How do I manage to get a huge sized chapter like this up in time no problem while a normal 2000 word chapter comes late? I sure don't know.

"And how was work today, sweetheart?" Al asked Emily when she walked in the door.

There wasn't an answer.

"Sweetheart?"

Still no response. Al frowned, getting up from his comfortable chair. He was sure that that would have been Emily coming home from work. He glanced at his watch. Yes, it was that time. Liwu's restaurant closed at 10:00, so that should be her coming home. If she wasn't then it was time for him to get worried. She was always home by now. Besides, who else could it be?

He peeked his head into the hallway in time to see his daughter disappearing into her room. He frowned, and followed her. If she was home, why didn't she greet him? She had never had a grumpy teenager phrase. Was she having it now at 18 just to spite him?

She wasn't doing anything particularly rebellious when he knocked on the door and peeked his head in, though. She was hunched over her drawer muttering numbers under her breath. Then she seemed to reach a certain number and he caught the phrase

"I did it."

"Em?"

She jumped slightly and turned around.

"Oh. It's you, Dad. Hi."

"What's going on? What did you do?"

"What? Nothing. Um…"

"Emily Ming Elric, what have you done?"

"Nothing bad," she said quickly. He raised a blond eyebrow so that it was easily visible above his glasses. Emily sighed, before pulling stuff out of her drawer. His eyebrows rose higher and higher as she pulled wad after wad, can after can, of money.

"Where did you get all of this?"

"I've been saving. Ever since I was 12. Kids at school would pay me to fix things for them, so their parents wouldn't know that it was broken. Or just other stuff. Then when I started working for Liwu two years ago, I've been saving everything." Liwu had finally managed to accomplish his dream of opening his own restaurant. It served authentic Xingese food, and was doing fairly well. It wasn't one of the most popular restaurants in Central, but Liwu was making enough money to put food on the table for his customers as well as his pregnant wife, young child, and two foster children, a ten year old girl and eight year old boy.

As the restaurant became more and more popular however, he had to take on more and more help, and his first official employee was his little sister.

"What for?"

"… Dad…"

Oh no, that tone is never good, Al thought as the sense of foreboding fell on him.

"What?"

"… I want to go to Ishval." He frowned.

"What?"

"… let me rephrase that, Dad… I'm going to Ishval. You know I've always been fascinated with alchemy and alkahestry, especially with your work in practical applications of the two together, but I can't help but feel like there's more to it! There's more to be discovered and learn, and the best way to do that is to go back to its source. Both Amestrian alchemy and alkahestry are derived from Xerxian alchemy. If we knew more about that, we could learn so much more about how to apply the two of them together. Think of everything that could be learned. Discovered. Created!"

"What does this have to do with you going to Ishval?"

"You've been listening to the news, Dad… You know that most Xerxian excavations are run through Ishval these days. The Ishvalans know the desert and ruins like no one else, if I want to learn about Xerxian alchemy I have to go to the source, and Ishval is the only place I can get that."

"But… but why do you have to leave?"

Emily sighed. "This is why I wanted to talk to Mom first… Daddy, I love you. But I have to be able to go off on my own and live my life. I may be your baby, but I'm not a baby. And I'm older than your or Mom was when you traveled around the East. I'll be staying with Grandpa Scar, who's one of the most respected men in Ishval. I'll be safe. I'm ready for this."

"But… Em—"

"I'm going, Daddy. I'm an adult, and it's all my money. I'm going whether you want me to or not." Her voice was hard, but then it softened. "But I'd really rather you support me."

"… Em. I don't want you to go…"

"I know, Dad. But… you have to let me."

Her date for leaving was postponed when April gave birth to a healthy little girl they named Anne Michelle. Little one and a half year old Adam Alphonse was thrilled to be a big brother, but he was even more excited to get to stay with Grandma and Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy had to stay at the hospital.

Emily proved an important part in keeping him, Rachel and Bobby occupied and entertained, and for the next week or so while April was recovering and Anne proved to be quite the needy little baby.

But eventually the time came, and Al and Mei were kissing their baby goodbye and sending her off on a train. It was honestly almost as hard for Al letting her leave on that train as it was at Nina's wedding. At least here he wasn't expected to make a speech.

They were both quiet at the way home from the train station.

Coming home, they both stopped at the doorway and stared down the hall. There were pictures hung up along the walls of the family. All of them interacting. A picture or two drawn by the kids when they were little.

Mei laid a hand on his shoulder and he breathed deeply. Then he smiled.

"I guess we're empty nesters now, huh?"

"I guess so."

"No more children running around being loud or blowing up tables."

"No."

"No more teachers, or homework."

"Nope."

"No more colds or fevers. Headaches or sore throats."

"Unless they're ours."

"No more goodnight kisses as they go off to bed."

"… no." Both of them sighed.

