Chapter 9

His joints hurt. The ones connected to the false limbs always did when nature threatened rain. He lifted his right arm stiffly to his head, a dark wooden brush with thick bristles clasped firm between his fingers, brushing his blond hair back in a steady movement. Thunder rumbled in the distance, punctuating the deep grey sky. Of course, there would be rain, he mused, grabbing his freshly brushed hair with his left hand and taking a hair band from the vanity dresser in front of him, where he stood before a mirror. He gave a small tug to the ponytail he had just created and stood silently looking back at the reflection staring at him. To him, he looked like the same old Edward Elric, except, since living in this world, eyes that knew much more than people his age should. He had lived a life of adventure and loss, stared the so-called truth in the face, and atoned for a bit of the sins he had committed. He saw what prejudices could do to a race of people and was saddened that this 'other' world held the same familiar scars. He held value to love…and at times cursed himself for walking away from the only other person who wasn't his mother or his brother who had ever come close to showing him what it felt like to be in love.

He saw a young man before him; dressed in a crisply pressed white shirt under a new pair of brown suspenders that held neatly onto pressed brown slacks. His brown loafers were shined with care and detail and complimented the image of a well dressed gentleman who just so happened to be going on his first date.

He was using her. Deep down in the far reaches of his heart, he knew that he was only using her. His pull to her was because of her. It was her hair and her smile, her laugh and her eyes he was seeing when he looked at the doctor's daughter. Deep down he understood this and it made him queasy to dwell on for to long.

It wasn't his intentions to get involved with her, no, upon meeting her that afternoon in Doctor Richter's office, after shamelessly chasing her image through downtown just moments before. She had floored him, threw him off completely and he was instantly drawn to her, but it wasn't until much later as he lay awake in bed that night, staring into the endless blackness of his ceiling in his darkened room that it wasn't her that he was so drawn to, it was her.

He had to admit, she had been on his mind almost everyday after they had crossed that gate a final time. He hadn't even taken the time to say goodbye, or truly thank her for always being there for him and his brother. She had always cared for them, even in those moments when he had felt so undeserving of it. He had noticed it then, the way she looked at him when they had laid eyes on each other for the first time in two years. He wanted to tell her then, to blurt it out or pull her close and press his lips to hers, allowing his actions to say what his mouth had failed to do many times before. Another roll of thunder resounded in the background, appearing to be scolding him for his shortcomings.

He couldn't say that he wasn't drawn to Julia Richter. She was beautiful and full of an energy that he had missed and tormented her for having so much of when they were younger. He could see the beauty in that, now that he was a lot more mature. Alphonse had convinced him that seeing Julia wasn't wrong and that it was good for him to finally enjoy what their new life had to offer. Their new life. Even though they had been living in Germany for several years, he still hadn't completely accepted the place as home. Thinking on it now, he had to attribute his not venturing out and dating to not wanting to be too attached to the place.

But he was taking the risk now, agreeing with Alphonse and asking Julia to dinner. She seemed a bit skeptical at his first approach, not completely understanding what he wanted from her through his stammering. He had faced civil wars and homunculi, but he was fearful in asking a girl out. However, she had smiled at him, and he relaxed. I'd love to, she had said to him, and now he stood before his dresser mirror, watching a nervous young man prepare for the evening.

Alphonse wanted him to go all out; bring her flowers and hold open her doors and pull out her chairs. Make sure to wear nice cologne, women loved nice cologne.

"How would you know, Al?"

"Remember how close mom stood to dad in all those old pictures? He must have smelled really nice! I'm sure that's what drawn mom."

"You're crazy, Al…"

Nevertheless, he had bought cologne. He had found a nice brand at a department store a few nights ago. Reaching out across the dresser's top, he picked it up and uncorked the bottle, dabbing a bit around his neck with his left hand. He set the bottle down again and picked up a pair of clean white gloves, taking a brief moment to shove them on his hands as he headed across the floor to exit the room, without even a second glance at his reflection.

His footsteps were light as he descended the stairs. Alphonse was out with a few friends, he had wanted to be home when Ed prepared, but he had convinced his little brother that he could handle this on his own. Entering the sitting room, he faced the front door, peering out of the large window right next to it. The sky still threatened rain and he raised his arm slightly to rotate his right shoulder blade and lifted his leg to flex his knee.

