And here it is! The highly anticipated sequel to The Blood Alchemist! My furry friends, let me just say that I have so much planned for this that I can't wait to write.

So, I'd better tell you guys beforehand that I won't have as much time to update now that I have officially gotten a life (by starting college) so I'll only be updating this every other weekend. For those of you who are interested I'm actually loving college life! But even though I'll be going to classes I won't forget about my life as a fanfiction writer. ;)

Last thing, me and Taylor had an...interesting night last night. We were having an FMA marathon but with the episodes on mute and we were voicing all the charaters and making a weird story out of it. Winry was a hooker, Bradley was trying to hook up Hawkeye and Al, Hughes was trying to hook up Mustang and Ed, Mustang was trying to profess his love, Havoc was hitting on Ed too, Ed was just trying to figure out why men kept throwing themselves at him, and Al was a pimp/drugdealer. Oh, and Yoki was gay and Lyra was British. Yep, we're just weird like that. XD

Chapter 1

Reprieve

August 8, 2011

(-LeFay-)

She walked into the building, soaking in the brightness of the room. The walls were pink paneling trimmed in cold and crystal chandeliers hung high, casting the light off the colors almost painfully. There were shelves upon shelves filled with delectable pastries of every flavor imaginable, making the air smell sweet and tasty.

Such a pleasant bakery, LeFay thought to herself.

"Hello!"

LeFay looked down to see a small blonde boy staring up at her with big brown eyes, looking like the epitome of cuteness. She hadn't even noticed him approach her. In fact, she only now noticed that they were the only ones in the shop. Not even a cashier was manning the counter. How odd…

"Are you here to buy cake?" the boy asked with a voice that made her just want to glomp him for being so cute.

She shook her head, "No. Actually…I'm not sure what I'm doing here. How'd I get here anyway?"

"You used the door, silly!" he beamed.

"Oh…" she mumbled, accepting this and questioning it no further. "So what are you doing here, Hunny-Sempai?"

"To eat cake!" he smiled, but then his lips pulled down in a frown, "But then I lost Usu-Chan. Can you help me find him?"

"Sure!" she agreed. LeFay wandered over to behind the counter where a door was located and opened it. Next thing she knew a large stuffed pink bunny launched itself at her face.

"GAH!" LeFay gasped and sat up, the book that had been lying on her face falling to the floor.

"Hey-"

"EEEEK!" LeFay nearly jumped out of her skin as she whipped her head around to see her older sister standing beside her with wide eyes.

"Jesus, LeFay. You act like I'm gonna kill you."

LeFay took a moment to catch her breath, realizing that she was in the living room of her dad's apartment and that she had been dreaming. The calming green furniture and white walls clashed greatly with her speeding heart. When she knew her heart wasn't going to actually explode, she answered grouchily, "Well what do you expect?! Surprising me like that and all."

The older girl snorted, "It's your own fault for falling asleep on the couch. And what were you sleeping in the middle of the afternoon for anyway? You're so lazy."

"Whatever," LeFay sighed. "So what's going on, Shelby? Did you just get off work?"

Shelby nodded happily and sat down beside her on the couch, "Yep." She relaxed into the cushions, taking a drink of the Dr. Pepper in her hand.

LeFay gave her a small rueful smile. Shelby would be turning nineteen this coming December but was considerably shorter than LeFay. She had beautiful long brown hair that held red tints in the sunlight, light brown eyes, pale skin, a nice smile (her best feature in LeFay's opinion), and a small nose with a slight upturn. Like their older brother Christian, Shelby had been a high school drop out but learned early on how to take care of herself and others. She had practically become the mother of the house when it came to her living here with their dad. Recently though she had started working at the supermarket down the street and ever since she started losing weight drastically, but she still had a bit of fluff left. It made Shelby happy but LeFay had nearly cried cause if Shelby lost all of her fluff she wouldn't be able to survive the winter!

"So what's Daddy up to?"

LeFay rolled her eyes, "Don't know, don't care. But he's probably in his room talking on the phone to his crazy Vegas girlfriend."

"That's our dad for ya. Can't ever learn how to settle down with a local girl. Though, he really should get one that lives in the same state." Shelby became distracted when she saw the book lying on the floor. She picked it up as LeFay instantly felt panic. "The Theories of An Alchemist?What the hell are you reading?"

"Uh, nothing! Just bored, you know how I get!" LeFay laughed nervously, snatching the book away.

