The Golden Sun: Chapter Twelve: Puzzle Pieces

AN: The excitement for Ling's arrival is overwhelming you guys!

Someone asked about the policy in Amestris regarding soulmates from other countries: well, Amestris is pretty xenophobic, but having soulmates out of the country isn't as common but you can have your citizenship streamlined, so you'll go through the system faster.


It was the first night of sleep that Roy had really had in awhile and for the first time he woke up to the sensation of being well-rested. The Elrics had gone by then, but when he showed up at his office the next day, Ed was sitting on his couch in uniform looking rather sour.

Roy arched an eyebrow.

"My brother is manipulative," Ed told him rather plainly, looking like he wasn't sure if he was proud or dismayed about the whole matter.

"Ah," Roy said smartly, the thin box that had been sent by the Fuhrer was heavy in his hands with a pile of paperwork that made Ed's eyes sharpen. It made him think about what Al had said, about them helping out with paperwork when he wasn't looking; his lips twitched faintly into a smile. "This wouldn't happen to be about the cats, would it?"

Everyone who knew Al knew that he loved cats, absolutely adored them. It was amusing to see a suit of armor cooing over a little cat. It was equally amusing to watch Ed maintain his resolve when Al pulled the puppy eyes on him which was no less effective without his real body.

"It's always about the cats! If we get a place then I have to let him get a cat!" Ed gesticulated wildly. "And what if the cat gets so used to Al in the armor that it doesn't recognize Al when he gets his body back? That'll just break his heart."

Roy arched an eyebrow. "I think pets can pick up on things like that…besides, even if Al can't feel the cat, wouldn't it be better to just make him a little happy with what he's got until he gets his body back?"

Ed huffed, crossing his arms, but Roy could tell that was a conceding scowl.

He opened his mouth to say something when the door opened suddenly by the last person Roy would've expected. Colonel Archer might've been Roy's equal in rank, but he always seemed to ooze bitterness whenever he and Roy were in the same room. He'd wanted to be a war hero but he'd never quite managed to gain the amount of recognition Roy had attained as the Hero of Ishval.

"Am I interrupting a father-son chat?"

Roy had long-since learned to school his expression into one that didn't react to such words, but he was more impressed with how Ed's eyes grew icy and the muscle of his jaw tightened.

"I was leaving," Ed said shortly with thinly veiled contempt, despite not actually doing what he came for, pulling himself up and looping his coat under his arm. "Al and I'll probably stick around for a few days until Lanfan's out of the hospital and is on her way home." Clearly the bruise on his face and the stitches he had in his arm and leg weren't going to slow him down. Roy wanted so very dearly to sigh. "See ya, Colonel."

It was that moment that Roy realized that there was a pen and a pad of paper on his desk that hadn't been there before. In Ed's steady scrawl were the words: Bottom drawer. Roy didn't have time to figure out what that meant.

Ed gave an almost mocking salute as he left and Roy resisted the urge to roll his eyes before plastering a smile on his face. "What can I do for you, Colonel Archer?"


"You should put some ice on that." Hawkeye's fingers were warm where they pressed gingerly, tilting Ed's head so she could get a good look at the bruise across his face.

"That's one hell of a shiner, boss," Havoc said, peering over her shoulder with a vague sort of interest as he arrived, pulling out his chair, preparing to sit down and sign off on his paperwork for the day.

"Thanks," Ed grunted, holding as still as possible for Hawkeye.

"Looks like it swelled in the night," Hawkeye hummed more to herself than to Ed before speaking directly to him. "Ice, Edward."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ed's spine snapped straight almost immediately.

"Why're you in uniform?" Breda asked him suddenly, looking at Ed quizzically. "Don't tell me you actually like it now."

Getting Ed into the Amestrian Military Uniform was a miracle by itself and it usually involved having Al convince him to wear it.

"Al took my clothes," Ed told him sourly, making him snigger.

"Where is Al?" Fuery asked curiously, looking around with interest. Al tended to stand out like a sore thumb, and you could hear him coming a mile away, subtlety and sneakiness wasn't exactly one of his crowning traits in that suit of armor.

"He's at the hospital keeping Lanfan company." Ed wasn't too concerned. Al could take care of himself, and it wasn't like Lanfan was up to much at the moment. "I'm heading that way now."

