Chapter One: The New Way to Vacation

Hey everybody! This is a Count Cain/Fullmetal Alchemist crossover fic. In other words, it will frighten and disturb you... So please post much and tell me 'nicely' what you think. If I get enough goodly posts I'll let you all read the next chapter! See you around!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Count Cain.

The train slowed to a stop in the station at Risenbool. The steam from the engine settled around the train like a cloud. The doors opened, and the people slowly filed out. A young man with golden green eyes in a big black coat and top hat came out among the last. He glanced around and quickly spotted the giant suit of armor holding a sign that read, "Cain Hargreaves." He went over.

"Hello," a voice echoed out of the armor. "Are you Cain?"

"Yes," Cain said. He tipped his hat to the armor. "You must be Alphonse."

"Yes! But you can call me Al." Al took Cain's hand and shook it vigorously. "It's nice to meet you! Come on. Everyone's waiting!"

Al led Cain quickly out of the station. Cain looked around as much as he could before they got to the waiting car. Everything seemed surprisingly similar to an other rural town around London. They hopped in the car and drove off. So far, Al seemed to be a nice person. Cain just hoped everyone back home was getting along with... He thought for a second. What was his name again? Oh yes. Edward Elric.

A car pulled up in front of a big manor. The car door was opened by a very tall butler with light hair and a stony expression on his face. A short, teenage boy got out. He had blonde hair in a braid and yellow eyes, and a red coat on. He looked up at the butler, and looked up and up. The butler looked down at him.

"Edward Elric, I presume?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ed said.

"Follow me." The butler led him briskly to the front doors of the manor.

"So... what's your name?" Ed asked.

"Riff, sir," the butler said.

"Riff? Well, you don't have to call me 'Sir' or anything, all right?" Ed said. Riff looked down at him, and Ed grinned.

"Very well..." Riff opened the doors and let Ed in first. The inside looked even bigger than the outside. Ed gazed all around him at the huge room, until his eyes fell on a little girl with long hair and a big fancy dress on. She was smiling at him.

"Uh... hi," Ed said.

"Hi," she said. She kept staring at him. Ed backed away slowly.

"Uh.. Ed?" Riff spoke up. "This is Merryweather, Master Cain's little sister."

"Hi!" she said again. She trotted up to Ed. "You're going to be vacationing here in my brother's place?"

"Yeah," Ed said. He noticed she was about the same height as him. "Say, how old are you?"

"I'm ten," Merryweather said. There was a long, heavy silence.

"Ed?" Riff asked. He poked Ed. "Ed? Hello?"

Al opened the door to the little house to find Winry and Pinako waiting for them.

"Hey! You're back!" Winry said, jumping up to greet them. "Nice to meet you. My name's Winry. This is my grandma, Pinako."

Cain took Winry's hand and kissed it, which nearly made her burst out laughing, but she hid it as a cough.

"So... how about I show you were you'll sleep?" Winry said. "Al, get his stuff."

She led him up to an empty room, and Al put his suitcase on the bed.

"All right," Winry said. "You can have this room while you're here, and you can come and go as you like. Al will take you around the town."

"I will?" Al asked.

"That sounds good," Cain said. "I'd like to get settled in first, though, if you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Winry said. "Our house is your house."

Winry went back downstairs, leaving Cain and Al alone.

"She's a nice girl," Cain said. Al instinctively brought his hand up to his head, the usual connection point of Winry's wrench.

"I guess," he replied. "But she can be kind of mean sometimes."

"Have you known her very long?"

"Uh-huh!" Al said. "Since as long as I can remember!"

Cain thought about that. If this was going to be anything like the other times he'd stayed at the house of a young woman, someone was probably going to die. But who...? Cain left his hat and coat on the bed, then went back downstairs.

Winry was at the table, working on something. Cain peered over her shoulder.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It's automail!" Winry declared, spinning around to present it to Cain.

"Interesting... but... what is it?"

Winry gaped. "Only the best thing in the world! It's a prosthetic limb!" Winry handed the arm she was working on to Cain. He looked at it closely.

"Oh. I see it now. And you make these?"

"Yes! Aren't they great?!"

"I suppose... But this is an interesting thing for a lady to do."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Winry asked, the smile instantly vanishing from her face.

"Nothing," Cain said quickly. Winry started smiling again.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Cain said. "I think it's great."

Winry was exploding with joy. "Would you like one then?"

"Yes," Cain said. "That'd be a great souvenir to bring back to everyone."

"Great! An arm or a leg?"

"How about an arm?"

"Perfect!" Winry raised an axe over her head. "Hold still!"

Al came down the stairs at that moment. "Winry! No!"

He grabbed the axe from Winry. She reached up for it, but Al held it over her head. Cain was still admiring the automail arm.

"Winry, you can't cut off Cain's arm!" Al said.

"Cut off my.. What?!"

"But he said he wanted an arm..." Winry said sheepishly. Al sighed. He went and got an arm from the other room and gave it to Cain.

"Oh..." Winry said. "Why didn't you tell me?"