What happened to Fu's Animal?
Despite his urge to disappear into the thick trees surrounding him and the group he was with in order to track down his lord and granddaughter, Fu remained where he was. His sharp eyes watched as Darius helped Heinkel settle against one of the dozens of trees Pride had destroyed during his fight with Ed, Al, Ling/Greed, Hohenheim, Lan Fan, and their Animals. The lion chimera winced as his injuries flared in pain with the movements but he waved his friend's concern away. Edward, Ayala, Chester, and Calix were all asleep at the far end of the clearing with Alphonse watching over them while Hohenheim stood somewhat awkwardly in between Fu and the two chimeras, obviously unsure of what to do or whether he'd be accepted by any of them. Fu wasn't sure what exactly Hohenheim's history was with his sons but it was obvious to everyone present that his relationship with his eldest son was contentious at best.
Fu's attention was grabbed by Ayala when he spotted her moving out of the corner of his eyes and he watched as she lifted her head to check on Ed one last time before she fell asleep. Though she wasn't even remotely similar in looks, colouring, or species to Arya, the sight he'd just witnessed had the ever-present ache in his heart throb just a little bit more noticeably in his heart. He was pulled out of his grief by a soft voice calling his name and he glanced over to find Hohenheim watching him. "I was wondering if you would like to join us for a late meal?" the blonde-haired living Philosopher's Stone asked, gesturing to where there was now a joyfully crackling fire burning in front of Heinkel and Darius. "That is, of course, only if you want to," Hohenheim added.
Though he wanted to say that he couldn't because he needed to find Ling and Lan Fan, Fu nodded in acceptance. Ling didn't need them both with him and Fu trusted Lan Fan and Laika to be able to keep Ling and Greed out of trouble for another few hours until Promised Day arrived. "I would be honoured to join you in sharing a meal," Fu said, bowing deeply.
Hohenheim gestured for him to join them where they were gathering and Fu did so, moving at a more sedate pace than he normally would've if the prince was present. He couldn't, however, stop himself from constantly checking the woods for any signs of danger and he kept checking for any signs of unknown chi signatures that might represent an enemy approaching. Once at the fire, Fu settled into a comfortable sitting position, crossing his legs in a way that meant he could get to his feet in a split-second if someone attacked, in between Darius and Hohenheim, though he left plenty of room between himself and the others. Darius was busy pulling out rations out of the two packs he had near him and passing them out with an almost apologetic look on his face.
"Ain't nothing fancy but it'll fill your stomach," Darius told them, placing the last of the rations back in his pack for the morning.
"I appreciate the meal and thank you for sharing some with me," Fu said, dipping his head towards Darius, who waved him off.
"Don't worry about it," the gorilla chimera told him. "It's the kid you've gotta thank. He's the one who insisted on us having a few extra rations packs just in case. If it had been up to me and Heinkel, we woulda only had enough for however long we'd go between buying them," he said with a small chuckle. "Guess he knew there'd be a time where we'd be sharing our rations with people we weren't travelling with," he added with a smirk, though his eyes had a more affectionate expression in them when he glanced over at where Edward was currently sleeping.
Fu's eyes followed Darius' and he gave an unsurprised nod. "Edward strikes me as the kind of person who would be very organised in that kind of area despite his 'go with the flow' attitude when it comes to almost everything else I've witnessed him doing," Fu said. Both Darius and Heinkel gave fervent nods of agreement that Fu took to mean they had plenty of stories that proved Fu's words to be true.
"Mr. Fu," Hohenheim said politely, capturing Fu's attention.
"Just 'Fu' is fine," the Xingese assured Hohenheim, interrupting him to do so.
Hohenheim inclined his head in acknowledgement before he continued with what he'd been going to say. "Which clan are you from, if you don't mind me asking? I spent many years in Xing a long time ago and I find myself curious. I didn't recognise Ling's name and I don't believe I've heard you or your clansmen mention your clan name yet," he queried.
Fu considered whether he should answer this or not but he couldn't see any way that doing so would put his young lord at risk from Hohenheim. "We are of the Yao clan," Fu told him. "By Xing's standards, we are not a large clan – only 500,000 strong – but we are a strong clan. Prince Ling has shown excellent promise and we believe he would be the best fit for emperor when the time comes for a new emperor to be selected," Fu told them.
Hohenheim nodded as his eyes glazed over slightly. "I do believe I spent a fair amount of time in your clan's territory while I was in Xing," he revealed, "though I believe your clan wasn't quite that big back then," he added before he chuckled slightly. "Of course, it's been so long that I might not be remembering that correctly," he added.
"May I ask when you last visited Xing? It must've been almost two decades ago at least if you have not heard of my lord," Fu said politely.
Hohenheim nodded. "It was certainly more than two decades ago," Hohenheim said. "I believe I am known as the Philosopher of the West or the Sage of the West in your country," he revealed.
