Yumi: Hi hi! It's Yumi! Well, I haven't posted in a long time... don't hate me! *dodges thrown shoes* I'm sorry! I'm also sorry that this chapter is so short. It's only three pages long... *sigh* Anyway! I hope you enjoy it, and if anyone wants to be my beta reader for this series, please drop a review. If I had a beta reader, I'd get better stuff up faster!


Ed stared after the girl, shocked. It couldn't be… There was no possible way that that little girl was his sister! Yet, she looked just like her, from the miss-matched eyes to the golden blond hair. Alphonse approached his brother, uncertainty polluting his thoughts.

"Brother, was that really her? I mean… she looked just like when we saw her last time!" Al whispered. Ed shook his head slowly. "It couldn't be, I mean, the picture we have of her has her looking older than that!" he muttered. He clenched his fist and sprang to his feet. "Come on Al, we have to get to the bottom of this!" he said. Al nodded and the brothers raced out of the Inn, leaving an uncomfortable Talia in their wake.

The Elrics made it outside with enough time to see their prey duck into an alley. As they followed her, they caught glimpses of another girl, this one a brunette. As the chase progressed, the girls were joined by the urchin boy that had talked to Ed earlier.

The urchins kept glancing about them fearfully, though Ed and Al were careful to keep themselves out of sight. Something about letting the urchins see them didn't seem smart, especially since the little boy had been so antsy about the Guardians; Al's appearance wouldn't make them feel very comfortable.

The urchins led the brothers through Sage, often ducking into dark alleys and into porches to hide from the Guardians. Eventually, they made it out of the town. They proceeded to one of the nearby mountains that surrounded Sage, becoming less worried with each step. Upon reaching the base of the mountain, they disappeared into the thick brush.

Ed frowned. Where were these kids going? Was that really Eloise? Was it a good idea to follow the urchins to who knows where? He sighed. There was no way he was turning back now. He glanced at Al before making his way through the brush. After a bit of struggling, he found that his small stature was actually – though he would never admit it – helpful. A small sort of path had been worn through the bushes, and he was just about the height to enjoy it. Awesome.

Once he emerged from the bushes, he found himself in the entrance to a mine. It had obviously not been in use for years, though it was equally evident that someone was here. Al struggled from the bushes and joined his brother at the mine entrance. "Um, brother… is it really a good idea to follow them?" he asked softly. Ed merely shrugged and continued on. The mine shaft started out spacious, but quickly became so short that Al was forced to crawl. Once again Ed's short stature was a plus.

After a little ways the shaft once again widened, this time turning into a cave with multiple smaller tunnels branching off from it. A small fire was roaring merrily in the center of the cave, and the little boy urchin was tending to it. At the sound of the brothers' approach, he looked up. When he spotted Al, he let out a gasp and raced down one of the nearby tunnels. "Hey! Get back here!" Ed yelled after him. He didn't even pause to think as he dashed after the boy.

He emerged into a large cavern. Blankets and other cloths hung from the ceiling, dividing the space into a maze of rooms. However, the area around the tunnel was clear or such walls. A few kids were scattered about the room, but at the sight of Ed they all grouped together. The boy Ed had chased ran through one of the sheets, screaming for someone names "Beth."

Ed stood still for a while, unsure of what to do now. Then someone tackled him from behind. "Eddy! It's you!" a little girl's voice exclaimed. Ed twisted around to view his attacker, and came face to face with the Eloise look a like. "E-Eli?" he stammered.

The little girl nodded proudly and buried her head into her older brother's chest. "I missed you so much Eddy, and then when I went to see you and mommy, you weren't there and Winnie didn't recognize me and I didn't know what to do and and and…" she trailed off with a sniffle. She had been so confused when Winry had treated her like a stranger and even more confused when she was told that her family was no longer there and especially confused when she had found that their house had been burned down! But what did that matter anymore? She had found Eddy. Everything would be okay now.

Ed patted Eloise's head in a state of shock. How was it that she was younger than in the photo he had? There was absolutely no way that she had acquired a philosopher's stone… was there? "Eli, what happened to you? How are you still so… small?" he asked hoarsely. Eli sighed and snuggled deeper into her brother's arms.

