"There's no way," Edward grumbled, staring angrily at the milk in front of him.

"You have to," I said, rolling my eyes. "Your bones are weak as it is. You need it."

"Who said my bones are weak!" He snapped.

I rolled my eyes. "Suit yourself," I said irritably, walking away from him.

We were all still exhausted after my rescue from the Homunculi den. We had all made it out all right, but not without a lot of questions and confusion being opened up.

"Explain it again, please," Alphonse requested, shaking his metal head. "I'm sorry. It's just so confusing."

"When Edward and you came to get your body, Al," I explained again, "you really did rip me out of a different universe. A different doorway opened up, you could say. I don't know why, but I have a feeling it's for a reason."

"Do you remember the universe you came from at all?" Edward asked, subtly pushing away his milk and scooting next to me on the couch, enthralled.

"Only a little bit," I admitted sheepishly. "But it was much different than this one. There were little devices people carried around, and I remember that with one click, you could access all of the information known to humanity!"

Ed's eyes widened. "What a resource!" He exclaimed. "Imagine it, Al. We could learn all about the Philosopher's Stone in a day!"

He leaned back on the couch, looking wistful. "Your world sure sounds a lot more interesting than ours," he mumbled.

"No, I wouldn't say that," I murmured. "We didn't have alchemy. What we didn't have in alchemy, we had in technology, I think."

"What a strange world," Alphonse said dreamily.

I shrugged, and got up to clean up the leftovers of lunch. I sighed when I picked up Edward's still-full glass of milk, and drank it myself. I really didn't understand his indignance against drinking it. The creamy flavor coated my mouth, and immediately I felt refreshed and relaxed.

"Mmm," I said exaggeratedly. Ed made a show of rolling his eyes at me.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called, washing the dishes in the sink.

The door opened, and Roy Mustang stalked into the room. He raised an eyebrow at the messy state it was in, but didn't comment.

"I've come to talk to you about being a State Alchemist, Violet," he said formally. "I was there to rescue you, I know all about your sudden realization of alchemy."

I continued washing the dishes, avoiding his eyes. "I'm sorry," I said timidly. "I'm not interested."

"You know something the rest of us don't," he said. "Your close encounter with the Truth has given you knowledge we can't even dream of."

"And puts an exceptionally large bounty on my head!" I remarked, setting down a newly washed plate with a little too much force. A hairline crack formed in the porcelain, and I sighed, letting out a deep breath.

I turned around, meeting the man's stormy eyes.

"I'm not going," I said firmly. "That's that. You can't force me, I believe."

"No, I can't," he said. "But I can strongly urge you to recon-"

"I'm not reconsidering!" I yelled. "Please, leave!"

He sighed, turned around, and walked out of our room without another word.

Edward and Alphonse slowly turned to look at me, sweat beading on Ed's forehead.

"Heh, you ok?" He asked.

I slumped down onto the ground, my back to the wall. "I don't know what to do," I told them. "I have the power to go back and see my family, to go back to the universe I belong in, but I'm not sure, for some reason…"

Silence filled the room. It was evident neither of the brothers knew what to say.

"I think you belong in this universe," Al said quietly.

I shut my eyes to keep the tears from falling. "But I don't!" I shouted, more out of sadness then anything. "People can see the white fire in my eyes from the Truth. It makes me different." I ground my teeth, and curled my fists into a tight ball. "People always talk about it's so great to be different. Well, it's not!"

I shoved my head into my arms, not wanting the brothers to see my pain morphed into tears. I heard movement, and looked up.

Edward was standing above me, his red coat pushed back so that he could extend a metal arm out to me. His eyes were shining with compassion.

"I can show you what belonging means," he said.

Despite wanting to remain melancholy, I allowed a small smile, and took his hand.

A strong arm pulled me up to eye contact with him. "Come walk with me by the river tonight," he offered.

Why was my heart pounding so hard?

"I'll...I'll think…" I began, not knowing what to say. Idiot, I thought. Take this chance!

"I'd love to," I blurted out, interrupting myself.

He smiled, golden eyes burning with delight. "Alright. Tonight, then."

I checked the time. There was too many hours to be spent between now and then.

"Is it alright if I take a nap before then?" I asked Edward.

"Of course," he said. "Al and I have some things to do this afternoon anyway!"

"We do?" Al questioned, which earned daggers from Ed. "Oh, right, I forgot! We do!"

I laughed, inwardly rolling my eyes. "Thanks guys," I said between chuckles. I watched as they went out the door, a very flustered and confused Alphonse trying to question Edward as quietly as he could, with Edward loudly trying to get him to shut up.

I sighed, collapsing on the solitary bed. It smelled like Edward.

Why did I notice that?

Don't tell me you're falling for him.

What great timing I had! Right when I found an exit from this foreign world, I fell in love with one of its inhabitants. Typical me.

I laid on the bed, staring at the blank ceiling. I wondered if walking with Edward was a formal event. Should I get all dressed up?

I thought of my limited wardrobe. Because I was zapping Edward's bank, I chose only the bare necessities. Which didn't leave much for date outfits.

If you could call it a date. Should I call it a date?

I needed to stop with these questions.

"I thought remembering my dreams would make things more simple!" I yelled into the empty room. "I didn't think they were going to make everything a thousand times more complicated!"

Taking a nap was not going to work. I swung my legs over the bedside, and hopped towards the desk. It was supplied with a pen and paper.

