Equivalent Exchange

[Evoth]

Edward could see the gate appear before them. He looked upon the gate with utter horror. The gate that took his brother's body and his limb stood before him once again. It was this very gate that ushered them into becoming fully fledged alchemists. His chest palputated as his heart tried to leap for within.

What the hell were they thinking by opening the gate? The gate only caused pain and suffering. It was forbidden alchemy they were doing. Ed tried to call out to them. Trying to stop them from killing themselves. But it was too late. The doors had opened. Creatures from within reached out with ravenous arms and grasped the humunculi. Crying out, the beast was pulled from the earthly realm and pulled into the darkness.

Sothe dived in the gate. What was he doing? Sacrificing himself? The Gate slammed shut and disappeared. Leaving behind no trace but the grief stricken friends of Sothe. Edward ran to Eve and Shara's side. His heart beating with fire. "What were you two thinking?!" He felt relieved that they were alive, but the facted remained. They could of been taken to through the gate.

ooc: Sorry it took so long.

[Ben]

Shara lifted her head from where she lay and gave a weak laugh "The only thing I could do...I'm in trouble..." She twitched and put her head back down, her breaths comming in fast short gasps. Finaly she lost all awarness and blacked out. Eve watched silently and then spoke softly "Don't let her die..." was the only thing Eve said.

They were taken back to Central City, Eve got better in a week, but Shara slept for about two weeks. Eve was the one who took up a desk job so she could stay near her sister. On the evening of the fourteenth day Shara stirred. Her eyes opened and she glanced around the room. She didn't move any of her body, instead she reviewed excatly what she'd done and cried silently.

After a bit she finaly whiped her tears away and lay on her backstaring up at the celing, dispite the iv hanging by her bed she felt as if she was starving, for what she couldn't tell. She waitd for perhaps an hour before she felt like doing anything. She sat up and sang softly to herself, another song that had manifested in her memory but couldn't be traced back to anyone or anything.

"The Forsaken" She murmerd softly and looked about the room and then out the window and watched people walk past, dressed in the usual blue military suits. She sighed softly and continued watching as her mind strayedto other things and eventualy her mind made it to the subject of her and her sister's punishment for opening up the gate. They'd probably be fired from the military, Well is that happened she'd lug her sister and Clyde across the world or maybe try to find a job somewhere as a mechanic or something of the like. She knew Eve could find work where ever she went, Eve could easily get into several jobs. "I wonder where my watch got off to..."

[Evoth]

"So is she going to be fine?" Asked Edward Elric. The docter let out a sigh. This was a question that was too often for this M.D.

"Yes, she'll be fine." The docter looked at his clipboard, "Shara only appears to be suffering from exhaustion; nothing more." Ed nodded. Thanful for the facts he was given. His hand eased its grip on Shara's watch he had found after they had carted her and Eve away.

Edward knocked on Shara's door and opened it. A smile appeared across his face when he saw that she was up. "You had us all worrying about you." he said as he walked to her side, "I'm grateful that they didn't take you. Grateful that they didn't kill you." Ed hugged Shara. "Just do me a favor and not try that again."

[Ben]

Shara listened as her door opened and then when Ed huged her she finaly turned her head and huged him back. "I don't ever want to do that again Ed, never." She said, her words muffled by his shirt. She let go of him and looked at her arms. They had several parts missing, as well as lots of dents and deep groves on them.

Shara's attention turned to her arms, she sighed. "I'll eventualy have to get new arms before these break on me." she talked on as her mind ran through her thougths. She made a comment on every single thought she had on her mind "I wish Sothe hadn't done that, but i understand it was nessacary so that we weren't all dragged into the gate."

"I hope Clyde is being taken care of, he's my horse..." She mumbled and folded her arms across her chest. Finaly she looked up from her feet and looked at him. "Do you know where my watch is?" She asked him with a smile.

