Now this chapter...this one made me happy. It was longer, well written, and it gives you insight on what's happeneing with the escape lunitic and the crazy guy who confronted Aria in the hospital. I'm was so happy with the way it turned out, I almost made it too long. What can I say, I was on a role.

Anyway, I'll go back into my romance thing soon enough, just as soon as I get THIS obsticle out of the way. I've got an even bigger obsticle planned for everyone. :) I is evil.

Enjoy!

Chapter 33 - Revelation
She had given Al a hug before she left the hospital, but still, Aria couldn't still shake the guilt over leaving him there alone. 'Don't worry, I don't mind.' He had said with a smile as he sent her along her way. Aria smiled and watched the scenery go by. Though she least expected it, the thought of that crazy man crossed her mind again. How he knew her was beyond her reasoning and the fact that he told her to run made her worry all the worse.

Had he already known about Felix? What was his connection? Was he some profit? Or just a lone nut who overheard her and Alphonse speaking? So many questions that had no viable answers, she was overwhelmed. Even still, there was hope.

Edward had access to books and files that she could never hope to touch, so if she found nothing on her own, extending a hand to the "Full Metal Alchemist" seemed like a resonable thing to do. She considered him a friend, a good friend, and everyone knows, friends don't mind helping one another out.

The taxi cab pulled up along side the Rockbell house and stopped with a jolt causing her to snap back into reality. She extended her hand with the correct amount of fair and passed it to the cab driver. "Thanks dear." He said with a smile.

"No problem." Aria returned the geusture and extied the cab. A quick gust of wind blew past her, luckily she caught her dress in enough time to avoid giving the cabby a tip as well. Her red hair caught in the breeze whipped up and down, almost if it was struggeling to get away. Turning her face towards the wind, she removed all the hair from her eyes. Without further incedent, she quickly hopped up the stairs and right into the kitchen.

'You'll never see him lift a finger.' Al had said to her last night. 'At least, not without a fuss.' He had topped it off. But there was Edward, wrist deep in dish water, scrubbing away.

"I guess Al had you pegged wrong." She said, closing the door.

Ed, who had been staring off into space out the kitchen window, turned in surprise. "Aria? I didn't hear you come in..." He thought about what she just said. "Wait, what did Al say?" He said with a slight annoyance in his voice. Though it was apparent he was slightly irritated, he had this smile on his face that didn't seem to fade.

Aria stepped up along side him and grabbed a clean dry rag from the drawer. "He said you detest house work."

He smiled and placed another dish on the drain rack. Apparently, he had only been at been at this for a short while now, the dishes hadn't draind completly and there was only a few there. "Yeah...but I've got nothing better to do. Winry's taking care of a patient in the garage, I was bored, so I started doing these."

She smiled. "You did this of your own free will?" She dried and placed a cup up into the cabbinet.

Ed leaned toward her. "Dont' tell anyone, I don't want them to expect this again. I just needed time to think, that's all."

Aria smirked and gave him a sly glance. "Think? ...about last night?"

Ed stood up straight and a blush crept over his face.

"I knew it." She giggled.

Though he knew that Aria was fully aware about what happened, he couldn't help but feel a little embarased. "Don't jump to conclusions, what makes you think anything happened?"

Aria nudged him in the elbow. "Ed, it's written all over your face."

Ed smirked even wider. "I guess...what were you doing last night then?" He grilled her as if he knew something had happened to her last night.

Aria snickered. "Nothing like that. Al and I just talked. Then, as the sun was going down, he started wondering if there were ghosts in the hospital."

Edward shook his head. "That's Al. I should have known, he's always been terrified of ghost stories since we were kids. To think, I thought he might have had alterior motives to inviting you last night."

She looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"

He placed another plate on the rack to drain and then plunged his hands into the sink once again. "I've never seen him take a shine to anyone like you before. He really likes you, and I thought he just might have wanted to...well...you know, do something other than talk." Ed shrugged. "I suppose it would be just like Al to want to spend time with you and not expect anything like that in return."

