"Gahhh, this trip is taking forever!" whined Ed as he kept fidgeting in his seat, facing his siblings. "I really believe it would have taken less time if we had cut across the desert like May and Ling did!"
"Probably, but from what I've heard, Xing handles illegal border crosses much more harshly than Amestris does. The risk isn't worth it, brother." explained Al as he rested his head in the palm of his hand and looked out the train window. Aura had fallen asleep with her head on Al's shoulder, the discomfort of the train didn't affect her need to get some rest. Ed looked at her and let out a chuckle.
"Well it's nice to see someone can manage to be comfortable here." said Ed sarcastically.
"She's been through a lot, she could use the rest. Who knows how badly that guy's attack affected her and her stone. I know Granny checked her out and didn't find anything wrong, but still..."
"Yeah Al, I know, I was joking anyway. We'll find that guy and stop him before he can pull anymore crap like that. I'll smash that box into his face for putting her through that much pain. I wish she had stayed home where it's safe, but she wouldn't have listened to me anyway. Better for us to go together than for her to take off alone." Ed leaned up against his window and watched the desert pass by. The movement from the train made the sand blend together, giving it the appearance of a glittering brown ocean. Ed stared at it and gradually began to doze off. Al smiled as he watched his brother attempt to fight sleep only to give up soon after. It shouldn't be much longer now, I've made this trip several times so it doesn't seem as boring to me. Plus it'll be nice to see May again.
Aura and Ed woke up as the train screeched to a halt near the border of Xing. They stood up and stretched before grabbing their belongings and walking out onto the platform. The border customs line was long, and the three grudgingly took their place at the end of it.
After what seemed like hours, they finally made it to the front of the line, where border patrol officers were checking passports and other documents before allowing people into Xing. They approached the counter together and stated their names and purpose for visiting. The officer asked more questions, many of them rather pointless and redundant. Al and Aura didn't seem bothered by it and answered quickly, while Ed grew more irritated.
"Well, it appears that everything is in order. Just one moment, please." The man left the counter and approached one of the guards posted by the gate. He spoke briefly with him, and after the guard nodded and walked away, he returned to his post at the counter. "Okay, you may continue through the border gate, welcome to Xing." the counter officer said in a flat monotone voice. Al was suspicious of the man's interaction with the guard, but Ed was relieved to be done with customs and quickly walked away.
Upon entering, Ed and Aura noticed that Xing didn't appear to be much different from Amestris. They continued into what became a main street with shops crowded close together on either side. People were everywhere, yelling out orders or negotiating prices for items they wanted. Aura took her time, looking to see what each shop was selling. She was reminded of her first visit to Central, when she and Winry had visited shops while Ed and Al reported to HQ. Everything was so new to her then, she just wanted to take it all in, the different styles of clothes, foods, everything. That same novelty came back to her as she walked through the crowd, following her brothers.
Ed led the group to the far end of the market, where it was less crowded and noisy. "Now I'm not exactly sure where to start with searching for this guy. Al, you've been here more than we have, where should we start?"
Al started to speak, but was distracted by the sight of a multitude of guards approaching from every direction. "I thought something was up when that border officer took off to speak with the guard. I bet he thought something was suspicious and alerted them to us!"
"Well no kidding, genius, but what do they want with us? I knew we should have cut across the desert!" Ed said as the group of soldiers closed in around them.
"You three have got a lot of nerve to set foot in this country." yelled a voice behind the guards, sounding very mad. "After everything that's happened, you aren't even going to let your old buddy Ling know you're in town?!"
They turned in the direction of the voice as Ling Yao appeared with a huge smile on his face, followed closely by his bodyguard Lan Fan.
"Your Majesty!" exclaimed Alphonse as Ling and Lan Fan stopped in front of their group.
"Ling! What the hell are you doing her- OWW!" Ed yelled out as Lan Fan smacked him over the head with the paper fan she was carrying.
"How dare you speak to our Emperor with such disgrace! He deserves the utmost respect and honor!"
"Fine, but didja have to hit me to get that point across?!" Ed scowled at Lan Fan before straightening up and raising his hand to his brow in a salute, only to be jabbed in the ribs by his brother.
"OO-OFF! What did I do now?!"
"You're supposed to bow, you idiot!" whispered Al as he returned to his bowing position before the Emperor.
"Wha...? Oh, my bad." said Ed as he mimicked his brother's pose and bowed in front of Ling.
"Now now, there's no need to be so formal, friends!" Ling said as he signaled for the guards to stand down. "I would have expected you to sneak across the desert to come here. Coming in through border customs? Where's the fun in that?!"
"We're sorry, we didn't mean to cause any trouble, Your Majesty!" said Al nervously.
"It's no trouble at all, and stop being so formal Al. You've visited enough to know I hear it nonstop throughout the day. I won't tolerate such formalities from some of my closest friends. And who's this?" Ling paused as he looked at Aura. "If I didn't know any better, this girl could be your sister, guys."
"That's because she is our sister, Ling." Ed replied while rolling his eyes. "It's a long story, but yes, this is our sister Aura. And she's part of the reason we're here."
"Well, it would be rude of me to expect you to tell me the purpose of your visit without first offering you some refreshments and shelter. Why don't you guys stay at my place while you're here?"
"You mean the palace!" Ed blurted out loudly.
"Yes, Ed, the palace. Try not to overwhelm yourself before we even get there. I am quite interested in this long story of yours and don't want you to tire yourself out before I get a chance to hear it. Lets be on our way then." Ling said as several of his guards offered to carry their bags and suitcases, to which the weary siblings graciously accepted.
...
After everyone arrived at the palace and had a chance to rest from their trip, Ling had his guests meet him in the dining hall, where he had a feast prepared for them. Once everyone had had their fill, including Ling, whose appetite was still as voracious as ever, they gathered together at one end of the massive dining table. Ed proceeded to tell the story of how Aura arrived in their world, with Al and Aura chiming in to add a detail here and there. Ling listened with great interest as Ed told him about the man that had kidnapped Winry and himself and attacked Aura with some strange mechanical device. It upset him greatly when he was told that the man was Xingese.
"My, this truly is distressing news. To think that one of my subjects would do something so cruel. I'm sorry to say that I have no knowledge or information that could help you in this matter. But I'll do everything in my power to help you find the person responsible."
"Thank you, Ling. We could use all the help we can get considering we're not even sure where he was headed. He did mention that he was going to be seeing Aura again soon and that he had come too far to fail now." Al said.
"So it's fairly certain that whatever this person intends to do, he needs Aura to make it happen." Ling replied.
"Yeah, that's one of the few facts that we have right now. Although..." Ed paused as something occurred to him. "If he needs Aura to complete whatever he's supposed to be doing, what sense would it make to get further away from her?"
"It would make more sense to stay close to her, and wait for the most opportune moment to grab her." said Ling as he started to follow what Ed was getting at.
"So it's likely this guy is here in Xing, waiting for his moment to strike. Is that what you're saying?" Lan Fan chimed in.
"That's exactly what I'm getting at," replied Ed. "So where does that leave us, Emperor Ling?"
"Well it looks like we have ourselves a fish to catch." Ling said as he turned to Aura. "And you can't catch a fish without bait, right dear?"
