A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been having some problems right now and my time to work on this story has been veeeeeeery limited...but I'm still doing my best to work on the rest of it. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed...it kinda was. lol! It may take a while, but I promise that the next chapter will be up ASAP! I haven't forgotten about this story, I promise!

Also...I'd like to give a HUGE "thank you" to all of this story's readers and reveiwers. Even when things get rough, I will still continue to write just for you guys and I'm so glad that you enjoy what I write!

Now, here's the exciting new chapter! Enjoy!

Kerria sat at the kitchen table, glumly picking at her breakfast with her fork. A note lay beside her plate on the table. It read:

Kerria,

We've gone shopping and will be back in a few hours. There should be some breakfast left, so help yourself to it when you wake up. Hopefully it will still be hot enough. We didn't expect you to sleep in so late, hope you are feeling okay.

See you soon,

Ed and Al

Kerria giggled slightly at the sight of the letter; she could tell by the polite tone that it was Al who had written it. Still, breakfast was pretty boring without Ed and Al there to talk to. Kerria tried to think of ways to keep herself occupied until they returned. She thought about giving Kashi a call, but then remembered that she was at Central HQ doing some special work for Roy. Kerria sighed and stared at the food in front of her. She really didn't feel like eating; there were too many things on her mind. For one thing: the memories she had seen in her dream the day before. She was certain that they were her memories from before she was found in central, but what bothered her the most was the fact that they weren't exactly pleasant memories. She had thought about talking to Kashi about it, thinking that she would feel better if she confided in one of her best friends, but Kashi had been so busy, it would probably be a while before they could have a good "friend-to-friend" talk. Kerria sighed again and stared down at the gloves on her hands, which she had always worn ever since Al gave them to her. She still hadn't forgotten the words he had mumbled in his sleep a day earlier, and those words were on her mind almost as often as her dream was. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the unexpected sound surprised Kerria, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Coming!" She walked over to the door and opened it to find the Tringham brothers had come for a visit. Kerria greeted them with a smile and explained that she was home alone. "Ed and Al should be back soon, so…"

"Oh, That's just fine." Russell chuckled. "We came here to see you anyway."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Fletcher piped up. "We just got back from the library and we found some interesting books." He held out the stack of books in his arms to show her. "We thought you might enjoy reading them, and we brought them over here so we could read them together."

"Just consider it a sort of 'celebration' for your becoming a state alchemist." Russell smiled.

"Wow, thank you so much!" Kerria grinned. She couldn't even count all the times now that she had been thankful for her friends. The Elric brothers, the Tringham brothers, Kashi; she loved them all. It made her wonder if she had ever before had such good friends, but after searching in her mind through the memories she had regained so far from her dream, she concluded that she hadn't. Realizing this only made her appreciate her friends more.

Kerria, Russell and Fletcher all sat in the living room talking, laughing and having a good time. "So you guys can do alchemy with plants?" Kerria asked in an interested tone.

"Yes, our father taught us how when we were young." Russell replied.

"Can you show me?"

"Sure." Russell grabbed a nearby potted plant and set it down in front of him. "Now, the transmutation circle looks like this…" he explained as he drew the circle on the pot with a piece of chalk. "And then…" he set his hands gently on the circle. The plant began to shine with a green light and then it started to grow. It grew to almost twice its size, then the green glow faded as Russell took his hands away and the plant stopped growing. "There." Russell finished.

"Wow, that's so cool!" Kerria smiled.

"Ha ha…well, it's something, but it's not all that great. You should have seen what my father was able to do."

Russell continued to show Kerria more techniques as the afternoon wore on.

"Hey Brother," Al whined, an assortment of shopping bags in his hands. "you think we can go home now? We've been gone all day and Kerria must be getting worried."

"Relax, Al. We almost have everything we need so we'll be on our way home soon."

"We would have been home sooner…if you hadn't started so many fights." Al pouted.

"Hey! It's not my fault they mistook me for a little kid!" Ed retorted. "I've actually grown in the past few years!"

Al laughed a little to himself. "Brother, you never change."

By the time Ed and Al made it home, the sun was beginning to set. They walked into the house to find Kerria reading on the living room couch, a stack of books at her feet.

"Oh! Welcome back!" She looked up at them and smiled. "You sure were gone a long time."

"Yeah, sorry we were gone so long." Al apologized, shooting an "I told you so" glance over at Ed. "But anyway, what's with all the books? I thought we took all those back to the library."

