A/N: From the mind of Hawkeyeflame1921. This chapter contains a little more language than usual, just to warn you.

Kissing Games:

Lonely Humans

They had both known the journey across the desert would be grueling. The fact that they had a corpse and a small child with them made that obvious enough, but they didn't think they would complicate the trip for one another to boot.

Ling remained silent as they traveled to the edge of Amestris, stopping only near the border to stock up on supplies before engaging the vast wasteland of sand before them. Lan Fan, during that time, hadn't been inclined to speak up or prod him; after all, she was dealing with all that had happened as well.

It pained the two teens to admit it, but May seemed to be handling this stress best of all. She seemed almost pleased with the aftermath of the Promised Day. Then again, she hadn't lost anyone.

Once they embarked on the desert leg of their return trip, it started to grow painfully obvious that the two were doing their best to avoid and ignore each other. Whether they did it on purpose or on accident was hard to tell, until one night when a curious May started asking a frustrated Lan Fan questions.

They sat around a fire as they took their break for the night. In a little while they would start moving again—best to move at night to keep their blood flowing and warm, but May needed the break and the other two weren't about to complain.

Ling had left to have some time away from the group—using the poor excuse of needing to stretch. He stood out in the distance, out of earshot, but within visibility, staring at the moon as it hovered above the horizon. Lan Fan let out a defeated sigh as she watched him.

"What's wrong?" May piped up, startling the elder girl.

"It's nothing," Lan Fan muttered, still looking out towards Ling.

"What's going on between you two?" the girl asked, causing Lan Fan to reluctantly turn her attention from her young lord.

"I'm his bodyguard; it's my duty to watch him at all times," she explained, ever patient.

"That's not what I meant." May crossed her arms and stared down Lan Fan as best she could, considering her small size. "I meant, why are you two not talking? You seemed like a couple at one point, but now it's as if you don't even want to look each other in the eye."

"Perceptive for a child, aren't you?" Lan Fan asked, completely ignoring the accusation otherwise.

"Don't brush me off," May demanded, standing up and causing the flames of the small fire to flicker. "Come on, we're practically sisters, right? You can tell me!"

"That's very kind of you, but this isn't something for children," Lan Fan responded, turning away from the girl, who plopped down with a humph. Lan Fan didn't mean to act cold or rude towards the child, although no doubt she was coming across as condescending.

The thing was… She herself wasn't sure what was going on. Young Lord had been so silent and cold lately, but not in the same way he had been when Greed polluted his body. There was the familiar warmth of the old Ling still burning within him, but at the same time, she could sense the painful birth of a new side of him—one she didn't recognize or understand.

And that scared her more than anything.

How was she supposed to protect him if she didn't know what he was thinking? How did she keep an eye on him if he became unpredictable? What would she do if he lost his need for her? What if he replaced her with finer guards once they returned?

I couldn't even keep my own damn grandfather alive.

"No tears, Lan Fan."

Her head snapped up in surprise to see Ling standing before her, a slight scowl on his lips, hands in his pockets. She couldn't help but wonder if he realized he had picked up that uncaring look from Greed. Glancing around she also realized that May had left, presumably giving them a chance to talk alone.

Perceptive child.

"Tears?" she asked after a moment. He reached down and rubbed his thumb over her cheek, his touch causing her to flinch. He offered up his thumb and she peered at it. Sure enough, liquid stained his digit. "I'm sorry, Young Lord."

"Can we cut the 'Young Lord' crap until we get back to Xing?" he asked in irritation, taking a seat next to her. "It's bad enough I'm supposed to feel like I won something. I don't need anyone rubbing it in."

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, not sure what exactly she was apologizing for. He heaved a sigh and buried his head in his hands.

"It's my fault," he mumbled to himself.

"You—Ling?" she asked haltingly, reaching a hand out towards him. Suddenly he slammed his fists on his knees, throwing his head back to glare at the sky. Lan Fan pulled her hand back quickly as she saw tears escaping and falling freely on the desert sand.

