A Short Person in Denial and a Ghostly Fox Girl

Chapter 1: Ed's Going to Need a Lot of Therapy After This.

One very strange day in Amestris, Edward Elric happened to be out and about, scavenging the city for information or just something to do. As he was, he happened to notice a strange girl leaning against the outer wall of a shop just across the street from where he himself was standing. The first thing he noticed about her was that she looked very out of place. Oddly, he remembered meeting her somewhere (more like desperately imploring her help randomly for less than a minute on the street to help him, he didn't even know her name), and for some strange reason he remembered giving her some kind of desert item for helping him translate something..... A cookie, perhaps? Even then she didn't seem to fit in.... She just didn't seem to belong. Anywhere. The second thing he noticed as he looked at her was a very strange black-haired man.......

It was Roy Mustang.

"That lazy egotistical jerk, I bet he's skipping out on more paperwork. I think I'll teach him a lesson and make him pay for being alive all at the same time!" Ed thought, an evil grin streching over his face. And this time, Alphonse wasn't here with him to stop him.

Ed clapped his hands together and created a giant stone fist. "Heads up, Colonel!" He shouted as the fist flew twoards Mustang. Although, as usual, Ed hadn't thought his actions through and the fist landed to the right of Mustang. "Better luck on that assassination attempt next time, Fullmetal." Mustang scoffed as he walked down the street. After that happened, Edward was seeing red. Literally. When the dust was clearing as Mustang walked farther and farther away, Ed saw it splattered all across the wall. And the strange girl was gone. Literally. Ed slowly realized that the fist had landed not on Mustang, but in the place where the girl had been standing. It had crushed her completely.

And he was to blame.

~End Chapter 1~

Chapter 2- Who Ya Gonna Call?

“Oh my god, I just……” Ed muttered as he knelt next to the blood-spattered wall and the grave of an innocent teenage girl, the victim of his careless and childish actions. He punched the ground so hard his knuckles popped and his hand bled.

“Dammit, not again!” he cried out, pain and anger filling his voice. He thought of his brother, another poor innocent person who had to suffer because of his mistakes. He leaned over and put his forehead on the street, fighting his own emotions.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so upset, ‘specially on my account. Thanks for caring.” a voice smirked somewhere near Ed. It didn’t sound like a normal voice, though. It seemed to echo, as if it were passing through a large space. But, it wasn’t loud. It was sort of soft. Ed lifted his head from the ground and searched for the source of the voice.
What he saw next would change him forever.

There stood the girl that had perished under Ed’s alchemically-created stone fist, talking to him. Only, she wasn’t really “standing”. Also, her body was transparent, the outline of her body a little more than the rest. What he could see of her feet hovered a couple of inches above the ground.

“Wha- who- but, you were….. how are you….. YOU WERE DEAD!” Ed sputtered, his scientifically-inclined brain now unable to comprehend what was happening. “How is this even possible…..” he muttered, literally unable to believe his eyes. “You- I killed you…” he muttered.

“Well, if that’s what you think. I feel fine though. My name is Kitsuné, by the way.” The girl shrugged. She didn’t seem at all injured or even phased by the situation. “I mean, just in case you were wondering who you crushed with a giant fist.” she joked.

“This can’t be happening…” Ed grumbled. He was now sitting cross-legged on the ground with his face in his palm.

“Well, I don’t see a problem. This tends to happen a lot.” she said, looking to the side.

“Wait, so you’re saying you’ve died before? So you’re like a…” Ed started to say, his voice trailing off.

“Yeah, I’m a ghost. Which would explain why you can see right through me.” She snickered. “I mean, this was a little more interesting than what happened last time. And at least you weren’t throwing knives. I hate knives.” She shuddered. “It’s impossible to count on my hands how many times I’ve had a knife thrown at me. That stupid kid…” she growled.

“Uhh… ok. Well, I’m really sorry I can’t help you get back to normal.” Ed said, then something occurred to him. “Wait, what the hell? I’m talking to a ghost! This isn’t possible!” Ed exclaimed out loud, his eye twitching. “I must be going crazy…” he muttered.

~End Chapter 2~

Chapter 3- If You Can't Beat 'em, Go on Some Random Adventure With 'em

"So, you're really a ghost. No lie. You're completely serious." Ed questioned. He was looking really pale and was still sitting cross-legged, and Kitsuné had taken a "seat" next to him, although she was still floating. Ed looked at her for a second. "That's really weird." he stated, then quickly added, "No offense to you. But how does a soul survive without a spirit or abody?"

"None taken. And, that was my first thought too." Kitsuné responded, her gaze becoming distant, as if she were thinking about something that was really bothering her. "My theory is this: Somehow, somewhere, my body is still living. Most likely not on Earth." she grinned. Her ears twitch in different directions, like little radars.

"Hey, by the way, I thought you said you were human when you......alive. So why do you have fox ears?" Ed asked her, slightly raising his right eyebrow slightly.

"Good question! I'm glad you asked!" Kitsuné beamed, her smile only getting bigger. "I guess, in your "alchemist-y" terms you could call me a sort of...... Soul Chimera." Kitsuné began to explain.

"Soul Chimera? What in the world is that?" Ed asked dumbfoundedly.

"When I died, my soul merged with that of a Hoshi-no-Tama, or a white round object that is said to hold the spirit of a supernatural fox entity. My soul was bound to a Hoshi-no-Tama which some alchemist dug up in a foreign region, and my soul and the fox entity were combind into one. So, here I am!" she grinned.

"Wow. Now my head hurts. I think I need to strech my legs out for a bit. I have a few more questions for you concerning your, uh, state." Ed mumbled as he stood up. He clapped his hands and fixed the place where he had created the stone fist.

"Yeah, we probably shouldn't keep hanging around a crime scene. The MP's will be all over this place pretty soon." Kitsuné agreed. She thought for a moment, then her face brightened. "Hey, I got an idea! Follow me!" she called over her shoulder as she began to float away.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Ed called as he dashed to catch up.

~End Chapter 3~

Chapter 4- Seeing Beyond Science

"Hey, Kitsuné! Where are we going?!" Ed called to the spirit-fox-girl, or whatever she was, that was floating/flying ahead of him. "Jeez, she must be able to move really fast because she doesn't have to lug the weight of a body around....." he thought to himself as he struggled to keep up with her.

"We're going to the Sanctuary! I want you to meet someone!" Kitsuné called back. She had led Edward out of the city and into a forest. She continiued to lead him further and further into the forest, and the foliage continiued to get more and more dense.

"The Sanctuary? What's that?!?" Edward shouted, the distance between him and Kitsuné slowly increasing. Suddenly, Kitsuné slowed down. She turned to Edward and said, "There's a narrow path up ahead. It'll take us directly where we need to go." She slowed down to a walking speed and letting Edward catch his breath. She floated over to a patch of foliage. With a swipe of her hand, the patch of green burst into flames and was incinerated, revaeling an overgrown footpath.

"Woah, what the hell? How in the world did you do that?" Ed asked, assuming that the fire had been Kitsuné's doing.

"Pretty neat, huh? I can do other stuff too, but I'll show you more later. My friend probably knows we're here now, so we better get to the Sanctuary before she thinks we're trespassers." Kitsuné answered casually, starting along the footpath.

"Wha- Oh, you know what? I'm just not even going to ask." Ed sighed as he hurried after Kitsuné.

Eventually, the pair reached a point in the forest where almost no light was able to shine through the thick leafy roof of the forest. Kitsune glided along, obviously very familiar to the area. Edward, however, was not as well-suited for the vine-coovered enviornment. He got his feet and legs constantly tangled in roots and vines that blanketed the forset floortripping almost every other step he took.

"Jeez, klutzy much?" Kitsuné giggled slyly.

"Shaddup! You're not the one who has to walk around everywhere!" Ed shot back defensively. Then, Kitsuné stopped in front of an old-looking gate. Ed stared up at itt for a second. "Hey, what is that thing?" Ed asked Kitsuné.

"What? You mean you can see that gate?" Kitsuné asked astonishedly. "Hey wait, come to think of it... You can see me in this form, can't you?" she asked him.

"No, I was just following a weird instinct to this impossibly confusing place." Edward retorted sarcastically.

"Sheesh, no need to be so touchy...." Kitsuné muttered. "Anyways, that's actually a pretty rare gift. If you were a normal person, you wouldn't have been able to see me after you killed me." she explained. "There's only like one person out of 20 million who have this skill."

"Really? So why me?" Ed asked.

"Maybe it's to compensate for the fact that you're so short........" Kitsuné snikered slyly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORTER THAN HIS OWN COWLICK ANTENNA!?!?" Edwrd shouted back in a rage.

