Hey, everyone! I FINALLY managed to get this one updated! Yeah! It took me a long time to get an idea. Basically, I actually decided to read up on astral projection instead of just guessing like I had been, so that gave me a little inspiration, hehe. Hope that this proves to be entertaining enough for you.

Disclaimer: Hmmm...Meatball! (Sorry, I borrowed your joke, Sakura-chan. I'll just leave everyone else to try and figure out what the heck I'm talking about, hehehe.) Anyway, I don't own FMA.

That night, I lay back on my bed and closed my eyes, but I couldn't go to sleep. I had way too much on my mind, as so much had happened lately. Not only was I now carrying the dual identities of Edward Elric and Edward Greene, but Envy was attacking me and those I cared about, and what's more, I now learn of the existence of a set of "good" homunculi, if there is such a thing, that have been sent to protect us from Envy. It was all a lot to swallow, especially since all this had taken place in a matter of days.

I wanted answers...answers to the questions of how to solve these problems that it seemed I had gotten myself into, as well as my loved ones. The urge to sleep started coming on, however, and I couldn't fight it, so I finally let it overtake me.

The next thing I knew, I woke up, but it was still dark outside. I didn't open my eyes, but I could tell that it was still dark without even looking. I tried to move, but found to my horror that my limbs wouldn't budge a muscle. What was going on? Was I pinned in place by something? Had there been something in the drugs to induce this, even though the effects of whatever drugs I had been on should have worn off by now?

I couldn't find any logical reason that I couldn't move, so I tried turning this way and that, but to no avail. I was really stuck. Finally, I gave one last twist, and I fell out of bed. The funny thing was that once I was out of bed, I continued falling, and fell right through the floor, right through the ground, right through everything.

"Okay, now this is weird," I said to myself, "I must be dreaming, because this is just crazy. Of course...it's even crazier to know that I'm dreaming...does that mean that I can control what happens in it?"

I righted myself and decided to float upward. Not back through the floor I had just come through, by all means no, but up all the same. It felt like I was traveling through a vast void of nothingness, for I couldn't quite see, hear, or feel anything...not in the way I was used to anyway...but it felt exhilarating, nonetheless.

Soon I felt a presence behind me. I turned to see who it was that was standing there, but needless to say, I couldn't see anything. I tried to call out to the person, but found that I couldn't speak with my mouth. "Well, if this is a dream, I should be able to communicate with just my thoughts," I said to myself. So, I called out to the being before me, (Who are you?)

The being didn't respond directly to the question, but instead asked one of his own. "Have you come here looking for answers?"

I thought back (Yes) in response, hoping that this being would help me, somehow. This may be a dream, but sometimes dreams can offer quite useful information.

"The substance all matter consists of is pure energy. The physical realm in and of itself is actually an illusion, merely created as a teaching ground for spirit beings wishing to expand their knowledge and experience."

(But...But that can't be! The physical realm is real, and-)

I was quickly interrupted by this being, who said, "Indeed, the physical realm is real, just as real as the realm you are in now. Everything you dream up, imagine, and think of, is indeed real in its own rite. The worlds you create in your own mind are just as real as the one you dwell in, only the worlds your mind creates vanish as soon as you stop thinking about them. Some worlds last for only a few seconds by your time, while some last thousands of years or more. Each and every one is just as real as the next."

This wasn't making any sense to me. What did it have to do with the questions I was trying to ask? Who was this guy, anyway? He had never answered that question, come to think of it. I decided to try again. (Who are you?)

Before he had a chance to answer, I felt myself being pulled down, at an alarming speed. Soon I was back in my hospital room, and I landed in my bed. I felt the sensation of my body being difficult to move again, but this time, with a bit of concentration, I was able to move my limbs, and then finally open my eyes. It turned out that a nurse was shaking me awake to check on my vital signs. No wonder my dream had ended so early.

"Boy, it sure took you long enough to wake up," she said, "Is something the matter?"

"No," I replied, "I was just having a really weird dream, that's all." She gave me an inquisitive look, so I proceeded to spill the whole thing to her. Heck, she already knew I was telekinetic, so I didn't think it would hurt too much for her to know about a strange dream I'd had, and besides, I had to talk to somebody, even if I didn't like this individual very much.

As I was telling her the strange events in my dream, I noticed that her eyebrows kept pressing together, forming wrinkles in the spot between the eyebrows. I thought that a bit odd, but continued relaying the dream to her until I finally came to the part where I had finally woke up in bed.

