Hello! Thanks for all the reviews! It made me happy! Here's the next chapter, and I give a special thanks to Mon Esprit Libre! She was a big help in editing the chapter and helping me with my worries. Now, on with the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content below-except the idea

Before any of his other senses registered anything, the feeling of being weightless overtook Ed. It almost felt like he was flying.

The euphoria of it made Ed snap his eyes open, but instantly regret it as the early rise of the sun blinded him. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Ed took a deep breath in of the air and gasped as his sense of smell was bombarded with the acute intensity of nature. Overwhelmed, Ed decided to focus on his sight and could only watch in wonder at his surroundings.

Everything looked so clear now. It was as if, before, Ed had experienced the world with a bunch of pillows surrounding him and muffling everything, but now….

Now, it was as if everything was in sharp contrast compared to before. Everything looked like it was pulsing with life and could start to breathe any moment.

Is this the chakra everyone keeps on talking about?

Ed pushed himself off the ground, surprised at how easy it was and was almost afraid that he would launch himself into the air. There was this new-found strength that was running through his very veins and it made him feel so alive.

A sudden gust of wind blew into his face and Ed shivered as it raised goosebumps on his skin. It was almost as if every single of his senses was magnified. Ed sensed it more than he saw it, and the hand that was reaching for his shoulder was no exception.

Pushing off of his right foot, Ed twisted around before the hand could reach him and almost lost his balance due to the force of his own strength. But Ed planted his feet deep into the ground, and remained balanced. Looking down, Ed saw the cracks of earth around his feet and knew that there was going to be an indent where his feet were.

The thought of all this power and strength was terrifying.

Ed's golden eyes landed on Itachi, who was watching him with a passive expression but his eyes held a burning curiosity.

Looking around, Ed wondered what had happened. The last thing he could remember was passing out. There had not been a meeting with Truth nor any haunting nightmares of Al or his past.

"What am I doing outside, Itachi?"

Itachi showed no surprise at the question, but Ed could see that Itachi was not expecting such a question. Itachi tilted his head, intrigue laced into his voice. "Since you had lost consciousness, I carried you back to the room and into bed, but then, you woke with a blank look in your eyes, demanding to be let outside."

Ed crossed his arms, confusion apparent on his face. "I don't remember anything like that…"

Itachi shook his head. "You probably wouldn't, since you were in a feverish state." Edward looked around him, noticing that they were actually not that far from the base. Or what Ed thought was the base, anyway. He hadn't actually had the opportunity to explore the place.

Ed did not pay any attention to Itachi as he headed towards the building. There was a certain wonder in his eyes as he gazed around him, almost as if he was mesmerized.

Ed's ears picked up Itachi's footsteps following behind him. But fainter than the footsteps was the sound of something beating, and as Ed stopped in place, he realized that the beating was of Itachi's heart.

But my hearing can't be that good! Something in my DNA must have been changed...

This thought sent his mind spiraling into a multitude of formulas and calculations. Ed wasn't in any way a master of genetics or anatomy, but he did read more than a dozen books mentioning the subjects. Ed's thought process halted as a stray thought slithered into his mind.

Were the people on this planet human?

Because even if Ed had assumed that they were human—that they must have gone through evolution—there was still no evidence that they were.

An image of Deidara flashed in Ed's mind, of the large mouths on the hands with their slimy tongues sticking out. Ed thought of Kisame, with his blue skin, beady eyes, and resemblance to a shark.

A shudder went through Ed, and all logical thought flew out of his head as he spun around, a spark of fear in his eyes. Itachi, albeit surprised, did not show it and instead waited for Ed to say something.

Ed had frozen. Now that he thought about it, what was he supposed to say?

With nervous golden eyes directed at Itachi's feet, Ed muttered a question. Itachi's eyes narrowed at Ed's muttering, and a flash of annoyance crossed his face.

"Edward, stop muttering and speak clearly."

Ed clenched his fists as a way to keep control because right now his nerves were frying. Ed lifted his chin, his golden eyes meeting Itachi's coal ones. "Human—" Ed hesitated. His mind was in turmoil because if they weren't human…that would make him what?

A monster.

It was a flash of a memory, when he had been delusional but it pained him still the same. Clearing his throat, Ed tried again, voice hesitant and soft. "You are human, right?"

Itachi did not show a reaction to the question, except the lift of one of his eyebrows as if to question Ed's own sanity. Ed was actually questioning that himself, because right now, he wanted to take the question back.

"Human," Itachi stated, almost as if he was testing out the word. "Why would you think that I am not?" Itachi asked with curiosity and suspicion imbedded into his voice.

Ed took a step back, shivering as Itachi's voice seemed to appear right next to his ear. But Itachi was in front of him, and Ed chalked it up to the whole evolution thing. An idea blossomed inside Ed's mind, and Itachi's question was swept aside as he asked eagerly, "Is there a library anywhere nearby?"

The change of topic did not faze Itachi apparently, as he answered with a calm and collected tone. "There is one in every Akatsuki base, but only a few of us rarely use it."

It was no surprise to Ed. With what he saw of this world, they only focused on power and war. But was it not the same on his world? Ed shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of nostalgia. If he let the grief of losing the place where he belonged overcome him, then he would just spiral downward until there was nothing but dust.

