*sigh* Right now, I'm stuck in a sort of writer's block. I figured I'd post this, see what happens. It's been stuck in my head since I started the anime. I had no idea what I was getting into though. I thought it might only be 24 or 36 eps, but instead, it's something like 133 and increasing, so I've got a lot, considering I'm on 38.

Damn... Haven't had something this big since D Gray Man.

Anywho, complete canon on both sides up until I start writing, right after the battle with Father.

On with the story.

Gold eyes opened, revealing an empty white expanse. A solitary head turned, revealing nothing but white. Turning to the other side, there was the lower half of a silent floating grey block, black shadow beneath.

"Mr. Alchemist, back again I see?" cackled a voice. The boy shot up, staring at the figure. It was composed of nothing, its only shape being a black outline of limbs and teeth the size of hands.

"I guess I am." He looked around, seeing only his gate behind him. "You know why I'm here, wasting time won't do either of us any good," remarked Edward, getting to his feet. He rubbed his bare arms, an invisible wind making them cold.

"Oh, I know what you want Mr. Alchemist. But I have a second deal to offer you." Edward frowned. What was his game? What further deal could be made?

"What's your game?" questioned Edward. Truth smiled, huge teeth showing.

"Oh, nothing much, but something far better than what you wanted to sacrifice. At least, from a certain point of view." Ed narrowed his eyes. This wasn't how he had planned it.

"All I ask is for you to leave your world. I will take your alchemy, but give you your leg, arm, and a... partner... if you will. All you have to do is leave your world, letting the Gate choose somewhere new. You may never return, period." Edward frowned, taking an involuntary step back.

"And how would this benefit me? If I choose my deal, I get to go back, I get to spend life with my brother, my family, friends. Your deal, I leave. How is this in favor of me?" Truth laughed, baring his teeth.

"Because I'll fix things. Certain things." He was silent, forcing Edward to ask as to what Truth was alluding to.

"Your teacher, without organs, shall live another month at best. Your superior officer has a bullet destined for him from a disgruntled ex military officer. And of course, your brother. Dear sweet Alphonse Elric. A shame really, he inherited his mother's sickness, still just as incurable as it was years ago. After all, with such a weak body, who knows if it might resurface."

At that, Edward growled. He pointed a finger at Truth. "Don't you touch him! We've worked too hard! I won't let you take that away!" Truth grinned.

"Of course, a little nudge in the dimensional plane and those can all be avoided." Edward continued to growl.

A few more minutes and he continued. "Never to return, a... partner... and they all end up living long lives, but no alchemy?" Truth nodded, that smile still on his face. He hated it. Truth was playing him for his own amusement.

But he had no choice.

"I'll do it." Truth smiled.

LINE BREAK

Edward jumped up, his resting position on the grass no more. Up until a second ago, he was asleep, but now, now he was aware. A hypersensitivity to everything. The slightest breeze felt powerful. The faintest of smells was powerful. He could pick out the smallest of cracks in the brick wall in front. His tongue felt like a sock, and he could hear people dozens of yards away.

Suddenly unsteady on his feet, he threw his hands out to steady himself, but almost fainted at what he saw. On his right arm, well, his whole right arm, was now flesh. Pure, muscled, toned flesh, an almost carbon copy of his left. In the scrapped remains of his boots, he could feel his left leg, whole and developed. On his left hand, was the tattoo that he was all too familiar with.

A red serpent snaking around three triangles, with small wings and a crown on top. The Ouroboros Tattoo, mark of a Homunculus. Specifically Greed, the ultimate Shield.

But if he was Greed... then did that mean...

"Hey Elric! You finally woke up! I was wondering when you would be up!" cheered a voice inside his head. Edward groaned. Of course, his 'partner' was Greed, back from wherever he was and inside him.

"Hi Greed, didn't you die or something, after helping kill Father? I could have sworn you dissolved in the air after Father tore you out." asked Edward, standing up, clenching his left fist.

"See, I thought that too! But when I died, I went back to Father, just dormant. So, when he got sent back, so did I! So, Truth pulled me or something and put me in you!" Edward groaned in annoyance. Of course he would be stuck with this Homunculus.

"Hey, you could have been stuck with Pride, or Wrath, or Envy. Count yourself lucky you got me!" Edward did agree to that part, it could be worse.

"Could be a whole lot better though," he growled. In a fit of somewhat childish anger for the 18 year old, he lashed out, hitting the wall beside him. He jumped back a foot when, just an inch from the wall, his fist turned into a black claw, tipped with black talons, glittering faintly in the light in the alley. The wall succumbed to the force, several large cracks running up the side, with a significant dent in the wall.

"Hooo boy! I'd get out of there! Whoever owns that place isn't going to be happy about that!" laughed Greed. Edward agreed with him, bolting down the alley and into the street. He ran for several minutes before finding himself on what appeared to be the outskirts of town.

"Hey, might I remind you of your current state of dress?" reminded the sin. Edward looked down, seeing what exactly he was wearing.

