(A/N: Here's chapter thirty two of 'The Flower Princess and the Alchemist'! I am now completely back on this story, so expect a string of chapters to be posted. How fast? I don't know. But I'm back and all my concentration would be on this fanfic. No more hiatus. Enjoy!

Hey, guys. I've just meant the most generic internet tough guys by the name 'God King Doom Marine 54'. Did you guys read his review? Oh, my god! I was laughing my ass off the entire time! Clearly the work of someone who's a miserable loner who uses a tough guy persona online to escape his harsh reality. Go check out his profile and see the crap he considers as 'good' stories. Made me laugh even harder! This is the same person who thinks 'My Immortal' is the best story ever written. For those who don't know what 'My Immortal', it's the infamous Harry Potter fanfiction full of bad grammar and spelling errors, and that's not getting to the worst of it! It was so bad that the almost every chapter started with the author complaining about bad reviews, then decided to drop the story altogether because they got tired from the millions of people saying how much the story sucked, some harsh, others trying to be sincerely honest about how much the fanfic is an eyesore to read.

By the way, has anyone read 'Auburn Strands and Red Threads' by Juri. DP? You should really go check it out! I seriously thought the fanfic was discontinued or something when it wasn't update for years. When I saw a new chapter up, I flipped my shit! It's honestly one of the FEW stories in the Inuyasha fandom I look forward to! And it's also an Inuyasha/Bleach crossover, otherwise, I wouldn't be recommending it. And it's one of the few stories that doesn't star Kagome as the main character. Bonus points for that! Bonus points for already making it original. And… And it's an Inuyasha/Orihime pairing story. Like I said, as much as I love Ichigo/Orihime, it's nice to see Orihime paired up with other characters. Makes her feel like...she's more than just Ichigo's lover. That she could leave her options open. That she won't be one of those people who would stay single forever because the love of their life married another person.

Haku Mai: Thanks for the review! No, the mod souls were not sent by Urahara. Their origins would be revealed soon enough. And about Eria... Well, I hope you would come to enjoy her character and her development as she would become part of the supporting cast.

Xalor: Thanks for reviewing! I never said that Orihime is weak. I think she has the potential to become one of the most powerful characters in all of Bleach. I just said that she was a pacifist, meaning she does not like to fight. And since, she doesn't fight much, she won't be taking the spotlight from any of the FMA characters. That's what I meant.

Guest (tidal): Thanks for your review! Oh, don't worry about it. It just made me feel for the guy. Made me feel conflicted. Just imaging the Ichigo/Orihime/Edward love triangle. I want to root for Ed, but I also love Ichigo/Orihime. That kind of thing... I want to go 'don't give up, Ed', but at the same time go 'Ichigo, don't let Ed take your woman away'. You see what I mean? Absolutely, looks and character designs are all subjective. I just think Ichigo is hotter than Edward once you get past the first season and two of Bleach. About the canon timeline... Well, you would see how much it would effect it as time goes on. Can't say too much, or else I'll spoil it. This is a canon divergent story, after all. But I would say this... The next few chapters would be back on canon [for the most part] before diverging once again. That's all I'm going to say.)

Orihime's Lost Soul

Broken.

Helplessness.

Hopelessness.

Despair.

Orihime could only stare blankly at Ichigo's corpse. Her emotion were going haywire. She made no sound, no movement. A single tear of anguish slid down her face.

Ichigo...

This was all her fault. Why was she so weak? She had never felt as insignificant as she at this very moment. She wanted to become stronger. That was why she trained with Rukia in the Soul Society. She allowed herself to be kidnapped, so that she could protect Ichigo and her friends. It was all she was good for.

Ichigo.

Orihime felt like she was suffocating underwater. This had to be a dream. That hole in his chest wasn't real, right? At least, that was she tried desperately to convince herself. Trying to escape this harsh, brutal reality.

Ichigo!

Her body felt numb, devoid of any emotion or feeling. She was trapped in a sea of nothingness. She was frozen, unable to do anything. Not a sound came from her. The only thing moving were the crystal streams of broken tears gliding down the sides of her face.

This was all her fault!

Eria glared at the sleeping auburn haired girl. The desire to strangle her right here, right now, was overwhelming. She could do it. While the girl's guard is down, while she is sick with illness, all she had to was wrap her hands around her neck until the last airs of her breaths ceased to exist.