Hesitantly, as if afraid that he would be denied, Ed asked, "Will you show me it?

A spark appeared in Itachi's eyes, one of amusement. Ed stared in wonder at them. It was rare for Itachi to show even the minimal amount of emotion.

"I don't see why not. Follow me."

Ed had buried himself in the mountain of scrolls. They surrounded him, some unrolled, others still sealed. Ed had found out that some scrolls he could not open due to some sort of seal protecting them. Ed didn't know why, but he could see what the nin called "chakra" in the air and all around him.

Ed wondered if the others had the same ability, or if abilities ranged from different people and to different bloodlines.

There was some commentary on bloodlines that Ed had read on one of the scrolls. It seemed that a ability was passed down from generation to generation. There was a lot of information in the scrolls like maps of countries; there was Lightning Country, Water country, Fire Country, Earth Country and Wind Country. Wind Country was the land that Ed had been "transported" to by Truth, the one where people were paranoid and slightly stupid.

Ed knew if that Al were here, he would admonish him for being so rude and insulting to a whole village. The thought of Al made Ed sober and he put down the scroll in his hands onto the ground. Apparently, the library had no need for tables.

"Well, look what we have here," a chilling voice whispered, "a little kitty is lost."

Ed's eyes flashed, and his fists clenched at the mocking tone of the masked man. He was leaning against the wall next to the entrance, his body language casual, and an orange swirling mask covering his face. There was a hole in the mask, letting his left eye be seen. It was a beady and black eye, and Ed thought that he saw something akin to hunger shimmer beneath the surface. It made Ed shiver as the eye bore into him and Ed felt his barriers slamming up around him.

Ed snarled at the man, "What do you want, asshole?" The man chuckled darkly, pushing off of the wall and closing in on Ed.

There was an aura—or was it the chakra?—that was filled with power and malice around the man. Ed forced himself to stand, not wanting to be in any position that might make the man think that he was inferior.

"Edward Elric," the man breathed out behind the mask, "is not a common name… which country are you from?"

The suspicion in the man's voice made Ed's anger boil, he didn't need any trouble right now. Not when he only had the subject of his problem but not the cause or the solution.

Kneeling down, Ed gathered the scrolls in his arms and then made to move past the man. The man grabbed at Ed's arm with a bruising force and Ed growled. "Let me go."

The one eye was still on Ed, calculating and filled with morbid fascination. The feeling of that eye on him made Ed want to squirm and he was about to drop the scrolls to give the man a piece of his mind with his right arm when suddenly the whole atmosphere changed.

The man let go of Ed's arm, putting on a whole new façade and air around him. Ed's golden eyes searched for the source when he met Itachi's deadly coal eyes.

"Tobi, Pain-sama requests your presence."

Tobi let off a chuckle, a giggly happy one that made the hairs on the back of Ed's neck rise.

This is not right.

"Sure thing, Itachi-senpai." Then Tobi was off. It was as if the man from a minute ago had vanished. Ed tightened his hold on the scrolls and gasped as Itachi grabbed his arm, dragging him through the halls and into their room.

"Itachi," Ed said irately as he turned around, "what's wrong with you?" Then Ed's breath caught as he saw Itachi's eyes. They were filled with fury and hate.

"Do not go near that man—I repeat, stay away from Tobi," Itachi ordered, his stance frigid and dangerous.

Ed dropped the scrolls onto his bed, snapping, "I know that already, like I didn't get a clue with his evil eye and insane cackle."

Itachi seemed to relax, sighing. "I apologize, Edward. The man might look harmless, but he is more dangerous than he appears."

Ed sat on the bed, unrolling the scroll. "I got that. And will you stop with the Edward? Call me Ed."

Itachi's eyes narrowed at Ed's snide tone. "Very well, Ed."

Ed appeared to have zoned out, furiously writing on an empty parchment as he muttered to himself. The thought of Tobi, and danger and caution had been blown away from his mind. Instead, Ed focused on filling his head with knowledge, sharpening the tool that was his mind.

Itachi now was sitting on his bed, observing Ed through thoughtful eyes. "Did you have something to eat, Ed?"

Ed scribbled on the paper some more, almost as if he was oblivious to the world around him.

Itachi snapped his fingers. "Edward."

Ed lifted his head, a dazed look in his eyes as he stared at Itachi. "What?"

Itachi sighed. "Dinner, Ed—did you have some?"

Ed almost looked confused at the thought of food and eating. He had spent most of the day in the library and thoughts like food and water usually drifted from his mind when he was researching.

"No. I was busy," Ed responded, his mind going right back to the scrolls.

Itachi stood and grabbed Ed's arm, pulling him off the bed. Ed sputtered as he clumsily stood and tried to keep up with Itachi's long strides toward the kitchen.

"What are you doing, Itachi?

A glare in Ed's direction silenced him, but a second later Itachi answered with an irritated voice. "We're going to feed you since you are an irresponsible squirt."

Ed almost ranted at being called a squirt but another glare from Itachi shut him up. In a way, Itachi reminded Ed of Al.

A more forceful, dangerous, and tragic version of Al.

Ed wondered when he would be able to go back home, if he could go back home.