I am sooooo sorry! School and plot bunnies attacked me! Enjoy this rather short chapter! Sorry again.
'How in the world could I forget that?' She thought, her eyes stuck in their wide position. Ed looked at her with a grim face and Al's helmet was pointed towards the ground. She blinked once and then looked back up at the brothers, "I know you have searched for this artifact for most of your career, but please don't let this tear you guys up. Find another answer to the same problem, just don't stop moving forward." She said, her mouth in a firm line. All three of them looked up in shock as a yelling came from outside the door.
"Sir! Please wait, they're resting!" Leo looked up at the sound of Ross's voice. She felt her face drain of color when a very loud voice shouted, "ELRIC BROTHERS! MISS RIDER! ARE YOU INSIDE!?" They shared a look, "What should we do?" Al whispered to Ed, who immediately answered, "Ignore him, maybe if we're quiet enough he'll go away." Leo looked at them and then at the door, which busted open. Her eyes widened, "DUCK AND COVER!" She yelped, diving under the bed.
"I have come Edward Elric!" The Major shouted, as he entered with the doorknob still in his hand. Then he went on to exclaim more incomprehensible nonsense until Ed suddenly froze at one of the Major's sentences. "...the 'Truth'..." He muttered, bringing a hand to his face. Leo slid out from under the bed and looked up at the blonde curiously, "What's up, Short-Stack?" He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't notice her short jab. "Remember what Dr Marcoh said at the station. We must find the truth behind the truth." Leo nodded from her spot on the ground as he looked over at his brother, "There's something more. Something deeper."
"A-a-a-a-ACHOO!" Leo sneezed as the huge Major laid the dusty maps out in front of the teenagers. She turned away to grab a tissue from the nearby table and used it to blow her nose. As she turned back, the Major and Ed started talking about the different research institutes. Ed pointed down at one and Leo blinked, black spots started to fill her vision and the sounds buzzed out.
She grabbed her forehead and felt her way to the couch and collapsed onto it. As her vision faded she was sure that there were dark sparks igniting over her hands.
(Mind-Verse)
Leo's eyes opened as a bright light shone into them. She groaned and realized that she was back in Truth's room. She turned over and looked at him and grimaced at his smirk.
"What'd I do this time?" She said, sitting up. Truth just laughed and replied with, "Nothing. Your body is at a stage where it needs to shut down in order to accept the changes." Leo blinked in confusion, "What 'changes'?" She asked slowly. "You're from a different dimension. Therefore your body is different than that of the people in this dimension. Add the fact that you had a whole Gate created in the time-span of a few minutes when it usually takes years for ones Gate to be completed. In all actuality, you should be dead."
"And the reason I'm here now is because my body is changing and healing itself while I'm not in it?" Truth nodded and clapped his hands, "Exactly! You should be able to go back to it in a while. In the meantime, you're stuck here with me." Leo's face dropped into a sarcastic scowl, "Great."
(With Ed and Al)
Al looked over at the couch that Leo had collapsed on and then back at his brother. "Ed? Is there something wrong with Leo?" Ed paused in his thinking and glanced over at the sleeping form. "Is she sleeping?" He asked, standing up and moving to sit in front of her. It was then that he noticed her heavy breathing and a sheen of sweat on her face. He cursed and put his hand to her forehead, only to feel the slightly wet and heated skin.
"Al! Get a wet rag." He called out grabbing a blanket and placing it over the now shivering girl. Al hurried back in with the damp cloth and placed it on her forehead. They watched in silence as the shaking stopped and Leo's breathing got easier until it appeared that she was peacefully asleep. "Alright Al, lets get this done quickly." Ed said throwing the makeshift rope over the edge of the window ledge and climbing down. "Right." Al replied, following Ed into the dark.
