I dreamed.

It was bright in this place, and the trees and grass swayed slowly in the breeze of the warm afternoon. I sat upon a bright blue-checkered blanket and sipped wine as I enjoyed the wind blowing through my loose hair. Before me, two small children played in the glen, one a five-year-old girl with long brown hair, and the other was a small black-haired child no older than two. The smaller one totted around after the older, who appeared to be coaxing the other one to walk.

I sighed deeply in contentment, and a voice beckoned me from my side. A black haired man sat beside me, his short locks moving slightly in the breeze. His face was hazy, but I could tell he was very handsome. He brought a gentle hand to my face and brushed my hair aside.

I awoke with a start and lay still, my heart hammering in my chest. I waited silently, trying to determine what had awoken me. Crickets chirped outside the open window and a cool breeze drifted through, making the curtains around the window sway lazily.

"Alphonse," I whispered. I turned my head over to the other side of the room.

"What is it?" Alphonse asked. He sat on the other bed, a book open on his large knee.

"…I dunno, I just –" Another breezed swayed through the room and I sat up in alarm. "Al, I smell smoke." I jumped up off the bed, swaying slightly from vertigo, and rushed towards the window. At first I could not see anything, but the smell was stronger.

On the other side of the room, Alphonse jumped to his feet as well. He opened the door and immediately reared back as black smoke billowed into the room.

"Alphonse!" I shouted, rushing to his side. He pushed his arm out and held me back. Below us outside, people began to shout out in alarm. "Al, we have to get out of here."

"But what about the other people in the inn," he said fretfully.

I cursed, "Al there's no time! If the fire reaches the kegs in the basement, we'll be toast!"

The building creaked dangerously and we heard a scream through the wooden walls, causing us both to jump. "That sounded like Kyle," Al exclaimed. We glanced at each other swiftly and nodded. We plunged into black smoke and ran down the hall.

Immediately, my lungs began to burn and my eyes watered. We could not yet see any flames, but the smoke was hot and acrid on my skin. We hurried down the hall to where we could hear distressed yells. Alphonse kicked down the door in our path, not bothering to open it properly.

The ceiling of the small room we had entered was collapsed in on itself, boards and shingles hanging down and littering the floor. I clenched my teeth in anxiety. If we didn't get out of there soon, the whole building would come down before the kegs could even ignite. I tore my gaze from the hole in the ceiling and scanned the room for the boy. He was there, trapped under a ceiling beam. He looked terrified but unharmed, the beam merely pinning his leg to the floor.

"Come on!" Alphonse moved forward swiftly and began to try and move the large object off of the crying boy. I followed by him closely and grabbed onto Kyle's arm to pull him out. We heaved for several tense minutes as the smoke filled the room and filtered out through the hole in the ceiling and my and Kyle's breathing became labored as we inhaled the poisonous gas.

Finally, the beam moved with a grating crunch, and I pulled Kyle out roughly, the boy tumbling on top of me. We both struggled to our feet and rushed towards the door. Kyle stumbled, and Alphonse picked him up.

"Go ahead! I've got him!" Alphonse threw the boy over his shoulder and I rushed forward, reassured that I could hear Alphonse clanking behind me. We made it to the stairs and I jerked back as hot air and harsh red light nearly blinded me. I squinted down the steps to see the entire first floor was a sea of flames. Pulling my jacket over my face, I rushed down the blistering steps, trying to avoid the fire as best I could, Al following close behind me.

I had never felt such an intense heat in my life, and adrenaline surged through me as I dodged debris and made a mad dash towards the door. Just when I thought we would make it out of this hellish situation unharmed, Alphonse shouted out in alarm behind me. I spun around just in time to see the ceiling of the inn crashing down right between Alphonse and me, cutting off his escape rout. "Al!"

Furniture and wood fell through the ceiling, forcing me back through the open door and into the night air. I fell back and landed hard on my back, the wind knocked out of me. Still, panic gripped me and I tried desperately to regain my footing and get back into the inn with a shout of desperation.

I didn't make it two steps before a hand roughly grabbed me by my jacket collar and yanked me back. A large man held me firmly to his chest and rushed away from the inn as I struggled to escape his grasp. "No!" I had to get back now! Before–

"Alphonse! Al–" I wheezed, before both of us were blown violently off our feet as the inn exploded.

