There was no solid foundation.

There was no light.

There was no hope.

There was nothing but the cries and screams of agony and pain… His own agony and pain.

These cries were all that filled Roy's ears as he passively drifted through the darkness that surrounded him. The longer he aimlessly existed there, the more his panic escalated inside of him.

Maybe it was because the yells were his and his alone.

Maybe it was because there was no one else there with him.

Or maybe it was because he could not remember how he had gotten there in the first place…

Edward opened his mouth to speak, scream, something… But found that he produced no sound. He continued to stare down as the General's eyes stared vacantly up and into his. So dull, so lifeless…

Suddenly Mustang's body was pulled from his as May Chang sat down in front of him. Taking over for him, she leaned over and pressed her ear to his chest, just above his heart. After a few moments, she gasped and exclaimed, "He's not breathing!"

"Start resuscitation methods, May. We have to keep his body alive!"

Snapping his head around, Edward eyed Alphonse with complete and utter disbelief. His face and body exuded as much confidence as his voice had. He looked so calm and collected… So put together.

With a savage roar, Edward leapt to his feet and grabbed the front of Al's shirt, slamming him into the wall. When Al stared back almost with indifference, Edward snarled, "What did you do, Alphonse?"

"Brother," Al began as he raised his hands defensively.

"Don't 'Brother' me, Al. What. Did. You. Do?!"

Everything had happened so quickly.

All at once those black hands had appeared and taken hold of her, wrapping around her and tearing at her.

She didn't run. She didn't scream. All she wanted… Was to reach him…

And now she was standing in a vast room that was an endless expanse of white.

However, she wasn't alone…

It didn't seem possible, but here it-she, was.

Her body…

The longer Riza stared, the less she seemed to believe it…

When she took a step forward and reached out toward it, it took two steps back in alarm.

Pulling her hand back and stopping, she took a moment to truly, truly, look at her body. It was just as she remembered seeing in the mirror those few, rare times she dared herself to look. Except…

"You're thinner than I remember," she mused.

Hearing this, her body relaxed and took a step toward her. "I tried," it explained.

"I know," she responded lightly as she began to feel tautness on the line that connected them, causing her to take another step forward.

It too advanced until they were within arm's length. Extending her hand toward it, Riza murmured, "I'm ready to come back…"

"Me too," it responded as it reached forward and took her hand in its own.

Closing her eyes, Riza felt the bond reform as her the form her essence took began to fragment and erode away, the bonds her soul and body had becoming tenser with each bit that chipped away…

"It seems that Alphonse Elric managed to reunite you, after all."

Turning toward the creature that had spoken, Riza wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the bond between her body and soul already becoming stronger. When she opened them, she smiled lightly and said, "I wouldn't have expected less from him."

"Interesting that you chose to seek help from him over the Flame Alchemist," It mused.

"Why wouldn't I," she countered. "After all, he more than anyone knows what it's like to dwell in a body that isn't your own."

"Perceptive," the creature observed. "Now, let's discuss your payment."

"You… You changed the array," Edward muttered as his grip on his brother's shirt loosened. Moving to stare over his shoulder, he looked past May as she continued to sustain Mustang's body, and toward the transmutation circle. At least from where he stood, it looked as it had before…

Completely letting go, he numbly staggered around May and Mustang and fell to his knees in front of the circle. Slapping his hands on the ground, he leaned forward and stared at it… And began noticing the changes.

They were subtle; so subtle that it would be impossible to detect them if one was not looking for them specifically.

A redirection of a line here, or a slight change to a rune there. But it was enough… Enough to form the transmutation circle into a reverse circle. So instead of concentrating its power on the center like it was supposed to, it was instead directed toward the edges… Toward the true "reactant."

Toward Hawkeye.

Without looking back at his brother, Edward growled, "What made you decide to do it?"

Without missing a beat, Alphonse answered, "She told me to."

Upon hearing that revelation, Edward's head snapped around, his eyes narrowed at his younger brother. "She told you?! How could she-"

"She made the effort to, Brother," Alphonse stated confidently. "She drew herself back to tell me."

"Why," Edward cried out. "Why would she do that?!" At that, Alphonse flinched, causing Edward's eyes to widen in alarm. "Do you realize what might have happened when she did that? Her spirit was strained enough as it was! If that severed it, then they're both trapped there!" Turning back to the damned circle, he slammed his fist on the floor.