"Oh, well Russell and Fletcher came and spent the day with me, and they brought over all these books." Kerria explained. "We had lots of fun."

"Did you now?" Ed gave Al a "See? She wasn't worried" look.

"Yeah, and the day after tomorrow they're coming again. We're going to return the books to the library and take a fun shopping trip together." Kerria smiled.

"Oh…Sounds fun." Al said with a slightly disappointed tone that only Ed seemed to pick up on.

"Yep! They're almost like my brothers now, which is exciting because I don't think I've ever had siblings." Kerria giggled to herself.

"Well, we better go put everything we bought away. Let's go, Al." Ed could tell something was up with his brother so he decided to use this excuse to talk to him about it. They both started to head into the kitchen.

"Do you want some help?" Kerria asked.

"No, thanks. We can handle it." Ed replied with a smile. Once he and Al were out of Kerria's earshot in the kitchen, Ed turned and smirked at his brother. "Well…so now you're jealous, huh?"

"I'm not jealous!" Al hissed. "Stop saying things like that, Brother. You know it's not like that."

"Oh really? Because that sounded a lot like jealousy to me."

"Well…it's not." Al stared down at the floor and paused for a few seconds. "Okay…maybe it is…a little. But there's nothing I can do about it." Al shoved the last few groceries into the pantry, then turned and went upstairs to his room. Ed sighed. His brother was still too shy to express his feelings.

A few days later, when the Tringham brothers came by again as promised, Kerria noticed that Al didn't seem like himself. This worried Kerria a bit, and she asked him if anything was wrong, but he assured her it was nothing.

"Oh…okay. See you guys later, then." Kerria smiled as she left the house with Russell and Fletcher beside her and the stack of books in her arms ready to be returned to the library.

"So where do you want to go after we're finished at the library?" Fletcher asked Kerria as they walked through town on their way to the library.

"Hm…I don't know…maybe we could stop and get a snack or something."

"Now that's a good idea," Russell stated. "I'm starving."

"That's because you slept in too late and didn't have anything to eat before we left." Fletcher laughed. Kerria was having so much fun, she forgot about how dangerous leaving the house was for her. The terrorists hadn't shown up since the battle in the warehouse basement, and Kerria had forgotten all about them.

After they finished at the library, the three of them walked around Central, stopping at shops along the way whenever they found something interesting to look at. They had fun all through the afternoon, but it soon began to get dark and they decided it was time to head back. As the three of them walked back to the Elrics' house, they noticed that the streets were suddenly dark and deserted.

"I've never been out after dark before." Fletcher stated. "It's kind of creepy." Kerria giggled as she remembered hearing Al say the same thing when they first walked home in the dark.

"Yeah, it is kind of scary," she nodded. "But it's not too bad." Kerria looked around and realized that they had ended up in Central Park; she loved the park because of its peaceful appearance, and she especially loved the huge Cherry Blossom tree that stood in the middle of the park. It was springtime now, and the tree was blooming with millions of pink flowers. A few times while shopping, Kerria had stopped to look at the tree and watch pink petals fall from it bit by bit, like a rosy snowfall. Even now that it was dark, Kerria could still see the beautiful tree, which almost seemed to glow in the moonlight. But, soon all of the flowers would fall, Kerria thought sadly, and the tree would be bare once again.

Suddenly, there was a noise and Kerria was snapped out of her thoughts. Russell motioned for Kerria and Fletcher to stop walking.

"What is it, Brother?" Fletcher whispered.

"Someone's here," Russell whispered back, looking around. "I heard something." The sound came again: the sound of footsteps; it was a normal sound that simply meant someone was approaching, but for some reason, Kerria had the feeling that these footsteps belonged to no ordinary person. Apparently, Russell had the same feeling, because he stood staring intently into the darkness, waiting for the unknown person to show themselves. Finally, a shadowy figure emerged from the dark alley; he wore a dark cloak that covered his face. The figure chuckled to himself as he spotted Kerria and the Tringham brothers.

"So," he said in a low voice. "You didn't venture out in the dark alone after all, eh, girly?" Kerria inhaled sharply and tensed up as she realized he was talking to her. The figure chuckled again. "After your little show down at the warehouse, I would have thought you'd be a bit more brave. Guess I was wrong."

Kerria gasped. "Eh? How did you…" her voice trailed off for a second as she realized he must be the leader of the terrorist group. "…W-Who are you, and just what do you want with me?"