"But it's not like they're gone forever," Mei reminded softly. "Liwu's probably going to come back to us in a few days asking for advice because he's already forgotten since he had Adam. And he'll still want us to babysit. And Nina's due in three months and we'll be going out to Xing to help them there."

"Yes."

"So we're not alone, Al. And we're certainly needed."

He sighed before kissing the top of Mei's head. "How did I manage to marry such an incredibly wise woman?"

"Don't cut yourself short Al. You're not bad yourself."

He laughed and hugged her tightly and kissed her again.

Emily Ming Elric wiped her sweaty bangs back out of her face with her arm. She had underestimated just how hot it was in Ishval. She spent most of her time inside reading books in a cool dark library and she still sweltered. To hear Grandpa Scar talk, she had avoided the worst of the summer heat. She was only catching the tail end of the summer heat, it was quite cool compared to a month earlier.

She was starting to rethink her plans to stay a whole year and half. Perhaps go home for the summer.

But today she was not holed up in a dark cool library. Today she was out in the middle of the desert heat, searching the Xerxian ruins for some sign of this purported alchemic array. It had taken Grandpa Scar pulling quite a few strings to get her a spot on one of these expeditions. The Ishvalans as a rule didn't like the ruins. They were full of ghosts, they said. The ghosts of those who defied Ishvala.

That being said, the Ishvalans were also some of the only people who could survive the deserts and ruins, making them the best guides anyone could have if you were searching for the ruins.

She had left her party behind at the fringe of the ruins, wandering around the ruins herself. Supposedly, this city used to be one of the most important alchemic powers of the Xerxian world. She was sure that she would be able to find something here to help her with her research.

She had been about to give up when she saw the glimmer of jewel out of the corner of her eye.

She turned and approached the glimmer, pushing weeds and vines out of the way.

Emily grinned and automatically hurried over to the array inlaid in the wall on the wall a few feet away.

She failed to realize an important feature.

She tripped and in the process of falling flat on her face, heard a voice call out.

"Hey!"

Make that two important features she had failed to realize.

Then her body hit the ground painfully.

"Ow," she mumbled, pushing herself up and examining the palms of her hands. They were terribly scratched up. Writing would be painful for the next day or so.

"Are you alright?" Emily blinked and looked up, surprised to see a concerned Ishvalan face staring down at her.

"Uh… yeah. I'm fine. I'm used to worse spills."

"Spills?" he asked, cocking a head to the side.

"Falls," she corrected herself. Ishvalans spoke Amestrian perfectly fine, it was their official language after all, but obscure uses like that tended to go over most of their heads.

"Oh. Are you clumsy?"

She blushed furiously. "I wouldn't say clumsy… but I'm certainly not… elegant."

He nodded deeply before offering her a hand to help her up.

Emily got a better look at the man. He was about her age, though it was hard to tell sometimes with Ishvalans. She never would have guessed Grandpa Scar was as old as he was. So it was very possible that he was older than her by a substantial amount, but he looked like he was her age. He had typical red eyes and white hair that fell in his face slightly. His face was soft and chubby, despite the fact that his body was very skinny.

"I almost tripped in it too, if it makes you feel better."

"What?" He pointed and Emily turned around to see what he was looking at. A hole in the ground behind her. A sink hole of some sort that her foot had caught on. She was lucky her leg didn't get caught in it.

"Oh. How did that get there?" she asked, frowning.

"I don't know. It seems a bit too… perfectly round to be a sink hole. But there's some sort of underground room below it. I was actually trying to figure out how to get down there when you came. My name's Moshe by the way."

"Emily Elric," she said, smiling and shaking his offered hand.

"You're the alchemist, right?"

Emily nodded, tucking a strand of black hair behind an ear. "That's me."

"Oh. I've never actually met an alchemist."

"No?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Emily had spent her whole life growing up around alchemists. Even now living among the Ishvalans where alchemy was still considered a taboo, the idea of not knowing at least two alchemists boggled her mind.

"They're not exactly the most popular people here in Ishval…" he said, shrugging.

"Well we eat and sleep like normal humans. No blood sacrifices or anything, I swear."

"Maybe not anymore," he said, glancing at the jewels she had seen earlier. Emily automatically zoned in on the transcription, completely forgetting the Ishvalan's presence.

It was a beautifully crafted transmutation circle. Some of the symbols were faded, but each point of the circle was marked by a jewel. She ran her fingers over the line carved into the wall, muttering under her breath as she interpreted its use.

Some of the symbols were ancient Xerxian symbols that she had memorized years ago, and some of them were even symbols that resembled Xingese alkahestric symbols. If she only had knowledge of one or the other she never would have been able to make sense of it though.

"I think I found the way down to that room."

"Really?"