It took the dark haired girl a split second to realize she wasn't alone. She became hyper aware of the few pairs of eyes staring at her, watching her every move. She could feel someone's eyes glaring daggers at the back of her head.

Eria proceeded to get to work. She cautiously checked Orihime's vital signs. She examined her pulse and her temperature.

"Your friend is fine," Eria concluded. "She just has the flu. As long as she takes her medicine, she should heal in about a day or two."

Everyone let out breaths of relief.

"That's a relief," Winry sighed out, happily.

"Thank you so much," Al bowed to the girl.

The dark haired girl waved them off, dismissively, proceeding to head out. She couldn't stand being in the same room as Orihime any longer.

She began formulating a plan, contemplating how to become 'whole' again. By analyzing the group of young teens, she immediately knew she had to find a way to separate the two boys. Especially, the blond haired one. He seems protective of her.

One or two days, huh?

That doesn't give Eria enough time prepare.

A once tense and rigid atmosphere gradually loosened up as the group of teens realized their ginger haired friend was okay. Her sickness wasn't anything serious. Just a common flu.

There room was filled with silence. Al decided to get up, lifting the bowl of water from the dresser by Orihime's bedside.

"I'm going to go change the water."

"I'm going to go make dinner." Winry was the next to leave, leaving Ed alone with a slumbering Orihime.

Edward watched the rise and fall of her chest, a sigh of content escaping him. Her face was flushed slightly due to her fever, but she still looked peaceful and angelic while she sleeps, no worries in the world. She was cute, he admitted. Realizing where is mind wandered, Ed's face reddened.

His golden eyes witnessed strands of Orihime's hair obscuring her face. He gently brushed away the stray strands with his flesh, gloved covered hand, noting how soft it was to his touch.

The slight, tender touch awoke Orihime from her slumber. Hazy, gray eyes glanced around until it landed on Edward's form.

Ed smiled at her, slightly. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better," Orihime replied, groggily. "Though, I am hungry," she laughed, sheepishly.

"Winry is making dinner now," Ed said, nodding his head towards the door.

The ginger haired girl beamed, gleefully, or as happily as a sick person. All of a sudden, she sat up abruptly from her previous position, her gray eyes narrowing.

The blond alchemist quirked an eyebrow at this odd and precipitous behavior. "What is it, Orihime?"

For a few moments, she didn't answer him, her mind too preoccupied somewhere else. She sworn she could feel it. She could feel the presence of a Hollow nearby. She had to stop it before it could harm someone!

The auburn haired girl swiftly slid her legs off the bed and threw her blanket off her, startling Edward.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Ed yelled out to her.

Orihime placed a hand on the wall to keep herself steady, her body too dizzy to walk straight. Her forehead was dripping with sweat. "I...have to go outside," she heaved out in response, hopelessly reaching out for the door.

However, she was stopped when the blond alchemist grabbed her wrist. "You're not going anywhere!" he ordered her, sternly. "You should be resting!"

She furrowed her brows with imploringly, gray eyes staring at him, pleadingly. "I have to go out there, Eddie!"

He stared at her, confusingly. She wasn't making a lot of sense. "Could you tell me why you have to go outside?"

She shook her head, the palm of her hand pressed against her forehead. "I just… I just...need to go out there!"

Ed frowned, his yellow eyebrows scrunching downward. He wondered if she was being serious or was she just delirious? He firmly grabbed her shoulder, effectively turning her around, gold meeting gray.

"Just tell me why? Why are you so fixated on going outside, Orihime? If there's something you need, I can get it for you," Ed offered.

Once again, Orihime shook her head, causing Ed to frown even more. She may not look like it, but once a person gets to know her, Orihime could be quite stubborn at times.

Tiredly, she placed her forehead upon his left shoulder. "Please! I just...have to!" Her voice was somewhat muffled by his shirt.

How could she explain to him that there's an invisible, white masked monster terrorizing oblivious people? Man, she really wished she wasn't sick! Doesn't matter! She has a duty to perform!

Determinedly, Orihime pulled away from Edward, trying to make it to the door, no matter her wobbly her legs got. Her unbalanced form caused her to brush her right leg up against the drawer. She let out a short yelp as she tripped over it.

