Chapter Four

"So tell me everything that happened." Ed leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. The midnight train had left the station and they had just made it in time. Edward breathed a little easier once they were on their way, knowing that the chances of the hotel owner coming after him now was slim. "Do you have any idea who would do something like this?" Mae glanced up, trying to think back.

"Well now that you mentioned it, the leader of the group wasn't from Xing at all. He was from Amestris." Ed frowned back, giving her a dubious look.

"Are you sure about that?"

"He wasn't speaking Xingese. Also he asked Al if he was related to Hohenheim." That got Edward's attention and he practically jumped out of his seat.

"What? Why would that matter?" Mae shook her head back.

"Sorry, that was the only thing they seemed interested in. They didn't even want to take me along as a hostage." Ed clenched his teeth as he leaned back again and stared at the window at the dark countryside as it past. The idea that Hohenheim was causing all of this infuriated him more then anything. That bastard father of theirs was more trouble for them then he was worth as far as Ed was concerned.

"And what about your almighty Emperor? Why isn't he helping?"

"I spoke with him and he made it sound like he had better things to do. He also told me there wasn't enough evidence that it even happened. Like I didn't see it with my own eyes." Recalling the situation with Ling made her angry as well. With both of them fuming like this, it was a wonder if they would manage to help Alphonse at all. At least that was the conclusion Luan had come to as she watched them. For some reason she didn't trust Ed. He had made a phone call before they left the train station and she couldn't help but wonder who he needed to call so badly at this late hour.

"Great, so we're really limited once we get there." Edward's voice came out in a flat tone that revealed his annoyance with their predicament even more. The fact that Ling felt this was something that didn't concern him, made Ed want to punch him right in his royal smug face. Mae let out a yawn, covering her mouth politely. Ed's gaze shifted back to her. "You should get some sleep. We'll be in East City by the morning." She nodded back and tried to get comfortable. It didn't take her long to fall asleep and considering how much effort it took to find Ed, she was exhausted. Meanwhile Ed was wide awake, wondering what anyone would want Al for. And if the man behind it was actually from Amestris, how did he manage to convince anyone in Xing to help him? There was a lot about this that didn't make sense to him but the details didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was getting Alphonse back. Deciding he needed a plan, he leaned against the window, chewing on his thumb.

"Don't you need to sleep too?" The question came from across the aisle. Dragging his gaze over, he noticed Luan was clearly watching him in a suspicious manner. He frowned back at her.

"I'm thinking." She narrowed her glare at him as he let out a growl and turned back to the window. He knew Alphonse was capable of taking care of himself but it wasn't like when he was a hollow suit of armor. He could get hurt and he knew for a fact that he wasn't as big as he used to be. And as much as he had learned about Alkehestry in the past couple of days, Ed was still pretty limited too. He was going to need all the help he could get. He had already come to that conclusion before they had even left. And he was really pissed at Ling for not helping. He would help him if the tables were turned. The least the Emperor could do was lend them some of his guards. Edward would just have to convince him. A grin spread across his face, knowing that convincing Ling might involve knocking his Excellency unconscious. Negotiations had never really been Ed's strong suit. Still feeling as though he was being watched, he turned again to see Luan still looking in his direction.

"Would you quit that? You're driving me crazy." But she still kept her eye on him.

uuuuuuuuuuuuu

The sun had just started to rise over the hills when the train's whistle blew, announcing their arrival to East city. Mae stretched across the hard bench and sat up, rubbing her eye. Ed was still awake, leaning on his palm. He seemed to be impatient as he tapped his foot to no particular rhythm.

"Did you sleep at all," Mae inquired as she brought her arms over her head. The train came to a complete stop and he stood up rather quickly.

"It's difficult to sleep when someone is constantly staring at you." He pointed out Mae's servant.

"Luan!" Mae was obviously displease with her.

"It's part of my job. I can't help it." Ed sighed loudly as he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Anyway before we leave, I need to get some money and a few things first."

"I would have thought you'd want to leave the country as soon as possible."

"I do but someone blew all my stuff up."

"You threw me out a window." Luan placed a hand on her hip, deciding she wasn't about to take all the blame for everything that was going wrong in his life. He turned angrily at her and pointed his finger in her face.

"You attacked me first!" There was a rising note of annoyance in his voice while Luan remained composed.

"For someone that Mae supposedly thinks so highly of, you sure do whine a lot." He let out a frustrated growl that came out louder then anticipated.

"And for a bodyguard you sure do pick fights for no reason." Mae could see this was just going to escalate if she didn't get involved.

"Alright, that's enough of that. We've got more important things to do." The princess headed for the exit. Luan waited for Ed to follow Mae first but he took a step back instead.

"Ladies first," he insisted with his typical frown. She reluctantly agreed but still kept looking behind her at him. When she finally turned to see where she was going he stuck his tongue out at her. He really wished he was taking this trip alone. After so many months of being by himself, he seemed to prefer it. This body guard and even Mae were going to slow him down. But even though he wished he was alone in this, he knew he was going to need some help. But more then some a bean sprout and a bomb crazed servant. Going into a country he'd never been in, he was not about to get himself into a predicament he couldn't get out of. Not when Al was depending on him. He couldn't afford to be reckless like he usually was. As he stepped off the train, a faint grin spread across his face as he recognized two large men. They caught sight of him and he moved through the crowded platform over to them. "Hey, I wasn't sure you two would show up." The darker of the two shrugged back.

"Well you said you needed our help. We really didn't have any reason not to come," Darius admitted.

"Besides, Alphonse' protected me from Pride once. I sort of own him," Heinkel added. "So where's your little friend?" Edward was about to answer when there was a voice right next to his ear that practically caused him to jump out of his skin.

"Who are they?" Luan glared up at the two Chimeras, suspiciously. Ed pointed back to them with his thumb.

"They're my body guards." A large hand came down on his head and Darius leaned in on one side of him while Heinkel leaned in on the other.

"We're not your anything, kid," Heinkel growled. Ed nodded hesitantly, clenching his teeth. Despite how much he'd grown in the past several years these two freaks could still make him feel like he was tiny. As they let off of him, he readjusted his jacket and fixed his hair.

"Right, you just show up when I tell you to and are willing to go to another country to help me rescue my brother," he turned and narrowed his eyes at them. "Sounds like a body guard to me." Both of them crossed their arms and returned the glare.

"Like I said, I owe Alphonse," Heinkel reiterated.

"Yeah and he's not as cocky as you are." Luan let out a quiet snort.

"Well if they were your body guards you sure are good at making them angry." He glanced back at her with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, well where's Mae?" Luan's eyes widen with fear and she hurried away.