Eleven days later, and Allen was back on his feet. He was overjoyed by his new arm and capabilities. He actually felt like he could do something now. Like he could help people. Now all he had to do was take the state alchemist exam and get a title. This was going to be easy...or so he thought. After voicing his thoughts of being able to do something, Pinako insisted that he hurry up and get out of their house because they both needed to relax. She also gave him the price and said it was boosted because of a rush order fee. It did hurt a bit when they connected his nerves to the metallic arm through his port, but it wasn't as bad as the surgery. They lent him some of Edward's sleepwear since he couldn't sleep in his usual outfit and gave him just a bit of money, which would have interest apparently, to get a ticket to Central. He didn't want to seem rude, but it felt like they were trying to get rid of him. Really, what had he done to upset them? By the time he got to Central, it was really dark and he felt his eye activate as he neared a large building. He heard two familiar whispers and saw one familiar soul hiding around a corner from said building. Frowning, he approached them.

"What are you two doing?" They both jumped and turned around as quickly as possible, only to see Allen's confused persona standing there.

"Allen? What are you doing here?" Edward asked and eyed his left arm, which was completely alright.

"Uh, returning?" He replied. He smirked. "It only took me two weeks for the surgery."

"What?! No way!"

"Brother, sh!" Alphonse scolded.

"Well take your two-week automail and go somewhere else!" He snapped. "We're a little busy at the moment!"

"Are you guys doing something illegal?" He questioned curiously.

"No...a little. We need to get into this laboratory, though!"

"Why?"

"Ugh, just shut up and leave!"

"Feisty, feisty. Are you sure you don't need my help?" He teased.

"Alphonse and I are perfectly capable of getting in on our own, thank you!"

"Fine." Allen replied, shrugging. "I'm heading to HQ then, see you later."

"Goodbye, Allen!" Alphonse waved. Allen waved back and kept walking.

"Come on, Al!"

"They don't need me, they can handle themselves." Allen decided, walking around for about an hour before stopping. I'm lost, aren't I? He thought, sweat dropping. Well, I suppose it's good I have alchemy then. He said and used said science to hoist him up on top of a large building. Looking around, he easily spotted the large military building. It was then that a small, dark purple, almost black, and familiar butterfly flew by. That butterfly gave him so many terrible memories. No...it can't be...he thought, backing away from it. He stiffened when he felt himself bump into something...or someone...

"I've been looking for you...exorcist."

How long has it been? Allen wondered to himself as he tried his best to ignore the pain searing through his chest. It's been so long that he couldn't even remember when he was taken. Not like weeks or five days long, but long enough that the pain was beginning to numb his body. Somehow, the Noah had found him once again. Except, this time, it was Lulubell whom was hurting him, not Tyki. He couldn't even count how many times she'd dug her knife inside him or gave him a hit. Now, keep in mind, the Noah were pseudo humans. That means they were a lot stronger than human beings and had the strength of a bulldozer. Now, imagine being hit with a wrecking ball about twenty three times and that's the kind of pain Allen was currently going through. Judging by the puddle of blood beneath his feet, it was a shock that he was even still alive. It seemed like her hypothesis was right. Before she started slashing away at him, she was rambling on about some unknown force healing him. She was right. Every time she slashed him, the wound would heal. It would heal very slowly, but he was still healing. Something was healing him and the two were both curious as to what it was.

"I don't understand...do you have some type of Innocence shard inside you? Tyki destroyed your Innocence and your arm isn't really..." She paused, lifting the limb up. She'd stuck the knife in his shoulder earlier and broke something inside of it so that it wouldn't move anymore. "Flesh." She continued slowly, twisting it a few times. Allen winced and she grinned. "Does that hurt? Maybe I should twist it until it comes off, hm?" She paused and dropped the limb when Allen refused to give her the satisfaction of a grimace. "Tyki did say you weren't any fun." She stopped and stood up straight, looking around. Her gray skin slowly turned pale and her black hair went blonde. "Someone's coming." Allen's eyes widened and he slowly looked up. "You didn't lead anyone here, did you? Then again, I suppose they would have seen me drag you away. Maybe they found this place on accident...I wonder if they're your friends, searching for you." Her grin widened.

