"Young Master ... " Ran Fan shifted uncomfortably in the eloquent, elaborately designed robes that hung off of her body. Her side itched, but she was forbidden to scratch it. Stupid robes. The 12th Prince of Xing turned, his expression all smiles, his gaze set upon the girl who stood before him.

"Yes, Ran Fan?" He replied, moving toward her swiftly while managing the weight of his own robes quite easily. As a prince, Ling had grown up wearing robes such as these quite often, every time for a different ceremonial purpose. On the contrary, this was the first time his bodyguard had worn clothing of such high social status. It made her feel important ... important, and quite uncomfortable.

"I .. I think .." Ran Fan's face flushed with embarassment, "I think I have them on wrong." Ling grinned, amused by how easily his guard was flustered. His grin only made Ran Fan blush more and turn her gaze toward the side; it didn't help much, however, as she could still feel his gaze upon her, clad in her all-too-noble, all-too-imperial robes. Ling moved to her side, inspecting the robes and the way they hung off of her lithe frame.

"Hmm ..." He mused, pinching the fabric between his fingers in some areas, shifting the robes so that they fit snugly on her body. Finally, he stood back and took a final look before smiling in approval.

"You look beautiful, Ran Fan," He commented, his voice light and flirty. The comment caused the girl's flush to darken.

"T-Thank you, Young Master." Ling's smile became his trademark grin as he moved toward her once again, reaching out a hand to lightly run his fingers upon her hair, which was tightly tied into the usual bun. Yes. His bodyguard was quite a sight to behold in these clothes ... she was a sight to behold while wearing anything, and Ling was proud to have such a wonderful, beautiful, talented girl as his guard. His eyes gazed intently upon the dark hairs on her head, running his finger down toward the bangs and tufts of hair that framed the sides of her face. His gaze met hers and he marveled in the darkness of her eyes, the flush upon her cheeks ... she was beautiful. However ...

"Something's missing," He stated, retreating his hand and tapping his forefinger upon his chin while he pondered what could possibly make her attire complete. A lightbulb clicked on in his head and he grinned, turning toward a small desk in the corner of the room and striding over to it, opening a drawer and taking out a jade green jewelery box. He carefully lifted the lid, lifting from the velvet-lined insides of the box a small, beaded comb that looked to be the exact same jade green shade as the box from which it came. Ling fingered the item fondly, turning once more and striding over to his still-waiting guard with quick steps. Carefully, he placed the comb in her hair, right at the point where her hair tie and her bound hair met. Ling took a step back and admired the way the ornament sat in her hair; it completed her attire, complementing the fabric of the robes she bore ... Just as she completed him.

"There," Ling breathed, his strong hand taking her small, calloused one in it and leading her toward a mirror so that she may see how gorgeous she looked. As she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection, her eyes trailed upward toward the comb that he had placed so fondly into her hair. She was tempted to reach up and touch it, however, she resisted that urge. Ling saw the curiosity in her eyes and chuckled to himself.

"It was my mother's. She wore it when she was married to my father. It was passed down to her by her mother, and her mother before her," He explained, smiling gently at the girl he had grown so fond of. Ran Fan's eyes widened, and she tried to sputter out a protest to wearing something that was so precious to him, but he only smiled and placed a finger to her lips to keep her from speaking anything more.

"Yes, Ran Fan. This item is precious to me," He said softly, tracing her lips with the finger he had used to stop her talking. She let out a shaky breath and he moved his hand so that he was stroking her cheek tenderly.

"That's why ... it is only fair that something so precious be worn by someone precious to me," Ling concluded with a smile. Ran Fan closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

"Thank you, Young Master ..." She finally said after a moment of silence, opening her eyes and allowing him to catch glimpse of the small smile on her face.

"I shall return this once we finish this evening .." Ling shook his head, the proud smile still evident on his face.

"No, Ran Fan. You keep it. Mother would have wanted me to pass it on to the woman I cared most for. Besides .." Ling reached up and fondly caressed the ornament with one finger before returning his gaze back toward her, grinning his usual grin.

"... It suits you quite well." Ran Fan gazed at her reflection, standing close to the man she had given her heart to, and who she would give her life to protect; she couldn't help but agree with his words.

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Disclaimer: I, Fullmetal Ai, hereby claim that I do not own the series of Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist), or any and all characters associated with the series, including the characters of Ling Yao and Ran Fan. These beautifully structured characters belong to the ingenious Hiromu Arakawa; this fiction is merely for creative entertainment purposes.