?" When Ed nodded to this, I continued. "Since your bones need calcium, I use that ingredient to repair broken bones. If you have a fracture, I find calcium and a few other components in your body and build a temporary brace around the injured bone to safely heal it and avoid it from being further injured."

"Oh, I see!" Al said.

I smiled and turned to Ed. "Now do you see?" I pointed out. "You have to drink milk!"

Ed turned to the said bottle in Al's hand and turned away, disgusted. "No." he stated firmly.

"No wonder you're so small!" I said with a 3 face.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE CAN FIND SHELTER UNDER A PEBBLE?!"

"She didn't say that brother!"

"SHUT IT AL! AND YOU'RE ABOUT MY HEIGHT TOO ANDREA!"

"I'm only a few months younger than you Ed." I deadpanned, not exactly as disturbed when insulted about my height.

Ed fumed. I laughed and pinched his cheeks. "You're so adorable!" I cooed, even though inside I was dying of a fangirl attack.

Ed blushed and swatted my hands away. "Stop that!"

I pouted before I started coughing again. This time it was more violent than earlier. Ed's face was filled with concern while Al appeared beside me and held my back, rubbing it soothingly.

"Are you okay?" Al asked once my cough died down. I exhaled and gave them a smile, despite the throbbing pain in my chest.

"Yeah. Just a bit of a cough." I said.

Ed's eyes narrowed in concern. "That wasn't a bit Andrea." He noted.

I frowned but decided to push that topic aside. "Ed, Al," I started. "I… I decided that I want to trust my life in your hands. But in return, you will have to trust me too. I know we don't each other that much, but I have to tell you the truth."

Hearing the seriousness in the tone of my voice must've snapped them to reality. "What are you talking about?" Ed asked.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. "Ed, I think I have to tell you the Truth about who I am." I said as I slowly opened my eyes.

"The truth of who you are…?" Al repeated, puzzled.

I nodded. "Yes." I said.

"My name is Andrea Jhones." I announced. "And I'm a human from the other side of the gate."

[A/N:] Ah, don't you just love cliffhangers? :3

Hey guys! ^^ Did you like the chapter? I sure did! It was fun to write, except for first part when Andrea was feeling down and defeated. =3= I honestly hate writing sad parts like that, but I guess it's good practice for me in the future

Also, one reviewer said that I may be close to having Andrea as a Mary-Sue. I want to clarify a few things;

Andrea isn't a Mary-Sue. I know how to balance the traits of my OCs. Andrea's specialty is her mind, which is why she's well-versed in Medical Alchemy, but she's also trained in physical. With that said, she isn't a fighting master like Edward or Alphonse. She only knows basic types of fighting, enough to defend herself.

If Andrea is suited for mind skills, she wouldn't care for anything that involves fitness. Also, Andrea's personality says that she doesn't like useless fighting or fighting at all.

Balance, my friends. If Andrea was a Mary-Sue, she would be a master of both Alchemy and Martial Arts, amazing at everything, wins every fight, is perfect and flawless in everything, and can make anyone fall in love with her with a snap.

And now, I will be answering to my lovely reviewers ^_^:

Fanfictionlover124: Nooo! You won't give Eddy cookies?! T.T

Midnight03: Well, your feeling was right! ^^ Andrea was attacked in this chappy. Though she didn't sustain any grave wounds. ;)

Eien no Ajisai: I'm happy that you think that there is some character development for Andrea! :) Also, I agree with you. I think Truth isn't cruel, but doesn't know how to understand human feelings. Though Andrea is aware of this!

Spotty-Chan: The kitty? Oh, we'll find out soon enough. :3

Huge thanks to Guest, Himeno Kazehito, and Aly for reviewing too!

Review some more my lovelies~ :)