"You...leave them out of this..." Allen growled lowly. She scoffed at him and kicked his chest. The chair was made of metal, so it didn't fall over, but it scooted slightly. She planted her sharp heel into his flesh.

"Don't you order me around. Think about your position before you open your mouth." She snapped. Returning her foot to the ground, she circled around Allen. "How do you think they'll react when they see you bloody and bruised? I can't believe you'd find people to replace your old ones. Humans are such strange creatures." She smiled, slowly removing his shredded outfit. He glared at her and she simply smiled back, tossing the bloodied outfit to the floor and walking back towards the door. "I'll be back. Don't move. Oh wait, you can't." She taunted and left the room. Allen closed his eyes and tried his best to move his left arm...if only he moved it...he'd be able to clap his hands...

A few days ago...

"I've been looking for you, exorcist."

Allen spun around to reveal a woman with dark skin like the Noah's. He recognized her as Lulubell when he went on that mission with Lavi and Lenalee to that town where the lake had dried up. She grinned and moved forward, revealing a knife that could change into a whip when she wanted it to. She lunged at him and he managed to narrowly dodge it, almost falling off the building. "How...how are you here?!" He asked, clapping his hands and pressing them to the ground to create spikes in the earth. She grinned and sliced them away.

"I have my ways. The question is: how did you get here, exorcist?"

"That's..."

"You don't know, do you?'" She cackled. "I can tell you one thing: it's a bit of our fault. If only we were paying attention...you could be dead right now!" She screeched, extending her knife into a whip with spikes. It got caught around his throat and dug into his skin. He cried out and fell to the ground, trying to pry it off. She slowly walked forward and the whip followed her movements. She stomped on his chest and removed the whip before transforming it back and plunging the knife into his left shoulder. "What have we here?" She yanked it out and parted the rip, seeing metal. "One of this world's mechanical prosthetics? Hah! Have you given up on your life back on our world, then? I suppose it's good, seeing as no one needs you anymore...but, I suppose I can have some fun with you before I go~."

After that, he woke up here and since then, she hasn't been hesitating with her feelings. Even though his wounds have healed, they healed at an unbearable rate. There were still some deep gashes from what had to be days ago. He froze, hearing footsteps echo towards the room and a small conversation going on. One of the footsteps definitely belonged to Alphonse...which could only mean Edward was with him. Damn it...if only I was stronger...I could have prevented this...Allen hung his head and heard footsteps slowly form into the room. There were gasps and softly, Allen heard Edward murmur...

"What the hell?!"

A few days after the misconception between Edward and Alphonse was over and Edward was back to glaring at his milk more livelier, Hughes brought up an interesting question that would lead to a terrible case. He was visiting the Elric Brothers just for a short while... "Have you two seen Allen since you guys came back? I know he's going through surgery and all and it's probably going to take a year, maybe even months, but he hasn't even reported to us." The two boys stared at him for a long time and Edward frowned.

"The night we went into the fifth laboratory we saw him." He replied, rubbing his neck. "I was surprised when he didn't tell you guys we were up to something...you guys probably would've gotten there quicker. He said he was heading to HQ..."

"You guys...didn't see him? I know he said he gets lost but for him to disappear for a few days is odd...he couldn't be that lost, could he?" Alphonse asked. Hughes frowned and stood up.

"I'll be right back you two, I'm going to call Roy on this. If he were to report to someone at all, he'd report to him." He paused. "Did he get that arm back already? Didn't it take Edward an entire year to get it back?"

"Yep." Edward grumbled, crossing his arms. "That show off."

"Speak for yourself, Ed. The surgery was supposed to take three years for you." Alphonse chided.

"Yeah, yeah, but it took him two weeks. That's not normal."

"You're right." Hughes mumbled. "I'm beginning to think that he's hiding something..." The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes and shook their heads before looking back at the family-obsessed man. "Well, I'll see you two later." Hughes gave a little salute and jogged off.

"Brother...do you think something's wrong?" Alphonse asked quietly.