For several seconds, my world was a mass of bright light and sound. I struck the ground harshly several times as a wall of heat and debris slammed into me and I finally came to a violent stop at a wall of an adjacent building, my back slamming harshly into the stone foundation. For a moment, all I could do was curl into myself and wait for the world to stop spinning and my breath to return to my aching lungs. Slowly, I managed to push past the pain and open my eyes to take in my surroundings through the thick smoke. A large man was crouched over me and he was shouting, but I couldn't hear anything he said. He sounded muffled, as if through a long tunnel.

Dazed, I ignored him and pushed him aside, struggling to sit up, my eyes watering from both the pain and the exposure to smoke. Through the haze, I could make out what was left of the inn, and my heart stopped. The damage was devastating. What was once a proud inn now only held a blackened crater of rubble. Fear seized my limbs and I stumbled to my feet.

"Alphonse! ALPHONSE," I wheezed.

I scanned furiously through the still smoldering rubble, only vaguely aware of a crowd of people shouting all around me. He can't be dead, oh please no–

"Over here…" a weak voice came from the rubble. I looked over, intense hope surging through me. I let out a huff of relief as planks of blackened wood shifted aside, and Alphonse was revealed. His armor was dented and battered, but otherwise he was unharmed. Below him, held protectively in his large arms, was Kyle, the boy shaking in grief and fear and his face covered in soot and small burns. Holling and a few other men rushed forward, frantically helping the two boys out of the rubble. Holling thanked Alphonse profusely and clutched his crying son to his chest, checking his body for any serious injuries.

Alphonse spotted me and swiftly strode over, the tassel that normally hung off his helmet smoldered to a crisp. I met him half way and scanned him, even as he scanned me.

"Are you ok?"

"Am I ok? You're the one who had a building collapse on him," I shouted angrily. I slumped forward against his chest in relief and allowed our connection to sooth me. I felt his fear and his relief seep through or bond, and my heartbeat slowed back to normal. He was alive and unharmed. "Idiot. Why do you always have to be such a damn hero," I said irritably. Amusement drifted through our link, and I slapped Alphonse's chest in reprimand.

"Heh, sorry," Al said, clearly not sorry at all.

Anguished sobbing interrupted our reunion, and Al and I shifted our attention to the people surrounding the inn. Holling clutched his wife and son to him, both of them crying in distress, as he looked on the ruin of his livelihood and home stoically.

Al and I watched regretfully as the early morning sun rose, feeling helpless. "Who could have done such a thing," Al asked quietly.

"Three guesses who." A voice came from behind us, and we spun around, startled.

"Ed!"

"Brother! Where have you been?"

Edward walked up to stand beside us, his expression grim as he took in the scene. "Yoki was so kind as to put me up for the night."

"So did Yoki do this," I rasped, my throat still a bit sore from the fire. Edward scanned Al and me from head to foot, taking in our bedraggled appearance with a grimace of anger.

"I'll bet my pocket watch on it," he said angrily. "The bastard tried to bribe me last night after we left from the inn. After dinner at his mansion, he told me that he didn't think the townsfolk would be trouble for much longer. I guess this is what he meant."

"You're a State Alchemist, right?" We turned towards Kyle, who was walking to us with slumped shoulders and a desperate expression. My heart went out to the kid.

"You can just make some gold, right? For my dad? You could save us all!"

Edward frowned. "I can't."

"What! Why not! It wouldn't cost you anything!"

"You don't understand," Ed shook his head. "The whole world is Equivalent Exchange. If I just made you gold, I would have to pay the price."

"So what, now we have to bribe you too!" Kyle grabbed onto Ed's shirt roughly, his grief looking childish compared to Ed's serious expression, despite the fact that they were the same age. "And you call yourself an Alchemist!"

Edward gave him a sharp look. "If I did this and got caught, not only would they strip me of my State Certification, they would throw me in jail for the rest of my life! Are you asking me to sacrifice my life for you," he said harshly.

Kyle let him go and backed up as if burned. He looked down in shame. "No," he said quietly. "I guess I can't ask that…"

Edward sighed and said a bit softer, "Look, even if I were to get you the money, it would just be taken away in taxes. Your problem isn't lack of funds. It's Yoki."

"You're right." Holling stepped up behind his son and gripped his shoulders. "It's about time we do something about that swindler." The townsfolk who had gathered in the face of the fire shouted angrily in agreement all around us.