Aria couldn't help but smile. "He is really nice..."

Though she was smiling, Ed couldn't help but notice that she had a sad undertone to her expression. Ed became concerned. "We'll keep you safe till those papers come in."

The young red haired girl became shocked. "You must be a mind reader..." Her mind then flashed to the crazy guy. "That's right." She turned to him. "Ed, when I was in the hospital with Al this morning, some guy who escaped form, I guess you'd call it, the 'crazy ward' ran up to me. He knew my name and he told me to run. Obviously he was a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but the fact that he knew me really creepe me out; espically since I've never seen him before in my life. His name was...Michel...End...em...endem...damn...stupid brain!" She frustrated herself with her bad memory for names.

"Michel A'Endemrots?" Ed said without a hitch.

"Yes! That wa--...how did you know it?" She dried another plate and put it away.

Ed pulled the drain in the sink and allowed the water to slowly drain out. "He was..." He tossed the plug for the sink aside. "...a novelist who use to live in central. He was actually not origianlly called by the last name A'Endemrots. His original name was Michel Nostradamus. He changed his name, but only ended up just flipping some of the letters around to try and throw people off. It didn't work, but still..." Ed took the hand towel from the side of the sink and proceeded to dry his hands. "Apparently, some poeple said that in his books, he predicted the future, but it was obvious the guy was crazy. Talking about demons form the underworld, an apocalypse. After a while he just cracked under all the pressure of so many non-believers...then they locked him up."

Ed stood up straight and shook his automail to make sure all the water was dried. "Though there was one thing he wrote about that made some sence to me." Aria gave him her full attention. "He worte about a gate. One that led to another paralell world. Much like this one, but different in many ways, like, not having alchemy and what not. He called himself a profit, and that he could predict the future. He said that, it wasn't who he was in this world, rather that's who he was on the other side of the gate. For the longest time I had no clue about what he was talking about. And then I saw it for myself."

Ed shrugged. "Regardless, what the guy wrote about was true, so that gives him some credibility. I never did figure out what happened to him till now." Ed smiled. "To think, he ended up right here in Resembool. What exactaly did he tell you again?"

Aria took a deep breath.

"I'm going to make a 'mint' off you kids." The cabby said, flipping Ed his change.

"Maybe. We need a way back, can you wait here?" He asked quickly.

"Sure, I need a break anyway." He tugged his hat over his eyes and rested his head down.

Ed nodded. "Great." He closed the door and looked at Aria. "Alright, let's go." They walked off into the hospital.

Upon entering, a nurse stopped them. "I'm sorry, visiting hours are over right now."

Ed held up his watch. "I'm passing right through, I'm here on business." With that said, he walked right past with Aria following close behind. "It not only helps you out, but if he has powers like he claims, he might be able to tell us a little about who we're trying to capture."

Aria nodded. "That old guy who blew up the church in Lior, right?"

"Exactally." Ed and Aria walked right through the main part of the hospital and right out the side door where Aria had said they took him. Upon entering the centeral part of the hospital they found what they had come for. "Ward C...I guess the C stands for 'Crazy'...let's go."

Heading into the door ajacent from the one they came out of, they walked down a long hall, no doors to be seen, just a single staircase right at the end. A minute of walking, Ed and Aria came up to the stairs, they looked as though they had been carved from some really large stone, it had no creaces where it might have once been tacked together, but just a solid block of stone. Ed looked at them curiously, he wondered if it was indeed carved from stone or if it was something else. Sure enough, a square pattern that formed on the back of one of the steps said it all. The steps were transmuted. The wonder in the steps then vanished. Once you know where something comes from, all the mystery seemed to leak away.

