It hadn't taken Ling long to find the small building in which he'd known Ed, Al and Tauriel came from.

Ling could see it perched atop a nearby building with Fu and Lan Fan by his side, they'd escaped from their fight against the Elric brothers and managed to track the prince down in record time.

"The Ishvalan…" Lan Fan began, she searched for the words to describe the girl who had thrown her and her grandfather to the ground like dirt without any trouble. "She's – If I may speak my lord – that Ishvalan girl is not – she seems so monstrous. You can see it in her eyes, can you not? She is dangerous."

Ling tilted his head thoughtfully, thinking through Lan Fan's words of truth. Tauriel was dangerous and you could indeed see it in her eyes, but he could see pain too. When she looked at him, Tauriel had the eyes of something gazing at someone they had been fond of – and lost. However, she could shut off her eyes, it was as though one second they could be filled will emotion and memory and the next they were cold and blank, making a shiver jolt up Ling's spine.

She was interesting, yes.

Dangerous? Most certainly.

But a monster? Tauriel didn't have the eyes of a monster; she had the eyes of a fighter.

"We'll see what happens." Ling finally responded. "If we gain her trust, she'll be very helpful on our quest and if we don't….Well, I suggest we don't think about that." Ling grinned flippantly, as if this situation was a whole joke he'd created himself for his own amusement.

Lan Fan and Fu looked at each other warily.

When they turned back to look at their prince they screamed.

He had ran off.

Again.

"YOUNG LORD?!"


"Oh! Fancy meeting you here!" Ling cackled madly, slapping his sides frantically as Tauriel's eye twitched, her lips pursed and her body shook in badly concealed anger.

The sight was comically to say the least, Garfiel stifled a giggle at the scene. Tauriel's head snapped in his direction, a growl emitted from her now barred teeth which made Garfield squeal and jump back.

Ling finally stopped his fit of laughter, he cocked his head (a mannerism which, Tauriel inwardly noted, could be stopped if she ripped his head off) to the side, and the silly grin plastered seemingly forever on his thin lips.

"Tauriel! My, what a surprise, aren't the Elric brothers back yet? Oh what a shame! I suppose it's just us two and – "Ling gestured to Garfiel with a nod of his head. " – This fine gentleman!"

"Oh how kind!" The flamboyant man squealed with a shrill voice, his hands coming up to rest on his reddening cheeks. Tauriel gave him a strange look, her eyebrows raised and her mouth open as if it question the man's reaction – she than shook her head and turned back to scowl at Ling.

"What do you want?"

"Some tea would be nice."

"That's it!"

Tauriel jumped up to attack the prince, blinded by childish annoyance she didn't notice Ling side-stepping out of the way at the last second. Tauriel yelped as she hit the ground, Ling could hear what he thought was growling coming from Tauriel – but her face was still plastered on the ground so the Xingese youth could barely make out the sound.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess my reflexes are too fast." Ling laughed joyously.

"You won't dodge this you idiot prince…." Tauriel rumbled as she reached behind her to pull her sword out of the sheath that hung around her waist. She was never the diplomat of the Devil's Nest which was Greed as he could bullshit his way through almost everything. Tauriel got angry too quickly or she simply didn't care and her indifference to matters annoyed quite a few people.

The scene wasn't one of real malevolence, unbeknownst to Tauriel. If the teen had chosen to look hard enough she could have pictured Docletto instead of Ling, she could have heard Greed's laughter ringing in her head and she would have felt Roa's laugh ripple through her and Bido's bright eyes would have pierced the darkness of her (mock) anger.

But she didn't look hard enough,

Perhaps by choice because she knew that's what she would have seen and heard and felt.

Tauriel instead scoffed and tilted her head up, trying to stare down the taller boy.

"I'm waiting for my dear friends! The Elric brothers!"

"They hate you." Tauriel deadpanned.

Ling deflated in a mocking action, the girl curled her lip at Ling's action. All this seemed like a joke to him, she didn't need Ling slowing down the Elric brothers from their trip to Central. Tauriel needed to go to Central and confront Bradley, she needed revenge, to her every moment had to be serious or she'd lose her conviction.

"You're an idiot."

"I remind of you another idiot though, don't I?" It wasn't mocking, Ling's voice was laced with curiosity but it hit Tauriel hard.

She reached into her cardigan, her fingers feeling for a single dagger. In a second or less, Tauriel had a sharp dagger pressed against Ling's pale throat. There was no hesitation in her features (she ignored Garfiel's terrified yelp), no trembling in Tauriel's wrist – Ling knew she'd kill him in blind anger if he pushed enough.

"No, you don't." Tauriel grounded out. "I don't know anyone like that, I've been on my own for years. I don't know anyone." There was a part of her that angrily screeched at her not to forget and not to push the memories back but she couldn't be pulled down, she had to be strong when she slit the throat of the Fuhrer.