"Whoa, wait a sec," I said in alarm. "You can't just attack a military base, corrupt or not."

"Then what do you suggest we do? Let him take our money until we starve," Holling retorted angrily.

"Just leave it to us," Edward interjected. "This is military business. You guys just stand back and let us handle it."

"You think we are going to entrust our livelihoods in the hands of a couple of kids?"

The blond slipped his State Alchemist's watch out of his pocket, spinning it twice and catching it with a clank in his automail hand. "Do we look like regular kids to you," he said with a roguish grin.

o-0-o

A few hours later, Al and I stood in a large room at the front of Yoki's mansion, waiting for the man to give us an audience. Ed had gone ahead of us, walking through doors as if he owned the place.

"Do you really think this is going to work?" I asked idly, leaning against the hard surface of the objects behind me. They were cold to the touch.

Al shrugged with a clank of his shoulder plates. "Ed came up with it, so either it's going to work, or there is going to be some random explosion that blows us into next week."

I snorted. "Didn't that already happen a couple of hours ago?"

Alphonse fingered the new tassel that Ed had created for him when he had repaired his armor with Alchemy. "Yeah," he giggled.

"Well let's hope that one explosion is enough for one day."

The door to the room was thrown open and Ed leaned against the frame. "Darn, and here we lugged all of this up for nothing." Yoki stood behind him, his jaw dropped unattractively. I grinned at him and waved, leaning against one of the four piles of gold bars that cast a light yellow light throughout the room.

"Buuut if you really say the mine is not for sale, I guess we should just take all this back–"

"D-d-don't be ridiculous," Yoki screeched. He placed his hands together greedily. "Of course the mine is for sale," he said in a wheedling tone. "But, you see, this town was entrusted to me by my superiors. To just give it away for my own personal gain would be a bit…"

Ed waved his hand flippantly. "Don't worry, none of this gold shows up on any of the books. You've got nothing to worry about."

Yoki began to sweat, although his smile never slipped. "Still…"

Edward widened his eyes before frowning and rubbing his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh, I know! Why don't you sign a letter stating that you give over all rights to the mine and the surrounding lands over to me, free of charge? Then you can take all of this as an unrelated gift." The blond smiled innocently, and Yoki turned his greedy eyes over to the piles of gold bars, practically drooling.

Al and I walked over and stood at Edwards sides, the three of us exchanging glances and triumphant grins. Too easy.

o-0-o

"But why can't I fight!" Kyle shouted and slammed his hands on the table before him. Holling and a score of miners sat in a darkened room on the edge of town, all bearing serious expressions.

"You know why," Holling grunted. "I almost lost you Kyle. I can't go through that again."

"But what about you?"

"We have to do this son. It's the only way."

"Not quite." All eyes turned through the door, where Edward stood with a shit-eating grin on his face, Alphonse and I a step behind him. "Let's see if I can't turn those frowns upside down."

"What do you want?" Holling spat coldly.

"Come now, is that any way to talk to your new superior, landlord and all around overseer?" Ed said teasingly. Alphonse and I exchanged a glance and I inwardly rolled my eyes, but I allowed Edward to have his fun. We did just do these people a great service after all.

Edward held up a piece of paper for everyone to see. "Is that –"

"That's right, the deed to Youswell," Ed continued in an arrogant tone. "This little piece of paper states that the town, trade routes and all rights to the mine belong to me now." Tension rose in the room, and Ed continued on with a smirk. "However, I've got to be getting on with my busy life of being a State Alchemist, and I don't think this is even worth carrying around with me. It's so heavy."

"Why you! So you're going to sell it for a profit, is that it?"

"That's right," Ed shot, "and it ain't gunna be cheap, I can tell you that. After all, not only is this deed written on high grade parchment, it's got gold leaf trim and comes in a box of finely crushed jade, in a nonchalant, yet luxurious design. Oh yes, this is high grade stuff," He placed his finger on his chin, "I'd say it's at least worth three hundred K."

"Three hundred? For the deed to Youswell?" Holling asked in disbelief.

"You bet! Now that I think about it, a room at the inn for three people is worth three hundred K. Why don't you let my brothers and I stay for the night and we'll call it even?"

Holling smiled, bewildered. "Equivalent Exchange, huh."

"But," Kyle interjected. "Our inn was destroyed."

"Oh," I said, smiling charmingly. "Then what is that over there."

