"Liar."

"Look here little lady-"

"Stop calling me that!" she shrieked.

The only person allowed to call her Lady was Ling and only when followed up by Bodyguard.

This is a dream.

A bad dream that would fade in the light of day.

"Mooncake-" Feng tried.

"Enough with the nicknames! The both of you. I am not your little lady or your mooncake," Lan Fan's voice climbed.

"Okay, okay, just calm the hell down," Greed mollified.

"I'm not listening to another word out of your foul mouth," Lan Fan declared. "Monster!"

"That's enough, Lan Fan," Feng told her.

"You are not my father! Do not speak to me as if you are!"


Feng Liu fixed his features into a neutral expression.

"Have a tantrum if you like."

Feng sat on whatever passed for the floor in this place, and folded his legs beneath him. The long deceased bodyguard propped his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist. He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"I'll wait."

Lan Fan stormed off.

As if there was somewhere to go.

Greed growled under his breath.

The homunculus started to pursue her.

"It's best to wait these things out," Feng told the homunculus. "Otherwise children think they can get away with this sort of behavior. Soon she'll see there's nowhere to go. In the meantime, why don't you tell me your story?"

The homunculus seated himself in front of the bodyguard with his legs crossed. Greed placed his hands on his knees and leaned back.

He grinned, "Have I got a story for you!"


In a flash of lightning blue energy the alkahestris healed the laceration to Wei's windpipe and repaired the severed artery. The diminutive chef drew a deep breath for the first time in over an hour. He coughed up a concerning amount of blood. Edward Elric clasped one of Wei's small hands and pulled him up into a sitting position. The theoretical alchemist kept his other hand on the young man's back in support.

"You're okay. It's okay now," Edward swore.

Wei continued to cough. He shut his eyes as he hacked and held onto Edward's hand for dear life. Blood and saliva dripped from his mouth. He dug his dull nails into the alchemist's skin. The chef placed his other hand on the floor to brace himself. His blood made a tacky mess of the surface. Wei opened his eyes. He lifted his hand to look at his palm.

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

The telltale metallic taste lingered on his tongue. The scent conjured thoughts of filthy coins scrounged from the gutter. It soaked through his shirt and left him feeling cold. Wei felt weak from the loss of it.

A ragged scream tore through his raw throat. He fainted dead away.


Edward Elric caught the kid against his arm as he fainted. The boy's head lolled backwards. He had an ashen appearance. If not for the sound of his shallow breaths Edward would've thought him dead. Wei wasn't much bigger than Edward when he entered the Amestrian Military at the age of twelve.

The theoretical alchemist hooked his free arm under the chef's knees. Ed lifted the man whom he presumed was a kid into his arms as he got to his feet. Edward Elric was not about to abandoned him now. Not after everything they'd been through within the last hour.

"He needs a blood transfusion," Ed stated.

"We'll take him to hospital," The alkahestris decided. "He can be treated best there."

In the kitchen the staff looked on in horror as Edward Elric exited the pantry with Wei in his arms. Frightened whispers passed between them. The sous chef stepped forward to speak for all of them.

"Will Chef Wei be all right?"

"He will live I assure you," Master Hsu confirmed.

"One of you go find Lan Fan and tell her what happened. Whoever did this might still be here somewhere," Edward said.

Huang shared a worried look with the porter next to him. The sous chef had seen Lan Fan Liu in Master Hsu's office when he'd gone to fetch the alkahestris.

"What?" Edward caught the exchange.

"Commander Liu is…" Huang trailed off. He looked to Master Hsu for an answer.

"Commander Liu suffered a fall and is currently being treated for a head wound," the alkahestris told a portion of the truth. "Huang if you would be so kind as to inform the emperor of this incident. He will have the appropriate people investigate this matter."

"Yes sir!"

Edward frowned in concern for his friend. He followed Master Hsu from the kitchen carrying Wei. He didn't waste too much time worrying. Lan Fan Liu was a tough cookie. Edward was sure she'd be fine.


