"Ill be back before you know it." The young blonde promised. His voice held a soft and gentle tone, almost if he was saying, 'I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to.' The two were standing outside of the grand Xing palace. Various plants and flowers surrounded them in the front lawn as they stood on the stone paved path. Two pieces of luggage and a briefcase stuffed with notes and papers were beside them as they stood in silence. The young girl of Xing decent stood before him, a few inches shorter than the blonde. Her sleek black hair was done in an up-do as she had two small buns and two braids that trailed behind her. Her kimono like dress was embroidered with intricate designs, implying that she came from a wealthy family. Nothing less was expected from one of the many princesses of Xing. The seventeenth to be exact.

"Oh Alphonse!" She exclaimed with dismay. She tried to hold her tone steady, but when she spoke it sounded like a cry for help. She knew he would only be away for two months, but she couldn't imagine being so far away from him. Earlier this week when he had announced he was leaving to go back to Risembol she insisted to go with him despite of her many royal duties. But the blonde had won that fight even though somewhere in his mind, he wanted her to accompany him dearly. And the day had come when the two had to be separated.

Mei shut her eyes tight and tried to hold back the tears that seemed to always come so easily. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the dark blonde's mid back. She buried her head into his chest, enjoying the close proximity. Not until he breathed, has she realized what she had done. Knowing it would be awkward if she backed away, she stood her ground and simply enjoyed the moment.

Alphonse had not expected her to take this so dramatically. They had been over this almost a million times. And it wasn't as if he hadn't told her, she had all of last week to think about it. Her reaction startled him. He felt his heart drop as she said his name. Making her cry at this time was the last thing he wanted to do. But alas, he couldn't help but to make her upset. He closed his eyes, hoping that there would be no water works today. He had kept his emotions and thoughts concealed about leaving, but if she would start crying, he didn't think he could hold back anymore. All their adventures and traveling would be on hold, or maybe even gone forever. They had spent an entire 8 months together traveling the eastern countries. He hadn't realized how close they had gotten.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden burst of emotions either. His thoughts were ripped apart as they were interrupted by the young girl's arms being thrown around him. Her head rested against his chest and he wondered if she could hear his heart beating rapidly. The mere thought of them being so close made his cheeks burn. He knew they were close friends, and that she probably only was giving him a farewell hug, but that didn't explain the sudden burst of emotions. Sure, she was abit on the sensitive side, but that didn't explain why she was being so dramatic. Surely two months wasn't that long? Would it be this big of a deal if they were just friends? Were they just friends? Did he want to be more than friends? His cheeks sure did. Who was he kidding, he was Alphonse Elric, he wasn't going to second guess himself like that. He knew this was an important trip, hell, this could change his brother's life! He shouldn't have hesitated to leave if she was only a friend. He knew he couldn't deny it anymore. It was true, all the things his brother teased him about. He was Alphonse Elric, and he had the biggest crush on Mei Chang.

With his new burst of confidence, he knew this was his last chance to say something before he left for two whole months. Six long weeks... he thought as he took a deep breath. Her head still rested against him in the few minutes he had been thinking. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. They were as close as possible, and yet he felt like it wasn't enough. Of course its enough Al! A simple hug is enough at the moment! A small voice echoed threw his head. Not a small voice he thought. His brain was telling him it's logically enough, they hadn't been close and anything more would be too much of a shock to May. But his heart disagreed. His gut told him to. And before he had realized what he was doing, he was face to face with May, his hand bringing holding her chin up to look at him.

She could feel his breath on her face. They had never been so close... or at least on purpose. Her heart raced as she looked into his golden eyes. They were much more beautiful up close. It felt like they were staring at each other for minutes, no hours. Their faces were only mere inches away from contact. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she had a pretty good idea. Does he have the guts? she thought as she began to get lost in his eyes. And he leaned in.

His heart pounded in his ears, or was it her heartbeat? He couldn't tell anymore. He could feel the tension in the air indicating that it was most likely her first. It was... or is going to be his first also. Inexperienced and nervous, was what he was. What if he messed up? What if she wasn't interested? She would've pulled away from his gaze by now... He was questioning everything at that very moment. 'No.' He thought. He couldn't second guess himself now. It was now or never, no regrets now. Before he could fully think it threw, he had already made contact with her lips.

She had always dreamed of what it would be like, kissing the love of her life. Ever since she had been turned down by the short tempered dwarf of his brother, she had looked forward to being with Alphonse instead. And when the day he had arrived, he was certainly one worth waiting for. Nothing she had every imagined could compare to the exhilarating sensation she was experiencing now. It was almost as if a tiny spark had connected their lips as they made contact. His lips were softer than anything she'd ever felt. All her thoughts had suddenly dissipated from her mind. She was pulled into her own cloud 9 as her eyelids slowly began to close. He deepened the kiss by tilting his head ever so slightly to the right. Their lips connected like puzzle pieces.

Before they realized it, a certain emperor had casually walked over to the scene waiting patiently for his own goodbyes to the young blonde. The black haired man watched for a moment as the young couple enjoyed themselves, clearly unaware of his presence. A slight smile spread across his face, oh did he have something to black mail them with now he thought. Beside his happy aura for them, he couldn't help feel a pang of jealousy watching the two. No, a pang of greed. He had thought he had gotten rid of the pesky trait. But he knew it would always be with him. He wanted that sensation, he wanted it all for himself. The fact that he knew that he couldn't obtain it made him slightly frustrated. He managed to push his greedy thoughts away as his childish instincts kicked in.

"Ey love birds!" He called out to them as he casually walked closer, a grin plastered on his face. He watched as the couple pulled away quickly, avoiding each other's gaze awkwardly. He couldn't help to snicker at the sight of the two being so embarrassed. They showed no sign of romance now.

"Your ride isn't going to wait forever ya know." Ling joked as he chuckled slightly. Alphonse's face was set aflame as a the red blush darkened. The dark blonde nodded slightly picking up his brief case filled with notes and calculations. Ling could practically see the bulge in the poorly treated bag. He really had done it this time he thought as he let out a slight sigh. If the blonde dropped it, surely there would be a million papers scattered across the floor, and Ling would be the first to laugh. The emperor looked back at his distant relative with a hint of pity. He had just cut short their first kiss he thought. The princess stood there with her head down in embarrassment, she stared at her feet, not daring to look up.

Despite her efforts to hide her face, she knew this would be the last she would see of him and she didn't want to waste a second. She looked up, her gaze meeting his. Her blush was uncontrollable as it deepened. Managing a slight smile, she nodded to him, giving him permission to proceed. He nodded back knowing exactly what she was saying. In the few months of being together, they managed to establish a non verbal way of communication of their own. Their conversation went something like this:

'You can go ahead Alphonse.'

'I'll miss you though'

'So will I.'

'Till next time?'

'Till next time.'

And Alphonse picked up his luggage and brief case, giving Ling a goodbye pat on the shoulder he walked towards the outer entrance of the palace. He stopped to take one last good look at Mei. He gave her a final smile as he waved his hand behind him. His light brown over coat trailed behind him as he walked away.

He loaded his luggage on his ride and took off on his long journey home.