"Say, brother, have you found the answer to 'One is all, all is one'? I've been thinking about it all this time, but I only have a vague idea about it…" - Alphonse Elric
The land of Xing has long been praised for it's people's discipline, Alphonse Elric learned this before ever traveling to the country as he watched both Ling Yao and May Chang strive to secure their family's right to rule despite all odds. Honor, respect, unwavering faith…these were only but a few principles that made the people of Xing so very unique. Never had he seen this level of discipline, not even in the Amestrian military. The only one who came close was Scar, who's firm belief in his religion and people made him a formidable opponent, and a trusted ally.
Fifty Xingese monks were conducting their martial arts training together in formation. Their bald heads only mounted by long, braided ponytails. Looking over their ranks, you could tell no one man apart, they were all one…well…almost. Al's short, golden hair stood out like a sore thumb, but his movements matched those of the monks blow by blow. Al had taken to the Xingese lifestyle like a fish to water, not only was his body completely healthy, his spirit and mind were aligned, all part of his training in Alkahestry. The monastery sat on a mountain top, not far from Emperor Yao's castle. The cold blue sky was decorated with crisp, white clouds. The chill of the mountain took some getting used to, but since getting his body back, Al has never once forsaken his senses. He loved feeling cold just as much as he did hot, and embraced pain as well as pleasure.
As the monks came to a finish, Al stood tall and bowed to the conductor of the practice, who returned the gesture. Al had truly grew up into a fine young man. Although much taller than he was when he first returned to his body, his size could never trump the gentle, kind face that he had worn since childhood. He walked over to the multitude of steps that led down the mountain, and was greeted by the charming grin that belonged to May Chang. She'd grown as well, turning 18 only months ago, she had matured a great deal from her days of searching Amestris for the key to immortality.
She held her hands behind her back and leaned forward, as to get a better look at Al as he approached. Her loyal companion Xiao Mei mimicked the martial arts moves the monks had been performing, drawing a chuckle from Al. "Alphonse-sama, your form has improved so much!" Al blushed a little. "Well thanks May, I've been working hard. It's really helped me get a better grasp of chi…one is all, all is one." Al wiped the sweat from his brow and caught his breath .
May beamed at him as he thanked her, she lifted a flask of water his way. "For you, Al. Drink, you're surely thirsty." He took the flask quickly and drank the water down. "Ahh…thank you May. So, are your things packed?" She nodded her head, and Xiao Mei threw a makeshift, stick and bag pack over her shoulder. "I'm all set, our caravan is prepared to head West first thing tomorrow morning!"
Al stared at her as she answered, admiring her braided, black hair, which she kept in a bun on her head, with two braided loops that reached her shoulders. He often wondered if she felt as she did for him all those years ago, or if it was nothing more than a young girl's crush. Although Al had always been wise, he had the most trouble reading women, or, maybe it was just women he liked.
That evening, Al sat in Ling Yao's room, enjoying a game of chess. "I don't understand it Al, when you were bound to that suit of armor, I longed for your immortality. Now, you have your body, and I long for your intelligence." Lan Fan stood guard quietly in the corner of the room, watching over Ling, always. "I think you're selling yourself short, Ling, your will and determination were enough to overcome Greed. Think about it, you made GREED share your body." Al moved into checkmate, once again defeating Ling at his favorite game. Ling looked puzzled, but not at his defeat. He pondered on Al's statement for a moment and let out a hearty laugh.
"Yet again you amaze me Alphonse. As I run my mouth, you reveal to me even more dimensions of myself than I knew existed. Thank you." Ling and Al stood, and shook hands over the chess board. "You are a trusted friend Al, please, return to us soon." Al smiled at the kind words and bowed after they were finished shaking hands. "Ling, it's an honor to serve under you, and-" Ling stepped around the table, and put his hand on Al's shoulder. "No Al, you do not serve under me. You are my equal." Al stood up straight in shock, had the arrogant emperor of Xing truly called him his equal?
Al walked down the quiet, peaceful halls of the castle, and reached the door to his quarters. He slid the door open, and to his surprise found May sitting on his bed, and she looked pleased to see him. He noticed his bags were packed neatly on his bed. "Alphonse, apologies for being here unannounced…I just wanted to help you out. I packed your things. I hope you don't mind." Her innocence played to Al's ears as if it were the charming tune of a rare songbird. He let out a laugh and walked to her.
"Oh no, of course I don't mind May. I'm terrible about packing ahead of time anyways, thank you!" That was a lie, all day Al worked out how he'd managed to fit all of his belongings into only two bags, he enjoyed the challenge as if it were a puzzle, but he'd not miss this chance to praise May. He rubbed his head as she stood, pleased that he was thankful. He felt his heart pound faster as he admired her silk robes, and the figure they concealed. She blushed as she caught his eyes wandering, and she took his hand, Al blinked and blushed as well. "Alphonse…thank you for taking me with you. Even when I have taught you all I can of Alkahestry, you, you insisted that I return to Amestris with you." Al held her hand as she stepped closer to him, and rested her head against his chest. Al's eyes grew wide with surprise, their relationship had always been strictly professional, as allowing anything more could disrupt his learning. Not to mention that in Xingese cutlure, suddenly moving into a member of the opposite sex's personal space was highly uncommon unless the two were together.
Al wrapped one arm around her, holding her hand with the other. "May, leaving you behind was never an option." He could feel her cheeks rise as she smiled, looking down towards the floor, simply enjoying the embrace. She chuckled as she watched Xiao Mei tug on the bottom of her robe, urging her to stop being intimate with Al. She pulled away from Al, who's face was beet red. "Goodnight Al-chan." She softly kissed his cheek, and left the room quickly. Al stood there for a moment, soaking in what just happened. He placed his hand on his cheek where she kissed him, and sat on his bed. He hadn't been this excited in a long time.
"Great, now I'll never sleep."
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it was a refreshing in comparison to chapter 1, although I'm not as fond of Al/Mei as I am any other pairing save for Ling/LanFan. During my time writing this I couldn't help but think of the film "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise, where a westerner adapts to Japanese samurai culture by becoming one himself. For all you Ed/Win nuts, you'll want to catch the next chapter, as we'll be traveling further down THAT rabbit hole. Please, favorite and review! Let me know how you feel about the story, or even some things YOU'D be interested in seeing as the story progresses. I'm aiming to please you guys, so talk to me!
(Also, looks like in chapter one I called May Chang "Mei" rather than May. I'll be going with the spelling in this chapter from here on out, although this is a minor issue.)