"..... Right. Whatever, spazzoid. That gate over there is called a 'Torii'. It's a spiritual gate that prevents regular humans from being able to get into places where spirits like me like to hang out, basically. Since you're with me, and since you can see it, you can pass through it." she assured him.

The two passed throught the gate and, after a short walk, made it to a nice clearing surrounded by trees with a small river flowing from a tiny waterfall flowing down the rocky face of a cliff. A small house-like shrine had been constructed within the beautiful scene.

"Wow, this place looks so... untouched by the corruption of the world...." Edward said barely above a whisper as he loked around in amazement and awe. He barely noticed Kitsuné, who seemed to be looking for someone.

"Hey, Tenshi! Are you here? It's me!" Kitsuné called, but there was no response. "Huh, well that's weird. She's usually here at this time of day...." she muttered to herself. Suddenly, a rustle in a nearby patch of bushes caught both Kitsuné's and Ed's attention.

"Who's there?!?" Edward shouted.

".....Who dares invade this sacred place? It is not a place for humans." a new voice growled.

"I said who's there! Show your face, dammit!" Edward shouted back furiously.

"INSOLENT HUMAN!" The voice roared demonically. A large, grey cat-like creature jumped out of the trees and glared srait at Ed. "WHY DID YOU COME HERE?" it roared.

"Woah. This just got a liiiittle complicated." Kitsuné commented.

"ALL TRESSPASSERS IN THIS SANCTUARY MUST BE PUNISHED. NO HUMANS ARE PERMITTED TO ENTER THIS SPACE!" the cat-monster growled. It crouched back, looking ready to pounce. Then it noticed Kitsuné. "Oh, Kitsuné! I hadn't recognized you, I thought you had found a new host!" the cat monster said, although now it sounded like a human female.

"Eh, it was pretty short lived, as usual. And, why are you in you normal form, anyway?" Kitsuné asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I sensed a human and thought maybe it was an intruder. I'll change back now." the creature said, then it closed it's eyes and began to morph into a human-looking girl similar to Kitsuné, only she was wearing a pink-and-white kimono, had black hair which was pulled into a bun, and white cat ears and a long, white cat tail which was forked at the end.

"Ok, what just happened here..." Ed muttered, putting his face in his palm and then turning to look at Kitsuné.

"Oh, this is the friend I wanted to introduce you to. Her name is Tenshi, and she's a cat spirit." Kitsuné replied, introducing the cat-girl.
sighed and pulled himself together again. "..... Well hi there. You're the second ghost I've met today." Ed said, holding out his right hand to shake.

"Oh, I'm not a ghost." Tenshi replied with a smile, taking his hand. "I'm an angel."

Ed whirled around and glared at Kitsuné, who just shrugged, a sly grin faintly appearing on her face.

~End Chapter 4~

Chapter 5- RALLY THE TROUPS!!!

“Okay, Fox-Ghost-Girl-Thing I can believe. But, a CAT ANGEL?! HOW DOES THAT WORK?!?!?” Ed questioned in a panicked frenzy.

“Sheesh, cool your face before you pop an artery.” Kitsuné sighed with an eyeroll. “She’s another Soul Chimera, like me. Only her body no longer exists, which makes her classified as an angel. Also, she’s tied to the lucky coin of a Bakeneko, which is basically a Cat Spirit with a long, forked tail.” She explained. Tenshi nodded and showed Ed the golden coin that was strung around her neck. Ed just stared in a daze, failing to make sense of everything.

Just then, a tiny light-blue light no bigger than a ping-pong ball hopped out of the bushes and onto Kitsuné’s shoulder. “Hey Fox! Glad you finally came back! Who’s the weirdo blonde spaz over there having a mental breakdown?” a young female voice eminating from the light asked.

“Hi there, Ripple! Glad to see you too, my shoulder was lonely and desolate without you there!” Kitsuné responded cheerfully. Ed stared wide-eyed at the newcomer for a moment, then groaned and fell to the ground. “Who, grumpy over there? That’s the guy who killed my most recent host. His name is Edward Elric.” She answered with yet another sly grin.

“So why’d you bring this spazzoid here, anyway? I thought we weren’t supposed to bring humans of any nature, spazzoid or not, into the Sanctuary?” Ripple asked Kitsuné inquisitively, trying to understand her motives. “I mean, YOU of all people should know that.”

“Yes, but, you remember the little thing you told me before I left last time? About the Balance and the Darkness and the Chosen Savior? Well, I think I found him.” Kitsuné responded, her grin only getting wider. Ed suddenly jumped up and stared at Kitsuné and Ripple in shock.

“Wait, what prophecy? What are you two talking about?!” Ed questioned, still shocked and panicking.

“Oh, who, us? Nothing really, just the Permanent End of Light Prophecy, nothing special or important.” Rippled answered casually with a nonchalant shrug, although it was impossible to visibly see her shrug because of her size and the orb of light-blue light surrounding her.

“Oh, by the way Ed, Ripple here is a Prophet. And a Celestial Envoy.” Kitsuné added in.

“…...Wow. Can you throw anymore curveballs at me at this point?!?!” Ed groaned, hiding his face in his palms.

“Yup! You’re the chosen hero from my prophecy, and if you don’t help us, then nothing that exists now will exist anymore!” Ripple responded cheerily.

“……You all have REALLY sick senses of humor, don’t you?!?” Ed retorted with a tortured-sounding voice.
“This is no joke, we need your help, Ed. All of us, including those who have passed on via the gate!” Kitsuné shot back, a little more serious than before.

“Yeah, but how can you all be so lighthearted through all this?!?!?” Ed asked her, dumbfounded and irritated.

“Ed. Think about it from my point of view. I’ve been here on Earth WAY longer than you have. I’ve seen more disasters and catastrophes than Amestris has people. I know what it’s like to go through a tragedy.” Kitsuné responded calmly. “It’s the same for everyone here. We’ve already been making preparations to save existence from nonexistence. And we need you to help us complete them. So will you help us? I can’t explain further until you make a decision.”

Ed winced. “Man, I didn’t know I was going to have to make a choice like this…..” he murmured. He shifted from one foot to another as he questioned himself and came up with a response to Kitsuné’s question.
Finally, he decided he had an answer.

“Okay, I think I know what I’m going to do…….”

~End Chapter 5~

Chapter 6- The Call to Action

Ed looked pensive about saying what he was about to say, but finally summed up all the resolve he had and opened his mouth to speak.

"Okay, I'll do it. I'll help you guys. Oddly enough, I trust you guys. But in return, I want you to help me with something, Kitsuné." Ed answered, slightly grinning with a certain darkness shadowing his face.

"Yeah? What is it?" Kitsuné asked, in a genuinely interested sounding way.

"I wa you to tell me everything you know about who created you! And, I want you to help me get my brother's body back! I want your word on it!" Edward explaimed.

Kitsuné paused for a moment. "Alright. I swear on my grave tha if you help me stop the end of all existance, then I'll help you fufill your goal." Kitsuné agreed, holding out her hand to shake.

"It's a deal then. And I'm holding you to your word!" Ed responded as he took her hand. Or, tried. His hand passed right through hers the first time. "Hey, what the-?" he exclaimed in confusion.

"Sorry, that's the downside to being a ghost. Hold on a sec." Kitsuné apologized. A bright white light materialized around her hand, then disapated to reveal a solid hand. "Okay, now shake. And hurry, I can't hold it for long."

Ed gave her a weird look, but took her hand and gave it a firm shake. After he released his grip, Kitsuné's hand reverted back to it's normal transparancy. "Now, explain to me what's going on! What's this all about?!" Edward demanded.

"I think I can answer that question."

A bright light materialized next to Edward and Kitsuné, who were both forced to shade their eyes from it with their arms. When the light fully dispersed, it revealed a girl around Kitsuné's age with short blond hair that framed her face and jade green eyes. She wore a very intracate and regal gold and white Kimono with a jade green belt that matched her eyes. It looked like something an Empress would wear. On her head she wore a crown of golden laurels and folded against her back was a pair of pail blue wings.

"Jay! It's good to see you again!" Ripple exclaimed from Kitsuné's shoulder. Both Kitsuné and Edward stood and stared dumfoundedly at the new girl.

"Do you know this person, Kitsuné?" Ed asked, his eyes not leaving from where they were currently focused.

"I'm just as clueless as you, Ed." Kitsuné replied.

"My name is Aokakesu, but most everybody calls me Jay, mainly because I'm part bluebird." the girl explained.

"Oh, so you're a Soul Chimera, too? I shoulda guessed." Ed replied with a sigh.

".......No, I'm not tecnically a Soul Chimera." Jay responded. "But, it's nice to meet you, mortal-who-I-assume-is-the-Chosen-Hero."