"Orihime!" Edward shouted out in worry. He tried to grab at her, and they both toppled over with a small crash.

Ed groaned in pain as the back of his head hit the wooden floorboard quite hard. His cracked open his golden orbs to find Orihime's face in close proximity to his.

All remained frozen in the passage of time. Both teens stayed wide eyed and completely silent, gray staring hypnotically into gold. Their faces began to heat up, Orihime's more so than usual, and their heartbeats began to thump louder and louder.

Orihime's and Edward's bodies were pressed one another, causing Ed's blushing to cheeks to darken even more when he could undeniably feel the curve of her body pressed against his toned abs. The scent of her disheveled hair invaded his nose. The fragrance of strawberries waft through. Such sweet, inviting, and intoxicating aroma. Just like her.

Oh, man! He had to get out of this compromising situation before Al and Winry finds them, or else he'd never hear the end of it. He hesitantly nudged her shoulder. "Uh, Orihime?"

The ginger haired girl in question didn't budge. Then, unexpectedly, she bent down inch by inch.

Edward's face reddened, tremendously as her face was inching closer to his by the second. He became to feel a sense of panic at not knowing how to react, his heartbeat picking up at an alarming right.

Was she…? Was she trying to…?

His mind froze, unable to finish that thought. Should he stop her? Does he want to? He just wanted for it to happen, no even sure if he wants it to happen or not.

Orihime's dipped head leaned closer to Edward's frozen, shocked, and blushing form. Her lips came inches away from brushing against his. Time was ticking so agonizingly slow. Her head shifted to the side.

Then…

She pressed her face against the side of his neck.

To say Ed was stunned by this unforeseeable development would be an understatement. He was absolutely dumbstruck and somewhat…disappointed.

However, he didn't have time to dwell on that when he heard a small 'sniff' sound. Ed swore if his face gets any redder, he might burst into flames, or if his heart beats any harder, it might explode out of his chest. This skittish girl was actively trying to kill him with all her innocently mixed messages.

Before he could question her more than strange behavior, he was cut off.

"Your scent…," Orihime mumbled, sweetly. "It has a spicy aroma to it. It smells nice."

"Huh?" was Ed's inconceivable and unintelligent response. How else was he supposed to respond to that?

The auburn haired girl's right hand pressed against the base of his collarbone as she pressed her face closer to his neck, inhaling slowly and deeply.

"It's spicy," she reinstated. "But it's different. It's not as musty and it smells oily. Your scent is slightly and distinctively separate from his." She breathed out a contented sigh, smiling, softly against his neck. "I still like it though."

Edward stayed there, frozen with Orihime laying on top of him, cuddling close to him like an affectionate kitten. His brain turned to mush, ounces and ounces of his blood rushing to his face, and the rhythmic sound of his steady heartbeat thumping loudly against his chest.

It wasn't until Ed heard the sound of soft snoring that his golden eyes shifted. "Huh? Hey."

Orihime didn't make a response, and continued to snore away. She must have fallen asleep.

Ed let out an exasperated and tired sigh. He shifted his legs, carefully maneuvering his body around Orihime's until, finally, he sat upright, his arms on both her shoulders to keep her steady.

The blond alchemist took a minute to take in her peaceful, flushed expression. He didn't think it was even more possible, but she looks even more childish as she sleeps. Innocent and cute.

Shaking his head, he picked her up, noting how lightly she weighed. He placed her back on the bed and covered her up with the blanket.

As he silently watched her, Orihime's last words rang in his mind. He was too confused, shocked, and dumbstruck to respond coherently to what was going on. But now that he was calm and could think rationally, Ed couldn't help but frown.

"Your scent is slightly and distinctively separate from his. I still like it though."

Those words replayed over and over in his head. Ed's frown deepened even more. Something bitterly unpleasant struck at his heart.

Did she think...he was someone else?

Eria foraged in the forest outside of town in search of the materials she needed. She had concocted a plan to keep that boy away from Orihime. It was imperative for her to get him as far away from her as possible.