She then sat down beside me on the bed, and looked deep into my eyes. "Tell me, Edward, have you ever astral projected?"

I gasped and looked up at her. How could she possibly know about that? Hardly anyone knew. "I, uh...astral project?...What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because," she said, "That didn't sound like an ordinary dream to me. That sounded like the sort of phenomena that occurs with an astral projection."

"But...that couldn't be...I've astral projected before, and I-" I realized what I just said, and promptly clapped my hand over my mouth. The nurse just stifled a chuckle, and continued to look at me.

"I just knew you had...you seem the sort of person who would discover something like that on accident. But tell me, have you normally projected near the physical realm or the astral realm?"

"Ummm...the physical?" I guessed. After all, I had always seen and talked with people when I had projected before, so it had to be close to the physical, right?

"I thought so," said the nurse, "Tonight was your first 'real' astral projection, where you actually projected into the astral realm. The being you were talking to was likely one of your guides."

"What's a guide?" I asked, "And how do you know all this anyway?"

The nurse smiled for a moment before responding, and then said, "A guide is simply a spirit being that has dedicated itself to helping you through your life. The reason that I know all this is because I tend to read metaphysical books from time to time. It's kind of a hobby of mine, though I can't say that I have any sort of talent when it comes to psychic abilities. That's why I got all excited when I saw you demonstrate your telekinetic abilities earlier."

I sighed and placed my hand on my head. She apparently noticed my reaction, because she then said, "Don't worry, I didn't spread it around like I said I was going to. I told my husband about it, and he reminded me that you probably didn't want that kind of publicity, so I should just keep my mouth shut...so I did."

I took my hand off of my forehead and looked at her. "You mean, you didn't tell anyone but him?"

She shook her head. "Not a soul."

I smiled. "Thanks," I said, "I'm getting enough publicity lately as it is, and I certainly didn't need more."

The nurse chuckled and then stood up to leave. I lay back down into my pillow, about to try and rest some more, when I suddenly sat up and stretched my hand out in her direction. "Wait!"

"Yes?" she said as she turned around to face me.

"Um..." I began, "...Just before I astral projected...I had woke up to find that I couldn't move a muscle, and that scared me. Was there something in the drugs to cause that, or..."

She laughed. "No, nothing strange happened there...except for the fact that you woke up at that time. Everyone's body shuts down and takes on a sort of paralysis during their sleep. If they didn't, they would act out their dreams, and that could be rather dangerous. The only unusual thing in your situation is that you woke up during that time, and found yourself unable to move, so you managed to find a way out of your body so that you could continue to move around in a way."

"So...it's nothing that I should worry about?"

"Not at all," she said, "If you have that happen again, just exit your body like you did this time, unless you like feeling trapped in your body, which I doubt." She winked at me, and I granted her a slight chuckle in response. I couldn't deny that I did not like the feeling of being trapped in my own body. I was glad that I had managed to find a way out of it when that happened.

"I'm going to go now," she said, "You try to get some more sleep. If you need anything, remember to call for me."

"Thanks," I said. I lay down once again, and heard the door shut as she left the room. I breathed out a sigh as I started thinking. If I had really astral projected and talked with a guide just now, then that information he had given me was probably very helpful information...but it didn't make any sense!

"What do you mean?" I shouted into empty space. I waited, but of course there was no answer. I placed my hands behind my head and just stared at the ceiling. I wished that I had some sort of translation book for communicating with the spiritual realm, but I didn't have that luxury, so I was going to have to figure out what was meant by those statements on my own.

"This is frustrating," I said, as I rolled over on my side. "Here I finally get some information that might prove useful to me, and I don't even have a clue what they're getting at."

I lay there for a few more minutes, brooding over the fact that I didn't have a clue about the meaning of the whole thing, but after a while, the darkness of the room started to get to me, and my eyes began getting heavy. I saw no reason to try and fight sleep this time, so I lay down in my bed and got as comfortable as possible.

"Tomorrow," I said between yawns, "Tomorrow, I plan to get some answers."

Thanks to everyone who read this chapter. Now please, leave me some reviews if you want this updated sometime in the next decade, heh. I also need some suggestions, badly. I don't know where to go with this story, since it isn't coming from a sudden blaze of inspiration like "My Body, Your Soul", so I'll need your help here. If you can, try to give me some off the wall, random, crazy suggestions, especially if they have anything to do with the supernatural. That's the way I tend to write, so...yeah. If someone can give me some decent inspiration, I'll actually be able to update this fic soon, so please...HELP! (That's pitiful, I know, heh heh heh.)