Shelby stared at her, pushing her glasses back in place and peering out from behind the lenses with sharp eyes. Then she shrugged and laid her legs in her sister's lap, "Watch my feet dance!"

LeFay face palmed, "Honestly, I don't see how we're related." As Shelby continued to sing about her feet, LeFay asked, "So, have you heard from Christian?"

Not pausing from wiggling her feet, Shelby answered, "He's supposed to come visit next week."

"Cool," she said, frowning at her sister's feet. She pushed the limbs off of her lap and walked up the stairs to get her bag. Making sure she had everything, she came back downstairs to see Shelby in the exact same spot.

"Leaving already?"

LeFay nodded, "I've been here for days. Besides, I need to get back home. Grams wants to take me shopping for school supplies."

"Tell them 'hi' for me then."

The sisters bid each other farewell and LeFay went to get in her truck, waving at the neighbors as she did so. She left the apartment complex and was soon driving down the streets of West Monroe. This was where Shelby and their dad had been living for nearly two years, which was a feat in and of itself cause their dad had a penchant for moving around. LeFay visited frequently but had always lived with her grandparents in Farmerville, her father's parents. Their twenty-year-old brother lived with their mom and two younger sisters about two hours away in a small town called Sibley in order to work with their step-father, something involving oil digging and whatnot. Basically, their family was spread out in Northern Louisiana.

It took the better part of half an hour to get back home, a one story, rectangular peach colored house surrounded by an acre of land filled with many kinds of trees and gardens. LeFay drove down the gravel driveway, honking her horn to alert them of her presence. A few moments later, her grandmother came out and together they left to go uptown and shop.

(-LeFay-)

The next day found LeFay sitting in her cave-ahem, room, eyes scanning her laptop screen. She sat in the old rocking chair in front of her entertainment center set up so she could watch the T.V. at the same time. This was something she had started doing recently when she went into research mode. While she went through website after website pertaining to alchemy she would have Fullmetal Alchemist playing in the background.

This is practically how the last three months had gone, ever since she learned of her best friend's fate. LeFay had spent her whole summer vacation looking through so much: everything pertaining to FMA, documents online about alchemy, and even research done by alchemists way back in the day. Many countless hours had been spent looking into this but still LeFay hadn't gotten any farther than she had been when she started! It was so frustrating! Miss April had been supportive the whole time but it was easy to see that her hope had shriveled up a while back. Even LeFay was beginning to think that she'd never make any headway.

The problem was that she couldn't figure out how to activate that stupid transmutation circle! From what Miss April told her she knew that Taylor had activated it by a Philosopher's Stone she had found but LeFay didn't think she'd find one of those lying around anywhere anytime soon.

"There you are."

LeFay looked up, blinking owlishly at the person standing in her doorway, "Oh hey. What're you doing here?"

Amy frowned at the laptop and the T.V. playing FMA. The girl didn't watch anime but knew from LeFay's expressive love for the subject about the show. Amy and Ragan had come to refer to FMA as 'the taboo' and forbade LeFay from discussing it…which didn't do much to stop the otaku.

"I'm here to give you an intervention," Amy said firmly.

LeFay snorted, closing her laptop and pausing the movie, FMA: Conqueror of Shamballa. She stood up and stretched, "So what are you really doing here?"

Amy smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "I just thought I'd offer to get you out of the house. Maybe find you a life."

Rather than be annoyed, LeFay laughed, "I guess I could use a break. Let me get ready and I'll be out in a minute."

Amy nodded and went down the hall to go talk to the old folks in the kitchen. LeFay quickly brushed her short brown hair and pulled on some socks and was ready to go. She was never one for fussing over her looks, just as long as she looked decent.

Walking over to the entertainment center, she went to turn the T.V. off when she paused and looked at the screen. It was the scene in the movie where Ed found that giant array and retraced it and accidentally activated it with his blood. The blood was the key piece that was missing for Edward to perform alchemy in this world but, sadly, LeFay had found it to be false. She had pricked her finger and tried it a long while back but nothing came out of it, along with a lot of other crazy antics she had done in desperation. She'd tried everything!

Just thinking of her failure made LeFay scowl at the T.V. with jealousy. Why couldn't it be that easy for her? Surely she hadn't done it wrong, so how did Ed get it to work? What was it about Ed's blood that made it so special? Why couldn't she just use hers? What made Ed so much better than her? Other than that he was utterly sexy, knew how to fight, and could perform alchemy with the clap of his hands, what with him seeing the Truth and all…

"HOLY CACKERFUNKLE!" LeFay cried and dropped the remote control as the realization came to her. Not even bothering to turn the T.V. off, LeFay ran through the house and went to go out the door. She called out to a surprised Amy, "Sorry, Amy! Something came up! I'll see ya later!"