The dark haired girl could admit that this was a half hazard plan of hers. It fell into the 'so crazy, it may work' category. But it's not like she required some elaborate plan. All she needed to separate that boy from her for an hour or two, at most. That should be long enough to put Orihime out of her misery. And she had to do it today. There's no telling when she would get another golden opportunity.

Ah! Perfect!

Eria smiled, darkly as she found what she was looking for.

"Achoo!"

Orihime covered her reddened nose with tissue after that loud sneeze.

"Bless you. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Winry asked the ginger haired girl in concern.

A small smile graced the sick girl's lips. "Well, to be honest, I'm still very sick. But I feel better than I did yesterday. I don't feel as cold. I think my fever's gone down a bit, so that's a start."

The blonde mechanic smiled back. "That's a relief. I'm sure you'll feel better in no time, Orihime."

She nodded her head, glumly.

Winry's eyebrows tilted downwards in concern. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...I just feel bad that I'm slowing everyone down," Orihime confessed, dejectedly

"What? Don't be silly," the blonde girl tried to reassure ginger haired female friend. "It's not your fault You can't help if you got sick. Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"Yeah, but…" Her grip on her blanket tightened. "Eddie wouldn't even look at me. I'm sure he's mad at me."

Winry frowned, sadly at that. It was true. Ed's been acting weird all morning. He's been deliberately avoiding Orihime for some unknown reason.

She scowled, angrily. What was his problem anyway? Is that how he treats a sick person? Callously ignoring them? Well, she'll set him straight!

"Don't worry about Ed. I'll get through that thick skull of his," Winry promised with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Edward let out a loud sneeze, halting in his tracks.

"What's wrong, brother?" Alphonse asked, worriedly. "Are you catching Orihime's flu?"

Ed sniffled, rubbing the bottom of his nose with his finger. "I hope not." He stuffed his hands in his pocket, gingerly walking towards the nearest cafe that caught his eye.

He paused, once again, in his tracks when Al called out to him in a troubled tone.

"Brother?"

In response, the blond alchemist tilted his body back, and cocked an eyebrow. "What is it, Al?"

"Is everything okay, brother?" the suit of armor questioned, unsure.

"What? You already asked me that. Look, I'm fine, Al!"

"Well… It's just…" Al paused, trying to come up with words to voice his concern. His older brother has been edgy and tense all more for some reason. It was worrying him. Not to mention he's been acting strange around Orihime.

Ed narrowed his golden at the lack of his younger brother's response. "It's just what?" he pressed, tersely.

"Oh, Edward. Alphonse. I didn't suspect to see you boys here so early in the morning."

The Elric brothers perked their heads at the sound of their names being called. Ed turned his head away when he noticed Orihime's lookalike approaching them. Nothing personal against her. It's just...hard, rather difficult to look at someone who's almost identical to someone he knows.

"Oh, hi, uh, Miss…"

Eria smiled, sweetly at the armored boy. "Please call me, Eria."

"What are you doing, Eria?" Al asked, politely. He took note of the bags she was carrying. "Doing some shopping?"

"Oh? This?" She lifted up the bags she was holding. "I was just out finding some herbs for some medicine I'm making."

Alphonse was intrigued. "Medicine? You make medicine?"

Eros laughed, lightly at the childlike wonder in Al's voice. "Why, of course. I am this town's healer. I've got to know how to make my own medicine. Unfortunately, I only know how to make ingredients to heal a common cold or to ease someone's pain. I'm still learning."

Brown eyes brightened in realization. "Ah, I could make some medicine for your friend, Orihime. Something to help bring down her fever. Would you boys like that?"

The animated suit of armor nodded his head, happily. "Yeah! That'd be great!"

Edward watched the exchange between Eria and his younger brother. He didn't know why, but something about the black haired girl gave him a bad, an awful, sickening feeling. And it wasn't just because she looked like Orihime.

Not to mention what happened yesterday. When Eria came face to face with an unconscious Orihime, her brown eyes held so much malice and contempt. However, it only lasted a few seconds, so it was difficult to notice.

Edward wondered if maybe he should keep Eria away from Orihime. From that display, he didn't trust her anywhere near her.

"Brother!"

Al's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He stared ahead to see Al and Eria quite some distance away from.

"Are you coming or not?"

