Thank you everyone for being so patient for this chapter to be finished. I am so sorry i am so slow when it comes to updating chapters but in any case i hope you enjoy it.
I do not own Fullemtal Alchemist or Fairy Tail.
Edward arrived in the void just as he had disappeared from the Colonel's office. He landed with a thump, him opening his eyes and slowly sitting up, to only flop back and down and shut them. I knew this was going to happen. I just knew. The second I veer off the path of alchemist, some crap is thrown my way and I regret everything. What the hell does Truth want this time?
He grunted and stood slowly, lifting his eyelids to reveal and white silhouette sitting comfortably in front of him. Truth smiled broadly and the blonde's grimace deepened.
"I guess you'd like to know why you're here, FullMetal Alchemist."
Edward grunted, staring God down with a fierceness that he hadn't expressed in a long time.
Truth sat silent, almost to be waiting for something. He did this for a while, and Elric started to growl in irritation just as a sound 'puff' came from behind him. A body lay where he just was moments before, unmoving. Edward could see the man's chest rise, and he almost instinctively ran over to see if he had any injuries. He stood in his place though, looking at Truth tiredly. The white being's grin grew in size. A rustle came, and the blond looked again to see the raven haired man stir. Edward eyed God for a moment, Truth made no objection, and Edward ran over to the man.
Gray's vision went from blackness to utterly white as he opened his eyes painfully. As his gaze came into view, he saw a splash of yellow to the white. The boy's voice filled his ears slowly, the words at first not making sense.
Edward waved a hand waved in from of the wizard's vision. "Hey, are you all right?" There was no response even if the man's eyes were opened. The blond repeated himself. The third time that his hand went across Fullbuster's sight, his eyes followed it. A smirk rose on Edward's lips. "Can you hear me?" FullMetal asked, his voice more relaxed.
Gray tried to answer but his voice refused to cooperate. He nodded slowly in response. With effort that Gray wasn't aware of, the mage tried to pull himself up, but his strength left him. A gloved hand reached around his back, and with the other one firmly placed on his shoulder, Gray was raised into a sitting position slowly.
The blond smiled at the still semi-confused Gray, who was now leaning on Elric for support as he stood up very, very slowly.
Edward chuckled. "You'll feel better in a few minutes. The first trip to the gate is always the worst."
Gray looked around the vacant space, awareness finally coming into his eyes. "Where…am I?" he asked aloud, though his question was directed to Ed.
"This," the blonde gestured, moving his free arm around the room. "Is known as the gate."
"The gate?" Gray questioned, utterly lost in the alchemist's description.
"The gate is a dimension other than the real world. It is a bridge if you think of it. The gate represents all the knowledge there is." Edward pointed to the floating set of doors across the room. They were a dull gray stone, a tree like structure engraved into it. "That is my gate. It has all the information in the world stored inside of it. With a price, you can view it." The alchemist released the wizard, he who which could now stand on his own, and slid his right arm's sleeve up, revealing his automail limb.
"Is that metal?" Gray asked, a profound look on his face, not seeing metal used in such a way.
"Yes, solid steel. This is a price I paid when I got too close to that information. My left leg is just like it." Ed said the dumbfounded look on the ice user's face and laughed. "Hey, what is with that look? I got off easy, my brother lost his whole body, so I have no right to complain." FullMetal's face went dark at the thought, then returned to normal. "Anyways, everyone has a gate. Yours should be behind you…"
The two turned around to see a gate that looked nothing to the previous one. A circular, symmetrical gate stood before them, pristine white, looking like marble. Ornate cylinders of the material swirled in a pattern, looking identical to a snow flake.
"…My magic circle…" Gray muttered quietly, even more lost than before. Edward's mouth hung open in wonder, then his jaw closed as his head snapped back to glare at Truth. The being who had been sitting in his place the entire time smiled broadly, looking utterly amused.
"You can't expect everyone's gate to look the same, can you?" The many voices giggled as though something humorous was said.
"But me and Alphonse's-," Ed tried to say.
"You're brothers, what is there to say?"
Edward looked at him with contempt but relaxed, moving closer to the wizard.
Gray leaned in slightly, so that his mouth closer to Edward's ear, making it easier for the alchemist to hear him without having to speak louder than a whisper. "So what is supposed to happen next?"
The blonde sighed quietly. "Your answer is as good as mine. I have no clue." He answered back.
They both stared at the white silhouette for a long while, though Truth seemed to pay them no mind. After a while more, God stood, almost to be stretching, grinning madly the whole time. He turned towards the two slowly. "A change of pace."
The mage and alchemist listened to the four words, taking a moment to register to them.
"A change of…pace?" Gray was the one who asked the hanging question, looking even more confused from when he arrived at the gate.
"You are both more similar than you might think." Truth started, switching his gaze from between the two. "Believe it or not, you both summoned yourself to the gate of your own free will. I am guessing that you both are seeking the same thing."
"A way out," Gray and Ed said simultaneously, glancing at each other in surprise.
"I…I hurt my best friend. I scared all my friends. They probably think I'm a monster. I can't control my power." Gray said painfully, his nails digging into the shoulder he had been holding onto hard enough to draw blood.
"It was my fault. My fault that the woman was killed. That a child is now an orphan. I caused pain to a complete stranger, and now I can't even stand myself." Edward almost whispered, eyes glued to the ground.
The silence lasted until Truth laughed. "Both of you are in situations that you don't like." He smiled wide. "That is why I am offering you both something. A change of pace."
"What are you suggesting?" Edward snapped, his eyes red.
"You two would switch places, go to each other's world. Live in place of the other."
"What's the catch?" Gray asked slowly, getting the kind of attitude Truth had.
"I require no payment for this. You two both used your own power to get here, so I will just use mine to send you. However, both of you need to get yourselves back to your respective worlds if you find the new one is not your speed. BOTH of you have to want to come back however. If one of you likes the new world better and wants to stay, the other is stuck in that world, even if they don't want it.
Gray and Edward turned to each other.
"I think it is better for us this way." Edward said.
"A change of pace." Gray agreed.
Truth grinned like a fool. "If you agree then get ready to go."
The two smiled at one other, the same thought in their minds, directed at one another. Good luck.
Everything turned to black.