This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story, so I hope it goes over well. Here's chapter one!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I WISH I owned it, but it is owned by Hiromu Arakawa.
"How about this place, it looks nice!"
"They're in the middle of a civil war right now, do you really want to take the kids there?"
"Good point. How about here? They've got some great-"
"Daaaaad, I don't want to go to a place with snow! We get enough of that here!"
"Alright, alright. Well, what about a day trip to the-"
"Now dear, remember what happened to you the last time we went thereā¦"
"Why can't this family pick a vacation spot!" Edward Elric threw up his hands in frustration, sending the travel brochures flying across the table. Winry sighed. Their son, Sam, sat quietly, holding his little sister Trisha.
The former alchemist sat with his head in his hands. "Why don't we go to Xing?" Winry suggested. "May tells me they have wonderful cuisine there."
Ed looked up, his golden eyes full of exasperation. "Because," he started, "if we go to Xing, I'm going to have to deal with that idiot prince, who'll probably want us to go visit him and rip us off with food-"
"But Edward, Lin's the emperor now, he's probably changed."
Edward was about to make some witty retort back to his wife, when Sam perked up.
"Daddy, you know the emperor of Xing? The country to the East? The one we learned about at school?" Before Ed could respond, his son plowed on. "Can we go to Xing and meet him? Can we? Can we? Please please please please PLEASE?"
Edward couldn't help but smile at his son's enthusiasm. "Sorry Sam, but I don't think the emperor of such a huge nation like Xing would take the time to see an old man like me."
"Oh, don't flatter yourself," Winry said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "Of course Lin would take the time to see you! You're an old friend."
Edward smiled, somewhat painfully, at the memories his wife's words brought back. "We should visit Alphonse and May while we're there."
Sam looked eagerly from one parent to the other. "So we are going to Xing? And we're going to see Uncle Al and Auntie May? AND the emperor? YAHOO!" Before anyone could stop him, he had handed Trisha over to Ed and was off and running out the door, whooping, "We're going to Xing! We're going to Xing!" the whole way.
"I guess we have to go to Xing now," Edward said. He did his best to look and sound annoyed as he said that, but Winry could tell that he was really looking forward to seeing Al and May again, and even Lin, no matter how many times he told her he hated "that stupid, idiot prince." Winry smiled. Their first family vacation was going to be perfect.