The miners exchanged glances before everyone ran out of the house in a rush. Across the street, where the old inn once sat, now stood a new building, brand new. It looked identical to the old inn, but we had had to bring in all new materials to build it, since there was nothing to be salvaged from the old structure.

"It looks as good as new. It's like magic," Holling whispered under the exclamations of all the men around him.

"So," Edward walked to Holling's side and crossed his arms. "What do you say?"

Holling looked down to the kid beside him, grateful beyond belief at his change in fortune. "Of course Ed."

A loud screeching assaulted our ears as a car slid around the corner and came to an abrupt stop. "Elric!" Yoki jumped out of the car, his guards Barret and Emest a step behind him. "The gold you gave me just up and suddenly turned into coal! What is the meaning of this?"

Edward smiled innocently. "Why, I don't have any idea what you are talking about."

"You know exactly what I am talking about you brat! The money you gave me in exchange for the mine!"

Edward's eyes widened, and I held back a laugh. "But it says right here," he pulled out a piece of paper with Yoki's official seal on the bottom, "that you gave me the mine free of charge!"

"Why you…! Th-that contract is invalid. Barret, Emest! Seize that letter!" Yoki pointed imperiously at Edward, and we tensed, but nothing happened. Yoki turned around angrily, only to have his words stuck in his throat. Barret and Emest stared at Yoki coldly, arms crossed over their chests and making no moves to assist him.

"You've lost," Barret said in his monotone voice. "Give it up."

"What," Yoki shouted angrily, "you have to obey me! I outrank you!"

Barret and Emest glanced at each other before turning away as one. "I didn't see anything, did you," Emest asked. "Nope," Barret grunted. The two formidable men walked away, leaving Yoki gaping in disbelief.

Before they got too far, Barret turned his head over his shoulder to regard me and lifted his hand in farewell. I blinked in surprise. That gesture looked just like something Orkan used to always do. I smiled slightly. Maybe those two weren't so bad after all. I waved back in an identical gesture and Edward looked over at me curiously. I shrugged and looked away mysteriously.

Yoki backed away nervously as the miners closed in on him, cracking their knuckles threateningly. "They aren't going to kill him are they," Alphonse asked, a little uncertainly.

"Nah," Holling answered with a devious smile, "they're just going to have some well deserved fun. Now," he clapped his hands together. "I think this is cause for a celebration! Drinks all around!" Everyone cheered around us, and we were ushered into the newly created bar.

We celebrated late into the night, the men surrounding us pushing drinks into our hands and singing exuberantly. Ed pushed the alcohol away with a laugh, while Alphonse did the same shyly beside him. I tried to accept them, but Ed slapped them away from my hands.

"What's the big idea," I pouted.

"You're younger than I am," Ed shouted, "You shouldn't be drinking! Besides, I am not carrying your drunk ass up the stairs later!" Everyone guffawed loudly at my dumbstruck expression and patted me on the back.

I stuck out my lower lip absurdly and crossed my arms. "Fine, have it your way for now." I smiled slightly. "Who wants a Bloody Hell," I shouted, jumping up. The miners raised their glasses with a cheer.

o-0-o

We left Youswell the next morning. I stared thoughtfully out of the train window, watching the countryside fly by as the boys chatted beside me.

"So where are we headed to next," Al asked.

"I just got a call from Mustang before we left. It looks like our next stop is a city called Lior. The colonel said we need to investigate a priest that has just risen in power there. Apparently, he can use Alchemy without having to abide by the law of Equivalent Exchange." Ed said, leaning back against the window lazily.

"Do you think it's true?"

"Nah, probably not. Still, if it's somehow true, his secret might be what we need to get our bodies back. But I'm not going to get too excited just yet. It's probably just a bunch of parlor tricks or second rate Alchemy."

"Oh…"

"Hey guys," I interrupted, looking down at my lap and picking at the bandages that covered my hand. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Ed asked, glancing over. At my serious expression, both the boys spun around to face me fully.

I looked into their eyes grimly. "I need to tell you what happened that night Tucker tried to turn me into a chimera."

There you go guys! You asked and I delivered. I hope you like it! I'm going to bed now..so sleepy...

Next chapter: We learn a bit more about Soul's Directive and Alex's past. Oh and Alex has an unexpected encounter. Thanks to everyone who favorited, reviewed, followed, or just plain read this story all the way through. You guys make it worth it. See you next time!