"Did you really sneak a Xingese illegal alien into the country?" Flaman's mouth drew down into a reproachful line.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ed said in a vague sort of voice. "I didn't see any illegal aliens in that cart."

Hawkeye's mouth twitched faintly and Ed glanced to her, remembering the conversation they'd had when Al had run off to Resembool without him. Now he had new questions. She'd known about Xerxes then, not much, but no one seemed to know much about it. More likely Lanfan knew the most about them, seeing as she'd actually seen a Xerxian.

He wondered if it was polite to ask.

Hawkeye seemed to notice the curiosity. "I'm sure the Colonel won't mind if I drive you over to the hospital…so long as everyone does their assigned paperwork." Her eyes were hawk-sharp and the other men quickly busied themselves. Ed snorted as she pulled out her keys and made a gesture for him to come with her.

"Something you wanted to ask me, Ed?" she asked as they walked through the halls before leaving and heading out into the parking lot.

"I, well, you don't have to answer it, it you don't want to…but you knew some things about Xerxes," Ed was trying to probe carefully, but asking Hawkeye about personal things was like asking Mom why Hohenheim wasn't there anymore.

But Hawkeye smiled, just faint enough to not be noticed immediately. "My father mentioned it once, he was very annoyed about not having access to many books on Xerxes' alchemy, he thought it would've helped his own research."

Ed sat in the front seat and had to pause, letting that information soak in. "Your dad—?"

"Was an alchemist? Yes." There was amusement and something darker present in her brown eyes. "My father, Berthold Hawkeye, only took on one student as far as I knew…a stubborn half-Xingese boy that wouldn't take no for an answer."

Ed nearly gaped. "Your dad was the Colonel's teacher?"

Hawkeye nodded. "My father invented the flame alchemy that Colonel Mustang uses, actually, but he was furious with him for enlisting; he hated the military. And when the Colonel and I both die, the secret to flame alchemy will die with us."

Well, she had to concede, Ed and Al were smart kids and incredibly curious. They could probably figure out how it worked if they wanted to, but they were too focused on getting their bodies back to even consider it.

"So, I guess he didn't know much about Xerxes, then?" Ed almost sighed. It seemed like a trek into the Eastern Desert was going to be inevitable. His automail ports wouldn't be doing him any favors.

"Not so much." Hawkeye shrugged a bit helplessly, weaving between cars with ease and much more smoothly than when Mustang drove; Ed tended to grab onto the door when his supervising officer ended up with Ed in the car. "He thought maybe books on Xerxes had been suppressed by the government, but I was never actually sure if that was a conspiracy theory or if it was actually true…most of what anyone in Amestris knows about Xerxes is word of mouth or rumor."

"Know any good rumors, then?"

The car turned into the hospital parking lot.

"I know I heard my father mention one before he died," Hawkeye frowned in contemplation as she pulled into a spot and parked, giving Ed her full attention. "Just a name, a title really, the Mad Prince of Xerxes…do you think Xerxes has a way for you to get your bodies back?"

Ed's eyes drifted out of focus. It was like piecing together a puzzle with someone contributing a new piece of what had happened to Xerxes. It was important! Ed just knew it was. "Maybe…I mean Xerxes was literally where alchemy was born, it would make sense that there might be something there…but there's another reason." He bit his lip looking uneasy, which wasn't like him at all. "When we were on our way back to Amestris, Lanfan asked me about my hair and eyes…because apparently golden hair and eyes is a trait seen in Xerxians."

Hawkeye's eyebrows rose at that. She'd never heard of that, and, even so, that would indicate—"There are living Xerxians?" How else would she know their physical trait?

"That's what she said." Ed cupped his chin thoughtfully before annoyance creased his brow. "And, of course, we don't know anything about Hohenheim, so I guess we could probably be Xerxian…I don't know. I don't like the idea of checking out Xerxes without a lot of information."

Hawkeye's lips curved in amusement. "You've worked on less in looking for the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed tilted his head and gave a conceding grunt. She had a point there, and Al had been wanting to investigate the ruins of Xerxes for weeks, but they kept getting distracted by missions and their hunt for the Philosopher's Stone.