Emily nodded. "This circle. It's one of the rarer kind, it's designed to stay there permanently and only work when someone activates it. The idea is that only an alchemist would be able to access whatever the transmutation circle is covering or protecting. And only an alchemist that can understand the circle. It's incredibly complicated. I've come across worse though. Like this symbol right here." She tapped on the spot in question. "I can't quite make it out."

"Allow me."

She cocked her head. "I thought you said you didn't know any alchemists…"

"I don't," he answered, laying his check flat against the stone wall. "But during the Ishvalan War of Extermination, my grandparents ran into the desert and hid in the Xerxian ruins. My parents were raised together among them. They taught me everything they know." He turned to look at her.

"I guess you could say I'm an expert when it comes to these ruins. You'll notice I'm the youngest person in this little expedition team, but I'm also the one that knows them most."

"So?"

"Do you see those scratches?"

"Which scratches?"

"All of them. The sand blows on these ruins all day long, it has for centuries. The trick is figuring out which parts are less worn down. Most of the symbols were painted on. Which means the surface of the rock there is slightly less damaged. It's hard to tell, but," he was squinting now at the surface of the rock simultaneously reaching a hand into the satchel at his side and pulling out a pen that he shook vigorously and quickly made an outline on the rock.

"There you go."

Emily's jaw was near reaching the ground. "That's amazing!"

He grinned as she moved closer. She stiffened when she continued to stare at it though.

"Wait a minute that doesn't make sense… with the symbol for gold so close… oh…"

"What? What is it?"

"Well it makes sense why no one's ever found a way down there."

"Why? What does it take?"

"Blood."

"… what?"

"The circle uses blood as material for the transmutation to move the wall back, probably to reveal the steps to the chamber below."

"Oh." There was silence between them, though the wind was picking up so there was still the sound of wind whistling through the ruins.

"In the name of discovery," Moshe eventually said, reaching into his pack and pulling out a small pocket knife.

"What? No!"

"If it needs blood, I'll provide it. It's fine. I have a high pain tolerance."

"No, it won't do anything."

"Why not? You said it needed blood—"

"It needs Xerxian blood."

"… how?"

Emily took a deep breath. "Above all, the Xerxians did not want foreigners getting their hands on their treasures. They guarded them jealously, especially alchemy. That's why most of the world didn't know about alchemy until the Eastern/Western Sage. The symbols for gold and blood are too close to each other to have separate meanings. It wants the blood of the golden eyed. The pigment that gave their eyes the golden color is made up of a different chemical compound than normal pigments. It's a very slight difference, but transmutation circles are also very particular."

"So we can't get in at all. Xerxians died out hundreds of years ago."

Emily bit her lip. "Well… not… entirely?" He turned his red eyed gaze to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"… I… I…" She shuffeled back and forth, debating the value of saying what she was going to. She could just come back later and do it on her own, but there was no guarantee that it would even work and what if there was something wrong with some of the symbols and it wouldn't activate? She would need his help. "I'm part Xerxian."

"… I thought you were Amestrian and Xingese."

"I am. My mother is full blooded Xingese. But my father is half Amestrian… half Xerxian."

"How is that possible? All of Xerxes died out…"

"It's a really long story," she said, wincing slightly. She knew that those questions would come up. "But I am. I even have the golden eyes, so it should work."

"That's why your eyes are that color?"

"Yes. My father, uncle, cousins and I are the only people in the world with them as far as I know."

He eyed her carefully and Emily stood there stiffly, not sure what his reaction would be. Would he just accept it and move on or keep asking questions? No one other than Grandpa Scar knew, and even then she didn't think he knew the whole story. He just knew that her grandfather was a very different, special man.

He handed out the knife to her.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I discovered this with you here."

She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her lips. Then she took another deep breath in though and straightened. "Actually could you do it? I… don't have a high pain tolerance." He blushed slightly.

"Uh… um, well… are… are you sure?" Emily flamed red.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, you're right, that's too much to ask of someone I just met, I'm so sorry."

"No, no, I will, I just… well it's not like I make a habit of… um, cutting people? That sounds really bad."

"Oh I know, I'm sorry. I'll do it, it's fine."

"No, I'll do it. Give me your hand," he said firmly. She bit down the next "I'm sorry" and held the appendage out to him. He took a deep breath before touching the knife to the palm of her hand and slicing it quickly. She gasped slightly when he did so, which automatically made him drop the knife and start apologizing.

He dropped to a knee and started rummaging in his satchel again, probably for something to stop the bleeding, while she walked to the rock and clapped her hands (not that it did anything, but it was a habit she had picked up from her father) and touched her blood smeared palms to the circle.

Nothing happened for a few breath-held moments until the array finally began to shine an ominous red color.

Moshe stepped up next to her a second or so later, some antiseptics and cloth in hand, but they both stopped and watched open mouthed at the wall almost… peeled backwards, falling on the ground and bringing a long strip of earth with it.