Ed wanted to say 'no', but if Eros did turn out to be dangerous, he couldn't leave Alphonse alone with her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, I'm coming," the blond alchemist groaned, lazily.

He just had to stay on his toes in case anything happened.

"Nice place you got here," Edward spoke as he inspected the interior of Eria's house. The house was pretty vacant. Dark purple covered the walls. A coffee table sat in a corner. A pair of dark blue couches on either side of a long, brown table.

"Thanks," the brown haired girl smiled. "I know it's not much, but make yourselves at home. I'll go make you some tea, and freshen up."

Eria disappeared into what Ed and Al presumed to be the kitchen.

Edward tapped his brother's armor. "Hey, Al?"

Alphonse tilted his helmet head down towards his older brother. "Huh? What is it, brother?"

Ed paused, conflicted in what he wanted to say. What was he supposed to say? He doesn't have any specific reason to accuse Eria of anything. Maybe it's just looking at her face that makes him uncomfortable, makes his stomach turn.

"Nothing," he muttered out, finally.

"Huh?" was Al's confused question. Before he could ask Ed more, Eria came in with a plate of tea and cookies.

"Sorry to keep you boys waiting," Eria smiled as she set the plate down on the table. She sat down on the couch across from them, crossing on leg over the other in a sophisticated manner. "What brings you, Ed, Al, to our town anyway?" she asked, genuinely.

Alphonse was to answer her as Edward avoided her gaze, picking up the cup of tea set before him and taking a sip. "Oh, uh, no reason really. We just happen to stumble upon this town is all."

The black haired girl raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Is that so?" She glanced out a nearby window. "There's not really much. This is just a town surrounded by a wide open greenery and a forest."

Al's armor creaked as he leaned in. "Do you remember the house you met us in?"

Eria nodded her head, solemnly.

"The townspeople said it was haunted," he continued, grimly. "Why is that?"

She smiled, warily. "Oh, that. I don't much about the details. See, I've only arrived here a few weeks before you arrived. But I have heard stories of widower that used to live there. It was said that her husband had sick with illness and died. Grief stricken she mourned his death until her very last breath. Even after death, the spirit of her soul still haunts that very house."

"Pfft," Edward scoffed, crossing his arms. "I don't believe in that fabled ghost tale."

Eria's lips twisted upwards in a wry smile. "Perhaps. Not everyone believes in ghost. But, honestly, until recently, a few people have disappeared upon entering that house with no evidence left behind. Can you blame the townspeople for getting superstitious by letting their fear and paranoia get the better of them?"

Ed's golden gaze drifted towards the brunette before he quickly averted her gaze.

The dark haired girl hummed in confusion. "Is something wrong, Ed?"

"Oh, no!" Alphonse swiftly interjected, apologizing for his brother. "Don't mind him." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that...you look so much like our friend. It's uncanny."

"You mean, your sick friend, Orihime?" It sounded strange, but Eria's voice seemed to drop a few octaves. She closed her brown eyes, breathing out, slowly.

When she reopened them, there was a darkened and minacious glint to them. "That's because I am her."

Edward's body started, unexpectedly, freeze up. His legs became numb as he fell over, hitting the hard ground. He cried out in shock and pain. What was going on? Why can't he move? Why does his whole body feel numb?

"Brother!" Alphonse yelped in worry and surprise. He rushed towards his fallen, older brother's side. He shook him, a sense of fear coursing through him. "Brother, what's wrong?"

"You needn't worry, Alphonse," Eria spoke. The kind heartedness of her voice disappeared into cold indifference. "I didn't hurt him. I just paralyzed the nerves in his body, that's all. He wouldn't be able to move for few hours."

Ed struggled to maneuver his head until he was glaring, hatefully at the dark haired girl. "You!" he growled out, viciously. "Just what the hell are you?! Are you another one of those mod souls?"

She seemingly ignored his question, slowly making her way towards Al. In response, Al got into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself. Faster than he realized what was going on, a yellowish orange beam of light flew from her outstretched, hitting him on the side of his armor. The soul bonded armor made a small gasp of surprise as he stumbled backwards.

Eria was already upon before he could regain his control, kicking his helmet away. She peered inside. "Ah! So, this is the blood seal used to bond your soul?"

"Stay away from him!" Edward shouted out, angrily.