Fu felt his impeccable mask slip as he gaped slightly. "You're the one who brought alkahestry to our country?" Fu asked, voice disbelieving. He knew, of course, that Edward's and Alphonse's father was not fully human but he had no idea that he was responsible for teaching alkahestry to his ancestors.
Hohenheim inclined his head. "Yes, I am," he confirmed. "I don't know how much Edward or Alphonse has told you about my history but to cut a long story short, I unintentionally played a role in the complete annihilation of my country, Xerxes, and was turned into a living Philosopher's Stone against my will. I decided to travel to your country and teach them the healing arts of alkahestry in order to start atoning for the role I played in Xerxes and her people being destroyed so thoroughly," he divulged.
"I was unaware of your past," Fu confided. "Edward and Alphonse have not shared much of their own past and I only became aware of your existence earlier tonight when I sensed you approaching the fight," he told Hohenheim, whose eyes glistened with an unsurprised sadness.
"I know this is a little off topic but I must admit that I am curious," Hohenheim said, causing Fu to nod for him to continue while Darius and Heinkel watched curiously over their rations. "Were you using your chi to do so or did your Animal sense my approach?" Hohenheim asked curiously. The brief flash of intense grief that crossed Fu's face caused Hohenheim to realise something he should've far earlier. "I apologise for my words. I was unaware that your Animal was no longer with you though I should've been as I can usually sense Animals nearby," Hohenheim immediately apologised, berating himself.
Fu nodded at him. "I appreciate your apology though there is no reason for it. You simply made a mistake," Fu said, forcing his grief down as he usually did when it flared up like this. "To answer your question, I was using my chi," Fu said, rather unnecessarily.
"I'm still sorry for the grief my words caused," Hohenheim said, "and I am sorry for any painful memories I may have brought back when I said them," he stated, his tone honest and apologetic.
"You didn't cause me any painful flashbacks," Fu assured Hohenheim. "My Arya died protecting our young lord and there is no death more honourable than that," Fu said firmly.
"If you don't mind," Heinkel said cautiously, ignoring Darius shaking his head at him, "but can I ask how long ago you lost her?" he asked.
Fu considered him for a moment but there was a deep grief in Heinkel's eyes that told Fu that they shared a loss and that was what ultimately pushed Fu into answering the question. "I lost Arya when Prince Ling was six so it's been nearly ten years without her," Fu told him, voice thick with emotions but unwavering. In fact, it would be ten years since he lost Arya the day after the prince's sixteenth birthday in a few months and Fu's heart felt heavy with the realisation.
"What kind of Animal was she?" Hohenheim asked, voice soft in response to the sorrowful atmosphere around the group. He felt Calix press against their bond in concern so he sent a reassuring warmth back to his horse, promising to explain what was going on now to him later.
"She was a crested honey buzzard," Fu told them, his eyes filled with soft warmth and grief as he remembered his Animal. "She was a beautiful creature. Such lovely, warm brown and gold feathers and a protective and loyal streak that exceeded the expectations of such for any guard or their Animal for the royal family," Fu told them, his voice proud and sad.
"I've met a few of her species," Hohenheim said, eyes smiling slightly. "They are such striking birds and so very smart as well. I haven't met one yet who I was able to get something by them. I wish I could've met your Arya," Hohenheim said and Fu gave him a small smile.
"I to wish you could've met Arya. I've no doubt that she would've defied your own expectations for her species," Fu told him confidently.
"From what you've told us of her, I wouldn't doubt that," Hohenheim said, nodding slightly at Fu.
"May I ask what happened to her?" Heinkel said after a couple of moments of silence. "Darius and I – we lost our Animals when we were experimented on and turned into chimeras. Though we were merged together, we don't have the bond with our Animals any longer so we can't consider them to be alive any longer," Heinkel revealed, sharing what had happened with his Animal to show Fu that he understood the pain the old man was in.
"I had found myself curious about your abilities and whether they had anything to do with your Animals," Fu admitted. "I am sorry for the loss the both of you have suffered. It's not a loss I would wish on my worst enemy," Fu said gravely and both chimeras inclined their heads at him in agreement. Even though they used their Animals' instincts and forms every time they shifted into their chimera side, the loss they felt at not having their Animal by their side was almost completely overwhelming and if it hadn't been for the fact that they were carefully monitored for the first few months after they were experimented on, Darius and Heinkel couldn't say for certain whether they would've survived their grief.
"I lost Arya the day after Prince Ling's sixth birthday," Fu said, having decided to share Arya's story. Her death was not something he should be ashamed about and he wanted them to see just why she was still held in such high regard by the Yao guards even ten years later. "The prince was kidnapped in the early morning hours the day after his sixth birthday by another clan who wanted to hold him hostage so they could ransom him back to us. Their ultimate goal was to rob our clan of everything they had so that we would either be unable to support Prince Ling in finding something impressive to present his father when the time came or to even survive if we didn't marry into other clans, thus eliminating the Yao clan from being able to compete for the Emperor's title," Fu revealed.