His black, red soled combat boots, torn, scraped, and bloodied to hell and back again like the family bible, barley held together with transmutation. His black leather pants, torn, again, bloodied, with much of the left leg missing. His shirt was once a comfortable dark blue muscle shirt, but now it was a scrap of cloth hanging around his shoulder.

"Smart ass," mumbled Edward, the cackling of Greed echoing inside his head.

"Hey! I'm not a smartass! Just right!" Greed was silent as Edward scanned the countryside. There were a few farms here and there in the distance, a few roads, both dirt and bricked over tracing through the land. The town was behind him was winding down, as evident of the sun on the horizon.

"We do need some clothes that aren't battle weary, you know that, right?" asked Greed. Edward nodded. The only problem was, he had no money for clothes, and he wasn't going to steal.

"Well then we'll need to find some work. Speak of the devil! A fair maiden approaches! With an oversized horn on her shoulder!" cried Greed. Edward got the faint sensation of being directed to his left. Turning, he dumbly stared.

There was a women, probably around his age, dressed in silver armor from the waist up. She had a blue skirt in place of armoured leggings, with what looked like traveling boots. Behind her was a large cart piled high with many bags and suitcases, while on her shoulder was a horn adorned with gold and jewels, larger than her body.

"The hell is going on?" mumbled Edward.

"Who cares! Maybe she knows where you can get work! At the very least you can get a better look at her!" Edward cursed at the sin. Of all times to be perverted.

Regardless, he jogged towards her, intermittently cursing the sin as he made crude remarks about the scarlet haired woman.

"Excuse me!" called Edward, waving his hands. The girl stopped, turning around. She set the horn on the ground, dusting her hands off.

"Yes, do you need something?" she asked. Her eyes gauged the person in front of her. He was about her age, with gold hair and eyes. His shirt was a navy blue scrap of cloth around one shoulder, while his pants were torn and bloodied, the boots sharing a similar state.

"I don't suppose you might know where I could find some work?" asked Edward. The girl looked him up and down. Edward couldn't help but feel like a man before a judge.

"You've been in a fight," she remarked. Edward, and Greed, noticed her hand move slightly behind her.

Edward nodded. "Yeh, you could say that." He noticed she looked at his hand, seeing the red Ouroboros.

"Where is your guild?" Edward stared at her, not sure what she meant. Noticing this, she continued. "Your guild? If you were on a contract mission, surely they can help you?"

"Uhh, I'm going out on a limb here, but she things the Ouroboros is some sort of identification. Can't really tell her you're part artificial human though," sniggered Greed. Edward was getting annoyed with him.

"This?" he asked, pointing to the tattoo. Seeing her nod, Edward fake laughed. "It's just a tattoo from my... father's brother's side of the family." There was a short, awkward silence, punctuated only by Greed laughing at how Edward was saying Father was Hohenheim's brother.

"Well, can you do any magic?" she asked. Before Edward could retort, she attacked him. In a flash of red light, outline by some odd look alike of an alchemical circle, a brilliant silver sword appeared in the woman's hand. Wasting no time, she swung at Edward, intent on testing whatever little magical ability he had.

Edward leaned backwards, just outside of the blade's arc. As it came back around, Edward raised his hand. He thought it was still automail, causing him to think that he could grab it. His body, knowing what to do, turned his lower forearm and hand into the diamond strong substance. The blade slapped into his hand, a faint scraping heard. Using his other hand, he slapped the cross guard, or attempted to.

Seeing his move, the woman vanished the blade, bringing forth a second one, this time shorter, and thrust it at Edward's chest. He rolled, the blade missing him by an inch. Using his momentum from the roll, Edward did a cartwheel so he was just behind and to the side of the woman. Lashing out with his now clawed hand, he was surprised when it was intercepted by another blade. He jumped back, his other hand forming to the black carbon form.

The woman stopped attacking, vanishing both blades. "An interesting magic. Some sort of make magic?"

Edward looked at her dumbly, his hands reshaping. "Magic? That's what that was?" She nodded, a hint of caution and curiosity in her brown eyes. Edward frowned. While he might have once doubted the existence of magic, numerous encounters with the gate, leading him to believe equivalency was nothing but a dream, and this sword act, had changed his opinion.

"I do have an idea, if you need work," continued the woman. Edward and Greed listened.

"I'm listening," replied Edward. The woman nodded.

"Come with me to the Fairy Tail Guild. You seem to have fighting ability, and we're always looking for new talent."

"What do you think Greed?"asked Edward in his head. He heard nothing, but got the idea that the sin was thinking.

"I say go for it. It's work, information, food possibly. All the things I want right now." Edward accepted her offer, but had one final question.

"What's your name?" she asked. Edward frowned. He swore he told her before. Quickly going over their small conversation and fight, he realized that no, he didn't.

"Edward. Edward Elric. What's yours?" he asked, taking up pace beside her.

"Erza Scarlet."

[A.N.] That's the plot bunny I have right now. I might add another chapter if it's still in my head, but yeh...