Author's Note: Alright guys, here is where it starts to pick up! I'm so excited that I managed to get two chapters up today! I'm almost done with rewriting the fourth chapter. After that, it will be all new. So please tell me what you think! If you have any questions, feel free to put your questions in your review and if I can answer them I will. But be warned, I won't give spoilers! :D

Truth talking: "blah"

Kyuubi talking: "blah"

Kyuubi mind-speaking: "blah"

Nick under the influence: "blah"

Nick mind-speaking: "blah"

Chapter Three: The Gate

ooo

White.

Pure, blank, white.

Why is it always white?

Nick looked around the seemingly familiar place.

He had the sinking feeling in his gut that he had been here before.

He blinked, and suddenly a figure was there. A memory knocked in his head trying to get him to remember. Nick clutched his head. At the sight, the figure smiled cruelly, almost laughingly at him.

"That's it Nick-chan. You know who I am. Remember the last time we met? How I gave you a new life out of the kindness of my heart?" the figure laughed hysterically. "Remember, remember, little chibi! For you and I both depend on it." By the end of this the figure had become serious and Nick felt like his head was going to split apart. Nick continued to clutch his head in pain when he heard it.

A voice long forgotten.

Come now child, remember who you are, and where you came from.

Kyuubi.

Nick screamed as the images assaulted his brain. Years and years of repressed memories came to the forefront of his mind. The old man Hokage, the hatred, the stares, the academy, that night at his apartment when he was sent here. His training, the books, history lessons, muscle memory. The people. The Village in the Hidden Leaves. Ninja. Chakra. He remembered everything.

Including his last visit.

Nick opened his eyes to see something unexpected. The world had changed again to a sewer. Walls of pipes and ankle height water entered his subconscious mind.

He looked up to see a forgotten being. A huge, fire-colored, nine-tailed fox stared back at him. "Kyuubi?" Nick said disbelievingly.

The being sighed, seeming exasperated. "I know that you're my jailer but why did I get such a troublesome one?" the creature said, almost to himself. "Listen kit, you do understand what you have done, correct?" the nine-year-old looked confusedly up at him.

"Of course you don't! Isn't that just great! Chibi, listen well and listen good. The last time we were here you were sent here by a stupid chunin who had no real concept of the universe." The Kyuubi said with an agitated flick of its tails. Nick sat down with the intent to listen as well as he could. He would need all the information he could get if he wanted to save his brothers from the fate he had helped cause. "There are seven realities or worlds in the universe. The Elemental Countries is just one of the seven. Only Truth has been to every reality beyond the Gate. The Alchemic Countries is the world we currently reside in. There are common ground rules that are the same in all realities. The first and most important rule is that there is always equivalent exchange, no matter how it may look in the moment. Each and every choice has an equal reaction. That's another rule of all realities. All people have the ability to have free will. So choices shape their lives forever, just as your choices shape your life and your brother's choices shape their lives. Understand?" Kyuubi said staring down at him. Nick nodded grimly, as he did understand how choices had consequences. "Good. At least you're not foolish enough to fight me on this. When that chunin sent you to the Gate he had already paid part of your price. There is always a price in every world. Nothing is free. Do well to remember to remember that. To cover the rest of your price Truth took four years of your life and your memories of your previous life in the Elemental Countries. He also sent me too sleep until you returned to the Gate, if you ever did. Since I was sealed into you when you were hours old, we have merged too much for Truth to remove myself from you completely by the Fourth Hokage who called upon the Death. Truth may be powerful but not even he can go against the power of The Death God's Seal. Especially if Death who performed it was the Death God King." Kyuubi stopped to look at the seal from behind his bars. Nick thought he saw a degree of respect from the one who sealed him into him.

Nick was getting impatient, wanting to see his big brothers. "Kyuubi, what does this have to do with me and my brothers trying to bring back Mother?" Nick asked his impatience and anger seeping into his voice. No matter his intelligence he is still nine years old.

"Brat! It has everything to do with bringing back that woman! It has to do with the third and final rule of the realities that exist. The Law of Nature. Everything that comes from the earth returns. Everything. That woman came from the earth. Her physical body had to return to the earth, and her spirit back to the Gate to be reincarnated back into one of the realities. That is what happens to after death in this reality. In the Alchemic Reality once dead, you return to the origin, The Gate." Kyuubi said angrily. "So she has already been sent to another world?" Nick said sadly.

"Unfortunately yes. As soon as a soul from this reality has passed on, the Gate immediately sends them to a reality to be reincarnated. The dead cannot come back here. Never. It goes against the laws of equivalent exchange. Even if you could find something equivalent, it still would be impossible. The souls are simply sent to be reincarnated too quickly. Now give up on this foolish dream! Understand?!" yelled Kyuubi, getting sick of explaining the basics of the world to an impudent child.

Nick, properly cowed, nodded. Nick dragged a hand down his face, shamed. If only he had known. Unfortunately, it was only going to get worse. And he had the sinking feeling it was going to get much, much worse. "Then what happens to the other realities? Do they not return to the Gate?"