"Fuck," he growled, clenching his teeth. "I should be happy right now, so why not? I got the damn immortality, I won the damn race, so why…" he trailed off and lowered his eyes to look at her, tears still spilling out. "Why does it hurt… so damn much… every time I look at you?"

Lan Fan sat there, unsure of how to respond. All the pain in his eyes… how did she deal with that? How did she make it better? She had never been good at dealing with emotions, no matter what kind they may be. She felt tears prick at the corners of her own eyes, in response to his sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry, if I've failed you in some way," she apologized bowing her head. He clenched his teeth and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Don't you dare apologize to me," he commanded, rushing in and pressing his lips roughly against hers. All of his raw emotion and pain exploded into the kiss as he worked to get a response out of her, but instead—against her own wishes and his—she pushed him away.

"I have as much reason as you to apologize," she explained quietly as he gazed at her, hurt evident. His hand dropped from her face as he lowered his eyes mournfully.

"What do you have to apologize for?" he demanded softly. "For losing your grandfather? Do you even realize it was my fault he died? For losing Greed? That was my fault too."

"Is this really about my grandfather or is it just about Greed?" she exclaimed sharply, causing him to look up in surprise. He'd never seen Lan Fan look so angry before, not at him anyway. "My grandfather died for you like he was supposed to. Don't pretend you care just to cover up the fact that you're really mourning that homunculus!"

"Pretend?" he echoed in astonishment. "Fu was like another father to me—a better father than I ever had. It kills me inside; every time I think about the fact that it's my fault we're carrying him home in a body bag!" He reached out and gripped her shoulders firmly, anger brewing in his features. She glared back at him fearlessly, her grief for her grandfather overcoming her respect for him.

"And what about Greed?" she demanded coldly. His glare softened and his grip on her shoulders loosened slightly.

"Greed never replaced the importance of the two of you," he whispered. "But he was like a brother to me. We shared the same mind for a time and that—that feeling…" he trailed off and choked off a sob as his eyes became misty. "You have no idea," he gasped. "You can never know what it's like to have your best friend torn from your mind." He gritted his teeth, bracing himself against the tears.

Lan Fan wordlessly leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him as his hands fell away from her shoulders.

"It's going to be okay Ling," she whispered, placing as much comfort as she could offer into those few words. Ling finally gave in, hugging her tightly with all the pain he had locked away during their journey. His sobs shook both their bodies as he finally shared his burden.

Lan Fan bowed her head and allowed him to take as much comfort from her presence as he could, but deep down she knew he was right: she could never truly know that feeling.

That horrendous feeling when something so important was taken away in the blink of an eye. That she could understand. Mentally speaking, losing her innocence had been a painful experience, losing her grandfather, even more so. But what could it be like to lose who you are in the inside, and lose someone dear to you, at the same moment? She could never even begin to imagine.

Ling stopped sobbing first, but he still shook with the rush of emotion. His breathing started to slow, and then finally, he lifted his head from her shoulder to look her in the eye. This time when he leaned in towards her, he was gentle, cautious, but much more himself.

He pressed his lips softly against hers and she responded in kind, silently praying that he would grow stronger—triumph over this great weight placed on his shoulders. He broke away after a moment, eyes still misty, but now under control. She smiled softly at him, feeling like he had shown a bit of his old self at last.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to pull all of that on you." She leaned into his chest, giving him a gentle squeeze.

"It's okay," she answered quietly. "I know it hurts, but it's okay. You're going to be a great emperor, and you're going to make sure no one else ever has to go through what you had to."

"What makes you so sure?" he asked, pulling her into his lap, needing to feel like he could protect even one person.

"You're greedy," she explained easily, feeling sleep drifting in on her. "You'll want to keep that experience all to yourself." She felt him press his lips to the top of her head and let out a slow, measured breath.

"Damn greedy," he agreed.

A/N: Hey my LingxLan/general readers! Please, please tell me what you think of this one! The tone was quite a bit different, but I think it's my favorite so far. Tell me if I'm crazy and imagining things!