Screams and yells could be heard all through the hall and the steps. It bounced off the walls right into their ears, it was overwhelming. Aria clasped her arms together in slight fear. "What if there's like...sex maniacs down here?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure they're in cages." He reassured her. It was true, there were many of them down there, though he didn't want to tell her right just then, she might have turned around. "And if those guards are there like last time, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about."

Aria seemed to lighten up a little. "I guess you're right." Still that inital fear was still there.

Ed waved a hand at her. "If worse comes to worse, I'll transmute them into fish."

Aria snickered. "Right then." She smiled. It seemed as though the appearence wasn't the only thing the Elric brother's shared, the kind-hearted-ness was something that stood out as well. Still a little shaken, she continued to follow him, right down to the floor below.

It was made out of hard white marble and the walls were totally white as well. Straight ahead was the check in desk, with the same two burly looking black men, sitting right behind it, doing paperwork.

"Edward Elric I take it." One of them said.

"The one and only." He held up his watch as proof of stature.

The other man eyed Aria. "Now, there's a couple rules we have to keep you safe. For you young lady, I suggest you go no where near any of the bars. Most of the men in here haven't seen a woman in about twenty years, so best be on your guard." He turned his attention to Ed. "And any one of those guys in there wouldn't think twice about strangeling either of you to death."

He stood up and grabbed some keys off the wall. "Don't give them anything they could hurt themselves with, or anyone else for that matter. I wouldn't go talking to any of them, except for who you're going to see, some of them can get inside your head. It's just for your best intrest...if you think you can handle it, be my guest. Overall, try not to pay attention to most of them. They're locked up for a reason." With that said, he rounded the desk and walked over the the steel grate door and plunged the key into the key hole. With the turn of a key, an ear shattering clank was heard, and then, the door, with some force behind it, slid open. "If they're rude to you, I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do about it."

"Remember..." The other man said from behind the desk. "Try to ignore the rest of them."

Ed and Aria nodded. "Ready?" He questioned her.

"No...but let's go anyway." She said, following very closly behind Edward.

Sencing her nervousness, he took her hand an led her down the hall, following the wall on the far right. The man who opened the door, slid it shut again and spoke. "He's the last cell on the left."

"Thanks." Ed said as he led Aria down the hallway.

"Hello boy...let me touch your hair." It seemed that they were not off to a very good start, only a few doors down and already the people in the cells began to notice them.

"Ew..." She said in disgust to the first guy in the first cell.

Ed shook his head and sped up his pace. "Just keep going."

"I love young boys, they were always so soft, and they screamed so sweetly right before they die." He caught Ed's attention, though he only rolled his eyes. "I think you would scream if I were to kill you. Do you think so?" Ed continued walking, not replying to the man's words. "Don't be rude child, I'll feed you to the dogs!" He pounded his fists on the grate! "You worthless bastard! You think you're better than me!? You're nothing! Ya' hear me! You're worthless shorty!!"

Ed, though he was quite proud of his self control, had reached his limit. He spun around and gave the guy int he cell the most evil of glares that he could muster. "I'm worthless?! Look at who's on what side of the cage you dumbass! In another twenty years I'll be taller, and far away from this place. Where are you going to be in twenty years? I'll tell ya'! Rotting right there, in that cell! So shut you face!" With that said, Ed turned around and continued walking. Without looking back, he could hear someone wailing.

"Why?" The man cried. "Why now?"

Aria could help but smirk at Ed's blatent show of back bone. He may have been short for a boy his age, but she doubted anyone would want to take him on. If looks could kill, that man would have burst into flames. She admired his strength, but then again, it also made her appreciate Al's passifist kind of nature ever so much more.

Ignoring all the bad comments and all the arms through the bars, they continued their treck down the hall. Finally reaching their destination, they came upon the cell with Michel in it. He sat in the corner, muttering something to himself. "Red...red...no more...don't let them...never."

