Sorry. I keep lying to you about my updates. I honestly thought I wouldn't get done with this chapter until the 17th. Oh well. At least it's another early update instead of a late one. Also, I would like to ask you guys a question. How many words do you prefer to be in a chapter? I know mine are short compared to other writers, but sometimes, long chapters are overwhelming. I'd just like to know before I write the boiling rock and finale episodes. It doesn't matter to me, but I like to make you guys happy. Also, I lied about my other crossover fic. I uploaded a chapter yesterday. It had to be done!

A Mysterious Illusion: Thanks again for your many reviews! College doesn't start until 8/22, so you still might get a few more quick updates.

Redemption

Ed's eyes were bloodshot, dull, and dry. He had been staring at the fire for most of the night, and no matter how much he tried to fall asleep, he simply woke up soon after closing his eyes. He hadn't seen or talked to his brother in what seemed like an eternity. Ed was desperate to return home, he wanted to see anybody from Amestris at this point; even if it was Mustang. Anything would do. Any little reminder of where he belonged.

This infernal place was starting to feel like Ed's own personnel hell. This damned land was slowly starting to destroy Ed's well being. He was an outcast here, even his own friends didn't accept him all of the time. It had been torturing enough to drive him crazy, which Ed knew he still hadn't recovered from yet; he was walking on a thin line with his sanity. He had been arrogant enough to think he could help these people win their war, and go back home after the invasion. The thought was foolish, and the invasion had failed. There was no Stone here, so Ed didn't know how he was going to manage transmuting himself back without killing himself. One last thing about this place was still eating away at Ed's mind. Murder.

Carelessness had caused Ed to kill. A tiny little miscalculation had ended a life. Ed wished his wounds still hurt as a punishment for what he did, but Katara had done an excellent job with healing them. There was no way to cope with his inner demons, and he wasn't safe from his nightmares even when he was awake. Would Al hate his older brother? Of course he would, but he would eventually forgive Ed. And that's what hurt the most. Forgiveness. The sight of killing someone with his own hand would forever be impregnated into Ed's mind, a memory that Al would never be able to see. Al would be able to forgive his brother because he had not seen the sight, but Ed was forced to play it over and over within his mind. He would never forgive himself.

The sky started to turn from black to light blue, and Ed groaned. He didn't sleep one bit that night, so he felt very drowsy, and of course, hungry. Zuko came out of his room shortly after the sun peeked into view. Today was the day Aang was going to learn how to bend fire, and Ed wanted to be as far as possible from the kid when he messed with flames.

Figuring the water fountain would be safe, Ed sat down in the low water, careful to not slip into sleep. If he wasn't alert, he could easily drown before he knew what was going on.

Aang finally woke up and joined with the impatient Zuko. Aang punched the air, and a little puff of smoke spurted from his fist. His firebending didn't appear to be a strong suit. Ed couldn't hear what the were saying, but the younger of the two stepped back, while the other made a motion. A small stream of fire erupted, but quickly dissipated. Zuko looked baffled and tried again, each result worse than the previous attempt.

Ed yawned while he watched Zuko struggle to throw a decent ball of fire. The attempts were futile. Sokka walked by and eagerly bit into a juicy apple. Ed wanted to know where he got the fruit, but Sokka had walked by quickly towards Aang and Zuko.

"Get out of here!" Zuko yelled loud enough for Ed to hear, and Sokka dropped his apple.

"…Jerkbending…ha!" Sokka snickered as he trotted by Ed. His eyes felt heavy, so Ed shut his eyelids. He darted back into attention when he felt his back slipping into the water. Ed decided it was best to leave the water and he sat down next to the fire so his clothes could dry. Katara woke up and didn't hesitate to do another healing session, on both Ed and Toph, but she kept on glaring at Aang and Zuko.

With a great look of defeat on his face, Zuko came over and plopped down by the fire, sitting next to Ed.

"I've lost my stuff." Zuko's head dropped.

"Hey, I don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff." Toph's arms were crossed like she had been accused before.

"I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone." These people could lose their ability to control the elements? As far as Ed knew, alchemy didn't just stop working.