"I don't know, Al...I definitely think something is up, but I can't determine whether it's good or bad. Allen isn't the type to just disappear without any reason. He would definitely report to that bastard colonel if he wasn't taking the exam right away."

"Yeah, he's like the opposite of you. Maybe we should look for him...just in case..."

"Yeah, but how the hell would we find him?" Edward questioned and silence overcame them. They quickly looked at Timcanpy, who was fluttering around, panicked.

"Timcanpy!" They both shouted in realization. Edward stood up and quickly put his coat on.

"That's right! Allen said that Timcanpy can find any master he's ever had. Man, he's useful. Let's go!" The two of them quickly left their room, bumping into Roy along the way. He didn't seem pleased, but neither was Edward, having bumped into a person he'd rather not talk to.

"Going somewhere, Fullmetal?" He muttered, staring down at Edward darkly. "You don't, perhaps, know where Allen is, do you?" Timcanpy fluttered around and bit a piece of Roy's hair, dragging him. "Ow! Hey, there, you-" Edward started laughing, pointing at Timcanpy and his superior. "Let go!" Timcanpy obeyed and fluttered around quickly.

"Something's not right..." Alphonse murmured, watching the golem freak out. "Let's go." They all nodded towards each other and followed the golem out. They walked for awhile, not really wanting to get too far away from HQ. Honestly, Roy thought it was going to take them hours before they managed to find the lost boy. But, as fate would have it, he took out his gun when they walked towards an abandoned building that looked beat up. Edward stopped and pressed his hand to the ground in front of the building.

"Alchemy..." He murmured, looking up at the building. "Alphonse. Boost me." Alphonse nodded and boosted Edward similarly to when he did back at the laboratory. Edward's eyes widened and he walked over to a pile of dark liquid. He took off his glove and pressed his index finger against it, rubbing it between his thumb. "Blood...this isn't good..."

"You're not supposed to be here." Edward spun around and saw an attractive woman with blonde hair and pale skin. He narrowed his eyes at her and gained a fighting stance.

"I could say the same for you. Who are you?!" She smiled.

"Are you looking for that boy?" Edward's stance faltered slightly.

"You know where Allen is?"

"Allen? Is that his name? He was fighting up here a few days ago...I could show you where I last saw him if you'd like. Sorry I didn't call earlier. I didn't want to get involved. Such a frail woman like me could get hurt." Edward relaxed slightly, but kept his guard up. This woman could be a suspect...

"Will you show me where you last saw him?" He asked cautiously. The woman shrugged.

"He can't be there anymore with that other person, so I suppose it couldn't hurt." She replied. Edward slowly stood up straight and gestured for her to follow him. He didn't see the inhumane grin she was giving him behind his back. The two of them slowly made their way down and she smiled wickedly as she lead them into the abandoned building.

"Brother, look!" Alphonse pointed at the blood trail. Edward moved past the woman and started following it. Her grin widened as all three men rushed past her, running down the hall. She followed them, her heels clacking down the hall, echoing. Edward stopped and gawked at the scene.

"What the hell?!" He rushed in and the others followed. "A-Allen?! What...what's going on?!" The boy slowly lifted his head.

"E...Edward...no...get out...it's...a trap..." Allen said softly. Roy narrowed his eyes and slowly turned his head around.

"No...something isn't right here. That woman..." There was dark chuckling and the two brothers suddenly turned around to see the woman before as she turned into the doorway. Her hair began to turn from a bright yellow to a dark black and her pale skin turned an ashen gray color.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you guys are such fools. Really? A woman in an area where a fight went down? Knowing exactly where his location was? Oh, exorcist, your new friends have quite a few screws loose, don't they?"

"Get out of here..." Allen whispered to them.

"It's three against one. Odds are on us." Edward smirked.

"No...don't...she isn't normal..." Allen coughed.

"It's okay, Allen. We're here now." Roy soothed and turned to glare at her as an inhumane smile stretched across her face.

"No...no...get out!" Allen struggled against his chains slightly. In an instant, she was facing all of them and her whip was outstretched, slashing all three of them. It didn't really affect Alphonse since his armor was quite unbeatable, but it did a lot of damage to the other two. Not only was the whip spiked, but with her amazing strength, she was like a death machine.