"She said that if you had gone through with it the way the circle was constructed, the General would die," Alphonse finally replied after hesitating. "It would take everything from him: his memories, his heart-"

"And what good did that do," Edward snapped venomously. "They're both gone now. There's no way that-"

"Brother, please," Alphonse exclaimed, stopping Edward midsentence. "Please… We have to trust her..."

"But first," Riza began as she narrowed her eyes at the creature, "I want you to tell me why my soul remained here, despite telling me that once the connection was lost, there would only be oblivion."

For a moment the creature seemed surprised, though it quickly recovered, chuckling to Itself. "Good question," It said. "You are correct; when a spirit is severed the soul will depart and pass through the Gate, never to return. However," It explained, "You obviously could still feel the beating of your heart, could you not?" When she nodded, It continued. "Despite what others say, a soul can never be transected perfectly without severing the spirit completely, destroying the bond between body and soul. When this occurs, the spirit will break at its root.

"Since you could still feel the beat of your own heart; that should have been enough to tell you that the spirit, to whatever extent, was still intact."

"Then why go through the trouble of making me believe that it wasn't," she accused.

Grinning widely, It quipped, "I did no such thing. You simply asked what happened, and I merely provided an answer." Leaning forward, It rested its elbows on Its knees and set its chin atop Its intertwined fingers. "Now, about that payment you promised…

"I've been eagerly awaiting your answer. Is that truly what you are willing to sacrifice?"

With zero hesitation, Riza nodded and said, "Yes. There's nothing else I could possibly offer."

Just as Edward was about to counter back against his brother, the circle began to glow beneath his hands, producing a thick blanket of fog as it brightened. Pushing himself back, he watched as the light intensified; becoming so strong that he was forced to shield his eyes.

Moments later there was a loud crack, which was immediately followed by darkness. Pulling his arm away from his eyes, Edward held his breath as he stared into the thick fog that had formed, making out a form lying motionlessly on the ground.

As the smoke began to clear, Edward scrambled over to her and stopped just short of her.

From what he could immediately see, her body was as it was before, where the ears still remained dog-like, unchanged; however, nothing was missing and there was nothing that-

He stopped when he reached her face, freezing as his arm hovered above her back.

Her eyes were identical to Mustang's; cold and devoid of all life.

No…!

"H-Hawkeye," he stuttered. "No… No!" Pressing his hand down on her back, he leaned forward and called her name again. "Hawkeye! Hawk-" He stopped as he felt a warm sensation beneath his hand, causing him to pull it away in bewilderment.

Left behind on her shirt was a reddened and damp handprint. He watched in horror as the print grew larger, soaking into the folds of fabric on her shirt as they collapsed onto her back.

"You have only referred to me as the daughter of flame alchemy. Never as Riza Hawkeye, the name I was given at birth. To you, I am simply the embodiment of this godforsaken art, and thus that is what defines me!"

Overcoming his initial shock, Edward clambered forward and grabbed the edge of her shirt, pulling it up enough to see…

Enough to see that the skin was entirely gone, exposing the muscles that would have normally lain beneath it.

It grinned back manically, eager for the prize It was about to receive.

He stared down in horror as the stimulation caused every muscle fiber to twitch tetonically, the exposure of air irritating and infuriating them.

"So take it… Take my back and the damned secrets of Flame Alchemy that it holds!"

A beat later, an audible gasp escaped her lips as her breath returned, her eyes widening in shock.

Edward instantly dropped her shirt and leaned forward on his hands. "Hawkeye-"

Looking up, her eyes zeroed in on Mustang. Ignoring Edward, she reached toward him and gasped, "R-Roy…"

"A fitting sacrifice, indeed," the creature applauded her as the Gate behind her began to open. A flurry of small black hands erupted from the darkness, tangling themselves around her, dragging her back into the abyss. This time, however, she did not fight.

Because she won…

"Although," It added as a second thought, "A price must still be paid for opening the Gate."

Before she could react, before she could scream in protest, the doors slammed shut in front of her, plunging her into darkness.

Crawling around Edward on her elbows, Riza tried desperately to reach him. "Roy," she cried out again, begging and pleading for him to answer.