LeFay jumped in her truck and sped onto the road. She had always driven the speed limit but now couldn't care less about being pulled over. Not when she had just made this amazing discovery! Screw traffic laws! She had a gate to cross!

Luckily there weren't any police patrolling the area and LeFay was able to make it to Miss April's without receiving any speeding tickets. The engine hadn't fully been cut off when she jumped out of the truck and ran towards the house. Throwing the common courtesy of knocking to the wind, she flung open the door.

A startled high pitch scream met LeFay's ears and the next thing she knew a stuffed pink bunny was thrown at her face.

"Ow," LeFay said with a dead pan face.

"LeFay? God, you scared me," Joeli said with a hand over her heart.

"So you're response was to throw the dog's chew toy at me?" she replied. LeFay picked up said chew toy and narrowed her eyes at it, feeling a weird sense of déjà vu.

"Joeli? What in the world is wrong with you child?" Miss April walked into the room from the kitchen, having heard her daughter's shriek. "Oh, LeFay. I wasn't expecting you."

"Neither was I," Joeli grumbled, going back to watching the flat screen that hung on the living room wall.

"It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Hey! Do you guys have water! I am mighty parched!" LeFay marched towards the kitchen, grabbing Miss April's arm along the way and pulling her in.

"LeFay? What's gotten into you?" the woman asked, concerned and yet suspicious.

Since the living room and kitchen were linked by an archway, LeFay was forced to lower her voice. "I've got to ask you a question about your trip to Amestris."

Her gaze sharpened on the younger girl, "Alright then."

"When you were traveling through the gate did anything special happen?"

Miss April frowned, "I'm not sure what that guy did to me when he sent me there but I wasn't awake for it." LeFay's shoulders were about to slump when Miss April continued, "But when Taylor sent me back I…saw something. A lot of something. I'm not sure how to explain it."

LeFay arched an eyebrow, "You mean like all the world's knowledge being crammed into your brain?"

She nodded, "Yes. To tell the truth I've never been so scared in my life. I didn't think it would end but then I was just suddenly sitting outside of the store where that man had found me the first time. When I got a hold of myself I drove home."

A ear-splitting grin encompassed LeFay's face, "You saw the truth. That means we've got a good shot at activating the array."

Miss April's expression was confused but a spark of renewed hope lingered there as well.

From in the living room they both heard Joeli call to them, "Momma! Christina's here so I'm gone."

Miss April collected herself enough to call back, "Okay! You two have fun!" They both heard the door open and close. Then Miss April fixed LeFay with a firm gaze, "Just tell me what we need to do."

The two were now sitting in the living room, the sheet of paper holding the prized transmutation circle on the coffee table between them.

"So, I have this theory and I'm pretty sure I'm right," LeFay spoke with confidence. "We know that alchemy doesn't work in this world without something specific. We know Taylor used a Philosopher's Stone but I think there's something else we can use. In the FMA movie there's this scene where Ed's in our world, trying to use alchemy. It doesn't work of course, that is, until he accidentally uses some of his blood."

"I thought you said you tried that already," Miss April commented, puzzled as to where this was leading.

"Yes, I used my blood. And Ed used his blood. The major difference between us is our connection with the gate. There's a gate in all of us, but in this world it's closed off. In Amestris, people's gates are more open. But for the few who have seen the truth they are more connected to the gate than anyone else. I wasn't able to open the gate because my gate is closed off. I haven't seen the truth so my blood was useless. But Ed was able to use his alchemy because he had seen the truth. You get what I'm saying?"

Miss April nodded with understanding, "Since I've seen the truth you think I can open the gate?"

"Yes. But more importantly your blood will open the gate."

"…I don't think I like the sound of that."

"It won't be a lot! Just a little prick and that's it. Come on, Miss A. It'll be easy," she reassured her, although extremely glad it she wasn't the one who had to do the cutting. Once was enough for her, thank you very much.

Miss April grimaced but relented, "I guess I shouldn't complain. It's hardly anything to be worried about if it can get us to Taylor."

With determination, Miss April left to the kitchen and brought back a knife. It took about ten minutes for her to get the job done, what with her reluctance to injure herself. But with LeFay's encouragements she finally managed to slice her finger.