[Evoth]

"I'm glad you said that." he said with a small smile. Ed sat back in a chair and relaxed. Shara looked at her arms, they were basically scrap metal. "Maybe if we make a trip to Resembool we can get you some new arms."

Shara mentioned her watch. Edward leaned forward and drew it from his pocket. "Yes, I just happen to have it." He handed the silver watch to her, "It was cast aside where we fought against Sorrow. You're lucky I managed to find. Who knows what would of happened."

ooc: sorry for the bad post.

[Ben]

She took the watch and smiled "Thank you Ed..." She said and placed it on the table beside her bed. "Hopefuly I can get out of here soon." She said softly and then yawned and streched a bit. A nurse stepped into the room and took out the IV. She left Shara's clean cloths and a letter at the foot of the bed.

Shara took up the clothes and wriggled down under the covers and dressed that way. When she'd dressed she got out of the bed and stood there for a few seconds and streched out her leg muscles. They were cramped and sore from weeks of no use. She picked up the letter and carefuly opened it and un-folded the letter and scaned it and then her eye brows shot up in supprise "What in the world are they thinking?" She mumbled and then folded the letter and stuck it back in the envlope. "Well I guess a trip to Resembool is in order."

[Evoth]

Edward arched his eyebrow in confusion. Standing from his set he went to her side and tried to look over her shoulder. "What does the letter say? Come on let me see." The letter had to of been a mission or something. Curiosity was getting the better of him.

The voice of Alphonse seemed to enter into Ed's mind, It's their business, you don't need to know. "Damn it Al. You're thoughts are beginning to get to me." he muttered to himself.

[Ben]

She stuck her letter in her pocket and attached her watch to her pants so it wouldn't get lost again. When Ed waned to know what it had said she smiled and stuck her toung out. "If you want to come to Resembool with me you'll have to go get Al and your things. I might be nice and tell you on the train." She said landing a kiss on his forehead with a giggle.

"Now if you'll excuse me Edward, I'm going to call Eve and tell her the good news." She said with a teasing smile. She brushed past him and then paused at the door. "At least I'm not in deep trouble." She said and slipped out the door and disspeard down the hall and around a corner. When she got to the phone she rang up Eve's office and talked to her.

"Eve guess what!" "Shara? What? Is everything ok?" "Everything's fine... anyway i'm heading off to Resembool. I hear there's a good mechanic there who can make me some new arms. The ones I have now are worthless peices of junk." "I can't come with you Shara." "I know Eve but..." "But what?" "You'll never guess what I got paid for and how much they paid me for it." "Really what?!" "well..." And shara went on to tell Eve about her letter.

[Evoth]

Shara left Ed with a flushed face. She had embrassed him again. Once she left the room it hit him, "SHE DID IT AGAIN!" he couldn't help but laugh at himself afterwords, "What is the deal with me?" with a sigh he left the room. He recieved several odd looks from the docters and nurses outside the room. They had heard his out burst.

Edward went back to his room to find Alphonse clearing himself again, "Looks like you have to watch her again." said Ed with a playful tone. "Yes. But at least she didn't take my head this time." Ed had to surpress his laughter, "Well, at least you won't have to baby sit for a while." Al stopped cleaning the marks, "Why is that brother?"

Gathering what little things he had, Edward Elric threw a small suitcase on the bed and put them in it, "Because, we're going home. Back to where it all start." He slammed the case shut, "We have to keep an eye on Shara; just in case anything bad happens." Alphonse nodded. "Right." The Elric brothers left for the station.

[Ben]

Shara was there, sitting on the steps with a cloth bag sitting beside her. She was waiting to see if Ed and Al would show up. When they finaly did show up she stood up and waved to them. When they got close enough Shara slung her bag over her shoulder and led them to the train.

She handed over the train tickets and made her way to an empty seat and sat down, stuffing her bag under the seat. She pulled out the letter and then pulled out a slip of paper accompaning the letter and looked at it. "This is more than a month's pay..." She said softly "In addition to my sister's money and what little I allready had, this will be more than enough to get me new arms." She said and then held the letter up.