Katara started to laugh, and was met with many stares. "I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would've been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago." Huh, well that was convenient timing…

"Well, it's not lost. It's just…weaker for some reason."

"Maybe you're not as good as you think you are." Ed could hardly believe those words came out of Katara. She was so nice, and had never insulted him after he joined their group.

"Ouch." Toph grinned, but Zuko ignored her.

"I bet it's because I changed sides." That's how their bending was fueled? Based on who they fought for? It seemed too farfetched.

"That's ridiculous." Ed completely agreed with Katara.

"I don't know." Of course, Master Aang would have the answer. Ed rolled his eyes and tried not to fall asleep. "Maybe it isn't. Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to." Ed laughed out loud, remembering the fight he and Zuko had when they first met.

"What?" Ed asked when his friends stared at him. "He seemed plenty angry the other day. He was moving fire easy enough." Sokka nodded and pulled out his sword.

"Ed's right. So, all we have to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough." Sokka poked Zuko with the butt of the sword and laughed like a demon.

"Okay, cut it out!" Zuko yelled and Sokka slinked away. "Look even if you're right, I-" Ed couldn't do it anymore. He slipped into a deep sleep before he finished listening to the conversation.

"Ed." Someone shook him, but he remained laying down.

"Go 'way, Al." He grumbled and tried to fall back asleep.

"Ed, wake up."

"I'll drink the milk later." Ed wiggled his body and reached around to grab a blanket. His hand found nothing, so he left his extended arm where it was.

"Ed!" He wrapped his arms around his ears, hoping he would be allowed to sleep.

"Aw." There was now a second person trying to wake him up. "Look how little he is when he sleeps." Ed's eyes shot open and he stood up and glared at Sokka.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN?!" Sokka raised his hands defensively and walked away. Katara grabbed Ed's automail arm and dragged him to the fountain to heal his burns.

"Can I ask you a favor?" Ed glanced up at Katara and nodded. He was glad he was being asked for help, so he could start working on repaying his healer. "I want you to go with Zuko and Aang."

"Why, are they going somewhere?"

"They're going to the Sun Warrior ruins."

"Huh?" Katara shrugged and glared at Zuko with malice, who was boarding Appa.

"Please, just watch Aang for me."

"Okay, I'll baby-sit your boyfriend." Ed remembered how the two had briefly kissed, and it was obvious they liked each other. Katara's cheeks turned a dark shade of pink.

"He's not…"

"Yeah, whatever." Ed waved his hand and smiled mischievously at the blushing girl. Zuko and Aang were surprised Ed wanted to come along, but they did not oppose. As soon as Appa took off, Ed closed his eyes and began to snore.

Ed yawned and stretched his arms. He felt ready for the day as he finally had an adequate amount of sleep; not as much as he would've liked, but it was good enough. Zuko sat across from Ed with his arms folded.

"How long was I out?" Ed asked between yawns.

"About four hours. I don't know why, but I thought this thing would be faster."

"You thought a gravity-defying beast would be faster?" Ed grumbled to Zuko so Aang didn't hear. Appa growled and Aang shouted back to them.

"Appa's right, Zuko. In our group, typically we start our missions with a more upbeat attitude." Zuko and Ed both groaned.

"I can't believe this." Zuko said under his breath.

"What? Him talking to the bison, or his positive attitude?"

"Both." Ed smirked.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Soon enough, an island came into view. Appa landed and the three walked into the valley, admiring the architecture of the ruins. Ed strayed from his companions and felt the carved walls and looked at the circular patterns that adorned them. There was no way they were transmutation circles, but the resemblance was eerie.

"I think the past is trying to kill me!" Aang shouted and Ed panicked. He wasn't doing a very good job watching the kid, so he rushed over to make sure everyone was okay. Aang was on the other side of a chasm full of spikes, and Zuko jumped on the wall to get across. Ed rolled his eyes; the guy was a showoff. With a quick clap, Ed transmuted the pit to it's original no-spikes state and casually walked over to his friends.

They climbed many sets of stairs until they reached a large mural, which consisted of dragons, fire, and a man in the center. It was illuminating and Ed couldn't help but think the fire was in a circular pattern. But what did it mean?