Bending over the desk, I started writing away. If I was going to go back to wherever I came from, I wanted to write everything down.

I wanted to remember everything.

I wasn't sure if you could take items through Truth, but it wasn't implausible. After all, I traveled over with the clothes on my back, didn't I?

And the amnesia I received when I arrived here, might apply in the same way when I travel over there. There was no way I could forget what happened.

My pen covered the paper in ink, narrating everything that had happened from beginning to end. The teleporting from Truth, the dreams, being scared of the dark, being captured by Envy. The incredible feeling of alchemy flowing through your body. The even more incredible feeling of sleeping in the same bed as Edward.

Time flew by as I described with seemingly endless detail my adventures. My hands were hurting and cramping up, but I had to include everything. It was all important.

I looked at the time, and I nearly panicked inside when I realized I had only so much time left!

I tucked my letter into my coat pocket, and ran out the door. I had to buy a new outfit if I was going to walk with Edward!

The shops were as busy as ever, but I tried to avoid making eye contact with people this time. I went into a clothing store, and was awed by the number of selection. Hopefully Edward wouldn't mind if I used some of his funds for his own cause.

I tried on several outfits, trying to decide what I wanted to go for. Cute? Beautiful? Sexy? Flirty?

It was only a walk by the river, after all, so maybe I needed to chill out a little bit. I decided on a dark blue, low cut dress with some silver earrings. I cringed at the price tag, hoping Edward wouldn't end our walk by killing me.

I walked out of the store, only to see Edward and Al walking right by.

"Oh, hi!" Ed called, waving at me. His eyes widened at my outfit. "Are you ready to go right now?"

"Well, not if you're not!" I said hurriedly, feeling embarrassed. I shouldn't have picked such a formal outfit.

"Oh, it's becoming evening anyway," he remarked. "The air is getting cool and dark. I think now is the right time." He looked at Al. "I'll see you later at the hotel tonight."

"Right!" He agreed, and walked off into the crowd, giving me a big thumbs up behind Edward's back.

I smiled at Ed. "What are your big plans for tonight?"

"Nothing much, really," he said, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks. He bent his head so I wouldn't notice it, but it was too late. "I'm new to this, you know. I've never done it before."

"I think we should get some dinner," I suggested. He brightened up immediately, nodding.

"That is exactly what I was thinking!"

We walked and talked down the road, and the scent of sizzling food led me to a seafood stall.

"Oo, Ed, do you like seafood?" I asked him. He shrugged, which I took as a 'no'.

"Well, I'll have some shrimp over rice, please!" I asked the man running the stall. He nodded, and got to work.

"I'm actually not hungry," he said, sweating bullets. Poor guy.

It was odd that I felt a lot less nervous than he seemed.

I got my food, and followed Edward to the walkway by the riverside. It wasn't quite scenic, but it was quiet, and the motion of the river calmed me.

A cool breeze tickled my skin, and let some hair strands fly loose from my braid. Ed absentmindedly tucked them behind my ear, and then suddenly blushed, tucking his hand back into his pocket.

"You seem a lot less forward than you were the night I spent with you," I said, not able to help myself.

"Um, I think it's just this coat," he stammered. "It's making me hot."

"Ah," I agreed sarcastically. I munched on a shrimp. "Well, it is beautiful out here," I commented, forgetting my manners.

"Yes," he said stiffly. He was staring at the water, not looking at me at all.

"What is it?" I asked him. "Something is obviously going on with you."

I got answered by the calm sound of the river flowing.

After a moment, he spoke up. Well, I could barely hear him, but it was enough. "I don't want you to leave," he whispered.

He was a statue, staring straight ahead. I doubted he was even blinking.

A sudden rush of mischief came over me, and I decided to have a little fun torturing the guy. I was a hot mess when I was on the questioned end of the stick, but asking someone the questions was a different story!

"Why not?" I asked him.

"Well!" He exclaimed, "well, you're my friend." He finally looked at me. "I know I've only known you for two months or so, but I've felt myself growing close to you."

My heart was attempting to escape from my ribcage. I felt myself locking up, but I couldn't let that happen. I had to let the flow of smoothness continue.

"I'm flattered," I said softly. "I sure am glad I'm not such a drag anymore." I laughed at my own reference joke.

He didn't.

"I was awfully rude to you, huh?" He spoke. "I'm sorry."

I furrowed my brows, confused at the sentiment. Was he...sad?

I glanced at him. He was still staring, but his eyes were shining. And I didn't think it was the whispers of the moonlight.

"Ed-"

"I've lost enough people in my life!" He snapped. "I can't lose you, too!"

"Edward!"

"What!"

"What good will I be if I stay?" I said weakly. "I'll be a weapon against you. The Homunculus could capture me again, and use my power. I don't even know how to use it. I could end up hurting someone."

"I can teach you," he reassured me. "With the power you have, you could be used for great good."

"And great evil," I whispered. "And with that possibility, I think the decision is clear."

Edward's eyes were glistening, and I could see he was keeping tears back. I felt horrible, but I couldn't put him in danger.

"There's so much we don't know," he said. "You say you're drawing your alchemy from a greater power than the tectonic plates, correct? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because no one should be able to have this kind of power!" I snapped back. "If it falls into the wrong hands by becoming common practice, it would be devastating."

I turned away from him. "Come on. At least be there to say goodbye."