"Well eventually. One world houses Death Gods, one houses chakra empowered humans, one elementally powered humans, one magically empowered, one creature filled worlds like myself that live alongside humans, one is just plain humans. Then there is this one which is empowered by alchemy. There are different levels of the afterlife you must clear in some of the other realities but in the end yes they all end up in the gate for rebirth." Kyuubi sniffed, pausing for a moment. Then out of nowhere he snapped his head up.

"Ok kit we are running out of time. I can explain the rest of this later. I want to ask you something very important. Do you want my power?"

Nick's eyes widened. He knew of the power of the Nine-tailed Fox. It was something he lived with every day in the Elemental Countries and who his entire village feared. But why? Why offer him, a nine-year-old kid that he was trapped in for the rest of its days its power? But then again, why does that matter. Nicholas needed this power. In order to help his brothers with Truth's price. Truth was truly nice the first time around when it only took time and memories. But Nick knew it would not be the same this time around. Especially for trying to commit the ultimate taboo. Human transmutation.

Nick looked Kyuubi dead in the eyes.

"Yes. I do."

"Why? What reason would be sufficient enough that I should give it to snot nosed selfish brat like you who couldn't even think of the consequences of his actions. Why should I not wait and keep it for myself?" Kyuubi stared down superiorly at Nicholas.

Nick winced. He should have known that was coming.

"Because…because I want to help my brothers fix our actions. I know now that there will be some kind of consequence to each of us. I want to help them fix this because they are my brothers, no matter the blood relation. I love them. It's as simple as that." He said with certainty. He smiled at Kyuubi, the look on his face filled with the resignation of what was to come. It looked far older than it should have.

Kyuubi looked long and hard into Nick's face. Soon he nodded to himself, as if he found something he had been looking for.

"Very well, I will gift you my powers, and my teachings on one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes equivalent exchange boy. Nothing is ever free. In exchange for my powers and teachings I want you to help me with something that I will ask for later down the road of our journey, and after you accept my powers you will be forced to help me. So do you agree boy?" Kyuubi said seriously.

Nick contemplated the offer. It sounded suspicious, almost too good to be true. But he wanted to be useful… "Can I not know the condition?" Kyuubi smirked. "No, take this a lesson on faith and a matter on how much you want to help your brothers. Chose. Will you or will you not accept my powers and teachings with the terms set?"

Nick closed his eyes. Damn fox really knew how to manipulate him. Nick knew he would regret doing this. He just knew it.

He opened his eyes.

"Yes."

Kyuubi roared with uncontained laughter.

"Excellent."

And just then, the reality changed.

ooo

Truth frowned when he realized what had happened. Damn Demon Fox had awoken and had pulled his container into the seal. Truth sat down in front of Nick and put pressure on the seal so the two of them would only have a limited amount of time, no matter the time difference between realities. Truth set his chin in its hand and waited. He was still angry that the Tailed Beasts even existed in the Elemental Countries Reality. Creatures really shouldn't reality hop, even if they hadn't meant too.

Truth just knew that when the Chibi woke up that he would have done something stupid.

Truth smiled at that fact. More fun for him!

Moments later, Red eyes snapped open.

"Ahh so you did do something unexpected."

Nick looked to see Truth sitting over him smiling in an overly creepily way.

Then Nick felt it. The Power.

A swirling feeling of anger and invincibility came over him. The feeling of chakra once again flowing freely through his chakra systems with his knowledge fully restored. Nick smirked back up at Truth.

"Yes, Yes I Did."

" I never would have guessed you would have given a child your powers. Tsk Tsk. Very irresponsible. So what should I take from you this time, currently I am dealing with your brothers, who are just so innocent. Poor little Alphonse and Edward, no one to save them now! Not even from themselves!" Truth cackled.

Nick surged up, arm reaching for Truth with an agonized, angry look. "Don't touch my big brothers! I swear if you have done anything to them I'll-"

"You'll what? Defeat me? Look at you, you can't even touch me!" Nick did look and saw that when he went to grab Truth, that somehow it had moved 20 feet away. Nick glowered at the figure in hatred and in helplessness, as he knew he couldn't do anything at the moment to help his brothers. All three of them were at the mercy of Truth.

Calm down Nick, you must remember who this is.

Shut up! It's the one who threatened our family!

Truth smirked at the sight that Nick made. A boy of nine years old, ready to take on a god to protect his family. The act alone was just too cute. Unbearably so. "I have decided. I now know what your price will be." And with that the Gates opened.

Kit watch out here it comes-

Nick watched in horror as the Gate opened and out came black tendrils shooting towards him. They grabbed him and dragged him into the Gate as he struggled against them. The last thing he saw was Truth smiling that creepy smile of its.

"You wanted to know the truth. So you shall have it."

ooo

Electric charge, the smell of ozone, blood, blood everywhere, horror in the eyes of his brothers. 'What had gone wrong? What had he done? The circle? The ingredients? Oh how, how could I let this happen! Why hadn't I listened? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY!'

"Alphonse!" The sight of his second youngest brother disappearing had Edward unable to cope with the situation. Quick thinking and pure brotherly determination spread through him. "Give him back! He's my baby brother; you can have anything, just GIVE HIM BACK!"

The darkness consumed him after completing the transmutation. Seconds later an amour body came to life. As it looked around, it suddenly realized what had happened.

"Brothers!"

ooo

A/N: Can anyone guess the realities? ^-^