"More like not at all." Ripple added with a nod. "She's a rookie godess!"

"Oh! Well that explains how you know her, Ripple. You know all the gods!" Kitsuné laughed, her nonchalant mood returning.

"Nice to meet you..... HEY WAIT A SECOND!" Ed exclaimed. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that this girl is a bona fide godess?" he demanded.

"Well, I'm not a full-fledged godess yet. The Darkness is preventing me from being able to graduate, which is why I'm here today. I came to see if you guys had found the hero." Jay explained.

"I refuse to believe that you are a godess. They don't exist!" Ed retorted bluntly.

"Oh, we don't exist, do we? Another crack like that and I'll take another two or three inches off your height!" Jay growled.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORTER THAN A PING-PONG PROPHET?!?!?" Ed shouted in a rage.

"Ed, we didn't bring you here to scream at the gods! We really need your help!" Tenshi, who had been watching silently as the whole ordeal unfolded, exclaimed.

"Yes, and there isn't much time. You see, there are many other Sanctuaries like this one, all of them containing a special power of some sort." Ripple explained.

"What we have to do is go to each and every one of the Sanctuaries and beat the crud out of the bosses who guard the power of said Sanctuary. Only after we've gathered the powers of all the Sanctuaries can we drive off the Darkness." Kitsuné added.

"That sounds simple enough. Pound some faces in, get some powers..... I can do that." Ed responded.

"We'll also need to find you a weapon." Tenshi added in. Ed looked at her, then clapped his hands and created a very over-the-top scimitar, complete with skulls and monster faces at the hilt.

"YOU CANNOT USE THAT AWFUL PEICE OF STEEL AS YOUR WEAPON." Jay exclaimed angrily.

"Oh, and why not?!" Ed retorted in a rage.

"BECAUSE IT'S AWFUL, DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?!" Jay raged.

"We need to find you a more suitable weapon..... NO YOU MAY NOT USE THAT GAUDY THING." Tenshi growled as Ed opened his mouth to protest. With a grumble he returned the sword to it's original state.

"Isn't their a sword that was used by a hero from the time before time hidden in the Shrine?" Kitsuné suggested.

"......Yes, the blade Tohenboku is stored in the shrine, but...... are you sure that sword is......." Tenshi began. Kitsuné gave her a look that said, "We really don't have time to argue, just get the silly sword."

"Well, if you think that he'll be able to weild it, then I'll go get it." Tenshi conceded. She walked off twoards the Shrine and disapeered into the small building.

"Tohenboku? With a name like that it has to be cool!" Edward exclaimed excitedly. Tenshi returned and handed Edward a normal-looking katana sheathed in a black sheath. Ed drew the katana and, sure enough, it was a regular old katana. "What is this?!" Ed exclaimed.

"Tohenboku has the ability to absorb the power of your enemies once you've defeated them. That's why it looks like a normal katana right now." Ripple explained from her perch on Kitsuné's shoulder.

"Once you start defeating the Sanctary bosses, Tohenboku will absorb power, and its appearence will change depending how strong it becomes." Jay added.

"Oh. Okay." Ed conceded.

"Well now that you're armed it looks like you can start gathering power." Tenshi remarked. "You've got it easy for the first Sanctuary. You're already here!"

"Wait, I knew this was a Sanctuary, but it's really one of THE Sanctuaries?" Ed questioned dumfoundedly.

"Yup, that's right." Jay answered cheerily.

"I guess that means you have to fight the first boss." Kitsuné stated, a huge sly smile stretching across her face.
"ME!"

~End Chapter 6~

Chapter 7- The Fight That Initiated the Journey

"Wait, you were a Sanctuary Boss this whole time? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Edward asked, dumbfounded and shocked. He hadn't been totally prepared for this, and he started to feel a little pang of regret rising in his chest. He was begining to really warm up to Kitsuné and all her antics, and now he was being thrown into a fight to the death with her. .....Or it would be, if she weren't already dead.

"Because a half an hour ago I was just some girl on the street you. Would you have honestly believed that I was the Boss of a place where Supernatural spirits like to gather if I had told you then?" Kitsuné responded with a raised eyebrow. "In addition to that...... I just now decided to take the position." she added with a sheepish grin.

"Wait, what? You mean you just this second became the Boss by deciding that you were?!" Edward exclaimed, once again unable to comprehend the situation.

"The title of First Sanctuary Boss fell to Kitsuné a long time ago. She just never accepted it." Jay chimed in. Being a godess, she knew about the going ons of the world below her homeplace. And there was the fact that Ripple had forseen it and had relayed this prophecy to her.

"Until today, that is!" Ripple remarked cheerily. She nudged Kitsuné's neck with her tiny elbow. "Well, it's nice to see that you accepted your role, even if it WAS just on a whim!" she giggled.

"In any case, I think it's time we started this little melee. I'm not getting any younger here." Kitsuné suggested, grinning slightly. She was confident in her resolve to win.

Edward was pensive for a moment. "Alright, let's go then! But, I'm not going easy on you because you're a girl!" he shouted, a small, dark grin appearing on his face as he attached the black sheath to his belt and drew Tohenboku.

"And I'm not gonna take it easy on you just because you're the Chosen Hero!" Kitsuné shot back, rolling back her extremely long sleeves and whipping out two closed fans. Her eyes then began to glow with a bright white light, and as did the whole area around them. Edward was forced to shade his eyes once again. Once he regained his ability to see properly again, he realized that he and Kitsune were alone in a seemingly never-ending feild with a grey-blue sky.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF AL'S CATS WAS THAT?!?" Ed demanded.

"We don't want to tear up the Sanctuary, so I brought us somewhere where we won't have to worry." Kitsuné shrugged. "Everyone else is still back at the Sanctuary. Now, HAVE AT YOU!" Kitsuné cried as she lept high up into the air. She did a flip, then opened up her fans and threw them to either side. They each flew in a huge arc and honed in on Edward.

"Damn!" Edward cried as he leaned back and away from the two intercepting fan-blades. One managed to give him a small cut under his right eye, nothing too serious. The blades then flew right back twoards Kitsuné boomerang-style. She snatched them right out of the air.

"Hah, so that's how you want to fight? Well then, take this!" Ed shouted with an evil grin as he clapped his hands together (sword in hand), croutched down, and then touched the ground all in one motion with great emphasis and gusto.

.......silence......

Ed looked confusedly down at the portion of the ground where he had expected a shower of large stone thorns to have appeared and promptly pelted Kitsuné. Nothing doing. He clapped his hands again and touched the ground. Diddly squat. "WHAT THE HELL?!?" Ed thought to himself.

"YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT, ALCHEMIST!" Kitsuné laughed wildly as she charged through the air right at Edward, fan-blades in hand.

"AUGHHGGG!!!" Ed cried out as her rolled awkwardly away from Kitsune's head-on attack. "Oh man, I can't use my Alchemy here! Which means I'm being forced to rely on Tow-hen-bok-choi or whatever." Ed grumbled in his head as he looked down at his very plain looking katana. He got on his feet and held his sword awkwardly out in front of him; pointed at the spot where Kitsuné was now standing. "Alright, I know you had something to do with this, taking my alchemy away! So bring it on!" he practically screamed.

"I don't have the slightest clue what you're fussing about. I already told you I wasn't just going to let you take my power because you're the hero." Kitsuné remarked in an oddly calm fashion. "Prophecy or no prophecy, you're going to have to work for your first power!" Sh exclaimed as she dashed at him again, fan-blades a-blazin'.

Edward twirled out of the way and somehow managed to swing his sword in such a way that it caught Kitsuné's arm as she passed him. As the sword hit her, however, it didn't cut her. Instead, her arm just broke into a million tiny peices in the place where she got hit and then reformed, good as new. She stpped moved her arm around to show Edward that she was fine.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Kitsuné grinned. Edward could only stare with his jaw hanging wide open.

"Wha- But I- You should of-" Ed began to studder, but then he just facepalmed. "I should have figured!" he growled. As he removed his hand from his face he was greeted by the fleeting sight of Kitsuné's fist just before it smashed itself into his face. He was driven backwards onto his butt by the sheer impact of the blow. It took him a second afterwards to regain his senses AND his vision, which was just enough to save him from being turned into Elric-style sushimi by another one of Kitsuné's long-distance fan attacks.

"Damnit! I swear I felt that in the very back of my head!" he groaned in his head. He got back up and the two continiued to exchage blows for around an hour with the same result: Ed got his butt handed to him and he couldn't even leave a mark on Kitsuné. "This is just wonderful. How is she this strong?! I can't even lay a finger on her, but she can punch my nose in!" he raged as he scrambled to his feet, after being knocked down AGAIN, to avoid has Kitsuné foot getting lodged in his eye.

