Chapter Twenty
"We never had a chance to talk," Ling began, sitting in front of Ed. She had been sitting at the table all alone in the middle of the night, just thinking. She honestly thought she wouldn't see Ling again after not seeing him for two years. When Alphonse had told her Ling was now Emporer of Xing, she thought he would be too busy to travel, and was content on avoiding the country.
"Not without Winry and Alphonse breathing down our necks," Ed said with a sigh. "So, you're not mad about the abortion?" Not that she would really care if he was. What's done was done, and she wouldn't have changed her mind if Ling had been around. Hell, she wouldn't have changed her mind if they had been together when it happened. Ed was still firmly planted on the fact that she was much too young, and was too young two years ago, to have a baby. She still wasn't sure whether or not she wanted kids in the future, but now was much too soon.
"No, I'm not," Ling answered. "I was just upset that you hadn't told me. In Xing, a pregnant woman is viewed as a sacred being. Giving life from her own body is something that no one but a woman can do. But...I don't know if I would have been ready for something like that. And I know you weren't."
"You were on your way to being Emperor," Ed said. "You said earlier that you weren't the only one who was forced. I was thinking about it, and you're right. You're the only one who would understand what happened..."
The two sat in silence for a long moment, Ling even going as far as to reach out and place a hand on Ed's shoulder in a comforting manner.
"So how are things in Xing?" Ed suddenly asked, changing the subject quickly. "What's going on with you and Lan Fan? I'm surprised she didn't come with you."
"Well, she thought it might be best to stay back," Ling answered. "Well, after I convinced her to. We, uh...she's planning our wedding."
"Really?" Ed asked, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile. "I'm glad. I always knew you were pining after her. And it was obvious that she was in love with you from the moment I met her."
"It was that obvious?" Ling asked. He had thought he was at least being a little subtle when it came to his feelings about Lan Fan.
"Of course it was that obvious," Ed responded. "I mean, you gave her a note after Greed took over your body. No one would go through that much to tell someone they're okay unless they loved them. And Lan Fan cried about it, which meant she liked you too, not to mention the fact that she was already protecting you with her own life. It was only a matter of time before you two decided to get hitched."
"Well, she's only planning the wedding," Ling said. "So what about you? Any admirers lately?"
"You know me; I don't do relationships," Ed said. "Alphonse and I are traveling the world right now and trying to learn as much as we can. There's no time for a relationship."
"I should've suspected you would close yourself off like that," Ling said. "You really are the same old Ed."
"The one and only." Ed stood from the table after a minute. "I'm gonna hit the sack. I gotta be up in the morning and I just needed to think about some stuff for a while."
"Do you regret it?" Ling asked.
"What?"
"The abortion," Ling clarified. "Do you ever regret doing it?"
Ed hesitated.
"No."
"Hey, it's Ed!" Havoc called out when the girl walked into the open office. Mustang's team had been working diligently - under the watch of Hawkeye - until she walked in and ruined their productivity.
"Hey, guys," Ed greeted. "How have you been?"
"Kind of lonely without anyone coming in here and yelling at Mustang," Breda said. "I swear, I just got used to you coming in here with your loud mouth and now you've resigned and never show up."
"So what're you here for?" Havoc asked.
"I just came to get the Colonel to give me something for access to the Central library," Ed answered. "Al and I wanna do some research, but without my title, I can't get in."
"I'm sure if you told the guards that you were the Fullmetal Alchemist, they'd let you in," Hawkeye interjected.
"Who would believe me in this get-up?" Ed asked. She had officially come out to her friends about being a woman after just before resigning from her position as a State Alchemist and began wearing more feminine looking clothing along with it. Well, she didn't actively go through the motions of hiding her gender, such as strapping down her breasts. Ed had never publicly stated as the Fullmetal Alchemist that she was a girl the entire time, and no one said anything about it to anyone else. As far as the public and majority of the military knew, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was and is male.
"That's true," Falman commented. "The guards at the library wouldn't believe she was the Fullmetal Alchemist unless she went through the motions of hiding her gender again."
"And I'm kinda done with that," Ed said. "I mean, I went almost my entire life pretending to be a boy. I'm done for a while. I just wanna relax."
"And doing research is relaxing?" Mustang asked as he stepped in, having overheard. "I don't think I'll ever understand you, Elric."
"Maybe you're just too old to get it, Mustang," Ed responded with a smirk. "After all, you're getting on in your years. And not even a promotion yet, how sad."
"Excuse you, but I'm a General now," Mustang said. "And I'm moving forward a motion to become the new Furher. Through an election."
"An election?" Ed asked with a raised eyebrow. That wasn't how anything was done. Well, she didn't remember Furher King Bradley being appointed as the Furher, but she was pretty sure it was chosen, not elected. "That's new."
"He's trying to have an election done to make sure the Furher is someone who the public wants," Hawkeye explained. "He thinks it will help to better change the country."
"And it will," Mustang added. "As long as I can get the motion to pass. I think I will; the people of the military want a Furher they can trust just as much as civilians. Speaking of which, you are a civilian now."
"Yep," Ed said. "And I need you to get me into the Central library so I can do some research."
"You and your brother searching for something new?" Mustang asked as he fished through his pocket for his pocket watch so Ed could get into the library. "I thought you two had put this kind of stuff behind you."
"We're just traveling and learning all we can about the world," Ed explained. "We need to get into the Central library to get some research materials. We're trying to decode a language."
"Which one?" Hawkeye asked curiously.
"Uh..." Ed trailed off. She didn't really know how to explain it. "It's actually ancient. From Xerxes. I don't really know what the language is called, but we're trying to figure out how to translate their work. Hohenheim would've been great help, but since he's gone, we've got to figure it out ourselves."
"That's right, your father was from Xerxes," Mustang commented. Ed had told them shortly after the Promised day when Hohenheim had disappeared. "I suppose that makes you the last of their kind." Mustang handed over the pocket watch and a small note.
"I'm Amestrian," Ed said in monotone. She took the pocket watch before mumbling a, "thanks".
"Visit more often," Havoc said before Ed left. "We never see you anymore. You're like our little bro...well, sister, I guess."
"I can be your little brother if you want," Ed said with a laugh. "See you!"
Guest: "Greed is my favorite character but in this he's a jerk I don't think he would actually do that because he never fights women he respects them"
Okay. Sorry.
