The attacker came from the left, his weaker side. He regretted letting his guard slip, but they hadn't expected to be ambushed in the middle of the Xing capital's market. But as he considered it, it was an excellent strategy; the throngs of shoppers could easily hide any trackers or assassins. The sounds of a knife piercing flesh or a poison dart whizzing through the air would go undetected in the cacophony. This had to be a rather odd hit man, one that had shouted "ALPHONSE!" at the top of its lungs before tackling him to the ground.

His immediate thought was to blast himself free, but his arms were pinned to his sides. He struggled uselessly against the assailant's iron grip.

"Nrrrgh! Brother!" The fact that Ed had not immediately come to his aid surely meant that he too had been incapacitated. Al twisted and thrashed more fervently, but to no avail. Giving up, he turned his head, looking for the man who had so easily taken him down.

He bumped noses with a small Xingese girl.

"Alphonse!" she exclaimed again, eyes wide with delight. He felt her vice-like hold tighten. "Did you really pursue me all the way to my country?"

And suddenly, a memory struck him just as hard as the girl had.

"…May?"

She squealed and he gasped, because her forearms were compressing his ribcage.

"Oh, Alphonse! That's so romantic! It's been so long; I thought you has forgotten me! I was even considering coming to your country, but here you are! Oh my, you're even taller than I remembered!" He watched May's face flush bright pink before he was smothered by a patch of black and white fur.

"It's…nice to see you again, May," he managed to choke out, "and you too, Xiao Mei." Happy to be recognized, the cat busied herself trying to fit into the space between his neck and shoulder.

Though he partially blamed the short distances between their faces, Al was shocked at how she different May looked. How many years had it been? Two? Three? Her nose was longer, her cheekbones more defined. Her eyes had narrowed at the corners, but they shone so brightly that he could be absolutely certain that this was May he knew. She stared unabashedly back at him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Uh, May?"

"Yes, Alphonse?"

"I can't feel my legs."

"Oh, of course! I'm so sorry!" At once, she plucked Xiao Mei from his collarbone and sprang upright. "It was so rude of me to surprise you like that!" Her expression grew nervous and she bowed her head. "Forgive me, Alphonse!"

"No, no, it's fine!" he reassured her, ignoring the urge to rub the bruise forming on his right elbow. "I'm just a little startled. But how could you--"

Suddenly, May's face dropped.

"Ah! I've completely forgotten! I have to--wait here, Alphonse! I'll be right back!" And as quickly as she had come, she disappeared into the crowd.

Ed helped him up.

"Well, that was…unexpected."

"Tell me about it! I was ready to counterattack," Ed confessed. They stood together, watching carts of produce swarm by. Al scratched his head.

"There's so many people. How did she even find me?"

Ed shrugged. "Must be a sixth sense." He smirked and punched Al in the shoulder. "What's the matter? Are you trying to hide from your girrrrlfriend?"

"She is not--!"

"You're blushing!"

Al indignantly straightened his rumpled collar. "That's because she cut off my circulation!"