"Good dodge, because if I had to help you fish my foot out of your eye....." Kitsuné teased.

"Maybe you should get my sword out of your eye before you try to help get your foot out of mine!" Ed shouted as he rushed at Kitsuné, Tohenboku pointing straight at her right eye. What he wasn't expecting was that he ACTUALLY HIT HER THIS TIME. And she didn't break into a million peices and reform unscathed. This time she froze, her face contorted into a look of horrer.

Then, she disintigrated into a pile of dust.

"KITSUNÉ!!!" Ed screamed.

Horrified, he dropped his sword in front of him and dropped to his knees. He began to feel an awful storm of guilt rage in his chest, but he couldn't be guilty for long be before THE GROUND STARTED DISINTEGRATING!?!

Yes, just like Kitsuné had become a pile of grey ash, so to was the field around him now dissolving into nothing. Even the once grey blue sky was now totally black. Soon, the entire feild was gone and Edward himself began to disintegrate. All Ed could do was close his eyes and hope that things turned out okay.

And then, he opened his eyes.

"Huh?" Ed muttered as he rubbed his head sore and looked around. He realized he was back in the Sanctuary and that Tenshi, Jay, and even Ripple were all there on the sidelines.

"Woah, hey Ed! Way to not move for over two hours now!" Ripple laughed from her temporary perch on Edward's shoulder.

"Ping-Pong Prophet? What are you talking about?" Ed questioned. Ripple seemed to ignore him.

"Man, you really took a beating, too. Kitsuné, your illusions are getting better and better!" Ripple complimented.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!?! IT WAS ALL AN ILLUSION?!?" Ed hollered in an all-caps rage. He looked up, and sure enough, there stood Kitsuné, unscathed and well.

"LOKI'D!!!!" Ripple shouted gleefully in Edward's ear.

"OW! WHA- WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!?" Edward raged further as he tried to swat her with his hand. Ripple only flitted gently away and rested back on her usual spot A.K.A. Kitsuné's shoulder.

"That was pretty good for a first-timer, Ed. You managed to find the weak point in my illusion and break it before I could beat you senseless!" Kitsuné complimented, complete with clapping.

"So then I won? I beat you?" Ed questioned, slightly excited.

"Not even close! Now you have to beat me in the real world!" Kitsuné responded cheerily, complete with a big hammy smile.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!!?!" Edward screamed, his rage returning full-blast.

"LOKI'D AGAIN!!!" Jay screamed joyfully in Ed's other ear.

"Gah!!!" he growled as he shot her a glare.

While Ed dealt with getting pestered, Kitsuné closed her eyes and silvery-grey smoke began to billow out from undernearth her feet, surrounding her. Before it completely enshrouding her, Ripple jumped off of her shoulder and hopped over next to Ed just as he realized what was going on.

"Another illusion?!" Ed growled through his teeth.

"Nah, you got it all wrong, bub. She's just transforming into her fox-form. She's stronger when she's like that." Ripple explained casually.

"Huh? Fox form? What does that mean?" Ed questioned confusedly.

"It means she can turn into a Fox beast, what else could it mean?" Jay grumbled. She and Ed locked glares for a moment.

"More like a legendary 1,000-Tailed Fox." Tenshi chimed in.

Once Ripple, Tenshi, and Jay finished explaining, as if on cue, the silvery smoke disapated and there stood a large Silver-and-White Fox creature that had ten tails and was almost as big as a puma. It had blue markings on it's face and body, and a blue infinity symbol was streched across its back. The tips of its ears and tail were also blue. Over it's back floated two huge criss-crossed fans.

"Ready for round two , Edward?" a calm yet strange and seemingly disembodied voice asked. The voice sounded somewhat like a raspier, deeper version of Kitsuné's.

"Kitsuné? Is that you?" Edward asked, astounded at the sight set before him. He noticed something odd as he counted Kitsuné's tails. "Hey Tenshi, I thought you said Kitsuné had 1,000 tails. What gives?" he questioned.

"I gain more tails as I grow older and get stronger. For someone like me, I'm still extremely young." Kitsuné explained. When she spoke in this form, it appeared to be an advanced form of telepathy, as her mouth didn't move even the slightest bit. "I mean, I'm less than 150 years old. That's like a toddler for my standards."

"...You talk about 150 years like its no big deal....." Edward remarked, stunned at how she was able to just brush off that much time. As he said this, Ripple bounced over and perched herself on the top of Kitsuné's head.

"In any case, let's begin! I hate just standing around and doing nothing. Now, you'll get a taste of my true power!" Kitsuné growled as she bared her teeth and got into an offensive position. Ed quickly reached down and grabbed Tohenboku by the hilt. He raised it up and pointed it at Kitsuné.

"I'm getting pretty good with this To-ma-to-ku thing or whatever you call it. You'll be sorry you ever challenged me!" Ed exclaimed in response. The two rushed at each other after that, and more vicious fighting insued.

"The sword's name is Tohenboku, and it's sacred! How can he disgrace it like that?" Tenshi growled. She and Jay had moved to the side to avoid getting hit with any oncoming attacks from the two brawlers. "Does he even stand a chance against Kitsuné? Tenshi questioned.

"Look at it this way. He may be annoying and a handful and a real pain in the side, but he WAS able to break Kitsuné's illusion before she was able to break him in two. Nobody in one hundred and twenty YEARS has been able to do that. Not even since she was born. Even if it was an accident, that takes a good amount of skill." Jay pointed out, as much as admitting it bothered her on the inside.

"True... even though Kitsuné looks all focused on the outside, she has got to be torn up over it on the inside." Tenshi commented sadly as she watched her friend and Edward fight it out. "She doesn't look as motivated as she did earlier... This must really be eating away at her. I've known Kitsuné for a long time now and she never fights like this when she has her head and her heart into it."

"That must be why Ripple hopped onto her head before the fight started. To offer her support and a different source of motivation." Jay thought aloud.

Meanwhile, Kitsuné and Ed's battle raged on furiously. Ed jumped up in the air and brought his blade down right overtop of Kitsuné. Kitsuné simply grabbed one of the fans off her back in her jaws, gave it a shake to open it up, and lightly batted Ed away as if he were nothing more than a bug. Ed hit th ground running, however, and managed to peg Kitsuné right in the side with a running kick. She staggered to the side, then charged right at Ed. He prepared for a head-on attack, but at the very last second she faked him out at the last second and jumped high into the air and tossed her fan blade directly at him.

"Getting tired yet? You look pretty beaten up!" Ed taunted after he narrowly avouded being sliced in half by the fan-blade. He was panting and weakened from his prior wounds, but now he was confident he was going to win.

"You're one to talk. Just look at yourself!" Kitsuné panted. she had sustained a lot of damage now that Ed had his Alchemy to assist him. She looked to be battling at her best, but in reality she was still thinking about her illusion on the inside. All she could think about was how the illusion she was so proud of had been shattered so easily. She felt so disappointed in herself. After one hundred and fifty years of being on top, she lost to a pipsqueak.... And she was actually almost sort of impressed by him because of it. Almost.

Edward noticed that Kitsuné seemed to be distracted again, and decided to take advantage of her moment of weakness. He clapped his hands together and raised a row of stone spikes that rushed right at her. Kitsuné was taken thoroughly by surprise, leaving her no time to dodge properly. She was pierced in the side by one of the oncoming spikes, giving her just enough of and injury to slow her down and cause her to fall over on her side. Kitsuné felt the sting of her open wound being exposed to open air; and everything around the wound now burned with pain. Ripple jumped up and down on her head.

"What are you doing, goofball?!?!" She scolded in her tiny voice. "Get up! Are you just gonna let that Spazzball get the first power, just like that?! That's dumb! Make him work for it!" she ranted. Kitsuné grunted in pain, but she managed to haul herself off the ground and get back onto her own four paws. "That's the spirit! You can do this! Pound his face in! Show him that he can knock you down, but he can't beat you that easily!!!" Ripple encouraged her wholeheartedly. Feeling a new burst of motivation and adrenaline, Kitsuné grabbed her other fan, seeing as one was still stuck in the ground where she had thrown it at Edward, opened it up, and then swung it, fanning a hoard of green-blue foxfire at Edward. Edward rolled away, then ran at Kitsuné, Tohenboku in hand. He slashed at her unwounded side, but she jumped over him. He ran at her again, slashing at her head on, but she parried his sword away with her fan-blade. He then took advantage of the fact that she left her right side wide open by forcefully kicking her upside the head. His foot made contact with the orb that rested just underneath her jaw, driving it upward into it. Kitsuné felt the severe pain as both sides of her jaw were shattered at once. She stumbled backwards, blood dripping from her mouth and her open wounds. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, this battle was almost over. But she wouldn't let it end like this. She would soldier through to the very end! She ran over and grabbed her other fan, then through them both at Edward the same way she had in her illusion. She threw sent them both sideways, using her power to control them through her mind seeing as she was physically unable to use more than one at a time. They each flew in a sideways arc, homing in on Edward.

"YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO FINISH ME OFF THAT EASILY!" Edward shouted. He clapped his hands together and created a giant stone fist which flew straight at Kitsuné. Kitsuné found herself once again unable to dodge, as she was hit right after she threw the fans in a moment of post-attack vulnerability, and the fist slammed directly into her. HARD. The impact sent her flying through two small trees, which collapsed to the ground witha loud "Thud", and finally smacked into a very large third tree. She slumped down into a lump on the ground. Edward jumped over the fans, which got lodged into the ground. When he landed, Tohenboku suddenly began to glow with a golden light.

"What the....." Ed muttered in awe.

"You have to finish the boss with Tohenboku's power!" Jay called. "Call upon the sword to vanquish your enemies!" she added, quoting part of an old prophecy.


"But, Kitsuné's not my enemy.... Is she?" Edward called back.

"She is until you free her from the darkness! Even now it's getting harder for her to resist the dark influences then it was for her 150 years ago! If you don't hurry, she actually WILL try to kill you! In fact, her resistance is the only reason you're alive right now!!!" Ripple shouted from the other direction. She had left her spot on Kitsuné's head and jumped to the side so that Ed could finish the battle.

"...You swear she'll be okay?" Edward demanded.

"She'll be much better than okay if you hurry up and do it!" Tenshi exclaimed. "Look behind you, it's almost too late!" Ed whirled around and saw Kitsuné's motionless body being surrounded by some sort of strang black aura. It seemed to be trying to work it's way into her head and chest, as if it were taking over her mind and soul. "That's not good!" Ed exclaimed. "What is that?!?" he demanded as he turned back to look to Tenshi and Jay.

"WHAT ELSE WOULD IT BE?!? IT'S THE DARKNESS, NOW FINISH IT!". Jay roared.

"OKAY, OKAY!" Ed roared back. He raised his sword into the air and took a deep breath. "I have no clue whAT I'M DOOOOOOOOING!!!!" He screamed as he started running twoards the motionless Kitsuné with all his might. All he could think of was how he really didn't want that darkness or whatever to hurt his new friend, and he just kept focusing on that one thought. He brought his sword in a downwards slash as he ran and created a huge blade of pure golden light that flew right twoards Kitsuné. After that, Ed slowed to a stop and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

The blade of light obliterated everything in it's path until it reached Kitsuné, after which it faded. As the blade made impact, the dark aura broke apart and Kitsuné was sent flying backwards. Her body began to disintegrate into smoke in midair until she vanished completely. Her fan blades also disintegrated, leaving nothing but two gashes in the ground.

All was still for what felt like a long time. Even Edward himself stood completely motionless; his face covered by both his bangs and a shadow. Although it was unseen by the others, a lone tear rolled slowly down his face.

".....Do you think he's going to stand like that forever?" Ripple commented quietly. She had since rejoined Tenshi and Jay. 

Suddenly, Ed's fists clenched.

"You... you... I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS GOING TO BE-" Edward screamed as he whirled around to face the other three, but her froze when her saw a fourth figure standing there.

It was Kitsuné, looking perfectly fine in her human/ghost form, with Ripple back on her shoulder.

"....fine?" Edward finished confusedly.

"Once again, I don't think anybody has ever cared enough to rage over me like that. Thanks." Kitsuné grinned. Ed just looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Oh, by the way Ripple. Way to stay on my head the whole fight!" she laughed.

"Thanks!" Ripple laughed back. "That was quite possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life!"

"Kitsuné...... Are you...?" Ed began to ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I'll explain everything as we go over to the shrine." Kitsuné nodded with a smile. She and Ed then began to walk over to the shrine, and Ripple hopped off of Kitsuné's shoulder in order to hang back with Tenshi and Jay.

"You see, some time after I was born into the spirit world, Ripple prophecised that I would become Boss of the first Sanctuary: The Sanctuary of Light." Kitsuné explained. "At first I was scared of having such a big responsibility so soon after I came into the world, but what I was mostly scared of was being controlled by the darkness." she continiued. She stopped just outside the shrine, and Edward did as well.

"In those days, the darkness's power started to rapidly multiply. He was starting to take over the minds of the Sanctuary Bosses' minds and manipulate them so that, basically, they would work for him instead of against him. Today, all of the other Sanctuary Bosses except for me are all agents of the darkness." Kitsuné sighed sadly.

"So, how did you avoid becoming a pawn of the darkness for at least 150 years if he's really as strong as you say?" Edward asked Kitsuné.

"I never accepted the role of Sanctuary Boss. As long as I wasn't officially the titleholder, he couldn't control me like he did the others. Unfortunately he was able to keep a cap on my power, but it was never as bad as the strain I felt today. That's why you were able to find the weak point in my illusion. It was actually full of them." Kitsuné explained.

"So that wasn't her full power.... Oh man." Edward thought to himself, although on the outside it was a different story. "Yeah, sure. The big bad darkness was holding you back." Ed smirked with an eyeroll.

"Yeah, because I was fighting the darkness and you at the same time." Kitsuné retorted. "In any case, I decided to refuse the role until the we found the chosen hero. In addition, I also decided to find human hosts and live in the human world to try and find the hero faster. And I did." Kitsuné grinned, looking straight at Ed. "The fact that you can see all of us proves it."

"But I thought you said...." Ed began.

"It was a made-up statistic. You're probably the only human in the world who can see ghosts 24-7." Kitsuné grinned even wider, while Ed gave her an "Oh, you..." Sort of look. "Well, follow me so that you can receive the power of light!"

At that, the two walked into the small wooden structure that was the shrine. Inside there was a little altar for worship and a long box where Ed assumed Tohanboki had been stored. Kitsuné slid a few of the wooden floorboards away, revealing a staircase. Kitsuné led Ed down the stairs and through a small torch-lit hallway into an odd stone room lit by a ball of white light which hovered over a pedestal made of marble. It was decorated with gold and silver accents.

"There you go, Ed. Just stick the end of Tohenboku into the orb and Tohenboku will absorb the power." Kitsuné stated.

Ed looked at her for a second, then did as she asked. As soon as Tohenboku made contact with th orb of light, the light began to flow into the orb. Once the orb completely flowed into the sword, the sword began to glow violently in Ed's hand. When it faded, Tohenboku's appearance had changed. The Yang symbol was now resting at the top of the hilt, right next to the blade, and it was also engraved into the blade. Two streams of light curled and flowed around the hilt, originating from the Yang symbol on the hilt. "Woah, cool!" Ed exclaimed. He swung the sword around a little before sheathing it.

The duo returned outside and rejoined the other three girls who were waiting for them. Ripple immediately returned to her spot on Kitsuné's shoulder.

"Well, we're done with this place now; let's blow this Popsicle stand. You guys coming?" Kitsuné asked.

"Yeah, but....... How do you suggest we find the next Sanctuary?" Tenshi asked quietly, as if she knew something the others didn't.

"We're just gonna have to wing it." Jay responded.

"Yeah, all the Sanctuaries are hidden, so we'll just have to try our best to find it." Kitsuné agreed.

Tenshi looked at her feet silently for a moment, then finally decided to say what she wanted to say.

"No guys. Actually.... I can take you."

~End Chapter 7~

~~Note from the Author: TOOK FRIGGEN LONG ENOUGH. Hope you enjoyed! X3~~

Chapter 8- The First Night

"So Tenshi," Kitsuné began as they walked through the gate and away from the first Sanctuary. The Sun was a deep red-orange color, although it was very difficult to tell because of the thick treeline, and it was slowly sinking in the sky. "You can lead us?"

"Yes. I know the way to the Second Sanctuary very well. It's been a while since I've been there because of the darkness, but I still remember the way." Tenshi muttered darkly. It was easy to see that there was something darker going on in her mind.

"How do you know the way?"Jay asked curiously.

"...."

"Uhm, sorry if I offended you Ten-" Jay began in response to Tenshi's silence, but Tenshi interrupted her.

"My old body is tied to the Sanctuary. Like a soul that's been tied to a separate host, my 'body' is always pulling me back." Tenshi explained quickly. No one really wanted to press her any farther, they just let her quietly lead them along through the mystifying forest. By the time the little group made it out of the forest, only a sliver of the sun was visible over the horizon. Edward automatically noticed that they were actually parading right twoards the borders of Central City.