Hawkeye cleared her throat. "Edward," she said and his attention returned to her, "there's something that I think the Colonel hasn't gotten around to telling you, mostly because he knows you won't react well."

Ed didn't like the sound of that.

"When you took down the child trafficking ring the Fuhrer personally came to speak with Colonel Mustang to let him know that he and the higher-ups had been deeply impressed with your work and that you were up for a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel."

"I -what?" Ed gaped in incomprehension.

He didn't want hardly anything to do with the military. The only reason he'd even become a State Alchemist in the first place was because State Alchemists had access to materials that civilians didn't. Granny Pinako and Winry didn't like the military, not since they'd never gotten an actual explanation for how Aunt Sarah and Uncle Yuriy had gotten killed. Well, maybe that wasn't completely accurate; Mustang and his crew were pretty decent.

Mustang was pretty decent.

Hawkeye coaxed him into opening his door. "I know how you feel about the military, but you also have to think about Al after he gets his body back…he hasn't used his body in more than three years, its likely he's going to need long-term physical therapy, and you can't pay for that if you straight up quit as soon as you get your bodies back…you need to consider your options, all right?"

Ed wanted to get angry about the whole thing. He didn't want or need a promotion, all he needed was Al, but Hawkeye wasn't wrong…Ed's only goal was getting Al's body back but he hadn't stopped to consider what to do after. He'd always taken care of Al, for as long as he could remember, but she was right…what if Al needed long-term medical treatment? He literally hadn't done anything with his body in those three years, not moved, not slept, not eaten…what did that even mean for him medically?

It was probably beyond him at the moment, but he thanked her for the ride, hopping out and pushing it to the back of his mind for the time being as he entered the hospital.


It was only when Colonel Archer finally left that Roy had the chance to look in the drawer that Ed had indicated.

He was surprised to find a detailed and articulate account of what had transpired during the takedown of the child trafficking ring, leading into the altercation in the Eastern Desert. Roy noticed that Ed neatly evaded the subject of Lanfan and the fact that he'd assisted in getting an illegal alien across the border.

That made Roy smirk.

Then he looked down.

There was a note taped to a small container that just said 'meat day' and Roy had to grimace. He'd forgotten that they would be cooking something up in the cafeteria. He opened it with a hint of curiosity only to blink in surprise. It was a mixture of cooked and seasoned vegetables: potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.

On the other side of the note said simply: Wasn't sure what you liked, followed by a cartoonish image of Ed's head, hair antenna and all with an equally cartoonish helmet beside it.

Roy had thought it smelled like something had been cooked in the kitchen that morning…but he hadn't had any of those vegetables in the house…which meant the Elrics would've had to have gone out, gotten the vegetables, cooked them, and then washed the dishes before leaving his house that morning…all without him waking up.

Something warm bloomed in Roy's chest.


"You're very different from your brother," Lanfan was quick to note. Despite the younger of the Elric Brothers being hidden within armor, she could sense his sweet disposition from his voice alone.

"That's because Ed's a reckless idiot."

Lanfan laughed. Al certainly didn't pull his punches, not even about his brother. She honestly hadn't been expecting either him or his brother to show up to keep her company. Ed was a State Alchemist, he probably had things to do, even though Al had said Ed probably wouldn't be doing much until the wound on his leg healed. ("Brother tends to rip open his stitches and it really annoys the Colonel that he doesn't care more," Al informed her, "it annoys me too, but I try not to mention it.")

Al had a Xingese book open on his lap, and, apparently, he'd brought it along to use to interrogate her with.

"Unfortunately," Lanfan told him, "I'm not much of an Alkahestrist -our alchemy-, I can sense chi but Alkahestry isn't something I know at all."

"Oh," Al seemed faintly disappointed before brightening, "that's fine! How does chi work? How is it different from Alkahestry?"

If Lanfan hadn't seen Al's anger towards Ed the previous night, she would've thought it was impossible for him to be angry with such a constant cheerful disposition and curious nature.

"Well, I guess the simplest way to describe it is that Alkahestry is centered on something that we call the Dragon's Pulse," Lanfan explained, pointing at an image on the page he had open with her good arm, "because the earth itself has a constant flow of chi that flows from the tops of mountains down to the land, nourishing everything it passes with that energy…it's kind of like blood moving through veins, that's a good way to think of it. Alkahestrists use chi in their Alkahestry, but you don't need to be a Alkahestrist to sense chi…does that make sense?"