Another yellow glow engulfed Al's seal. His glowing red eyes loss its light, and fell to the floor with a loud 'clank'.

"No! Al!" Ed screamed. "You bitch! What did you do to him?"

"Calm down, Ed," Eria said, coldly. "I didn't do much. To put it mildly, I just put his soul to sleep. Al may be invisible with his new armored body, but he does have a weakness. His soul. Because Al's soul is in such a fragile state, it's easy to manipulate. You best remember that."

The blond alchemist growled. "What did you do all this for? What do you want?"

Eria stared at him, silently for a few seconds before making her way towards the kitchen. When she returned, Edward gasped at the shining, red orb in her hand.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" he gasped, dumbfounded, eyes wide with shock and alarm. He then narrowed his at her. "Dammit! Where the hell did you get that?" he demanded, struggling to move, but his paralyzed body won't let him.

"The homunculi gave it to me," the dark haired girl answered, nonchalantly. "They said it was a 'gift' in exchange for my cooperation." She scoffed, bitterly. "As if I have such a need for something so foolish, or any attention of serving them."

Her hand fisted into a ball around the stone, glowing a bright yellow color as she squeezed.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ed questioned, unsure what was happening.

His confused and fearful question was answered when he witnessed the stone shatter into million of tiny fragments and disappear into the light.

"What the…?" the blond alchemist was astonished beyond words. "What did you?"

"I destroyed it. That should be obvious," Eria replied, almost mockingly.

"What for?! Why would you do that?!" he growled. "They were human, dammit!"

"Yeah, so? Do you think they could go back to how they were before?" The black haired girl laughed, condescendingly. "Don't be so foolish, Ed. They could never return to their original human form. I simply gave them a mercy kill, and allowed their souls to pass on to the next world."

Eria stalked around him. "As for you earlier question, why, yes, I am a mod soul. But I'm a specially crafted one. For you see, part of Orihime's soul lives inside of me."

Ed felt his heart instantly stop. His golden eyes grew wide with fear and disbelief. His mouth open and closed, unable to make an coherent sound. Finally he spoke, but so quiet, so utterly silent and desolate, it was extremely difficult to make out. "What? How can that be?"

The dark haired knelt down in front of him. "I told you before. I am Orihime. Or, at least, a very small fragment of her. Ritsuko and the others managed to steal a tiny piece of her soul and placed it inside of me."

Ed glared, heatedly at Eria. "So, that was their plan, huh?" he hissed. He closed his eyes, failure, shame, and guilt coursing through him. He failed her. He failed to protect her! "Dammit!" he cursed himself for his weakness.

"Now, I want her whole soul," Eria announced.

Edward promptly snapped his head, glaring at the black haired girl with all the hate he could muster. "Stay away from her!" he yelled, furiously, thrashing around. "That soul isn't yours! It belongs to Orihime! And you're going to give it back!"

The dark haired girl sent him a condescending smile. "And who's going to make me? You?" She laughed, hauntingly. She grabbed a fistful of his hair, making him grunt in pain as his head was yanked upward. "How sweet. Trying to play the knight in shining armor."

She rolled her eyes, letting go of him. "I have no interest in you or your brother." She stood up, stretching her arms out wide. "Somehow, I just feel...so much freer," she sighed in bliss. "My soul feels unshackled. So much freedom. Free to hate. Free to love. I don't ask that you'd understand."

Eria stalked towards the door, throwing one last cold glare at Ed. "Don't worry, I would leave her corpse intact after I'm done with her." She opened the door and walked out.

"Hey! Wait! Dammit!" Edward roared out with all his might, his body still not listening to him, no matter how much he demands it to move. "Don't you touch her! Don't you touch Orihime!"

His indignant cries fell on deaf ears as the door closed behind her.

Winry was busy tinkering with one of the models for her automail. "What could be taking Ed and Al so long? I hoped they didn't get into anymore trouble." She sighed, hopelessly. "Those two idiots. They are such a pain. Always getting into some kind of trouble."

Just then there was a knock on the door. The blonde mechanic perked up. "I wonder who could that be? I better go answer it."

Once she reached to door, she opened it, peering outward. A bright smile graced her lips. "Oh, hi!" she happily greeted the black haired girl. "Nice to see you again!"