"I thought the dragons were friends with the Sun Warriors." Ed managed to listen back in the conversation after he was done being memorized by the painting.

"Dragons?" Ed knew dragons were just a myth, but the way his friends were talking made it sound like they existed.

Zuko nodded his head once. "They had a funny way of showing it.

"Zuko, something happened to the dragons in-"

"Dragons aren't real, you idiot." Zuko and Aang both stopped in their tracks and stared unbelievingly at Ed. "What? Don't look at me like that."

"They're real. Roku had one."

"Who?"

"The Avatar before me."

"Right. You're his alleged reincarnation." Ed sneered and observed the expressions on his friends' faces; Aang didn't look surprised, since they had this conversation many times before. Zuko looked like he had been slapped across the face.

"He doesn't believe in the Avatar cycle." Aang explained quietly to Zuko, who's head was now tilted.

"Once you're dead, you're dead." Ed said dully. Mom. Nina. Hughes. The soldier. They were all dead, and they would never return. Never. Ed was growing sick of the vision of the soldier, he hadn't even known the man's name. So he was simply, the soldier. Ed was determined to learn the name of the man he had killed, for that soldier would never forget his killer's name. (Even though it wasn't Ed's real name the fire people used, it still had the same effect)

After a few moments of silence, Aang turned back to Zuko. "There's something you're not telling me about the dragons."

"My great-grandfather Sozin happened. He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory-" Ed tuned out the historical information about creatures that did not exist. Blah, blah, history, blah, myths, blah, blah. "-was conquered long before I was born, by my uncle." Ed gazed up at Zuko and noticed his eye color was the typical fire freak amber color. But they looked vaguely familiar, and looking into the eyes made him think of the word friend. Ed ignored the back story full of dragons and tried to remember why the eyes looked so familiar.

Right as he almost figured it out, a glint of red struck Ed's eye. They had arrived at a large locked door, with a large circle carved into the ground. Imbedded into the top of the door was a large red stone. Ed's eyes widened and he pushed his friends away as he tore between them to get the Philosopher's Stone.

"I'm going home!" Ed shouted with all his might. He used the engravings on the door to climb to the top and retrieve his prize.

"Ed! What are you doing?!" Ed didn't know or care which boy had spoken, he was finally going to leave this damned place for good. He reached out and tried to tear the red stone out of the wall, but it didn't budge. He wasn't in any position to clap his hands, so he furiously pounded the area surrounding the stone with his right hand until the wall started to crack. He shimmied the rock out of the door and he jumped. Quickly, Ed transmuted a blade onto his arm, and his friends stared at him with shock.

The circle in the ground looked large enough, so Ed carved new lines within the circle, which resulted in a large transmutation circle. Just as he was about to activate the circle, someone forced the stone out of his hand. It was Zuko.

"What are you doing?"

"Give that back!" Ed growled to the thieving fire freak. He desperately reached for the stone, but Zuko held it high above his head, knowing Ed couldn't grab it up there. What Zuko wasn't expecting was a punch to his gut, and he nearly doubled over. Ed maliciously ripped the stone out of Zuko's hand and prepared to clap.

"Stop it!" Aang shouted and looked at the alchemist with fear. Ed had a crazed look in his eyes, and his hair was wildly falling out of his ponytail. Aang grabbed Ed's arm and stopped him from transmuting. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm leaving." Ed tore away from Aang and held up the stone delightfully, but then, his heart seemed to drop. He remembered using Envy's core and how it felt with amplified alchemic power. Holding this stone didn't make Ed feel any more powerful. There were no souls pleading to end their misery. The red stone was just a stone. Nothing more.

The stone was smashed into pieces when Ed threw it at the iron door. He felt disgusted when he looked at the circle in the ground. The circle that he had carved. Without a second thought, Ed clapped and touched the ground a few inches away from the circle, and caused the land to shift, which successfully destroyed the array. A second clap returned his automail back to normal.

"Are you okay?" Both boys asked when Ed slumped to the ground. He nodded his head uneasily and looked at the smashed pieces of red stone. Nothing here was as it seemed, he should've known better.

"What was that?" Ed asked softly. No doubt the boys thought that was a strange question after that little display of his.