"A little," Al admitted. "I guess sensing chi probably helps you be a better bodyguard."

Lanfan's lips twisted wryly. "You would think so, wouldn't you?"

Al was probably going to ask her what she meant when the door opened suddenly and Ed entered with a contemplative look on his face. He wasn't dressed like he had been the previous night in the blacks that made the brightness of his hair and eyes stand out, instead he was dressed in the blue Amestrian military uniform, cavalry skirt, ranking pins, and all.

"You look very official, Brother!" Al complimented with just a hint of cheek.

Immediately, Ed's mouth formed into a scowl and he glowered at his brother. "I'm getting my clothes back by tonight, Al, or you're gonna be in a world of hurt."

"Like you could ever hurt me," Al said and when Ed slumped into the chair beside his brother, he flinched hard. Lanfan frowned in confusion. "So, people can get around their chi being sensed?"

Lanfan's eyes flicked towards Ed, curious concern creasing her brow, but Ed waved her off, something dark behind his eyes, something old…she didn't know quite how to explain it.

"Yes, like assassins," Lanfan offered, "they're very good at hiding their chi…One got around Grandfather and I and the young lord was almost killed." She rubbed her hand against her own throat over where Ling's scar was. It was an action she'd seen Ling perform whenever he felt anxious or stressed. She doubted that he actually realized he had a nervous tick. "Then again, the young lord is also pretty good at disappearing on us without us noticing."

She grimaced and Ed sniggered.

"Isn't this the same guy you were pretending to be?" Ed asked her.

"Yes," Lanfan sighed, lamenting at what her life had become.

She didn't bother telling them that she could sense both of their chi and how uneasy Al's made her feel. It didn't feel like the natural flow of chi, more like someone had twisted it, not that the chi itself was twisted or wrong…but it was different in a way that she wasn't familiar with.

"So, what's Xing like?"

Thankfully she found herself not having to bring any of that up, settling into a topic she was actually comfortable with, and Lanfan couldn't help but smile.


Roy had fallen asleep at his desk again, which, given the fact that he'd actually slept quite well that night, was a bit surprising, but what was even more surprising was that he was awaken to the sensation of someone poking him a bit aggressively in the cheek.

"Would you like to keep that finger, Fullmetal?" he asked tiredly.

The poking stopped and there was a faint huff as Roy finally pried his eyes open, blinking hazily at the blob of blue and gold before him until it came into focus.

"Didn't you sleep last night?" Ed asked him, flummoxed at he inspected his superior officer's face intently. The bags that had been rather pronounced under his eyes when he'd come to pick Ed up from the hospital were lighter, but they were still there.

"Surprisingly," Roy drawled out, considering Ed before his lips twisted at the corners. "Your vegetables were very good."

Ed's dark cheeks pinked and he scoffed loudly, leaning back. "Whatever," he said, "I just didn't want you puking over the paperwork and making Lieutenant Hawkeye mad." He brushed his bangs back from his hot cheeks. "Al picked out the veggies and cut them, he just had me cook them…you know, because he can't really tell when things are undercooked or overcooked."

He said the words nonchalantly but Roy could practically taste the undercurrent of self-loathing.

Roy stood up and wound his arms around Ed suddenly enough to make Ed jolt in surprise.

"Colonel Bastard?" he muffled into his jacket, his shoulders just faintly tense.

"You looked like you needed a hug," Roy said simply, leaning down to rest his cheek against the top of Ed's head. He remembered his mother doing that for him before the accident. "Someone's got to keep your thoughts from taking a nose dive."

Ed growled under his breath, but grudgingly relaxed, bringing his arms up. "This isn't going to help people not think you're my dad," he pointed out, speaking just loud enough for Roy to pick the words out.

Roy had had a long time to come to terms with the idea that most people were under the impression he'd fathered the Elric Brothers. Of course, anyone who could do basic math knew that was incredibly unlikely, he was only fifteen years older than Ed. The conflict in Ishval had only come close to Resembool once and that was far before Roy had even enlisted, so being on leave there nine months before Ed was born was a rather distinct impossibility.