"That is not important right now." the terrorist leader said in an almost impatient tone. Russell and Fletcher stood staring at Kerria and the unknown person, confused.

"Well I demand to know! If you were the ones at the warehouse…you were after me for some reason, right?"

"You will demand nothing!" the terrorist hissed angrily. "You dare tell me what to do?" He reached over his shoulder and pulled a katana from a sheath on his back. "Well let's see how daring you are now!" he lunged forward with the sword, ready to strike.

"Watch out!" Russell shouted, and he pushed Fletcher and Kerria out of the way just as the sword struck; Russell managed to dodge the sword just as Kerria and Fletcher hit the ground from Russell's shove. The terrorist retracted his sword and grinned at the three of them evilly.

"A quick one we have here, eh? Interesting…" Kerria and Fletcher looked up at Russell and were relieved to see that the sword had missed.

"Stay out of the way." Russell ordered them. "I'll take care of this." Fletcher and Kerria began to protest, but both of them saw the determined look on Russell's face and decided against it. They both nodded and went to stand behind a nearby tree to watch what would happen next.

"Well, wasn't that admirable?" the terrorist leader smirked. "Just stay out of this, boy, and hand over the girly."

Russell scoffed and began to draw transmutation circles on his hands. "Can't you tell?" He looked up and smirked at the terrorist as he finished drawing the circles. "If you want her…you'll have to go through me first!" Russell grabbed onto a nearby steel park bench, which was then transmuted into a sword almost identical to the terrorist's. Although Russell didn't have an imitation philosopher's stone anymore, he was still very skilled at alchemy, and sword fighting, as Kerria and Fletcher soon saw. Russell and the terrorist were evenly matched in sword fighting skill, but Russell seemed to have the advantage with alchemy; he managed to catch the terrorist leader off guard a few times when he used it. Finally, after a while of fierce battle, the two fighters paused to catch their breath. But, Kerria noticed that something was wrong: when they paused, Russell was doubled over and out of breath from fighting, but the terrorist, who had fought just as hard, was completely unfazed.

"Had enough already?" the terrorist laughed. "You ran out of energy faster than I expected. How pathetic." He lunged at Russell who, by this time, was so out of energy that he could hardly move. Kerria and Fletcher called out to Russell to warn him, but the terrorist's sword had already struck and slashed into Russell's side. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground; his sword flew out of his hands and landed a few feet away from him. Kerria and Fletcher moved to go and help.

"Stay back!" Russell shouted through gritted teeth; Kerria and Fletcher stopped in their tracks. "Didn't you see? He was going easy on me. He could've finished me off a long time ago if he wanted to, and he'll kill you if you get involved."

A wry smile shown on the terrorist's face, and he walked over towards Russell, saying "True…I could have just killed you, but I had hoped you would last longer than this. Such a pity." He stepped firmly on Russell's transmuted sword, and the steel immediately broke in half. Kerria gasped; she wondered just who he was to have so much power. Russell sat up, holding his bleeding side, and stared at the figure standing before him.

"Just who are you? To break steel in half…" he voiced Kerria's thoughts.

The terrorist leader chuckled. "I thought I already answered that question. That is not for you to know." and with that, he struck his sword once more, stabbing it into Russell's shoulder. Russell cried out again in pain and the terrorist simply laughed, as if he enjoyed hearing Russell's screams. Kerria couldn't take it anymore. She quickly ran to the tree she and Fletcher had been hiding behind and clapped her hands. She slammed her hands onto the tree, and a large root, glowing with a green color, burst from the ground and speedily snaked its way towards the terrorist. The root wrapped around his waist, and he looked down in surprise. "What the…?" Kerria saw her chance, and the root swung fiercely; The terrorist and his sword were jerked away from Russell and thrown a few feet away where they were then slammed violently into the hard, cobblestone park terrain. As soon as the terrorist hit the ground, Kerria and Fletcher ran over to Russell. His shoulder and side were both bleeding badly, and he seemed to be unconscious. His shoulder was the worst of his injuries; the terrorist's sword had been thrust deeply into it.