"Better hurry. She'll be waiting for me soon." Walking over to the door, he pulled it open just as a trembling clasp of thunder boom and the grey sky yielded its rain.

She felt an odd and uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she sat across from the old woman; the two seated on stiff floral high backed chairs with a small circular table separating one from another. There was tea, a steaming cup on a small saucer sat near Winry untouched while the woman sipped on hers occasionally, the same unsettling smile on her face. Instead, she sat nervously in her chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap to keep them still as she tried to find an opportune moment within the awkwardness.

"So, you knew of my apprentice, Izumi."

"Yes ma'am. I knew them because of the Elrics. They were students of hers." Winry jumped a bit at the sound of a cup hitting a plate. The older woman's hand had plopped the teacup she was drinking on back onto the saucer she had been holding. Her cold eyes fixed on the young woman and Winry shifted back slightly, hoping to sink further into the lushness of the chair.

"Elrics? The Elrics. The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric? Hohenheim…"

"Uh, yea. How'd you know…?"

"Tell me," she bluntly cut off the nervous young woman, "where is Edward?" Winry looked down to her hands and sought for the words. She was unsure of telling this woman exactly what she knew, in fact, something deep within her was fighting for that very thing, but she pressed on. This woman, she's a great alchemist…she's the only one…she's the only one who can truly help me… "He's…he's not here anymore."

"Dead, dear?"

"No-no…he isn't 'dead' he's just…he went away to this other world. He said that it was on the other side of this 'gate'." If Dante's eyes gave her away, it was in the briefest of moments as she resumed sipping on her tea. She seemed to reveal in it; closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet scents of the Earl Grey. Winry did not know what to make of the change in behavior, not reaching out for her own cup, instead turning her head to look out of the large picture window and noted the deep grey clouds in the distance. She heard Mason cough in the other room, Dante insisting he relax in the large foyer while the women discussed why Winry had sought her out.

"I'm not quite sure where it is I can help you." She set her cup and saucer onto the table and clasped her hands into her lap, a seemingly sincere look on her face. Whatever the truth was behind the look, it seemed to calm Winry a bit and she relaxed her shoulders and gave a small smile.

"Well, I was wondering…is there a way to go through that gate again? I mean, is there an actual 'gate'? I've never actually seen it…just an idea of it from some papers I've read."

"Papers?"

"Y-yea…a few papers and manuscripts a friend and I were studying in Central. They were rather dated…even though they said that they belonged to Hohenheim. Then they mentioned a woman named Dante, but now that I'm here…I don't understand…how you could be that Dante….those papers were over 400 years old….that would make you and Hohenheim…." Her voice faded off as the woman stood up suddenly, replacing her comforting face with the weird plastered smile from once before. Her eyes burrowed into the young woman's face as she slowly walked towards her. Winry became confused, following the woman's movements as she approached, biting the corner of her lip as she begged her eyes to turn away. Dante stopped suddenly, turning slightly away from the frightened girl and faced the window, appearing to watch the ever-approaching clouds that now seemed to loom over the large house, pregnant with rain.

"Don't bite those pretty little lips, dear. We wouldn't want them to scar." She spoke directly, making Winry instantly release her lip from between her teeth. She tried in vain to relax again, but failed. Dante continued.

" There are things within alchemy that the fools of this world would never understand. Powers far greater than plants and animals and even people…a discovery within the achievable grasp of our fingertips. Only a few ever understood that…Hohenheim understood that…and I loved him. He opened my eyes back then, showed me a world that I could mold and create in my own image, far better than this creation that science was left scratching after. He showed me so much more and made me into the woman that I am today. We sought eternity together and found it, but…." Her eyes slid over to look the young woman in the face. Her pale blue eyes seemed to quiver in the light of the room and Dante showed no expression to her reactions. Her hand reached towards the inside of her blouse and pulled something out. It was small, almost the size of a very small rock, the kind her and Ed used to skip across the river back home and it hung on a thin gold chain. When it caught Winry's eyes, the glint of it shown a brilliant crimson and she gasped at the sight of it.

"Do you know what this is?"

"The-the Philosopher's Stone…"