"Please, call me Eria," Eria said, politely. "May I come in?"

"Oh, right." Winry opened the door wider to let Eria inside.

The dark haired girl slowly stepped inside.

"Make yourself at home." Winry tilted her head in confusion when Eria didn't move. "Hmm? Is something wrong?" she asked, curiously.

Eria turned towards her, but the look on her face wasn't the same. It wasn't the expression of a soft, kind hearted healer, but of stoic, cold indifference.

Blue eyes widened in fear. Before Winry could react, everything glowed a bright yellow color for a split second, then her mind went pitch dark.

Eria creepily and steadily stepped inside the room where her incarnation lay, making sure not to make a sound. She could feel the brightness of her spirit energy. It made her sick with envy and loathing.

She wanted it. She wanted it all! She felt incomplete without it.

Her whole body twitched with anticipation as she hovered over the ignorantly, sleeping, auburn haired girl. This was it! The moment of truth.

Eria outstretched her hand towards Orihime, but came to a sudden stop, waiting anxiously as the sick girl twisted around, wondering if she was going to wake up.

"Ichi…"

She seemed to be muttering under her breath. The dark haired girl strained her ears to listen to her incarnations timorously muttering.

"Ichigo…"

Eria paused, completely shocked and frozen, unable to move. Her heart sped up, the warm, fuzzy feeling in her stomach was growing.

Ah! That's right.

Part of Orihime's soul lives on inside of her, and that means so does the strong desire for Ichigo. A love so strong, potent, passionate, and deep that it was engraved into the ginger haired girl's very soul. No matter what the body, the soul would always desire Ichigo's heart.

Eria's arm flapped uselessly at her side. As much as she despised Orihime, she guessed some good came, after all.

Ed perked his head up when he heard the door squeak open. He glowered at Eria as she entered. However, she looked...different. Her long, black hair was still tied into a high ponytail, but a strange of decorative jasmine flowers was twisted into the left side of her hair. And she was now sporting a long, pink dress that reached towards her knees and spread out a little around the skirt area.

"You bitch!" he screamed, ignoring her new appearance, fervorously moving his legs, quite successfully. Looks like the drug was beginning to wear off. "What did you do to Orihime?!"

Eria stared at him, blankly. It wasn't the look of success or defeat. Just vacantly resigned. "Nothing. She's just sleeping."

"Yeah? And why should I believe you?" Ed growled.

Eria shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not asking you to believe you. You could always go check for yourself. The drug should stop working any minute, and your brother would be waking up soon."

She stepped inside a random room. Ed heard rummaging in the room before she came back out. He watched her every move like a hawk as she headed towards the front door once again.

"Hey. Where are you going?" he asked, curiously.

"I'm leaving this town," Eria replied, blankly. "I have no more reason to stay here. And Orihime should be feeling better by the morning. I gave her some medicine to help clear up her flu. I want to be gone before she's lively and fully functioning again.

The blond alchemist's yellow brows scrunched downward as he slowly yet surely stood up on both his legs, the drug almost completely warned off. "Why would you do that? I thought you wanted to kill her?" he questioned her, accusingly.

"My feelings changed," Eria replied, melancholic. "We both have...similar desires. We both desire the heart of the same man."

Eria left, leaving Edward to wonder what she meant by that.

The next morning, Edward went to check up on Orihime. She was still sleeping. He can't blame her. It was still early, after all. The sun had barely rising in the sky.

When he came back last night, once the effect of the medicine wore off, fear, anxiety, and panic strangled his heart strings. He could think of nothing, but making sure Orihime was safe and unharmed. He had to make sure she was alright.

Al followed him, cluelessly with no recollection of what happened prior. Edward promised he would tell him everything that happened while he was passed out later. Right now checking up on Winry and Orihime were their top priority.

Upon arrival, they found Winry knocked out on the couch and Orihime asleep on her bed, much to their relief.

Ed was snapped out his bittersweet musing when he heard Orihime stirring. Sure enough, gray eyes cracked open up, slowly gazing around the room. When her gentle eyes landed on Edward, a small smile stretched across her lips.

"Good morning, Eddie," she greeted him, cheerfully, leaning up until she was upright.