"A year ago, I got really sick. Ms. Alistar was afraid I was going to die this time, despite everything she was doing for me. Then one day, she said she knew how to save me. I was so sick I could barely understand her, and I couldn't even move enough to write, so all I could do was watch as she drew an alchemist circle. When she was done, there was a bright light, and then I was in a white place. The only thing that wasn't white was a big, scary gate. I was confused, but Ms. Alistar was there and she told me that everything would be okay. She told me to keep quiet and watch. Then I noticed the White Person. They had been watching us, and until Ms. Alistar approached them they were silent." Eli paused and shivered. It was obvious that this story was difficult for her to recount.

"They told Ms. Alistar that she had to pay something to get what she wanted, and that it was going to be very pricy. She nodded, and said she was giving up her life so I could get better! The White Person looked at her for a while, then laughed and agreed. Then the scary gate opened and swallowed up Ms. Alistar! I screamed, and the White Person turned to me. 'Well, I suppose you'll have to pay something too, since the old bat didn't have much life left. I think I'll take the all the years you lived with Ms. Alistar. Don't worry, you'll still have most of your memories and your 12 year old brain, but you'll look just like you did when you first showed up at her door – healthier, I suppose, but otherwise unchanged.' Then they touched me and I woke up. I felt better, but so small. I couldn't stay in Ms. Alistar's house without Ms. Alistar, so I took all the money I could and I hopped on a train. I couldn't afford to go all the way back home, so I ended up here. The Guardians chased me, and that's when Beth and the rest found me." She said shakily.

Ed stared down at his little sister. Could she really have seen the gate? Did that mean that she didn't need circles to use alchemy? The clanging of metal shook him from his reverie. Al had finally managed to navigate the small tunnel, and was now standing up. Many urchins screamed and retreated further back, with the exception of two older boys.

The boys stood in front of the younger children protectively, though how well they could protect people was debatable. The taller of the two was missing his left hand, while the other, who was clearly Ishvalan, was missing the lower part of his right leg. The Ishvalan was propped up with crutches, but still managed to look somewhat menacing.

At the sight of this obviously hostile situation, Al gulped and looked to Ed for help. Before Ed could offer any advice however, a curtain-wall was flung out of the way and an albino girl strutted into the clearing. She looked to be around Ed's age, and just as dangerous when angry. She glanced at Al and sneered. "What's a Guardian doing here? I thought we were better hidden." She muttered. Her gaze swung to Ed and she snorted. "Of course. I hate killing people, but when they endanger my family… Well, there's really nothing to be done about that. Eloise, come here." She said.

Eli disengaged herself from her older brother and threw herself at the albino. "Don't hurt Eddy sis! He's my brother!" she begged. The albino's eyes widened slightly. "Really…" she mused. Ed rolled his eyes and stood up to his full height (which was, unfortunately, a few inches shorter than the albino). "That's right. I'm Edward Elric, and that's my brother Alphonse. He's no Guardian, so just relax." He drawled. Al nodded vigorously beside his brother.

The albino raised and eyebrow. "Is that right? Then tell me, why is he wearing such a bulky suit of armor in a town that would identify that as a Guardian?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but dangerous. Ed frowned. What was he supposed to tell these freaks? "Um, well… I'm just so clumsy that without the armor I'd get hurt all of the time!" Al stammered. It was obvious that this excuse was not going to be believed.

The albino turned to Eli again. "Do you recocgnize his voice? Do you really have a brother named Alphonse?" she asked softly. Eli gazed at Al for a moment, and if Al still had a heart, it would have stopped. Fear was in her eyes. Eloise was scarred of him. He had feared this, but seeing it was even worse than dreading it. Eloise took a deep breath, her gaze quickly slipping from Al's face.

"No. I don't have a brother named Alphonse. My only brother is Eddy. He's a liar." She said.


Yumi: Oh dear! Eli, what are you doing?! Is he really that scary that you block him from your memory, or do you honestly not remember? What did the Gate Keeper DO to you?! We'll have to find out next time!

Ed: H-Hey! You can't end it like that!

Al: I scare Eli... *sob*

Ed: You're making Al cry! Go back and fix it!

Yumi: No way! Believe it or not this is actually important to the story.

Ed: Bullshi-

Yumi: See you next time! Drop a review please! love to everyone who has reviewed!