She taunted Ed and made him wait for a bit before she handed the letter over to Ed so he could read it. The letter talked about how they were going to let Shara off easy about opening the gate and then it talked about how glad they were that Sorrow was now gone and then the letter closed with how much she had gotten paid for ridding Central of a 'Wanted Criminal' and how much she would be paid for doing the city and the military that service.

[Evoth]

Edward read over the letter and folded it up, "You're lucky." he said handing the letter back, "They gave you a slap on the wrist and nothing more." Ed smirked, "Good. The last thing I would want is for one of my students to be kicked out of the military."

He eyed the slip of paper, "Now for my payment as your teacher." Alphonse nudged Ed in the ribs, "Ha ha, I'm just kidding." Ed's demeanor changed from his kidding around to serious, "With Sorrow gone, the humunculi will be keeping an eye out for you." His gaze went to her arms, "And with arms in that current state, it doesn't matter how good of an alchemist you are. They'll kill you."

Alphonse turned to his brother, "You don't have to be so harsh about it." Ed sighed, "Somethings must be told. No matter how bad it is. The truth helps us all." Pulling up the sleeve on his automail arm Ed smirked, "Winry will help you the best she can. With Pinako helping her, you'll have the best automail arms ever!"

[Ben]

"mhm" Was the only thing she could say. She held a small screwdriver in her teeth and was tightening a few screws on her left arm. She swticjed screwdrivers and then giggled softly to herself. Once she'd tightened thing up she stowed her tools in her bag and smiled.

When he mentioned the homunculi she sighed and stared out the window and watched the train pull out of the station. "Even better than your arm?" She mused with a smile. "Anyway..." She bent down and pulled a folded black coat from her bag and held it by the shoulders and let it unfold itself.

She turned it around and on the back was a carfuly stitched and colorful dragon. "So, do you like it?" She asked looking from the coat to Ed and Al and back. "Eve made it for me while I was asleep." She said and then put the coat on.

[Evoth]

Edward looked at his arm, "Maybe. Winry has most likely approved since the last time we were home." He yawned and leaned back in the seat. Train rides were always boring. But they reminded him about Alphonse being stowed away in cargo. A small laughed managed to escape Ed's lips as he looked at his brother.

"What is it?" Asked Al. "Nothing. Just thinking of the past." His tone was serene. Shara pulled out a black coat with a dragon on it. Pushing golden strands of hair away from his eyes; he gazed upon Eve's work, "It looks great." Said Ed. Al leaned forward to get a better look at the craftsmenship. "Wow, she did such a great job. It looks like something from the stores in Central."

[Ben]

Shara smiled "Eve dose the best she can for me..." The rest of her sentence faded away as she turned her attention back to the window and the world rushing by outside. She sighed softly and then reached into her bag and brought out one of the books Eve had told her to read. She flipped open to the first page and soon lost herself in the book.

A few hours later and Shara yawned. "Only chapter twenty....." She mumbled looking up from her book. She put the book back into her bag and looked around and then over at Ed and Al. A body of armor dosen't need rest, or food. It can't get tired or be hurt very easily. She shook her head to clear thoughts from her mind and looked back out the window. "I wonder if we'll be there soon..." She said, putting it in more of a statement format than a question format.

[Evoth]

Edward was leaned against the window; fast asleep. His only movements were the rise and fall of his chest. That and the occasional bumps that jarred the train. Away in his dreams he played in the past. Away with his brother at the riverside they swam, while their mother watched over them with a smile on her face.

Alphonse sighed, his world was that of nearly an immortal. He played with his thumbs while he waited. Al could of gone into his own hibernation but it was best not. The last thing he needed to do is wake up with his head missing because of his brother's pranks. Watching Shara putting her book aside he spoke softly, "Resembool isn't that far. We'll be there soon enough." Quickly turning away, Alphonse turned back to his own world. Embrassed for even speaking. Though his appearance stated otherwise, Al was still just a child.