Ed and Al were great kids, but they weren't his.

"If I hugged Havoc do you think rumors might spread that he's my son, too?" Roy considered, his mouth twitching.

That got the response he'd been expecting; Ed sniggered into his jacket.

Ed kept his arms around Roy for a brief few moments more but then he released Roy, averting his eyes. "I'm all right," he muttered, "I just…I really—" Ed couldn't quite force the words out.

"Getting Al his body back is going to take time." Roy dropped a hand to Ed's shoulder. "You knew that going in…you're not giving up, you're chasing every lead, Al knows that, he doesn't think less of you because of how long it's taking."

Ed blinked furiously. "I know he doesn't but…" But Ed did. He hated that he'd locked his brother in a metal prison and he hated how there wasn't a quick fix to that. He hated that Al couldn't feel the sun or the rain -he used to lay on sunny hills and splash in puddles in the rain-, he hated that Al couldn't eat the foods that he liked, he hated that Al had to stay awake all night and all day, he hated that Al's soulmark had vanished with his body and he had no idea if his soulmate was even alive (he didn't know how much Mei Chang wondered the same), and he hated that his brother couldn't even smile or make any kind of obvious facial expression.

Ed had to shake himself and Roy squeezed his shoulder. "Did you need something, Ed? Or do you just enjoy ruining delightful naps?"

"Grouch," Ed snorted. "Nah, I had an actual question about something the Lieutenant told me about…"

"Ah," Roy could feel the realization spreading. Either that meant there was an impending explosion, or Ed was actually open to the idea of being promoted.

Roy wasn't even sure which one was better.

If nothing ended up broken, it would be a miracle.


"Maes, I think I've basically adopted two boys," Roy had to grudgingly admit over the phone.

Hughes couldn't stop laughing.


Crossing the Eastern Desert was hard and hot, and it definitely would've been worse if Ling had been walking through the sand instead of taking a horse through it.

He didn't know how Lanfan had managed it, especially playing the part of the hostage for almost the entire time, and he didn't know how Fu had managed it in solid black, which was almost as impressive. Ling was dressed in his loose white pants and cheongsam and it still scorched him through it.

Sneaking into Amestris had required a lot of caution, though, it was important and he paid attention, but once they were within East City, Ling got lost almost immediately. It was only half by accident, but Ling was hungry and thirsty and so so tired.

It surprised no one, least of all him, that he ended up collapsed in an alley. He was so out of it that he barely felt someone prodding him.

"What'd you find, Al? Another cat?"

"Well…" The voice closest to him sounded metallic and young as he was lifted up. "Not exactly."

The first voice choked. "What the fuck? Is he dead?"

"I don't think so?" The second voice -Al- wasn't too sure.

"Go ask the vendor around the corner if they'll give you a glass of water or something, maybe he needs water."

Ling was still dazed and confused, but a sound like metal clanging together moved away from him as soft and warm hands situated him against the wall a bit more comfortably. Fingers fluttered down to his neck, pressing against his pulse for a few moments before deciding, "Well, at least you're not dead."

The clanging metal sound returned. "Here you go, Brother."

"Thanks, Al."

And when he finally came fully to, there was possibly the cutest boy cupping the back of his head with one hand and the other holding a small cup, pouring water carefully into his mouth while a hulking suit of armor watched with apprehension.

His eyes were golden to match the long hair in a thick braid falling over one shoulder -Ling wasn't sure if it was longer than his, but it certainly looked it- with sun-dark skin and a soulmark the exact color and shape of his own on the right side of his throat.

"This is a good dream," he managed to croak out and his sun-touched soulmate furrowed his brow.

"What're you going on about, weirdo? Al, here, found you literally passed out twelve seconds ago."

"You," Ling remarked decisively with about as much strength as he was capable of, "are very cute."

And the flushed expression of confusion was the last thing he saw before he passed out again, leaving Edward Elric incredibly flustered and incredibly befuddled, holding a Xingese prince with no idea what was going on.

"What the fuck?" he asked emphatically.


AN: XD They've officially met! TGS will be having three parts, and there's gonna be a lot of stuff going on in part 2, but part 3 is gonna be just as fun!

I've only got a few weeks of summer left before school starts so I'm trying to get out as many chapters as possible :)

As always: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!