Ling put his arms up in surrender, his facial expression annoyingly calm but Tauriel noticed the single bead of sweat that slid slowly down the side of the prince's face and she grinned.

Ling felt the sharp pressure push off his neck. He, as subtly as he could manage, breathed out of mouthful of air he had previously been holding in.

"So," Ling began as he essayed a disarming smile. "How about some tea?"


Edward Elric couldn't stop the look of shock that filtered onto his face when he walked through the door, he had been tired and he just wanted something to eat and then he wanted to rest but things were rarely so simple in his life. In front of him sitting in a seat at the round table sat Ling fucking Yao, his eyes slits and his smile large and warm. On his right sat Garfiel and on the other side of the older man sat Tauriel. Ed's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Ishvalan, her posture screamed amusement and her eyes darted between Ling and Ed with forced glee.

"Hey," Ling put down his cup of tea and lifted up one hand to wave at Ed. "We meet again!"

Tauriel snorted into her beer (she'd rummaged around the room to find a bottle, once she found one Ling had charmingly offered her a glass but Tauriel's eye twitched and she made intense eye-contact with the annoying prince as she skulled the bottle of beer – her throat burnt but the look on Ling's face had been worth it) as Ed quickly ran at Ling and slapped his upside the head with his now detached Automail arm.

"Why the hell are you here?" Ed fumed with grinding teeth, his hands grabbed at the yellow collar of Ling's opened shirt and shook him angrily.

"Would you believe me if I say I fainted again?"

"IS IT APART OF XING CULTURE TO FAINT AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT?!"

"Well – "

"SHUT IT! AND PAY FOR ALL THE FOOD YOU ATE YOU PIG!"

"Aren't we friends? You bought me that food – "

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A FRIEND?!" Ed raged.

Al stood beside Tauriel, his head hung in shame at his brother's antics while Tauriel took another swig of her beer.

"HOW COULD I TRUST A GUY LIKE YOU WITH THOSE WEIRDO EYES?!"

"HEY I'M SENSITIVE ABOUT THAT!" It was the first time Tauriel had heard Ling raise his voice and she spluttered into her beer bottle again.

"I'M BORN WITH THESE EYES! WHY DO YOU THINK I SMILE ALL THE TIME? IT'D BE CREEPY IF I DIDN'T!"

"You know Ed," Tauriel giggled evilly, "You have some pretty weirdo eyes yourself."

"I'M STILL MAD AT YOU!"

"I'm back!"

Winry's sweet voice stopped Ed dead in his tracks, his angry rampage ceased as he turned to face his childhood friend with dread written all over his now pale face.

Winry's eyes were trained on the bench as she put down supplies and spoke on.

"The main street is fairly noisy, did something – "Winry finally turned her gaze to Ed, her smile froze when she saw Ed staring at her holding his Automail arm in his flesh hand.

"– Happen..."

Winry growled and Ed took a step back.

"Now come on Winry – "

"YOU LITTLE MORON!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!"

"YOU! YOU IDIOTIC KNUCKLE HEAD! YOU COMPLETE DIPSHIT! – "

"I'M SORRY!"

Tauriel sat on the counter as the dark haired girl and Al pocked Ed's groaning and bloody body with sticks, her gaze ventured over to where Ling was flirting with Winry and finally her gaze settled on her own hands.

"I need to go to Central as soon as possible!" Ed complained. "Winry, I need this arm fixed!"

Central….

The orphan girl closed her hands, her palms now starting to heal and no longer stinger when pressure was put, she stared down at her bandaged hands and saw them not only as hands but as tools. They were tools in her quest to kill Bradley, she'd torture him, slice his head off, strangle him with her bare hands – She'd make him weep as she had done.

When Tauriel looked up she saw Ling hanging off Ed's leg crying about wanting to go to Central with the trio.

"You ain't going." Ed and Tauriel growled at the same time, they then looked at each other and glared.

"Oh Mi – Tauriel it's so good you are and Ed are getting along!" Al cheered as he moved his body towards the door.

Tauriel and Ed shouted "WHAT" at the top of their lungs as Al continued to speak.

"And Ed! It's so good you have a new friend!" Al gestured to Ling who was still clinging onto Ed's leg.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO RUN AWAY?!" Ed screeched after his brother.

"It looks like us three will be spending a lot of time together!" Chortled Ling as he rounded up Ed and Tauriel and threw his arms around their shoulders.

"GO HOME!" Ed and Tauriel chorused with raised fists.


*Hey at least Ed and Tauriel agree on one thing, they both think Ling is annoying as hell.

We see Tauriel losing her temper horribly with Ling in this chapter, for some reason i really love Tauriel's darker side.*