"Woah, hey! We're heading twoards the city!" He exclaimed worriedly. He knew nothing good could come  out of a cat-angel, and fox-girl, and a bluebird person marching casually into the streets of the City... for all the people to see....

"Yes. The entrance to the Second Sanctuary is within the very center of the city." Tenshi told him.

"Yeah, and it's not like normal mortals can see us." Jay added casually, emphasizing the word "normal".

"HEY! Just what are you implying, you half-baked false diety?!" Ed retorted angrily, defending his pride against some non-existent threat.

"NOTHING!!! AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING "FALSE", you HALF-WIT ALCHEMIST?!?!" Jay raged in response to Edward's accusing comment.

"MY 'WIT' IS JUST AS BIG AS ANY NORMAL ALCHEMIST'S!"

"PSYCHO-SCIENTIST!!"

"DODO DUD!"

"BRAINDEAD BUM!"

"BIRD-BRAINED FAKER!!!!"

"HYPER-TINY PEEWEE ALCHEMIST!!!"

Jay and Edward screamed then proceeded to their heads off at each other until they were just inside Central's borders, at which point Ripple and Kitsuné moved in to separate them.

"Why did she have to come with us, anyway?" Ed grumbled. "Do you have to back to your psych ward or "heaven" or whatever?"

"Say what you want, but I'm not leaving!" Jay exclaimed. "I'm staying with you guys! That the best chance I have to gain my true power, you stupid Wren!" she growled. Ed just stuck his tounge out at her. "Amaterasu have mercy, I hate atheists! They're such a pain!" Jay hissed.

"Well I'm glad to see the feeling is neutral!" Ed grumbled.

"Oi. I swear, if I have to listen to anymore of this, I'M going to turn into the braindead bum..." Kitsuné sighed quietly.

"You and me both, sister." Ripple agreed.

"Hey Kitsuné, about what you said back at the Sanctuary... About the darkness and the Sanctuary Bosses. How do you know the darkness wont come back for you?" Edward asked worriedly. He had seen the Darkness trying to hurt his friend and he didn't want it coming back for round 2.

"I'm fine, Ed. You took the Sanctuary's power, so now I mean nothing to the Darkness. He won't bother a Sanctuary Boss when the power of the Sanctuary is gone." Kitsuné assured him wholeheartedly.

The whole group stopped and sat down on the edge of a large fountain that was around 10 blocks from where they had entered the city. Edward sighed and streached out his legs, Jay fluffed out her wings, Tenshi took a seat on the other side of the fountain and gazed wistfully out into the Skyline of Central City, and Kitsuné float-sat on the air directly next to Edward.

"Oh man, how am I gonna explain this to Al....?" Edward questioned silently as he gazed up at the moon. Kitsuné shrugged slightly and looked into the water behind her. Edward sighed and asked, "So, what do you think the power of the next Sanctuary will be?" Edward asked her.

"I honestly have no idea. I've never been there before, so I don't know anything about it." Kitsuné answered with a small sigh. "Tenshi would be the one to ask." she added.

"Hey Tenshi!" Edward called over his shoulder. "What is-"

"-It's the power of Illusions." Tenshi called back, cutting him off quickly. Everybody seemed to notice her change in behavior, but nobody was sure what it was all about.

"So, the power of Illusions, huh? That's pretty cool..." Ed commented awkwardly.

"Good thing I can break Illusions as well as make them!" Kitsuné added with a laugh, attempting to lighten up the mood.

Ed "nudged" Kitsuné with his elbow, but it was more of just a jabbing motion since his elbow went straight through her. "Maybe you should show me some of your tricks sometime." he grinned hopefully.

"Not a chance, Fullmetal." Kitsuné and a new yet very familiar voice shot back in unison.

"C-Colonel MUSTANG?!?"

Chapter 9- The Colonel of FLAMING and Some Unexpected Guests

"HELLO, COLONEL. LOVELY EVENING." Ed raged through his teeth. He was seriously getting sick of this guy just showing up unannounced and bothering him for no good reason. ALL THE TIME.

"Yes it is, isn't it Fullmetal?" Mustang replied in a snide tone. He really knew how to piss the Fullmetal Alchemist off. "So, I was told by the MP's that you were spotted near the scene of the death of a young girl earlier today. What's more is she was crushed by a giant stone fist that was created by alchemy. Know anything about it?" Mustang questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"If this is your screwy way of interrogating me then I'm NOT BUYING IT!" Edward yelled up at the Colonel's smug face.

"Yeah, and on that note, I'm not even really dead. Just bodiless." Kitsuné added in to help her friend.

"Can he hear you?!?" Edward asked Kitsuné in a shocked and slightly worried/jealous tone. "I thought I was the only one who could."

"Oh, you are." Kitsuné grinned slyly. "It must look pretty weird to him, though. You know, you talking to thin air....." she giggled. Edward swallowed hard and turned slowly back to look at the Colonel, who was indeed dumbstruck.

"Well, Edward..... When you're done talking to your imaginary friends, I'd like you to explain to me where you've been all day today." Mustang sighed, rubbing his temples.

"THEY'RE NOT IMAGINARY! They're all sitting here, around the fountain! And I was gone all day because I'm some Chosen Hero that has to help save the world from crisis! See, look! I got this sword as proof!" Edward blurted out frustratedly, jumping up and unsheathing Tohenboku. He held it up to the Colonel so that he could get a better look. "See, it used to look like a normal Katana, but I beat the first Boss of this Sanctuary thing and now it looks like this!" Edward explained smugly. "Bet you feel pretty dumb now, eh Colonel?"

"Uhh..... Edward?" Kitsuné chimed in after a moment of pure silence. "He can't see the sword, either. No mortal can." she told him bluntly.

"WHAT?!?!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT SOONER?!?!" Edward raged some more. "Jeez, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, FOXFIREALCHEMIST?!??!" Edward screamed up into the night sky, shaking a fist angrily while holding Tohenboku in the other.

"Uhh... right. Please don't start having some sort of 'episode' on me." Mustang grumbled, putting his face in his hands exshasperatedly.

"But I'm telling you, it's all true!" Edward exclaimed as he sheathed Tohenboku, although the action made no sense to the Colonel because he couldn't see the sword.

"Okay, Edward. If you think there's something going on, I'll look into it. But there's no reason to make up fictional stories that make no real sense. We don't live in some sort if made-up storyland. This is real-life." the Colonel sighed.

"Will you STOP treating me like a CHILD!" Edward roared.

"Need........ foood........." a tired voice with an accent said randomly from somewhere. Everyone directed their attention to the top of the fountain, where the voice seemed to be coming from, and noticed a boy with long black hair draped over the top of the fountain.

"NOT YOU AGAIN!!!!" Ed raged on.

"Foooood...." the figure groaned again.

"Aren't you going to help him? He's obviously suffering up there!" Jay exclaimed angrily. She gave a flap of her blue wings and flew up, scooping the black-haired individual up into her arms.

"Jay, take him down the other side of the fountain so that it doesn't look like he's floating." Kitsuné called. Jay nodded and then gently floated down the back side of the fountain. She laid the stranger down on the ground.

"Foooooooood............" the boy moaned.

"Aren't you going to find him some food?! He's starving over here!" Jay growled at Edward, who had walked over to where she, the boy, and Tenshi were at. He had been followed by Kitsuné and the Colonel.

"Please, he does this all the time!" Ed scoffed.

"I REALLY DON'T CARE, JUST DO SOMETHING NOW!" Jay yelled at Edward, her face growing red with rage and irritation.

"There's a little outdoor café over there." Tenshi pointed out, gesturing her hand twoards a small outdoor restaurant near the fountain. "It looks like it's about to close, though." she added.

"GO STOP THEM." Jay growled at Edward, her glare potent enough to burn a hole through his head.

"Fine, FINE!" Edward growled back, starting to go over to the restaurant. "I need to get away from you, anyway!" he added quickly.

~~A Half an Hour Later~~

"AH, that hit the spot! I feel alive again!" The black-haired boy grinned. Around him stood piles and pioes of empty plates, bowls, cups, and assorted silverware all stacked haphazardly at the table where Ed, Mustang, Kitsuné, Tenshi, and Ripple were standing, awestruck at the sheer amount of food consumed by that one person. Jay was sitting at the table, across from the black-haired boy.

"Thank you all so much for treating me! My name is Ling Yao, for those of you who don't know."

"Who said we were treating you, you half-baked prince?" Edward grumbled unhappily. Jay kicked him in the shin to get him to shut up.

"Nothing good ever comes out of having too much money." Kitsuné retorted. Before Ed could counter her, however, Tenshi held up a hand and a strange noise caused all who were present to fall into a hush.