"Prince Ling's mother ordered her best and more trustworthy guards to find the young prince and bring him home unscathed," Fu continued, his eyes glazing as he started getting lost in the memories. "We tracked the young lord's scent to a clan smaller than ours but richer in both money and resources. They were holding him on their chief's land in a well-fortified and guarded wing of his home," Fu said. "We sent Arya in to check on the prince's condition and to gather information that would be vital to our rescue efforts. She did her task perfectly and we soon had all the information we needed to amount a rescue and escape unnoticed," Fu said proudly. "Or we would've if the clan's chief hadn't decided to check on Prince Ling's condition at the same time we invaded the wing, thus giving us more guards to deal with as he had his personal guards and their Animals with him," he told them.
"We fought to subdue or dispose of any guard or Animal who interfered with our efforts to save our lord but we were outnumbered two to one," Fu recounted. "I was ordered by my leader to get to Prince Ling and take him home, abandoning them in the process. While it hurt me to turn my back on my friends and clansmen, my only duty was to the young lord so I did as I was ordered. I managed to get into the room he was being held captive in and get him out without any of the rival clansmen noticing until I was on the rooftop and ready to start the frantic journey home," Fu told them. "I never sensed the arrow coming for me and the young lord but Arya did," he revealed, eyes downcast.
"Before I could do anything, she put herself between the arrow and the young prince and took the shot through her chest," Fu told them, a single tear sliding down his cheek. "She saved Prince Ling's life and gave me the time I needed to locate the person who fired that arrow and repaid them in kind. Arya hadn't been killed right away and though I wanted to do so, she urged me to not waste time and risk the young lord by trying to save her when I could be using that time to get Prince Ling to safety. She succumbed to her injury just as we crossed the border back into Yao country and there was nothing I could do to try and bring her back," Fu whispered, another tear running down his cheek. "Our chief, Prince Ling's grandfather, was told of what had happened to Arya and arranged for her to be honoured in a ceremony only performed for the most highly regarded of guards who gave their life for their lord or lady. It was a beautiful ceremony that she would've been honoured and proud to have received," Fu told them.
No one spoke for several moments as they sorted through the emotions Fu had unintentionally caused them to feel with Arya's story. Calix had been becoming increasingly alarmed by the sorrow Hohenheim was feeling but his human managed to stop him from coming over and potentially waking Ed and/or alerting Al and the Animals to Fu's distress with a promise that he was fine and would explain what he could later on. In the end, it was Darius who ended up breaking the silence amongst them. "I am so sorry for you loss. I couldn't imagine losing my Animal in that way or making the unimaginably hard choices you made," he said, tone sincere.
"Neither could I," Heinkel said, nodding in agreement to Darius' words. "To chose between my Animal and my charge? I don't know what I would've done," he said, shaking his head a little.
"Arya would have never forgiven me if Prince Ling was recaptured, hurt, or killed because I chose to heal her first rather than save our young lord," Fu told them. "Though it went against every instinct I felt to do with our bond, I knew I couldn't risk Prince Ling's safety and health while still in enemy territory. We were trained from a young age on what was expected of us as royal guards and we knew there was the chance that one or both of us would make the ultimate sacrifice for our duties and Arya was prepared to pay that price. It would've been a dishonour to her and to the Yao clan if I hadn't put Prince Ling's safety first," he said firmly.
The statement brought the two chimeras who were listening up short. Though it might've been the way they were trained in Yao territory, in Amestris it would've been more accepted for Fu to have either healed Arya straight away despite the risk to Ling or to have gotten Arya and Ling further away from their enemies before stopping to heal Arya before she could no longer be healed. For someone in Amestris to put someone else – especially someone who wasn't even related to that person – ahead of their own Animal was as unheard of as it was for an Animal to sacrifice themselves for a human they weren't bonded with. Darius and Heinkel were dragged out of their thoughts by Hohenheim speaking.
"Thank you for sharing Arya's story with us. We are honoured that you chose to share her story of bravery, loyalty, and her ultimate sacrifice with us," Hohenheim said, bowing as much as he could in his seated position.
"It was my honour to share her story with the three of you," Fu said, returning the bow. Both Darius and Heinkel were quick to offer their own paraphrased versions of what Hohenheim had said and Fu accepted their words in the same way he had Hohenheim's.
When it became apparent that no one knew what to say after such an emotional conversation, Hohenheim found himself once again asking Fu a question. "Would you mind sharing some of your stories about your home with us? I would love to hear about what's changed since my last visit," he said honestly.
Fu gently cleared his throat, not bothering to wipe the tears he'd shed for Arya away since he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed of them before he nodded. "Of course," he said with a nod. "As I'm sure you're aware, the Yao clan's territory is located…"
A/N - Here's a bit of a sad one for you since they can't all be sweet and fluffy like the last one lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if only because it answered one of the unanswered questions I left in the main story. Please let me know what you all thought to this one. Only a couple more to go before the What if...? series connected to this AU. See you all next week!