gomen ne, ppl! stupid wouldn't let me upload stories new chapters for a looooonnng time :murders ways...on with da story!

"Yeah, right!" Bella shouted, as the four ran along lamp-lit streets. (Kira: yes, Ember. The lamps:evil grin:)

"Shut up!" Rei whispered.

"Oh yeah…" everyone sweatdropped.

"It's our fault we got stuck with these bodies…" Ed muttered.

"…and it's up to us to find a way to change them back," Rei finished as they saw the abandoned laboratory.

It's not my fault…Bella thought glumly. "That's odd…" she whispered, serious for once. "Why would a guard be protecting an abandoned building?"

"Very suspicious," Ed replied, looking thoughtful.

"How're we gonna get it?" Al asked.

"We could make our own entrance…" Bella suggested, looking evil.

"The light from the transmutation would alert the guard," Rei responded. She rested her automail hand on the wall. "However…" she jumped silently, pulling herself on top of the wall. "Al, toss Ed up."

"Waah!" Ed screamed quietly. "Jeez, warn me next time!" he complained.

Rei ignored him, reaching a hand down to pull Bella up. Grabbing the barbed wire, she gently lowered it down to Al, and he climbed up.

"It pains me to say this…" Ed sighed dejectedly, "…but at times like this, automail is very helpful."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Bella jumped down the other side.

Looking around, Ed groaned. "Sheesh…the entrance is blocked off, too?"

Bella tapped on the air shaft. "Who needs doors?" she grinned like the thief she was. (Bella: FORMER thief! Every1 else: w/e!)

"Okay!" Ed walked over. "Al, Bella, wait here. Me and Angel are gonna look around."

"What?" Bella complained.

"You sure you'll be all right by yourselves?" Al asked worriedly.

"We don't have a choice," Rei sighed, climbing up.

"With your big body, and Bella's height, you won't fit through here," Ed followed Rei.

In the lab…

Gong-ong-ong-ong…

The clatter echoed through the empty room.

"…Hey…" or maybe it wasn't empty.

"48! Hey, you awake!" the same voice said.

"Hm…what is it, 66?"

"We have company."

"Do you think we'll have fun this time?"

"Doesn't look like it. There's just four of them. A little fella, another little fella, a tall fella, and a big guy. Big guy's kinda funny lookin'."

""Funny lookin'," huh? Like you're one to talk."

"Geh heh heh! I'll let you have the little ones. I'll turn the big one and the tall fella…into mincemeat."

With Angel and Fullmetal…

"Oh man," Ed complained. "It's even tighter than I expected. If we were normal sized, we wouldn't be able to fit at all. I'm sure glad we're sma-" he froze. "No-oo-oo!"

Ahead of him, Rei sighed. She slammed her foot on another grate, then swiftly fell through the hole. "Hayaku!" she tapped her foot, looking around.

As Ed fell through, he couldn't help but ask, "What does "hayaku" mean?"

Rei sighed. "Hurry up." She glanced around again, thinking aloud, "There's just enough light to illuminate the floor…"

""Abandoned", huh?" Ed smirked. "Bingo."

They started walking down the hallway.

"Hey…" Ed spoke up, breaking the think silence. "Angel, why don't you let people use your name?"

Rei hesitated, then sighed. "Originally, it was because of a tradition among my people: first names are only used among family…or "close"" she said "close" sarcastically, as if it were nonexistent, "friends. But…it's also because of what it means and represents." She paused. "It's Japanese, and, like my people, can be translated many ways. A few things it means are 'soul', or 'departed ghost'. Another way, it means 'zero', or 'nonexistent'. Yet another way, it's 'cold', or 'actor'." She smiled wryly. "That's mostly the reason, though. I hate feeling like I have to live up to my name or other people's expectations. Although," she added almost as an afterthought, "it's ironic, how I've become what it means…"

Ed nodded understandingly. "…That makes sense. But then why don't you get mad when Bella uses your first name? And why don't you show emotion, ever?"

Rei stared coldly ahead, reverting to the withdrawn, cold shell she had worn when she first met Ed. "…I have my reasons. Let it suffice to say that the past affects the present more than most think."

They continued to walk in silence, one deep in thought, the other dwelling in the past.

With the Devil and the Tin Can…

Bella paced back and forth. "Jeez, where's Ed and Angel-chan?" she asked for the nth time. Suddenly, she grinned evilly. "Hehehe…maybe they're making out!"

Al sweatdropped, "Knowing Ed, they might be…" (Ed and Rei:screaming their heads off:)

Bella laughed, rolling around on the ground.

"I wonder if they're lost…" Al thought out loud. Suddenly, he shifted, narrowly avoiding the butcher's knife that cut where he had been just moments before.

"What the hell?" Bella screamed.

"Who's there?" Al called, alert.

"Not bad, not bad!" a voice said from beyond the knife. "Yer pretty fast for such a big guy. I like it!" An armored hand pulled the knife from the ground. "Otherwise, this wouldn't be any fun."

Al and Bella stared at the "creature" that had appeared. "It", well, he was a cross between a samurai and caveman-skeleton, and was armed with butcher's knives.

"You asked me who I am, so I guess I'll tell ya. Number 66! Least, that's the name they gave me when I got this job." "He" started laughing maniacally. "If you heard my real name, you'd piss your pants. I'll tell ya as I finish you off!"

"Are you saying that you're going to kill me?" Al asked innocently.

"Nah nah, can't catch me!" Bella teased, running in circles.

66 stared at her a moment, the shouted, "STOP RUNNING IN CIRCLES, FREAK!"

Bella stopped in mid-stride, then fell on her face. "Owie…" she moaned, then jumped up, pointing an accusing finger at 66. "You made me hurt myself, meanie!"

"SHUT UP!" 66 screamed, losing his temper.