"She's quick..." Roy growled, holding his side. He readied his gloves but stopped whenever she approached Allen and spun his chair around, holding him in front of them, using him as a shield.

"I wouldn't suggest moving if I were you..."

"Using him as a shield...that's dirty." Edward growled. She grinned at him.

"Maybe so, but it gives me an advantage, doesn't it? I would like to ask you a question though..haven't you all been wondering how he heals so fast?"

"What are you talking about?" Roy questioned her sternly.

"Brother...it took him two weeks for the surgery...do you think...?"

"...maybe...I don't know, Al. She's probably just trying to get in our heads." The blond grumbled.

"I know I have..." She continued, keeping that inhumane smile as she cut into his shoulder. Allen's eyes squeezed shut tightly. All three boys took a step forwards, but her smile faded and she gave them a warning glare. Edward felt so angry. And useless. He couldn't do anything to help him. Allen was right when he said this woman was different. She was almost like a homunculus with that speed and strength...but Allen didn't know of homunculi...did he? This woman didn't have an Ouroboros tattoo either...or maybe...was she covering it up?...no, she knew who Allen was. She called him an exorcist. Could this mean that she was from his world? If so, how did she get here? Edward's thoughts about that topic ceased when Allen's wound began to heal, but only slightly. Her eyes widened. "Ah, so it seems you're finally running out of energy, hm? I wonder what happens after..."

"What...what's going on...who are you?!" Edward asked accusingly.

"Me? You can call me Lulubell. A Noah, aka, ruler of the Akuma. Or at least one of them. I suspect this useless exorcist told at least one of you, correct?"

"Exorcist...?" Roy questioned, looking at Edward. Edward looked away and pursed his lips.

"We were going to tell you...some time in the future...really far into the future."

"Fullmetal...no keeping secrets..." The man growled. Lulubell cackled and pulled out a small vial.

"So you do know, boy? How about I show you something very...interesting? I'm sure a curious one such as you would love to see this. Say, exorcist, does this look familiar?" She asked, showing it to the bloodied boy in the chair. Allen glanced at it. It was a pitch black liquid with small shards that glowed green inside. His eyes widened, recognizing said green shards. Innocence? "A couple days ago, we decided to make our own exorcist. There wasn't any way the Black Order would kill someone that could help them. However...most of the people we injected it into...well, they either exploded...or didn't live through it." Her grin returned and she poured the contents into a syringe. "You've already suffered enough damage so, I wonder what will happen if you take this? You've been an exorcist before, but all exorcists require a certain Innocence..." The three alchemists moved forward and her dagger went straight for Allen's throat. "Ah, ah, ah. Don't move, or he dies before I can do anything to him." After seeing that they wouldn't move any further, she stabbed the needle into his leg and undid his chains, stepping back. "As much as I'd love to watch this, I've got things to do. I was going to kill you myself, but...even if the Innocence doesn't kill you...I think suffering here and not knowing whether your world had been destroyed or not is a better fate for you." A familiar purple light flashed and behind Lulubell formed a portal. She backed away and morphed inside it. "See you later, exorcist...if you live."

"T...i...m..." Allen murmured, trembling. The golden golem nudged at his cheek. "Hur...ry...before...it disappears...g...o..." The golden golem nudged him one last time before flying off into the portal. The Innocence tore through his body, looking for a place to store itself. Roy moved forward and put his hand on Allen's back. Allen gasped and smacked the hand away. "Get away..." He whispered. Roy narrowed his eyes.

"What did she give you?"

"Nng..." Allen trembled and he grabbed at his hair. It hurt so bad...he could feel it tearing through the tissues inside...through the muscles...it hurt worse than Lulubell's torture. He began to think about when the Order was out of control and people would have Innocence forcefully put inside their bodies. He felt like he was literally going to explode...but, he wouldn't give up...he couldn't give up. He had to find a way back to the others. He had to find a way to save his world from destruction...and...he had to find a way to help the Elric Brothers. They deserved a good life more than he ever did...he wanted to help them. Blood began to pour from his lips as well as his eyes and he winced before letting out a loud scream as his back let out a burst of blood. Roy stumbled away, staring at the scene with a hint of fear, yet awe in his eyes. On Allen's back was a pair of white, blinding, fluffy wings. Ones that looked almost like a hologram. Innocence...stop...Allen thought. They continued to shoot spikes in every direction. Even though Innocence was only said to hurt Dark Matter, it shot itself into Edward's arm and he let out a small cry of pain.