"....You guys heard that hissing noise too, right?" Ed muttered under his breath. Everyone nodded, but no one made a sound. For a few minutes, everything was eerily quiet. No wind blew. Nothing moved. A foreboding feeling crept through everything. And just when it seemed that maybe everybody was just overreacting......

"What is that?!" Ling cried out as he jumped out of his chair. He couldn't see anything, but he was sensing something strange. Unbeknownst to him, a long, snake-like mass was forming out of the shadows. It slithered out into the light and revealed itself to be a huge grey-and-black snake with 9 heads.

"That's Hydra, one of the agents of the Darkness. They must have been listening to us through the shadows!" Kitsuné growled. As she spoke, more of the shadows started to warp and change forms.

"Looks like that oversized reptile brought some companions." Tenshi hissed. "They're probably the ones who are gaurding the way to the second Sanctuary! To get there, we'll have to beat them." she explained angrily.

"And to make it worse, we're on their turf. Shadows." Jay added in a grumble as she got up from her chair.

"Well, that's just great." Ed huffed.

~End Chapter 9~

Chapter 10- The Agent of Darkness

"So, if that creepy snake thing is Hydra, then who are those guys?" Ed asked as he watched the warping shadows materialize into large black snakes with four legs, red eyes, and fin-like tails; they looked like mini wingless dragons. Compared to Hydra, they were more like a worm you would dig up in your vegitable garden. Ed considered the idea that they were some sort of chimera for a second.

"I know what you're thinking, Ed, and I can assure you those things are not Chimeras." Kitsuné immediatly told him as she glared at Hydra and her minions. They glared back, occasionally hissing at her.

"They call themselves the King Cobra Clan, and they've dedicated their lives to serving that snake demon." Tenshi growled, hate filling up her eyes. Her tail flicked around like agrivated cat's would, and her ears wer folded back in anger as well. She obviously didn't like these guys very much.

"What're these guys going here, anyways?" Ed ask, thinking the same thing he was speaking.

"They have been chosen by the darknes to protect the corrupted Sanctuary." Tenshi remarked with venom in her voice. "I've tried to fight them off before, but they were too much for me alone." she growled. "If it weren't for them, I could have been there before darkness took the Sanctuary. I could have......" she thought to herself. Her fists clenched up in anger of the memory. "Kitsuné. You know what we have to do." she growled.

"Yeah. We have to kick their butts, that's what. " Kitsuné responded, grinning slightly. "Oh yeah, this is going to be fun." she remarked darkly, pulling out her fans. "This is going to be a close fight. Not only do we have to find Hydra's weak point, but we have to fight off her minions, too. What fun." she groaned in her head.

"What are you all talking about?" Ling asked confusedly. He couldn't see this "Hydra" person they were talking about, but he could sense a very disturbing presence nearby. Was the enemy hiding? "This is most strange. I can sense the enemy almost right in front of me, but I can't see it!" Ling thought to himself.

"Well, if all we have to do is kick it's ass, then what are we waiting for?!?!" Ed exclaimed as he drew Tohenboku and lunged into the air. "I'll just cut off this freak's heads and then we'll be done with it!" he thought with a smirk as he hurtled through the air. He brought Tohenboku succsessfully through one of Hydra's heads and landed on his feet, grinning cockily. Little did he know about what he had just done.

"Uh, Ed. Turn around." Kitsuné Instructed him. Edward wondered what in the world she wanted him to turn around for, but he did anyway. What he saw made his jaw fly open in surprise and disgust.

Two new heads were sprouting from the bloody place where the head Edward had cut off had been. The neck itself literally split in half as the two heads began to emerge. The two halves then reformed as separate necks and became as large as the other eight original heads.


"What was that?!?!?" Edward screamed in a panic, the thoughts in his head becoming scrambled and uncomprehendable.

"You shouldn't just rush into things like that!" Tenshi scolded him. "For every head Hydra loses, it regrows two more. And, the more heads it grows, the more powerful it becomes!" she growled, glaring at the now ten-headed serpent.

"Oh well, we live and we learn. Well, some of us live. Some of us just learn." Kitsuné shrugged. "I probably would have done it if he hadn't. Let's just find her real weakness and get it over with." she suggested. Kitsuné really wasn't bothered by the situation, she was more concerned with the next Sanctuary. "Something tells me the Darkness is really concerned with keeping this Sanctuary in his grasp, although I'm not sure why."

"Well, that just makes me want to get this next power all the more! If the Darkness wants to get his grubby hands all over it, then I don't want to let him!" Ed growled with a dark grin. "I know it seems silly that I'm buying into all this paranormal hoopla so quickly, but I do get that feeling that something's off. Plus, I've seen enough proof so far to turn even the most dedicated scientist into a bona fide believer in the supernatural. Ed thought to himself.

"Uh, Ed...... The Darkness already HAS his grubby hands all over the next power. We're supposed to be fighting to get it back." Ripple pointed out. She had been sitting silently on Kitsuné's shoulder up until this point.

"It makes no difference! I'm still gonna put my foot in his face when I see him!" Ed retorted as he jumped into the air, avoiding one of Hydra's heads as it attempted to crush him. He came back at one of Hydra's other heads, but instead of slicing it like he did the first time, he flipped Tohenboku around and bashed it's skull with the hilt instead. He dropped to the ground and rolled away from the enraged serpents reach.

"Edward, what are you... doing?" Mustang and Ling asked in unison. They looked at each other for a minute, then returned their attention back to Ed. "And who in the world are you talking to?" Roy added, backed by Ling who nodded.

"It's a long story. You probably wouldn't believe it, either, so I suggest you just smile and nod." Jay suggested. Ling looked at her. From his perspective, she looked like a normal girl wearing a white Kimono, sandals, and two leaves  and a blue feather pinned in her hair. He was also unable to see her wings. "I'm detecting such an immensely strong aura from this girl, it's almost inhuman. You could even go so far as to say it's Godly...." Ling thought to himself.

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Hydra isn't going to fight herself!" Kitsuné shouted as she dashed right for Hydra. Hydra reared back it's heads and then lashed at her with surprising power, catching Kitsuné off gaurd and causing her to stumble. She gathered her wits and shook herself off, than sprung back at Hydra. She jumped off of one and used the momentum she got to backflip over another, then slashed a third head vertically down the middle of it's face with one of  her fans. Hydra writhed around in pain, a fresh gash running vertically down it's face. 

"Now it's my turn!" Edward shouted with a cocky grin as he ran up to rejoin the fray. Hydra hissed at him and attempted to catch him in one of his sets of jaws. Edward countered with Tohenboku and both he and the head came to a standstill. Edward smirked, but it was soon replaced with a surprised look as Hydra coiled it's tail around his leg and flung him into the air helplessly. He flailed around, trying to regain control, but without wings he was a sitting duck in the air. It was a good thing he had friends in high places.

