Three weeks later…

Ed blocked a kick with his left hand. His movement being intercepted, Jay tried kicking the shorter fighter's head. This time, the alchemist ducked and came up with an uppercut, ending the fight. After standing up, the two of them bow, as was custom of the dojo.

"Jay," began Sifu Huang, "work on your fighting style. You need to balance your fighting style; stop using kicks all the time and start punching. If not, improve your strength and knowledge then." The master turned to Edward, "And you, keep up the good work," he commented before throwing Ed a few bronze coins.

After counting them, Ed figured he had enough to buy himself a decent meal. Life had been a little kind to him. The people of the Fire Nation, as his master had told him, cherished their honor very well. But some take it the wrong way, some, like the soldiers, take their honor a little too far. Master Huang believed in balance, explaining how he treated Ed with more humanity than others. A well treated person, the man had reasoned, has less of a reason to hurt someone than an abused one.

And he was right; Ed saw no reason to hate the man. Sure, he was treated a bit unfair at first, but Sifu Huang's student didn't know how to treat slaves. Later, he was given as a gift to the master. The master started him out with easy jobs at first. Cleaning the halls and sweeping the entrances were a few to name. But afterward, the master decided to use Ed as a sparring partner for the students who came to the dojo.

For the first few days, the alchemist could barely match their level with only one arm. But after a while, he became stronger, thus, he was rising in level. And, now, anyone who defeated him in hand to hand combat was praised immensely.

Although the life he had was somewhat satisfying, he had attempted to escape several times. His first time, he drew an alchemy array while everyone was asleep. He'd plan on using it to get rid of the slave cuffs on his wrists. To his surprise, the array didn't work. After double checking his circle, he tried again. Still, nothing happened, causing great confusion to the young alchemist. Several more tries were made; none of them gave the slightest hint of working. Having given up, he pondered why it didn't work as it should've. He never figured it out. Instead, he started focusing on learning the language. Then, in no less than a week, did he mastered the majority of Chinese.

Back in the present, Ed had returned from his lunch. Sifu Huang noticed, "Ah, Zhanshi," the old man began, "I needed to talk to you about something." Over his stay, Huang had given him a new name since slaves weren't 'allowed' to keep their real names.

After leading Ed into the practice area, Huang turned around to face his slave. "As you know, this dojo once housed some of the best Fire-benders today." A moment of silence was given to the young alchemist to absorb the information. "The previous master could see potential fire-benders by watching their movement and personality. After he passed away, he taught me how to see this-" but he was interrupted.

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say, Zhanshi," he began, "is that I believe you have the potential of a fire-bender… Will you accept the training I offer to you?"

The alchemist was taken back, to say the least. "Why would you train a slave how to fight?"

"It is my duty to help anyone under this roof reach their full potential. You have most of the qualities fire-benders have, aggressiveness, no hesitation, and agility, and because you have the power to do so. Not all people of the Fire Nation can bend fire. You seem to be a special case, not descending from our lines."

"But that still doesn't explain why you want to teach me," Ed interrupted.

The master closed his eyes, "Why? It is because I do not care if you escape or get away. I can always make the other students do your work."

Edward paused to consider what the man had told him. Sifu Huang had given him a place to stay, food, and some money. Accepting his training would be like thanking the old man indirectly. On the other hand, accepting training would be like agreeing to the fact that he was staying there. But then again, learning the art of Fire Bending would very useful… Finally he gave his answer, "Fine, I'll take your training."

Huang smiled, "Good. Now, the first step is breath; do as I do…"


Winry checked the soup to see if it was burning. Looks okay…she thought. Sprinting, she made her way over to the rice, it's ready. She scooped it out into a bowl before adding cooked meat. After placing it on a metal tray, she grabbed another bowl and filed it up with soup, and then she finished it off by placing a spoon and chopsticks on the tray. Picking it up carefully, she began her walk down to her master's bedroom.

As always, he made her eat some of it first to check for poison. Only then would he eat it. "You've gotten better, Zhu," he commented as he ate. "You may leave."

She bowed, as was custom, before leaving to do her other chores. Her master was strictest with her because, unlike the others, she was here not by her own free will. So whenever she attempted to escape, she would be beaten or whipped, depending on his mood. And whenever that happened, freedom became more distant and distant, leaving in its wake, despair of ever seeing a familiar face from Amestris again.

Her time here had been harsh. At first, it seemed alright. All she had to do was cook and clean for her master, but she was often jeered at from the paid servants. Still, she couldn't do anything about it. If anyone could see her now, Winry Rockbell, being pushed around and barely a threat from her, they'd probably mistaken her for someone else… or laugh…

Winry shook her head to clear her mind. For a moment, she thought she saw something in a corner. Probably nothing…she thought to herself. The place had started to feel eerie after her master had moved to a mountain home, far away from civilization. As she saw it, it wasn't a very good choice. But, hey, she was a slave, what did her opinions matter to anyone?

The Fire Nation, the servants had told her it was their nationality, seem to have the best technology out of everyone else, Air, Earth, and Water. Probably the only nation with the closest thing to the mechanics back home…

"Mmph-" she was silenced by a hand over her mouth. Apparently, someone had snuck up behind her when she was deep in thought. Angrily cursing in her head, she attempted to break free but was silenced when her captor knocked her out.


She opened her eyes slightly. At first there was a slight blur, but that was repelled quickly. Right now, she was more focused on figuring out what was going on. Tied up next to her were servants from the mountain home, and, not to far away, her assumed captors. From the dim light of the dawn sun, she could make out six figures, talking and, most likely, planning. Winry began struggling, trying to get loose from her bonds. Being soldiers, as the mechanic assumed, they tied down every one of them expertly.

Eventually, the friction between her and the rope caused enough noise to get the attention of the assumed soldiers. Muttering a curse behind her gag she held still, not knowing the soldiers next actions.

"You guys know what's wrong with this one? Her hair is a different color!" exclaimed one of them.

The taller one was the next to speak, "I heard that about three weeks ago, the Fire Nation bastards captured a foreign ship. I expect that she's one o' them."

"You really sure about that?"

He shrugged, "Well, it's the only thing I have in mind…"

"Either way, it doesn't really matter once we get these Fire Nation back to the rest of the army. After that… I don't know what will happen to them…"

"Good point." A moment of silence followed, "Right… Let's get back to our posts."

The soldiers left, but they supplied her with all the information she would need. These men were obviously a light infantry force, most likely from the Earth Kingdom judging from the color of their uniforms. Also, they seemed to specialize in stealth tasks. Even if she somehow miraculously escaped, they could hunt and track her down. After all, they were soldiers and she was just an abused slave.

Maybe once they get to the army, could she explain herself and be released. But that was also unlikely. Whatever her choice could be, she just had to wait now.

AN: Sorry I haven't updated for so long. There was a reason, yes, but it's still partly my fault. But, I'm still intent on finishing this, I know there are a lot of good fanfiction out there that have never been finished... So I'll do whatever I can to finish this one, at least.