Bella fell over laughing, and 66 turned back to Al. "Eh…he…" he returned to his former…ah…idiocy. "Geh heh heh. I'll have you chopped up in no time. If you wanna scream, do it now!" 66 clanged his knives together.

Back to Angel and Fullmetal…

Ed and Rei froze. Before them, in the center of the room and carved into the floor, was a huge transmutation circle. As he looked around, Ed noticed the paleness of Rei's face.

"Angel…" he called softly. "Are you okay?"

Rei didn't respond at first. She walked forward, until she stood in one of the smaller circles on the edge. "The Philosopher's Stone…" she whispered, kneeling down and tracing part of the circle with her finger. "I've seen this before…" she said, a little louder. "…on the floor, the day…they died…the fire surrounded us…in the shape of this circle…" her eyes were unfocused, reflecting unseen flames, as she relived that day.

"You mean…" Ed looked around. "This is where they transmute the Philosopher's Stone?"

"It is," an unknown voice said. A suit of armor, much like a samurai's, stepped out of the darkness. "I don't know who you are, but you seem to know much about the stone…too much. I have been entrusted to guard this place. For now, you may call me Number 48. My orders are to eliminate any intruders who trespass here. I'm sorry that I have to do this, kids."

Rei stood up swiftly, her eyes unreadable.

"I'm sorry, too," Ed pulled his glove off his automail hand. Clapping his hands together, he continued, "Sorry that a 'kid' like me is gonna kick your butt!" he transmuted his automail into a short dagger. Rei slapped the ground, getting her usual four-foot sword and standing behind the armor.

"Hm! Alchemy, huh?" 48 said. "Well, then…" he got into striking position. "Let's see your skills…" he swung his sword, and Ed ducked out of the way just in time. Rei leapt onto 48's back, struck, and jumped out of the way of the blood-thirsty sword. It connected with her metal shoulder, and she stumbled back.

"So, your steel limb extends up to your shoulder. It just saved your life. Too bad for you…" the sword aimed for Rei's heart. "…my trusted blade can even cut through steel!"

A moment of silence.

"Angel, move!"

The whistling of a blade slicing air.

The sound of blade-on-steel.

"What?" 48 shouted. "Why did it not cut your hand?"

Rei had caught the tip of the sword with her automail hand, just centimeters from her. Ed watched, wide-eyed, as Rei pushed the sword back and 48 relaxed his grip. "Who said my arm was steel," she said, her eyes shut.

"You…you're -" 48 was cut off as Ed's foot connected with its side. "Oof!"

A hollow klangg rang out, echoing off the walls.

"!" Ed gasped, jumping back. "…I know that sound…" he smirked. "Could it be…that you're hollow inside?"

"…Very good," 48 replied. "How did you know?"

"I spar all the time with a guy just like you," Ed smirked again. "I could just tell by the feel."

"Oh? So there are others like myself on the outside?"

"It makes me sick…knowing that there are idiots out there besides me who would even think of binding a soul to a suit of armor."

"Allow me to tell you a little more about myself, then," 48 offered. ""48" was my number on death row. In my previous life--or rather when I had a body of flesh and blood - I was the killer known as "Slicer". Officially, I was supposed to have been executed two years ago. But my new employers needed the Slicer's skills, so they pulled me aside for their experiments. Now I serve as their guard."

"So…" Rei said, "that means, there must be a seal that connects your soul to the armor, right?"

"Hm…I see I needn't explain everything to you," 48 pulled the fabric away from his mask. "I don't know much about alchemy, myself…but apparently the soul is tied to the blood, and the iron in the blood bonds with the metal in this armor. Here," he lifted his mask, revealing a blood rune. "The blood rune is in my helm. Destroy this and you win."

"It's awfully considerate of you to show me your weak point, old man," Ed said.

"Fwa ha ha! I enjoy the thrill of danger when I battle," 48 laughed, closing his mask. "And don't call me 'old man'."

"If you're that considerate, maybe you'd be nice enough just to let us go?" Rei asked sweetly. (Bella: wow, she's not mad…she's acting like…like… Ember:freaking out: LIKE A STUPID ANIME SCHOOL GIRL!) "Just thought I'd ask…"

"Please…a serial killer would never sit still and let his prey escape, would he?" 48 got into striking position again. "And now…here I come!"

He charged at Rei, who promptly dodged him. Their swords slammed together, and Rei forced 48 to back up. He broke away, quickly spinning around to block Ed's slash. Ed threw his arm back to punch 48's "face", and felt his shoulder snap. What was that…? he thought. My shoulder feels disjointed. He remembered Winry's warning, but had not time to complain. "Whoa!" he ducked under the sword that had been on a collision course with his head.

Rei came up beside the armor, kicking it in an attempt to distract him from her (small, weak, pathetic, the list goes on and on…) partner. She succeeded, and did a quick no-hand back flip, barely avoiding the blade.

Almost.

She fell against a pillar, her shoulder already stained with blood. Quickly, she rolled out of the way of yet another slash, then back-rolled away from the stabbing sword.

"Just like monkeys…" 48 commented.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?" Ed shouted.

"Hah hah hah!" 48 laughed. "It's nice to see some lively prey for once. But those wounds…" he yanked his sword from the ground, "…and your exhaustion will be your undoing. Your friends outside are being dealt with by my ally, even as we speak. He won't be able to save you."

"…Hey," Ed panted. "Is this ally of yours strong?"

"He's strong, all right," 48 replied. "But not as strong as me."

"Ah ha ha!" Ed laughed, standing up. "Then there's nothing to worry about. I've never won a fight against him." He wiped some of the blood off his face. "Ever."

oooohhh, cliffy!...kinda...

plz review, da authors luv it!...welll, at least one does, i'm not sure about the other...