Jay snatched Edward out of the air just fast enough to save him from becoming multi-headed cobra chow, then let him fall safely into a set of bushes. She then armed herself with her sacred bow and drew an sacred arrow from her quiver, locked on to a head which was trying to bite Kitsuné, and let her arrow fly. The arrow plugged Hydra's head precisely in the pupil, causing Hydra to once again squirm in a fit of pain.

~~~

After a combat-filled hour, Hydra still hadn't been defeated; not by a long shot. On the contrary; she had actually gained six more heads and many of her older wounds from the beginning of the battle had healed. On the other hand, all of her little servants had fallen in the fight, which had only made her even angrier. Edward and his companions weren't exactly ship-shape, either. Everyone involved in the fight was either bleeding from multiple wounds inflicted by Hydra, or physically exhausted to the point of fainting. Edward stamped the ground frustratedly.

"DAMN IT!!!! WHY WON'T THIS STUPID THING DIE?!?" he raged as he avoided being slapped by Hydra's tail clumsily. He was also beginning to feel the affects of utter exhaustion, and he was having a hard time even keeping himself upright.

"Hydra has a specific weak point that we have to hit in order to actually kill it...." Kitsuné panted, also being weighed down by her exhaustion, despite being a ghost. Hydra tried to lash at her with one of her heads, only to be pinned to the ground by another of Jay's arrows.

"Well, where IS this weak point?" Edward demanded, only to be met with shrugs from all of his allies. Well, all except Tenshi, who gave a small sigh from where she had been watching the fight. She hopped up, dodging yet another head, and joined the small group of warriors.

"I know where the weak point is. I found out when I faced off against Hydra alone; to try and gain entrance to the Sanctuary." she sighed, lowering her ears in shame. "I never mentioned it before because I feared you all were going to run away; just like those who promised they'd help me. But seeing you all fight made me change my mind, and now I need your help to reach the weakness."

For a moment, nobody spoke. All eyes were on Tenshi; trying to comprehend what she might be talking about. Finally, Edward broke the hush that had fallen by clearing his throat and then finally hazarding to speak.

"It's alright, Ten. You don't have to explain your reasoning to us or anything; just tell us what you need us to do." he assured her.

"Yeah, we've been friends for a while now, Tenshi. I trust your judgement!" Kitsuné smiled. Tenshi looked at them for a moment, as if something about them both seemed familiar to her, and then nodded.

"Kitsuné-kun, I need you and Ed-kun to distract Hydra's heads. That will allow Jay-sama to pin them to the ground with her arrows. After all the heads are pinned, I can reach  Hydra's weakness." Tenshi explained. Her face told everyone that she was all buisness, and her calm demeanor in the middle of a heated battle was an admirable trait. 

"Alright, let's do this!" Kitsuné grinned, clenching a fist. Familiar silvery-grey smoke began to billow out from under her feet, and Kitsuné reverted to her ten-tailed Fox form. "Hop on, Eddie. This'll be faster, and I have more energy in this form. she smirked to Edward, lowering herself so that he could climb aboard.

"W-wait; are you saying you want me to ride on your back?!" Ed exclaimed in suprise, not all too fond of the thought.

"Nooo, I was just talking to the OTHER Edward Elric." Kitsuné retorted with an eyeroll. She shot him a glare and added, "Now just get on so we can get to the next Sanctuary, shorty-pants! Or is the Fullmetal Alchemist afraid of a little Fox-back riding?"

"UGH, let's just get this over with!" A slightly grumpy Edward finally conceeded, sheathing Tohenboku and clambering awkwardly onto Kitsuné's back. He wasn't totally sure how he was meant to stay on her back, so he held on to the fur on the scruff of her neck; hoping desperately that he wouldn't fall off. Kitsuné snickered and then propelled herself forward with her powerful hind legs. In her Fox-form, Kitsuné was a solid being, but she still retained her ability to float when she had the energy to. When she ran, she could apply this ability and quite literally "run on air" for certain periods of time; and as one of Hydra's heads shot towards her, she did just that. She jumped over the head, which was promptly pegged by an arrow, and glided safely to the ground; which she hit running like she had never run before.

"HEY YOU, UGLY SNAKE! JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, I'VE FOUGHT CHIMERAS THAT ARE MORE USEFUL AND LESS HALF-RATE THAN YOU ARE, YOU MULTI-HEADED FREAK!!!" Edward called to Hydra as he made various faces and shouted out a multitude of similar insults; trying to jeer Hydra as much as possible and get her as mad as necessary. As he finished his preceding statement, two heads lashed at the duo in a rage, only to be pinned by two of Jay's arrows. This was all a game of dodge-and-counterattack to Kitsuné, Ed, and Jay now, and it wasn't very long at all before all of Hydra's heads were pinned. She writhed and trashed, trying relentlessly to free herself from her restraints; however, the sacred arrows held fast.

"Now everybody, please step back. It's my turn." Tenshi spoke calmly. Kitsuné immediately jumped away from the struggling Hydra and made tracks for the sidelines, where Edward dismounted and she reverted to her spirit-form. Jay followed with a few calm wingbeats, landing gently next to Kitsuné.

"That was some impressive maneuvering out there for your build in your Fox-Form. I was really impressed by your agility!" Jay complimented Kitsuné, turning her head to look at her.

"Gee, thanks; I try!" Kitsuné laughed, scratching the back of her head. "So Ed, did you die a little on the inside or were you okay with the ride?"

"It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was going to be." Ed stated bluntly. Secretly, he had had a little bit of fun zipping around on Kitsuné's back; but he wasn't admitting to it any time soon.

Meanwhile, Tenshi had stepped out in front of Hydra; he forked cat-tail flicking with excitement and a tinge of anticipation. She drew in a breath and rolled up the sleeves of her pink and white kimono, revealing two wristbands made of an unidentified metal. She touched the center of each, and with a flash of rosy-pink light a scythe-like blade extended out from the side of each band. They stuck out like a pair of unfurled wings, and it was fairly obvious that they were sharper than any normal old blade.

"So, are those Tenshi's weapon of choice?" Edward asked Kitsuné as he watched his Cat-Angel friend prepare to finish Hydra off.

"Yeppers, those are her wrist-blades. She can alter their form and the location from which they extend from her wristbands, depending on what the situation demands." Kitsuné nodded quietly in response, keeping her voice hushed so that her friend could concentrate. 

"This time, Hydra... For what happened to my home and my family....." Tenshi began to say calmly, slowly approaching Hydra as she spoke, "...YOU ARE MINE." With that, she dashed forward in the blink of an eye and jumped onto one of Hydra's heads, avoiding the arrow that was keeping it pinned down and, and ran the length of the neck while moving like a flash of lightning; when Tenshi ran she practically disappeared from view. Upon reaching the base of Hydra's neck (at the point where all of her heads met), Tenshi raised her right wrist blade into the air and then plunged it into the very center of the base; causing Hydra to writhe even more frantically. Tenshi paid no heed to Hydra's aggravated last attempts to save herself, and instead began to twist the blade slowly until Hydra's thrashing weakened. Observing that Hydra was no more, Tenshi yanked her weapon out of Hydra's neck and hopped off of Hydra's now motionless body; walking away without a second thought. As she did, a column of black mist began to rise out of Hydra's body from the place where Tenshi had stabbed her; climbing higher and higher and and eventually disappearing into the night sky. Hydra's now empty vessel began to disintegrate into nothing, accompanied by the corpses of her "attendants".

"And so ends the legacy of Lady Hydra, the multi-headed serpent queen." Tenshi stated as she retracted her wrist-blades.

~End Chapter 10~

Chapter 11- The Torii's Reflection?

"Well, now all that's left is to go to the next Sanctuary." Edward observed. As he, Jay, Kitsuné, and Tenshi made their way back over to the little cafe, they noticed that Roy Mustang had disappeared and Ling appeared to be deep in thought. He barely even noticed as the four of them approached the small table.

"Whatcha got on the brain there, Ling?" Jay asked as she flopped into the chair she had been seated in earlier exhaustedly.

"Hmm? Oh, why hello Jay." Ling smiled in his Xingese accent as Jay took her seat next to him. "Well, you see; I am very sensitive to energies around me; like for one example, people's souls." he began explaining. "Just now, I sensed a very dark presence, but now it feels like its gone. And in it's place, I sense that a doorway of some sort has opened..."

"The path to the Sanctuary!" Tenshi exclaimed suddenly. "Defeating Hydra means that her grip on the Sanctuary has been released; therefore, we can enter it." 

"Wow, wait; so this human can sense the darkness and the Sanctuaries?" Jay questioned, intrigued by this idea. "That could be helpful, because let's face it: none of us here have the ability to locate them." she pointed out. All those at the table had to silently agree, as they had no clue how else to locate the Toriis. Edward yawned, obviously not very interested and at the same time feeling very drained from the past events.

"It's pretty rare to see someone who's not like shrimp cocktail over there, yet can still sense the Supernatural Sancturaries." Ripple, who had been on the table the whole entire time, observed thoughtfully.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE'S THE SAME SIZE AS HIS OWN PLATFORM BOOTS?!?" Edward practically screamed, totally forgetting about how exhausted he was.

"Glad to see I have your attention now!" Ripple laughed with a tinge of an evil tone. "In any case, this guy could be super helpful to us. If you team up with him, Jay, than you two can go scout out the Sanctuaries for us and give us a basic idea of what they are like." she pointed out, bouncing over to Jay's shoulder. Jay gave her a questioning look.

"Wait. Do you mean, like, actually go into the sanctuaries? Because he's mortal; he can't really go in." Jay commented worriedly, looking at Ripple and waiting for her reply.

Kitsuné had been listening to what they had to say silently, but chose now to chime in. "As long as he is with a supernatural being like yourself, he can enter. Like Eddo over there. And besides..." she commented, taking a moment to exchange a worried yet knowing glance with Ripple. "...you may not have noticed, but the barriers that protect the sanctuaries are getting thinner, especially with the Darkness being the way it is. Now, this is just speculation, but I've heard stories that humans have actually been wandering into the Sanctuaries by accident now, mostly on rare occasions and ESPECIALLY the corrupted ones. In some unfortunate cases, these humans actually become corrupted themselves..." she admitted with a sigh, causing the whole group to enter a certain state of shock tinted with an air of urgency.

"If thats the case need to find the next Sanctuary pronto." Ed commented, followed up by a certain "that's-your-cue-mofo" glance at Tenshi.