Love

Ed and Al looked around, feeling slightly out of plase. Now, this is normal, really, so it didn't bother them all too much, but this place inperticular did give them a bit more amplifide feeling of awkwardness.

They had finally traveled to Xing, the contry next door. And they not only looked different in the cloths department, but in the body profile ingeneral. Every one they saw had the slanted eyes and long faces of Ling. Well, one thing Ed found enjoyable. Almost everyone was short!

"Ah! I might just live here one day..." Ed said, a happy grin on his face.

"Ahaha, what brother? Tired of not being able to look over people?"

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THEY COULDN'T HAVE A TEA PARTY WITH GRAINS OF RICE BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T SEE THEM!"

"Brother...! I didn't say any of that!" Al said with a chuckle, running after his helmet/head, which Ed had thrown into the crowd.

"Anyway, lets find somewhere to stay. I'm tired, and my ass is soure as hell... Those train seats could use som actual cushins, not just fancy fluffy cloth spred over them..."

"I think Cournal Mustang said to find the Saphire Dragon, which is more toward the middle."

"Aw! More walking?" Ed said, though he picked up his suit case and trudged on anyway.

Finally- to Ed at least- they got to the hotel, a fairly lugsurius building. Red, black, jade, gold and some other colors mixed together to create a spectacular scene that Al asumed must be the custom of this country.

"Brother, this way..." Al said trying to get his brother to follow him to their rooms. Ed, however was currently marvleing a pice of art work. Al never though Ed much of an art fan, so he had to see what it was.

"Al, look at this!" Ed said, once he noticed his brothers presence. Al studied the picture an found it to be something dedicated to alchemy. It was very larg, so much so, you could barly look at once pice of it and be able to see the rest. At most, they were able to see a transmutation circle, but it wasn't able to be used, as it was not actually a circle, it was an ovle, made to look like you were seeing it from an angle. Around it were many people, and two where in the middle, placeing what was to be transmuted there.

"Man, this thing is huge..." Ed said, managing to make it both complaining and awestuck.

"Haha... Yeah, it is... Come on brother. I thought you were tired?" Al said, and this seemed to snap Ed out of his wondering thoughts, and bring him back to reality, where he realized he could collaps on the marble floor, and sleep like an old man on a feather bed(1).

He managed to get up to their room however, and was asleep right when he was standing a foot away from the bed. Al had to pick him up- he'd follen onto the bed to where lower half was off the bed- and set him full on the bed.

"This food is AWESOME!" Ed said, shoveling mouthfulls of rice, veggies, and meat down the hatch.

"I'll have to put it on my list of things to try once I get my body back-"

"Please!" can the voice of a girl near by. "Can't I just go out on my own for once?"

Ed and Al looked over to see a young girl, maybe 17 or 18. He was looking with puppy dog eyes at the gaurd- at least he seemed to be a gaurd- with a pleading/pouting look.

"Mil Lady, please, you know you must be accumpainied. Who know what could happen to you?" an old woman said, comming out of a back room.

"What could happen to me? All the people love me, they'd never hurt me."

"Some one could." said the gaurd.

"I don't even know why you bother. Its not like its easy to kill me..." She said and finally managed to turn away from the gaurd. It was then that Ed and Al gasped.

Around her neck, like a choker, was a tattoo.