"Brother!" Alphonse shouted worried, trying to grab the crystallized piece. For some reason, his armored hand went straight through it. Allen's eyes widened at the pain etched onto Edward's face. No...I did this...? No...it was this Innocence...stop...I command you to stop! His rate must not have been as good as when he had his previous Innocence, since this one refused to listen to him. A shard shot out and went straight for Roy. The man was so mesmerized by the blinding light that he didn't see it in time. It was so close...it's going to kill him...Innocence...I said stop! He commanded and the shard materialized into thin air, narrowly missing Roy's forehead. The wings slowly lifted him onto the ground and he fell forward. Edward caught him before he could hit the floor and stared at the small, hexagonal specks on his back.

"What's...going on?" Edward asked softly. The room was silent until Roy had recovered from what had exactly happened.

"That's what I want to know, Fullmetal. You've got a lot of explaining to do." Roy snapped. Edward growled at him.

"Is this really the time, colonel? Come on, Al, do you think you can carry him to the hospital?"

"Right." Alphonse nodded and took the boy into his arms. He froze and instantly dropped Allen, backing away.

"What's wrong, Alphonse?" Roy asked quickly.

"It's...nothing..." Alphonse said softly and leaned down to pick him back up. The shortest of them all was watching his brother very closely. Alphonse wouldn't react like that over nothing...so then why did he? They all followed the seven foot armor out the door and walked to headquarters since the closest telephone booth was a mile away. Someone at HQ immediately called a car when they saw the bloodied boy and they rushed to the hospital. Hours of waiting passed and after Allen was successfully treated, Edward and Alphonse decided to stay and discuss their plans. Alphonse called Winry and she soon joined them.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, seeing nurses running in and out of the room frantically.

"He was attacked." Alphonse said simply. She looked down at their tickets for Rush Valley. Edward repaired Allen's shredded outfit with alchemy and folded it before placing it on the desk.

"At any rate, we need to keep moving. We've got to get to Dublith and find out as much as we can to go from there."

"But what about Allen?" Winry asked quietly.

"What about him? It's not like that colonel bastard assigned us to him or anything."

"Quite the contrary, Fullmetal." Edward shouted and turned around to see the 'colonel bastard' standing there.

"Don't sneak up on people like that, creep!" Roy placed a small broach on the table. It had the insignia that the state alchemists wear.

"He's a pre-state alchemist. Meaning he's still a part of the military. He's just not fully there yet. I insist that he goes with you to help protect you against all that we're up against since they seem to be targeting you and Alphonse personally."

"Ugh, more bodyguards?"

"Of course," Roy continued, ignoring Edward's complaint, "he'll have to heal up before he can be assigned to anyone. I'm not sure how long that'll take since he's been mysteriously healing this entire time. However, I do expect a full written report from you, Fullmetal. It's not a professional report, though, so you can put in whatever you like. I'll be the only one reading it. This is for my curiosity and my curiosity only. In exchange, I'll be paying for your next few train rides. I wouldn't want to be indebted to you, after all. I expect the report before you leave. Take care." Roy turned around and began to walk out.

"So, what? Allen's going to heal and then you're going to send him to track down our trail?" Edward asked.

"That's the plan."

"Tch. Lousy one at that." Edward grumbled and turned to Alphonse. "Mind getting me some paper, Al?"

"Sure, Brother." Alphonse stood up and Winry sweat dropped. Alphonse is too sweet...she stood up as well and followed the younger brother out, leaving the two alchemists alone. Edward stared at Allen, bored out of his mind. He hated writing reports...at least this one he didn't have to be all professional and could insult his superior as many times as he would like. It'd be so much easier if he just woke up. Edward mused to himself. Allen's eyebrows furrowed and he turned his head.