"It was a sunstone. It was supposed to unlock the door, but…gah! What's your problem?!" Zuko yelled at Ed with a harsh voice. Ed winced, but he deserved it.

"I thought it was something else. You really want to get inside that room?" Ed asked, hoping his friends wouldn't question him about his actions.

"Of course we do! Weren't you listening to us at all?" A vain started to throb on Zuko's forehead.

"Not really." Ed admitted and walked to the door. He clapped his hands and made a doorway into the dark room. They walked in and Aang jumped back at the sight of a large statue.

"Relax. They're just statues." Ed knew he liked the new addition; he seemed alert and knowledgeable, except for the part where he thought dragons were real.

"It says this is something called the Dancing Dragon." Aang was standing in front of the statue, and mimicked the movement shown. Ed watched curiously while standing next to the statue. The ground caved in, and Aang and Ed looked at each other with understanding.

"No." Ed said and held up his finger before Aang had a chance to speak.

"Fine." Aang grumbled and excitedly dashed to Zuko's side. "Zuko, get over here! I want you to dance with me!"

"What!" Ed stifled a laughed and watched as Zuko was unwillingly placed in front of a statue.

"Let's follow the steps of the statues."

"And why can't he do it?" Zuko pointed to Ed who was leaning against a wall and enjoying the show.

"Leave me out of this. I don't need to learn fancy little fire moves." Ed replied.

"Ed's right. These aren't dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson. I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form."

"This better teach us some really good firebending." Ed almost snorted, but he stopped himself. Nothing could replace a real teacher. These guys just needed a teacher who wouldn't be afraid to ruff them up a bit. That would certainly help them fight.

Once the two finished following the statues, a large golden object rose from the ground. Curious, Ed moved toward the pedestal. Zuko reached out for the shiny object.

"Well, don't touch it!" Ed and Zuko, who both had their hands out to touch the egg shaped object, froze.

"Why not?" Zuko and Ed asked at the same time.

"Remember what happened out there with those spikes? I'm just very suspicious of giant glowing gems sitting on pedestals." Zuko and Ed ignored Aang and reached out to hold the gem. It seemed to hum with life.

"It almost feels alive."

"Yeah." Ed agreed. It felt different from a Philosopher's Stone; it reminded Ed of the time he held his hand against a pregnant woman's stomach.

Green goop shot out and sprayed everywhere. Ed and Zuko flew into the air from the force of the liquid and they stuck to a grate. Aang used his staff to push Zuko and Ed's backs against the spraying gunk. The little airbender soon joined and all three were trapped.

"Zuko! Do something!" Ed moaned at Aang's panicked voice. This was becoming a very long day.

"Me? I can't move!"

"Ed!?"

"I can't move either!" Even if his hands were free to clap, he didn't know what the stinky stuff was composed of, so he wouldn't be able to transmute it. How were they going to get out of this one?

The sky was starting to turn dark, and the stars started to appear. The past few hours had been boring; Ed reencountered with memories he didn't really care to recall. There had to be a way out of this mess. There was always a way. In the meantime, Ed decided to catch up on his sleep and quietly snored.

Something was licking him. Den? Ed opened his eyes and saw an anteater type thing was licking the goo off him. Aang and Zuko were standing up and talking to people with face paint. Since when had there been people here? Sometimes Ed hated he was a heavy sleeper, especially when he was surrounded be people he didn't know.

"If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from the masters, Ran and Shaw." Ed was now fully aware of his surroundings and took everything in.

"Ran and Shaw? There are two of them?" Well no duh, Aang. Ed stood up and stood by his friends' sides.

"When you present yourselves to them, they will examine you." The man was now standing in front of the three, like he was sizing them up. "They'll read your hearts," The man was looking directly at Aang, "your souls," The gaze seemed to fall on Ed. "and your ancestry." He was now facing Zuko. "If they deem you worthy, they'll teach you. If they don't, you'll be destroyed on the spot." Ed gave a toothy grin to Zuko and Aang, who looked frightful. Destroyed on the spot? Seemed like the perfect way to teach.