From where she was, from what she could see, his vacant and cold eyes stared back.

No…

She reached him, placing her hands on his chest.

No.

She screamed his name, fighting against the hands that had found themselves on her, attempting to pull her off of him.

No!

"Roy!"

Blinking slowly, Roy found himself in an expanse of white and nothingness. Turning his head back and forth, trying to understand, he was stopped when a voice reached his ears. Snapping his attention toward it, he saw that there was a silhouette seated before him, Its teeth exposed in a wild grin.

"Welcome back," It greeted him enthusiastically.

"What… What are you," Roy asked, dazed, confused. He had been floating in a sea of darkness when he was suddenly pulled away. Now he was here, standing opposite an unknown and frightening creature. "What is this place?! Why am I here!?"

"So you don't remember me, then," It observed as It got to Its feet and took a step in his direction.

"… Should I," Roy asked as the creature advanced toward him, causing him to take a step back.

"I suppose not. It seems that the Gate has taken its price already," It said as It moved to circle around him.

Taking another step back, then another, Roy's back found the large black Gate behind him, stopping his retreat. As the creature began to draw closer, his eyes were suddenly drawn to the spot it had been seated moments before.

Where the creature once sat was a large, deep red pool of blood. And trailing behind it as it stalked around were a series of bright red droplets that stained the nonexistent white floor.

Horrified by the sight, Roy's eyes snapped up to see the creature as it neared him. From the angle he was at, he could see that the creature was not completely a white silhouette. Because on Its back… On Its back was a patch of skin, with something etched onto it with red ink.

As his eyes narrowed in an attempt to read the oddly familiar sight, the doors behind him opened and a flurry of hands flew out, winding themselves around him as they began to pull him back. Crying out in confusion and fear, Roy tried desperately to free himself, but quickly found that their grasp on him was too strong.

As they pulled him into the darkness, the creature quipped, "I look forward to seeing how this plays out," before Roy's vision was completely consumed in black.

Resting her head against Roy's chest, Riza let loose a loud sob; the gravity hitting her with an insurmountable force.

It wasn't enough!

What she gave hadn't been enough for the creature.

It wanted more and she was too stupid to realize it!

It took him…

"Send me back," she cried as she gathered the cloth of his shirt in her hands. "Send me back!"

She heard Alphonse mutter something to her, felt his hand grab at her arm.

She jerked it away, sending a wave of pain ripping through her, the movement exacerbating her exposed back.

She didn't care. Nothing else mattered. This pain was nothing compared to losing him.

"Send me back!"

Someone said her name, refused her. Refused what she wanted.

"It can have it," she cried. "Anything It wants…! My heart… Take my heart! Just-just bring him back!"

Another hand was on her, trying to pull her away from him. But just as she was about to rebel, a loud gasp brought her attention back to Roy, simultaneously lifting his chest as a breath of air filled his lungs from beneath her forehead.

She froze as a dull thud filled her ears. The thud of a heartbeat…

Raising her eyes, she willed herself to look toward him as he coughed and choked, his body automatically resuming all function once again.

Through her blurred vision she could see one of the brothers rush over to his head as they called out his name, drawing him back to them.

She felt him shift beneath her as he attempted to sit up. At the same time, someone else looped their hands around her arms, helping to lift her off of his chest, and preventing her from moving toward him again.

As if his soul had fully returned, Roy gasped and sat upright, his eyes zeroing in on her as Alphonse helped ease her up. For a moment, there was no movement from either of them as they eyed each other; his eyes widened and hers flooded with amazement.

Then her shock, wonderment, relief, were quickly extinguished when his face darkened and his eyes narrowed as his hand shot up toward her, his fingers instinctively poised and ready to snap.

A/N: Two more chapters to go O_O It's been quite an experience!

*Note: Just to make it clear again, Riza's body still has the dog-like features it had before. Remember back to the Chapter titled "Blood;" as they already have a way to correct the first transmutation… to an extent. If she wanted to try and correct what had happened before, she would have had to give up more, which she could not afford.

Plus, honestly, I think that perfectly separating a chimera, even with transmutation, is extremely difficult and would require an immense price because they are two things blended together. The way I think of it is like putty; it's easy to mash two different colors together, but next to impossible to try and separate them once they are mixed…

So… Confused? Good. :P

See you next chapter!