wow, it's been awhile since i updated, huh? almost a month. but not quite! i'll do my best to update more often...please enjoy!

"My Knight; My Princess"

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option"

Looking at his face through the dim, orange light, she noticed two scars on his face; one over his left eye, the other on his chin. His smile gave off an air of bloodthirstiness; the kind she faced once before during her fight with Gluttony. This time, however, she didn't feel the worry of being swallowed whole. She could feel his eyes moving all over her. The very thought of it made her skin shiver- not in the way Ling could either.

She stared at him, occasionally blinking from his feet to his face to his saif. While she was at his feet, she saw it budge slightly; looking up quickly, a small thin light flashed beside her head, she quickly jerked her head to the side. As she blinked once more, she saw a flash, like lightning. It was quick, but hard. And it HURT.

Her entire mask was now in pieces around her feet. Ashamed that someone had actually broken her mask a second time, she doubled backwards with her collar at her mouth. If her mask hadn't have been there, her nose would have been broken; even though blood was flowing from her nose, there wasn't enough of the pained feeling for it to be broken.

Looking irritated, "You're face is so pretty…" he said, running towards her. The fact that this man found pleasure in her face filled her with disgust.

Feeling outnumbered by her single opponent…she attempted to flee to the upper deck, only to be stopped by a jerking feeling on her ankle.

"Don't run away pretty lady…" the man sneered, "I just want to CUT YOU TO RIBBONS!"

He yelled out as he took a knife from his pocket, stabbing her in the left shoulder. Lan Fan cried out in pain. Grabbing her left arm, she thought to dash to the stairway, the automail man's unconscious body was the only thing stopping her now.

Just as she was about to run, the huge man grabbed her by her sash, pulling it off- he attempted to tie it around her arms, preventing her escape, she was, thankfully, quicker than he was.

Now she was more annoyed than scared.

Unusually for her, she hollered out, "Stop it!"

The huge man shouted back as he violently swung himself on top of her, holding her down on the floor, "NO!"

Sending him a swift kick in the gut, she ran away as fast as she could.

Panting, Lan Fan rushed up the stairs, nearly tripping on her way up. After catching her breath a bit, she straightened up her posture and looked around. Opening her palm, she looked sadly at the broken pieces of her mask…remembering how nicely Alphonse had made it look the first time it was broken. Glancing up, she realized this wasn't the place she had remembered. The floor was red and the carpet felt hard as she bent down to check it with her hand-the line of human flesh on her upper left shoulder stung slightly from her wound, her vision was getting blurry.

Now she couldn't remember which direction she came from. Where was Alphonse? Where was the door?

Where was the…tofu….and rice cakes…

It's black…

"Lan Fan? LAN FAN!"

That voice…

"Alphonse…?"

"Don't talk, Lan Fan…I found you collapsed in the hallway. Are you alright?"

"Mm…" she mumbled very quietly, almost sleepily. As her eyes drifted open, they adjusted to the brightness of the room. To the left, a blue curtain. To the right, a small silver stand with surgical tools and a glass of water were all that she could see.

Feeling around with the small amount of movement her body felt like giving her, she felt the coldness of the soft sheets.

She was in a hospital bed; rather, what FELT like a hospital bed.

Just as she felt like closing her eyes to rest, the door squeaked open.

She lifted her head up slightly to see if she could catch a glimpse of anyone who walked in the room. The only thing she was wearing was a hospital gown; she could see them on a chair in the corner…neatly folded?

Soon as she looked back to the now closed door, the footsteps of a light-stepping person were drawing nearer.

"Lan Fan thank goodness you're alright!"

"Oh, it's just you Alphonse…" she weakly tried to sit upward, her hair was now very loose and falling in her creamy, white face.

"Just me?" He said, extending a hand behind her back, "Never mind. What happened to you?"

Lan Fan told the kind young man about the huge 'pirate' down below; as well as the truth behind Rinako. In the middle of her story she happened to look up to see Alphonse with a smiling face…little Alphonse had popped the image of peg legs and eye patches and wooden ships in his head, Lan fan had to shake him out of his mild little fantasy. Afterwards, they had an exchange of sorts.

"While we are here, Alphonse, We HAVE to look out for one another."

"Lan Fan I appreciate the concern but-"

"-I'm serious! That man was hard enough for me to handle…"

"You think Rinako will be a problem?"

Lan Fan brushed it off, "That token wench? Not really."

Alphonse laughed silently…a little scared of Lan Fans honesty, "I feel the same Lan Fan."

"Good…can you…um…?"she asked shyly as she handed him the broken pieces of her past…

Alphonse grabbed them and smiled, "Of course Lan Fan!"