They were taken to a large hearth that housed an enormous fire. The chief bent some of the fire and presented it to Zuko and Aang. "You will each take a piece of it to the masters to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending." If only Colonel Mustang were here; he would be in paradise at the thought of people worshipping fire.

The flames were presented to Aang and Zuko, and the chief presented one more flame to Ed. Curiously, Ed stared at the fire, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Oh. I've already got a teacher that tries to kill me. I don't need three."

"Learning from the masters is a great honor and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Here, take the fire."

"Actually, I'm not a bender." Ed looked at the flabbergasted chief, the added quickly, "Thanks for the offer." He bowed deeply and followed the large group of people to a steep and long stairway. Aang and Zuko had to walk up all of those stairs and face some powerful teachers. Ed was glad he was not in their position.

"Are you sure you're not a bender?" The chief asked Ed when his friends were halfway up the steps.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Hmm. To bad, I bet the masters would have enjoyed meeting you." Ed didn't really know how to respond to that, so he dumbly nodded. Zuko and Aang were on the top already, and a loud horn echoed across the land. The mountains seemed to tremble.

Ed jumped back when red and blue blurs came barreling out of the caves. "Holy shit!" He exclaimed and was met with disapproving looks. The enormous creatures were real live dragons! He could only imagine how his friends were feeling when they were only feet away from the circling dragons.

The dragons stopped circling and landed. Their snarls were heard even at the bottom of the valley. Ed felt fearful for his friends; facing two dragons was almost worse than facing an angry Izumi Curtis. Almost.

Fire of all different vibrant colors whirled around Zuko and Aang. Ed almost cried out and tried to dart to his friends; those scaly bastards were frying them alive! A hand was held out in front of Ed to hold him back.

"They are okay. They're being taught." Ed almost punched the chief. Yeah, his friends were being taught how to be crunchy dragon treats! Then the fire stopped and the dragons returned to their caves. Zuko and Aang were walking down the stairs, and they weren't burnt to a crisp.

"That was awesome!" Ed shouted when his friends reached solid ground. The two boys were talking to the chief about their experience and Ed was eager to get out of the place. Especially now he knew there were two very large dragons that shouldn't exist in the mountains next to them.

The three climbed on Appa and prepared for their four hour flight back to the temple ruins. Ed knew would be able to sleep the whole way there, but something was nagging in the back of his mind. The soldier.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Ed paused, not quite knowing how to phrase the question.

"What?"

"Umm…you wouldn't happen to know who…" Ed gulped. There was no right way to ask the question.

"Spill it out."

"Uh…have you ever seen…records…a list of casualties?" Zuko raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, I have. Why?"

"Well…you wouldn't happen to know the names of the people who…were killed…in the invasion. Would you?"

"None of your people were killed; they were all taken prisoner." Good, Zuko did seem to know the list of people on both sides. But his answer hadn't been the one Ed was looking for. "Why? Did someone you know go missing?" Ed shook his head. The only thing he lost during the invasion was his peace of mind.

"No. I meant on your side."

"Why would you want to know that?"

"Just tell me." Ed's voice cracked a bit, then he added, "Please."

"There were no deaths on either side." Ed's heart did a back flip. "There were some serious injuries to our men, someone almost died because of…" Zuko trailed off and he looked like he only just realized something important. "…Your hair is golden."

"You're only noticing now?" Ed's voice didn't sound annoyed like he had intended it to be; it was ecstatic. He was just given wonderful news, it was hard to feel any emotion other than happiness.

"Yeah. There were reports of the Golden Haired Spirit seriously injuring the soldiers. That was you?"

"I don't see any other blond people running around here." Ed smiled. He felt elated. He hadn't taken anyone's life. The only thing that would make him feel happier than he was now if Alphonse returned to his own body. Something in Ed's heart and mind told him that day was soon approaching.

AkumanoshippoNiamh: Concerning your review from chapter 12.…I'm so sorry, Ed! I'm a terrible person! But you see, everything is okay. This was all part of the plan.

Alrighty, since I seem to update earlier than I say I do, I'll update 8/22. So, that means check back on Friday.

Also, check out the preview of my new fan fiction, and tell me what you think.

Thanks again for reading and reviewing.

Have a nice day…