"Is he…going to be alright?" Fletcher asked Kerria, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm not sure." Kerria could feel her own eyes stinging with tears as she frantically tried to think of what to do. She knew she had to hurry, as it was only a matter of time before…

"Well, that was impressive," the icy voice of the terrorist leader came from behind them. Kerria and Fletcher turned to look at him in terror. He rubbed the side of his neck casually, as if he had just received a minor jolt; however, this kind of reaction was what Kerria had expected from such a powerful person. Her only intention with that attack had been to get him away from Russell. The terrorist continued, "Now, if you want to save your friend…then come with me, girly, and just maybe I'll heal him for you. But, if you resist…" He looked threateningly at Russell and Fletcher.

Kerria sprang to her feet. "No! Please, you've already hurt my friends enough!" she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. The terrorist leader stared at Kerria, waiting for her answer. Kerria knew that every moment she wasted pondering her decision meant a moment less for Russell, so she quickly came to her decision. She knew it wasn't exactly the best choice she could make, but she couldn't allow her friends to be involved anymore. It was obvious that these people were after her for some reason, and Kerria knew that they would only continue hurting her friends until she cooperated. Kerria wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and looked straight at the terrorist. "I…I'll go with you."

"Kerria!" Fletcher gasped. "You can't!"

Kerria ignored Fletcher and continued. "But…please…just give me a little more time…to be with my friends. I want to be happy with them…for just a while longer."

The figure sighed and pondered her request for a second. "Well…I suppose you'll be easier to work with if you come willingly. Very well." He pointed to the large Cherry Blossom tree that Kerria loved. "When the very last flower falls from that tree, your time will be up. You have until then to get your personal affairs in order." He turned swiftly and started to walk off.

"W-wait! What about-"

"Heal him yourself," the figure said over his shoulder. "You can, can't you?"

"But, I-" Before Kerria could finish, the figure disappeared into the darkness from which he came. Kerria sighed and looked uneasily at Russell and Fletcher. She could heal Russell herself, but she was afraid to because of what happened the last time she used healing alchemy; she was afraid of seeing more memories that she shouldn't see. But, time was running out, so she decided that healing Russell was more important. She walked over and put her hand on Fletcher's shoulder comfortingly. "Everything will be fine, I promise." she then knelt down beside Russell and performed on his wounds the healing alchemy she had learned. His injuries were too serious to be completely healed, but Kerria managed to stop the bleeding at least. After she finished, she sighed with relief; Russell was going to be fine, and nothing like last time had happened. A voice nagging at the back of her mind asked why that was, but she ignored it, as she had other things on her mind right now.

"Um…Kerria…?" Fletcher started.

"He'll be fine." Kerria said, her voice suddenly shaky.

"Kerria…are you really going to go…with that guy?"

Kerria couldn't hold back anymore and tears streamed down her face. "I…have to." she sobbed. "Or else…someone else will get hurt." She buried her face in her hands and cried. How was she ever going to explain this to Kashi, Al and Ed? Knowing them, they would try to protect her like Russell had and end up getting hurt…or worse. Just then, Kerria felt something heavy on her head and looked up to see that Russell was sitting up and giving her the best smile he could, his hand resting on her head reassuringly. Kerria smiled with relief that he was okay, but seeing the pained look on his face convinced her: Kashi, Al and Ed must never know what happened that night.

By the time Kerria returned home after making sure the Tringham brothers were safe, it was almost midnight. Kerria snuck into the house; she looked around to make sure Ed and Al weren't around, then started up the stairs to her room.

"Kerria?" a very familiar voice called behind her. Kerria stopped and spun around.

"A-Alphonse? I thought you'd be asleep."

"I…couldn't sleep. I was worried."

"Worried?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd be home hours ago." He paused, then asked slowly, "Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened." Kerria assured him, smiling. "I'm sorry I made you worry, I was just having so much fun with Russell and Fletcher that I lost track of time."

"O-Oh. Okay…"

"Well, it is late…so we should both be getting to bed. Good night, Alphonse." Kerria smiled and began to climb the stairs to her room.

"Good night." Al said after her. He didn't follow her up to his own room; instead, he stared at the ground for a moment, then mumbled to himself, "That doesn't make me feel any better."

Kerria closed her door behind her. "That was close," she breathed. She hated lying to Al, but she would hate herself even worse if any more of her friends got hurt. She sighed, knowing that she would never be able to get some sleep. The terrorist's words still rang through her head; "When the last flower falls…your time will be up." Kerria went to the window and gazed at the giant tree off in the distance. The cruel beauty of the moonlit blossoms made Kerria's heart leap, as she knew that this tree held her fate. Slowly, Kerria got in bed and fell into a restless sleep, that night's events swarming through her mind all night long.