Chapter 3 is here!

i don't own FMA!

"My Knight; My Princess"

Where there is love, there is pain.

"How have you been, girl?" he tickled her yet again while he looked off into the distance.

Xiao Mei seemed to have gotten fatter and bigger. Which was a good thing of course. But nevertheless, she was still as adorable and cute when they last met.

Zampano and Jerso 'attempted' to pet her too but she just kept growling at them. They took this time to study the map of all the roads instead of beam at the cute -ahem- cat…

And speaking of adorable and cute who should he see running in the distance ahead, waving one arm in the air but none other than the 12th Princess of the Chang family?

Ah yes, she did get bigger and, he scolded himself for thinking so, curvier over the past 2 years.

She had cut her pretty long hair short…but it's still cute for her…still so black.

She had reached them by the time he was done thinking about her hair. He could smell various perfumes in it…she must be doing well. She shouted a big, hearty hello to the three of them.

For some reason he couldn't help but notice her face turn a bit red and her fingers all fidgety at her stomach. Why didn't she hug him like she usually did when he saw her?

As he went to give her a less awkward but not any less awkward than just standing there in silence over the shoulder hug his shoulder moving caught her eye and she just ran ahead and pointed to the mountain.

What was that pang in my heart just now?

"It- It's up here! Through this forest, over a river bend and we're at my house! Le-let's hurry up!" as she ran off, Xiao Mei followed behind her, with a kind of worried look on her face, if that was even possible.

Ah her voice sounds so grown up…

"What was that about?" Zampano wondered aloud, Jerso wondered as well but at the same time noticed a little frown form at the side of Als' face.

"I…don't really know. She kinda seems sad."

Suddenly she came back and shouted "Huanyíng guanglín Xing!"

"Nice to be here in Xing….Mei"

"Ahhhh what's that?" he could swear he heard teasing in that tone.

"What's what?"

"How did you know that's what she said?"

"Well you know…I heard 'Xing' so I assumed and…"

"HEY!"

Too late. He ran off ahead of them. Trying desperately to catch up to Mei, why did he feel his face feel hot?

Again, he heard snickering behind him.

Why are they always laughing to themselves? Their so weird…

When he finally caught up with Mei and Xiao Mei they had already reached the entrance to the bamboo forest she told them about. She quietly opened the giant bamboo gate and extended her arm out to show them in.

He smiled at Mei to try to at least make her smile a bit, but she just looked down again.

It was hot. Hotter than it is in the forests at home. Or maybe it was just him; was he still not used to his body? Or was it because of the climate again? It must be the climate…

Such silence. Not even Jerso and Zampano were talking, they were just marking the map again; Jerso had put some gooey stuff on a branch, and Zampano put some spikes from his back high above on a tree branch; maybe in case we come back and get lost? I wonder what kind of toad Jerso was, and what kind of pig thing Zampano was. Either way Alphonse was happy to have such people around him. He secretly wondered what it would be like to be a chimera. Then again, there were several people who had wondered about his body before. Best to leave that subject alone for a bit.

"So…Mei? Have you seen your, um, brother lately?"

He would give anything to break the silence. It was worse than being stuck walking around a hospital…like he usually was…

"Yes!" she smiled brilliantly, "I'm going to see Emperor Ling later this week. Miss Lan Fan has told me that he has been quite busy lately…after he helped the Chang family out of all of our poverty-ah you can see the tip of the palace right now!"

She jumped oh-so-perfectly on top of a tree branch, almost like a little monkey, but graceful like a…a princess monkey.

Zampano gave Al a boost with his shoulders so he could step on the tree branch too. Right next to Mei; again she turned red. Perhaps she was hot as well. Their feet were touching each other, all he could do was look at his feet. Zampanos' voice knocked him out of it so he could see the tip of the palace. It was so gold: he couldn't wait to see it with Mei.

"Ah. She's gone again…Xiao Mei where did she go?"

"nyuu…"