Sure enough, there was a stair case leading downward into a dark cavern.

Emily almost charged right down, but Moshe caught her arm and without asking began to clean her cut and wrap it up. She opened her mouth to tell him that she could heal it with alkahestry… but then saw the look of worry in his red eyes and decided to keep her mouth shut. He was just trying to be helpful.

"Now you can go charging into who knows what," he said once he had tied the cloth tightly around her palm.

"… alright. You're coming with me though, right?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Well I couldn't have opened it without you. And you're the one that discovered it first."

He grinned, and Emily decided on the spot that she liked his smile. He pulled something else out of his satchel. This time, a flashlight.

"Let's go figure out what's down there."

He went first with the light, and she followed closely behind. The stairs ended at a wall, but to the side opened up the room that could tell was under the ground. There was a circle of light on the ground from the sun shining through the hole Emily had tripped in earlier.

Moshe shinned the light around the room and not for the first time that day, Emily felt her jaw drop.

"… No…" She covered her mouth with one hand. Next to her, Moshe's jaw had dropped too.

"That's impossible."

"It can't be…"

They turned to each other before walking together towards the shelves upon shelves shoved in the room. Emily touched the wood almost reverently before more carefully than she had ever picked up anything, picked up the first and only written record left of the Xerxian period.

"Is it?"

She scanned the text and her heart leaped into her throat.

"… it is."

"… There must be hundreds, thousands of records down here." He turned to look at her.

"I never could have found something like this without you."

"I never could have found it without you!"

"You're the one who interpreted the circle, you're the one who's blood was able to open it."

"I wouldn't have known how to open it without you."

"I guess we both get the credit then," he said eventually. She smiled.

"Alright."

"So what is it? What does it say? What are all of these? How have they stayed intact?"

"I don't know. If I had a few days to read I might be able to figure it out… no one's ever found written records like this. We know the basics of the Xerxian language only because of its descendants. It will be different, but I might be able to piece it together…"

—Moshe and I didn't even realize how much time had passed until we realized there was a search party out looking for us. They nearly had a heart attack when we walked up the stairs. It probably looked to them like we had just walked out of the shadows. We headed back there as early as we could in the morning, and kept searching through the records. It turns out that Moshe knows quite a bit about Xerxian symbols as well, so he's been helpful at interpreting the records as well.

At about noon though, we figured out how the records have been preserved so long. About that time I just got this feeling, almost like a buzz that a transmutation was coming. I thought it was someone who had managed to figure out the array on the wall and was making it close. A bit irrational, but I yelled at Moshe to get out and we ran out together. When we got out though, we realized that the transmutation was coming from the room.

The circle in cut out of the ground/ceiling wasn't a sink hole, it was there purposefully. When the sun shined though it at noon, it created a perfect circle around the matrix on the floor we had missed. That automatically triggered the transmutation that transmuted the excess moisture out of the air and kept the records cool and dry. It was actually kind of annoying because it transmuted the water out of my water bottle!

We've only managed to make our way through a few of the records so far, but it seems like this is where they kept most of their alchemic records. A lot of them seem to be alchemist's journals, or records of their experiments and discoveries.

Dad… This morning I was reading one account, apparently by one of the King's own alchemists, where he described the steps he took to create a homunculus. The last few sentences said that the final ingredient he needed was blood from one of his slaves and that once he added that, a black mass filled the flask and a single eyes opened. He labeled it a success.

I burned the record. Moshe thought I had just gone absolutely mad, but I couldn't let that survive.

Tell Mom I love her, and I love you too,

Emily

P.S. Yes I'm drinking plenty of water.

Little tie up and tie in there at the end! Hohenheim did not get the idea originally it seems. :)

Also, exciting news, AlMei Week 2014 is a go! We're recycling all the prompts that didn't get used last year, but please feel free to contribute more! If you have any ideas for prompts (just a word or a phrase that you think you could write/draw something AlMeiish to) you can comment on the AlMei group on Deviantart or you can go to the AlMei Week tumblr page which is just almeiweek dot tumblr dot com. So far it's looking like it's going to be the same time as last year. I'm not quite sure whether it's going to be the exactly dates July 7-13 or if it's going to Sunday to Saturday (July 6-12), but I will figure that out and tell you about it.

Please please please participate! Turn out was not as great as we were hoping for next year so we're really trying to make this an even bigger event this year! PLEASE! Even if you can only participate one day, anything is better than nothing! :D

Also, side note that you may or may not care about, I wrote an article on my friend's blog "Two Books Before Twenty" about fan fiction. The link to the blog is on my profile, and it should be the second post, "Fan Fiction: An Argument For It". We would really appreciate it if you checked it out and if you like it maybe tell people about it :)