"...Lavi..." Lavi? Who's that? Edward wondered, nearing the boy. "Don't...go..." I can barely understand him...the blond thought, frowning. Allen mumbled to himself for quite awhile and turned a few times. Where is Al with that paper? Edward wondered, grumbling to himself. I'm tired of hearing him mumble to himself about stupid- "Edward..." The blond looked over quickly, expecting to see his eyes open...however, they were still closed. He just...said my name...? Or maybe...does he know a different Edward? Edward scooted his chair closer to the bed and stared at the boy expectantly. "Hn..." Slowly but surely, his eyes opened and they moved slowly towards the blond. "...Ed?"

"You...were mumbling in your sleep." Edward said slowly.

"Was I?" Allen questioned and tried to sit up but decided against it when pain tore through his entire body. He sighed, looking up at the blond. "My life sucks."

"You can say that again." Edward laughed. He itched his head and looked away. "So...what did she poke you with?" As if the question brought unwanted memories to him, he frowned.

"Edward...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"Eh? Oh, this? Nah, it's fine." Edward said dismissively. "I've had worse, honest."

"Right..." Allen mumbled. "I feel like such an idiot. I couldn't defend myself against her...not without Innocence..."

"Yeah, right. Dark matter, Innocence, all that mumbo-jumbo. So, what did she stick you with?"

"It was Innocence...I think...I don't know what that black liquid was, but inside it I saw shards of Innocence. I thought...a certain kind of Innocence was the only way to give exorcists Innocence...but the Noah found some way to do it..."

"So...was she fibbing when she said people explode? You're perfectly fine..."

"No...it was my willpower that saved me. If I gave up on moving forward...I wouldn't be breathing right now..."

"Okay, okay...so what about all this healing stuff? You know anything about it?"

"I don't...the only way I could be healing would be my arm from before...but it was destroyed..."

"Uh...huh..." Edward said slowly, giving him a suspicious look. Allen frowned, wishing Edward would just trust him more. What did he expect? He only met him about three weeks ago, if even that...why would he just start trusting him all of a sudden? Allen was different from all of the people here. Hell, he probably lived in a different universe.

"I can't...explain anything to you without Timcanpy...sorry." Allen mumbled. It seemed he was apologizing a lot lately. It reminded him of when Lenalee pointed out a few times that he was always polite when he first met them, but he opened up once he had been there for awhile...they were family to him...some of them were even more than family to him, so why wouldn't he open up? But he's only known Edward for less than three weeks...

"Why did you send him off?"

"It felt like the right thing to do." Allen answered honestly. "I might have just thrown him headfirst into danger...but I just...hope he'll make it out okay. They can't kill him I don't think. Even when he's in a million pieces, he can regenerate. He's a smart golem...maybe he can find the others..."

"Maybe you can go home then, huh? Leave here?"

"I..." Allen paused, noting that there was a hint of anger in Edward's voice. Did he think that Allen wanted to leave them behind? To stop going with them?

"Then why are you still here? Timcanpy will find you a way back, you don't need the military..."

"I'm not completely sure. I do need a backup plan after all." Allen was so confused...what was Edward so mad about? They didn't know each other for very long...so why was he so angry with him? Still...if they are able to find me...am I prepared to go back to that world. I want to help my friends...that's for sure, but...what about Edward and Alphonse? They can't get their bodies back all on their own...I want to help them...I want to save them from their misery. So, he decided: he would stay until he found a way to restore their bodies.

Even if he died trying.

Okay, so, I'm really going to post the sixth chapter this Saturday. Promise. (Tyki: You shouldn't say promises you can't keep.) Really. I'm sorry. Ugh. Con stuff. So busy. A/N's gonna be short, but I doubt it matters. I'd simply like to thank everyone who favorited and followed this story and all my reviewers: Yuki Walker-The Kitsune, Guest, Airashi Neko, egefriend2, Star Angel7169, anamaria. bica33381, and banapples2018! ALso THANKS TO EvERYONE WHO SAID HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME IT MEANS A LOT! (Tyki: I don't see what the big deal is considering you're just aging and you have to start being an adult and taking responsibiliti-*gets knocked out by midnightstardust holding NoName-chan's shovel*)