"Owowowow," the woman gasped in a mantra. Droplets of blood landed on the piece of paper, marring the complicated design.

"Okay, that should be enough."

"It better be," Miss April muttered, nursing her injured hand. "I'm gonna go clean this up."

LeFay watched her go back into the kitchen once more, then turned to the array. She grinned to herself in excitement. It had been so long but finally she was going to get to see her best friend again. She could barely contain herself and found herself moving the items on the coffee table out of the way for the coming transmutation. She moved the sheet of paper over to the center of the table, accidentally brushing her fingertips along the outer lines of the circle.

LeFay's eyes widened as the array lit up in response to her touch, the runes and lines glowing an intense neon red. She jumped as red electric sparks crackled around her and a wind blew in from nowhere to tousle her hair.

"LeFay!" Miss April yelled, running towards the room and was forced to halt at the doorway from the powerful gusts of wind. She dropped the cloth in her hand at the sight.

LeFay looked back down when she felt her right hand begin to tingle. Her stomach dropped when she saw black hands eating away her flesh, born from the eye that had split open across the transmutation circle. The terrified young girl gave a strangled cry, "Miss April!"

Miss April fought through the air currents, trying her best to reach her. They both stretched their arms to each other.

"Grab on!" LeFay shouted. Miss April inched closer, one arm stretched to its full length, the other shielding her face. The hands continued to break down her body, leaving her with a strange numbness. With her remaining hand, LeFay struggled to grab Miss April's. She had to reach her. They were supposed to bring Taylor home together.

But the alchemic wind proved to be to much for the older woman and blew her back off her feet. LeFay barely had time to register this as the eye swallowed her.

(-LeFay-)

The darkness left her vision and she found herself in a swirling tunnel of light. Panic skittered down her spine. This was the gate. She was floating inside of the gate. Alone and terrified. And those things were grabbing at her. Those lost souls of the gate were grabbing at her, seeking some sort of toll.

She had thought that she had completely believed. But what they say about 'seeing is believing' is true because it all suddenly became very real to her. And it was terrifying.

"No! Let me go!" LeFay screeched, kicking out of their grasps. She pushed forward, fighting towards the end of the tunnel where she could see a bright light. The hands continued to grab at her, pull at her, frighten her to where she was screaming bloody murder.

This was not how she had imagined it. She thought she was ready, but she couldn't have prepared for this. This was too much for her. This was not the way it was supposed to be.

"STOP!" LeFay cried yet again, pushing away towards the light. Along with the tugging from the lost souls, she was faced with the rising pressure threatening to throw her into the greedy little hands that sought her limbs. It was like the further she went the more weight pressed against her. Adrenaline coursed through her, giving her just enough strength to push into the light.

In the center of the light was a strange dark void. LeFay couldn't make out what it was for the first few moments but then she saw that the darkness was moving. It was a nest of those gate babies, all of them huddled around something. Whatever the something was, it was where the light was originating. With a gap in the black bodies, LeFay saw a body floating in there, one she recognized.

LeFay's heart stopped. How long had it been since she had seen that face? How many tears had she cried for the loss of the person right in front of her? It felt so unreal to see her after all this time, but she knew, absolutely knew that this was real. She was really there and it made her want to cry for joy.

With renewed strength, LeFay wrenched away from the bodies at her back to dive into the sea of bodies in front of her. She forgot her fear. Her eyes ceased their crying. In exchange, a fierce rage burned within her and urged her forward until she reached the center.

"Taylor!" LeFay cried, holding the girl to her. Taylor's eyelids did not open. It seemed as if she were in a comatose state. Her skin glowed a blinding white light from her now frail frame, even shining through her tattered clothes. Her hair floated around her like it was in water, several feet longer than LeFay last remembered. In all, Taylor looked like some ethereal being. It frightened LeFay to an extent but she had bigger issues to worry about.

"I'm getting us out of here," LeFay said to the unconscious girl. With Taylor in her grasp, LeFay surged into the wall of bodies. That's when the screaming began. The children of the gate were not happy about LeFay stealing Taylor away, showing their displeasure with screeching howls. They flew towards the both of them and LeFay tried with all her might to keep them back. She twisted and kicked and hit, fighting to leave the nest of bodies.

As they neared the outer layer of bodies, something else began to happen. The light from Taylor began to burn out of control at different levels of brightness. Sparks raced around the entire containment of bodies and the children of the gate screamed in agony. The space they were in began to shudder as if it were threatening to collapse.