The Dowager Empress set herself behind the Emperor's desk in his handsome chair. Her personal bodyguard positioned himself behind and to the right of her seat. Tinzghe on the other hand took his place in the corner. Lady Xue rested one manicured hand on the armrest and held out the other for the latest report from the scene of the fire. The bodyguard handed the scroll to her with a bow. With one clear coated nail Xue broke the red wax seal on the xuan paper.

While the mother to His Royal Highness read the missive General Roy Mustang scrutinized her reaction to the report. Per usual Lady Xue's expression remained inscrutable. Captain Hawkeye stood sentinel on one side of the door, 1st Lieutenant Havoc on the other.

"My Lady-" Roy addressed.

"You shall refer to His Eminence's mother as Her Majesty," The Dowager Empress's guard corrected.

Roy Mustang offered a tight smile and an apology, "Forgive me. Your Majesty, if the fire has spread perhaps it would be best if you allowed me to handle this situation. I could suppress the blaze-"

"No," The Dowager Empress replied without a trace of emotion.

"With all due respect-" Roy tried again.

"The day the Flame Alchemist arrives in the Imperial Capital a fire breaks out in the city. I can't imagine a more obvious trap." Xue tilted her head at him, "Can you?"

Against the wall to Lady Xue's left the grandfather clock quietly ticked. On the opposite wall the fire in the hearth cracked and popped.

"I suppose not," Roy relented.

"We are grateful for your prompt reporting of the munitions," Xue said, using the royal we. "Regardless, matters within the borders of our empire are beyond your purview."

"I hardly think this is the time to concern ourselves with red tape," Mustang argued.

"What message shall we send to your Fuhrer?"

Roy furrowed his brow.

"Pardon?"

"When a firebrand makes a martyr of you and instigates a war between our two nations," The Dowager Empress arched an eyebrow at him.

Mustang shut his mouth.

A knock on the door to the study drew the attention of those in attendance. Lady Xue waved a hand at Tingzhe and the bodyguard answered the door.

Huang stood on the threshold looking altogether anxious. The sous chef stepped inside and bend into a bow.

"I hope this matter is of import," Xue said lightly.

In Xingese he said, "Your Majesty, there's been an attack in the kitchen. Someone stabbed Chef Wei. Master Hsu is taking him to hospital as we speak."

"What is it?" Roy frowned.

"Tingzhe, please escort our esteemed guests back to their rooms," she said in Amestrian. In Xingese Xue finished, "Bring me the blacksmith."


No matter what direction Lan Fan walked in her path led her back to Feng and Greed. The bodyguard dropped to her knees, buried her head in her matching hands, and despaired.

"This is a dream," Lan Fan whispered. "Wake up." The bodyguard curled her fingers into obsidian hair. "Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

Feng and Greed exchanged a look.

"I got this."

Greed rose from his seated position. The homunculus tucked his hands into the pockets of his nehru jacket. He strolled over and crouched in front of Ling's distressed woman.

"Hey, listen here."

Lan Fan lifted her head. Her eyes were empty.

"No giving up now. It's too soon for that. I sure as hell know wherever the brat is right now he isn't giving up. Not on you. Not for a second."

"You can't bring a dead person back to life," Lan Fan said. "The Elrics are proof of that."

"Yeah well, we'll see about that," he dropped a hand on head, ruffled her short hair.

"Ling told me... he loved me," she confessed.

Greed smirked in satisfaction.

"About damn time."

Lan Fan rubbed at her eyes.

"I didn't tell him I loved him. I should have told him. Now I never will."

"Maybe, maybe not. What say we wait awhile and see what happens? In the meantime, you might want to talk to your old man over there."

Lan Fan looked over her shoulder at her father. Feng stood several feet away with his arms folded. He held himself in the same manner as her grandfather.

Greed offered her a hand up. Lan Fan accepted and he pulled her to her feet. She turned her face up to him.

"Thank you, Greed."

"What do ya know you do know my name!"

Lan Fan almost smiled. Almost.

The bodyguard took a deep breath, held her head up, and approached the father she hardly knew.

Feng unfolded his arms as she neared. Lan Fan surprised them both by launching herself into his arms. He wrapped them around his daughter.

"Father," Lan Fan cried.

"Hi mooncake."