Ed smile back. "Morning, Orihime." He sat down on the bed, the ginger haired girl scooting over to make room for him. "How are you feeling?"

Orihime's eyebrows scrunched downward. Her hand drifted up towards her forehead. "I feel completely fine! I don't feel sick, at all!" she beamed.

"That's good to hear," Ed sighed in relief. It looks like Eria really did clear up Orihime's flu. He was wracked with worry, wondering if she did something to her that just didn't have immediate effects.

The thought of it made him frown. If something were to happen to Orihime… He would… He would… He wasn't sure what he would do.

But still...

"We both desire the heart of the same man."

"I'm sorry, Eddie."

Edward's eyes snapped in Orihime's direction at the sound of her sad voice.

Hot tears suddenly began pouring out of Orihime's gray eyes, slowly streaming down her cheeks in a sparkling line of crystals.

Ed inwardly began to panic. "What are you sorry for, Orihime? And why are you crying?"

She sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Because I'm slowing everyone down. And you're mad at me."

He was quite shocked at her saddened statement. "What the? What gave you that idea?"

He scooted closer to her, placing a hand on top of her head, gently stroking her ginger colored strands of hair. "I'm not mad."

"You're not." Ed could hear the hopeful tone in her voice.

He smiled, softly. "No, of course not." Ed gently wiped a stray tear away. "Man, you're so sensitive. Silly girl."

Orihime smiled, brightly, leaning in to Ed's touch. It felt nice and warm. A fuzzy feeling was growing inside the pit of her stomach.

They stayed that like in relatively, peaceful silence.

Orihime's body jumped in surprise when she felt Edward's warm, flesh hand on top of hers.

Gray eyes meet gold as they were staring at her with such fiery determination that it almost took her breath away. There was also a hint of tenderness behind those golden.

"Orihime…" Ed's grip on her hand tightened, but not in a way to cause pain. It was to induce comfort. "I will protect you, no matter what!" "And I will get your soul back!" he inwardly declared with a burning passion, renewing his vow, his promise.

The auburn haired girl was at loss at words, her face was heating up. The look in his eyes, it reminded her so much of Ichigo. Her heart was picking up pace, thumping loudly against her chest.

Finally, Orihime let out a soft, happy smile. "Okay."

(A/N: Well, finally! That's the end of chapter thirty two! I hoped you enjoyed it! The next chapter would be another short Bleach world snippet.

How did you like Eria as a character? It's true. Eria is another mod soul, but a soul that was created from Orihime's soul as the core. However, Eria is her own character and personality. Nothing about her is the same as Orihime at first glance. The only things Eria inherited from Orihime are her powers [only one tenth or one eighth of them], her pain, and her love for Ichigo. Orihime is a heroine. And as the story progresses, you would see that Eria is more of an anti heroine.

'Eria' is supposed to loosely mean 'everlasting love', and jasmines represent eternal and unconditional love. More of a reference of Orihime's strong and unconditional love for Ichigo.

Honestly, Eria was the first mod soul I came up with. She's the main reason mod souls exist in this story. You see, while I was coming up with a ideas while starting this story, I thought it would be intriguing to have an Orihime incarnation or something. Eria is mostly based off of Orihime's confession of what if she really did live five different lifetimes. I see many fanfics with this idea, but their concept of reincarnation isn't right to the full extent. You see, the soul may be the same, but the body is completely different. Different characteristics, personality, and appearance. If the soul and body were absolutely the same, then it's rebirth, not reincarnation, which a lot of stories get the concept confused with.

Oh, yeah… Did you also enjoy the Edward/Orihime moments? Hehehe! Sorry if I tricked you guys with that almost kiss scene. But you can't say it wasn't adorable to read unless you don't particular like the Ed/Orihime moments.

Oh, and one more thing. I am completely done with the Inuyasha fandom. As you may have seen, some of my stories have been put up for adoption. That's because, as I said, I have no more interest in the Inuyasha fandom. I'm absolutely done with it. The only story I kept is 'Crimson Jewel', mostly because I'm particular proud of it. And a couple others. All the stories I put up for adoption, you guys can have it if you want. I have no interest in continuing them. I may even delete them soon. That's all.

Well, anyway, leave any thoughts, comments, suggestions, or questions in a review, and thanks for reading!)