With a final push, LeFay broke away from the nest with Taylor in her arms. The next thing she knew they were both falling onto a white surface.

Panting heavily, LeFay shakily got to her hands and knees and glanced behind them. There stood the gate, just as she had seen it in the show but with a whole lot more sparks lighting around the doors as they closed. A couple cracks formed in the surface as it shook from the raging force inside it.

"This is impossible."

LeFay sluggishly looked to where the strange voice had come from. In the middle of the white space stood the unmistakable figure of Truth. A jolt of shock caused her to tremble. She had really made it here. They had made it. LeFay had opened the gate and retrieved her friend from that hell and now they were in Truth's realm. And what would she do now? She would have figured the hard part over but she had never contemplated the equivalent exchange for passing through the gate. She had grossly miscalculated what this trip would take.

The gate behind them groaned from the pressure building up from within and pressing against it's doors, a concerning sound that LeFay tried not to think about as she scanned her friend over. Taylor was no longer glowing and appeared to be doing nothing more than sleeping. Yet, when LeFay shook her small shoulders she did not respond. She called her name and the girl never twitched. The only assurance that Taylor was even alive was her drawn out breathing.

"What did you do to her? Why won't she wake up?" LeFay demanded angrily of Truth.

Now, LeFay had never imagined that she would ever meet the gate's keeper, but she would have thought that it would be more intimidating, mocking, condescending. Not bewildered and the tiniest bit fearful. Truth didn't even seem to hear her questions, watching the rumbling gate with trepidation.

"This can not be," Truth whispered. Then his nonexistent eyes snapped over to LeFay, "You ignorant mortal, what have you done?!"

Her airways constricted and her mouth felt like sandpaper, not letting her reply even if she knew what to say. Dread gnawed at the pit of her stomach as she wondered what exactly could make Truth sound scared?

That's when the white realm flickered, like a bulb threatening to go out. The floor beneath them shook with tremors originating from both gates. Wait, both?! When had that other one appeared? Or had it been there all along?

All confusion dissipated when the most terrible cries she had ever heard invaded her ears. Truth had thrown back its head, screaming with the agony of a thousand voices. The black specs that outlined its body were buzzing around him like static, emitting an electrifying energy not unlike the sparks around the gates. It was a terrifying sight to behold and LeFay watched in awe until a prickle at the back of her neck warned her of impending danger.

Alarmed, LeFay glanced behind her and nearly let out a scream of fright. The gate was beginning to open again, little eyes peering between the cracked doors and black hands already squeezing out for both her and Taylor. Her instincts told her that if they were pulled in there they would not be getting a trip home.

With Truth still screaming in the background, LeFay hoisted herself up with Taylor slung over her shoulder. This would have proven more difficult in the past, however, Taylor's time spent in the gate had diminished much of her fat and muscle. The scrawny girl was by far no heavy burden and LeFay easily carried her away from the hands edging ever closer. She hurried past Truth who had fallen to its knees in pain and that's when she began to wonder just what the hell was going on. Why was Taylor in the gate in the first place? How long had she been there? Had taking her out somehow caused the whole realm to go haywire?

Tossing those thoughts aside, LeFay reached the other gate. This one was shaking and emitting sparks like the other one but not nearly as bad. Taking that as a good sign, LeFay struggled to open the doors. She dug her fingers into the crack and wrenched one of the doors open an inch. A crack formed where her hand had been, stinging her palm with a crackle of electricity. LeFay snatched her hand back and would have begun to doubt her idea to open the gate had she not looked back to see the arms from the other one floating across the space, over Truth's crumpled form, and nearing them. If she was gonna do this then she had to do it now.

Not heeding the sparks, LeFay put her back into opening the gate further. The white light dimmed harsher in response to her actions and still, she pulled harder. A low moan sounded as the door finally gave way and LeFay made sure there was enough room before she released her hold and jumped into the space.

This is where things became foggy and jumbled for LeFay. She comprehended that the inside of the gate was similar to the other but little else. The spiral of light. The little hands. The same sparks crackling around them, making her cringe. The force that had them falling down the endless tunnel. It was all so disorienting. It came as no surprise when she lost her grip on Taylor and they began to fall in separate directions.

How was that? You guys finally got to see what happened to Taylor and you also got to see a little bit into my life. As for how the chapter started out, I actually did have a dream about that. I have a lot of weird dreams...