He set them all separately on the cold floor of the hospital; each in a place he thought would piece together. Putting his big hands together along with a bright blue flash, her mask was fixed just as the day it was given to her.

Just like he fixed it before.

"It always amazes me how you do that…"

Alchemy and Alkehestry had become the norm for Alphonse, "It's not so amazing when you break it down…" he said kindly as he handed back her new and improved mask. "Would you like to learn?"

"Oh! Me…um…" Lan Fan looked a bit puzzled, but only for a moment.

As she was about to answer, a young man entered the white room. He was tall and gangly, with an orange bandana covering his head. The black hair stringing out of the sides of it near his ears, along with the black, thin eyes…he was part of the East. He, too, was wearing only a vest; it WAS buttoned though, and blue. He immediately placed his arms up, which were made of automail, to show his palms. It was, in fact, the same fellow who had attacked her in the boiler room.

"Lan…Fan, yes?"

"You're the man from below…" she eyed him. "What do you want? Don't underestimate me just because I'm injured!"

"Ie! I just want to talk to you!" the man defensively put his hands up higher.

"Talk? Right."

Through playing around, and a little irritated she would have to fight in such revealing clothes, she practically flew out of the soft bed, grabbing a metal object on her way to the defenseless man.

"No Lan Fan!" Alphonse quickly transmuted a wall with the tile floor, "Let's hear him out…"

She agreed with a head-nod and lowered her weapon as Alphonse lowered his wall. She stared angrily at the bandana man, then realized…

"Wait…Where's your wound?"

"I…Healed it. I'm an Alkehestrist. That's the only reason I'm even with that huge man, Kyodaina Otoko…he's a horrible, horrible person…"

"So why are you with him?" she jabbed the metal tool close to his face.

"Because…I just- Can't explain! Look! Please believe me! I want to help you stop him!"

"Why would I want to stop him?" she jabbed even closer.

"Because he knows your face…and you know what they are planning."

"What exactly does she want?" Alphonse pondered aloud.

"Riches…she IS our princess." the bandana said.

"Why would she need riches if she's a princess…?" he said, crossing his arms in a 'thinking' pose.

Alphonse didn't get it at all. Why would royalty scam other royalty?

Lan Fan didn't feel like talking anymore, "I'll explain later Alphonse."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the room before Alphonse said anything again.

"What country are we going to…um…your name?"

"Ah yes…I'm Jido Meru." he attempted to bow with his hands at his side, but then extended his one hand in peace. "And we are going to the nation of Hachikoi."

"Before I shake your hand, mind telling us why you are with such a horrible, horrible person?"

"I can't say. But it IS important. I have no choice…"

Lan Fan interrupted, "I don't know if we can trust you."

"Maybe not…if I told you my story now, you would think I was making it up, right?"

"He as a point Lan Fan…"

"Humor me."

Jido spoke once more, breathing in before he continued, as if he was about to spill everything at once. "I am very poor. I only have one sister, she's 9, she's very ill-"

"-So you're with this horrible thief because you want to pay for bills?" Alphonse said triumphantly.

"That's only half of it, really…I can't stand the way he works…" he stopped for a moment, trying to think.

As they were about to speak again, the shipmate of the metal ship entered the room. One of the nurses must have complained about the light and noise.

"About 24 hours and we'll arrive at Tama station…you kids okay?"

"Fine sir." Al assured him. As the man bowed and exited the room, it became silent once again.

"Let's go to sleep, Lan Fan."

"Watch your back, Alphonse Elric." she laid back down, knowing Alphonse would be near her to watch her back…

"No problem there."

Alphonse finished exiting the room to give her space and glanced at Jido once more. As the man stepped out of the room, things would be getting far more complicated for him. Then he wondered…

"Why couldn't Mei and I just be happy together…?"

Something strange occurred to him, he realized…he had yet to look at Gaston's fathers watch…pulling it out of his pocket, he pressed the button on the top to look at the time- still working. Gaston must take good care of it. He examined the sides where his title would be…

"The Zygote Alchemist…wait…what?"

Kyodaina Otoko means Huge Man. And his name Jido Meru means auto and mail…creative ain't I? ; )Mwahaha I bet all of you just googled that word at the end "Zygote" I'll explain with detail what it means…a hint 'it has to do with animals' think :Tucker. Hachikoi, btw is the name of a famous dog in Japan. His story is really sweet…and Tama is the name of a very special cat who runs a train station...no for the delay of chapters D: I'm just swamped with….being lazy. Sorry DX please review! Btw I just noticed…Al and Lan are around each other a lot in the manga…yet nobody shipped them o_0 let me know if you did!