"Michel A'Endemrots? My name's E--"

"Edward Elric, I know...I read about you in the papers...don't worry, you need not introduce yourself." He stood up and approched the bars. "Aria, dear sweet Aria...are you here to hide, I don't think that'll work, they know what I've done, they'll kill me soon too." Aria was right, he sounded as if he was a few sandwiches short a picnic, and the basket, and the blanket, hell, he even brought ice skates with him.

Aria shook the anology form her head and became worried. "I think you're safe in here, just look at the security."

He smiled and tried to peer down the hall. "They'll find a way in, they always find a way. That man, he's quite resoursful."

Ed took a step towards the cell, still staying a safe distance away from the bars. "What man are you talking about?"

"The one you're looking for," He smiled. "Edward."

Slightly creeped out, he nodded. "Where is he at? He's plotting something big, we're sure of it, please, if you know something, tell us."

The man turned around and pressed his back up against the bars of his cage. "If I do that, they'll take him here for sure and he'll definatly kill me the instant he sees me."

Ed became frustrated. "What makes you think he'll kill you?"

"From an early age, he was gifted, he could see into the future. I know this, because we're brother's, twin brother's, and all his life, he hated everyone. Why? Because when he saw the future, he saw war, he saw famin, he saw everything that he didn't want, and he hated it. The visions became so lucid in his mind that he couldn't take it. He waned to destroy everything. If there was no people, there would be no future, so the horrible visions would then stop."

Ed got closer to the bars. "Wait, I thought you were the profit."

Michel looked over his shoulder for a second and then went back to looking at the wall of his cell. "No, but I could however read his mind...twins can be scary like that. I tried to warn everyone of the perils that would come if they chose to do what they were doing. It drove me to the point that I ended up here." Michel turned around and knelt down on the floor. "Do you know how madening it is, to not be heard? You could stand in the middle of the street and yell at the top of your voice...and still have no one hear you. Sure they hear the noise you make...but they don't understand."

Ed and Aria nodded. "Yeah." They said at the same time, giving eachother a quick glance as if to say 'that was strange'.

"He became so jealous of me, and cross at me. I didn't get the visions and I could control my power...I could sleep peacfully too...he hated that." Michel laid down on the floor completly, right up against the bars of his cell at that. "For the past ten years I've been here...waiting...hoping that someone will kill him, so that when I close my eyes, and try to think, I won't see what he thinks...and then I'll know that no one will get hurt."

Ed was becoming irritated, he was talking, but nothing that needed to be told. Though Aria was soaking it all up and enjoying the story.

"Then...you come into the picture...they've been watching you...right when you went to central...they followed you here...and they're going to use you...they need a boy with the red eyes, and you're how they're going to get him...and...that's all I know...I know not where they're at...nor what they plan to do next. My brother had blocked me out for a while, so I know nothing more." He closed his eyes.

Ed puffed out his bottom lip slightly. "At least I know why they stuck you down here."

Aria nudged him in the back of the shoulder. "Ed...that's not nice."

He shrugged. "Now...about what you told Aria. About a demon."

Michel's eyes opened once again. "If they use her to get the red eye'd one, they'll use him to summon that monster...keep her safe."

Ed knelt down next to Michel. "I hope there's at least some credibility to what you're saying." Though they told Ed not to get close to the bars, he did so anyway. Trust was a big thing with people like this, if he felt Ed didn't trust him, he probably wouldn't have said antying.

"Um..." She sounded from behind him. "Now that I think of it...I do know someone with red eyes." Ed turned around to face her. "A boy who came through our village not too long ago, about four months ago. His name was Leo...he was Ishbalan."

YEA! Another chapter done. And for once, one I liked. XD

Like I said, I hope you guys stick with me, I'm not going to 'Mary Sue' Aria, so you don't need to worry.

I've got such a twist planned! I want to update this fic everyday till it's done!!! ...But sadly, I can't...I have to wait for you guys to review. (Sigh) I shall wait...patiently...I won't like it...but I'll wait.

Remember, leave a review for me. : )