As I'm sure you've all figured out...I, most unfortunately, don't own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. However, Tianxian and her shenanigans are all my own. Enjoy!
Just Another Playing Piece
Chapter Four:
"Mother and...Son?"
With the sweet symphony of the town being inadvertently demolished by an overzealous pair of alchemists and a duo of exasperated bodyguards playing in the background, Ling was ravenously downing his eleventh piece of apple pie. His companion, Tianxian, was also enjoying the same confection, albeit, it was only her first piece and she was eating it with all the delicacy of a refined upper-class snob.
Needless to say, if the townspeople of Rush Valley were not already caught up in the shenanigans destroying their quaint town, then they were gawking at the strange couple alternating between glares and dopey grins.
"Aww, come now," Ling broke the tense silence that had enveloped the two, "Why do you keep giving me that face? We haven't seen one another for quite some time, Mother."
The girl across from him only deepened her glower as she gave a scathing response, "As I have told you countless times before, I am not your mother. I know that impulse control is exceedingly difficult for you, but refrain from referring to me as anyone with a close relationship to you."
Seemingly unphased by the slight, Ling continued, "Hm? You are my mother, why would I call you by anything else?"
An ebony eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Tianxian had to take several moments to calm herself, lest she smash her dining partner over the head with the closest object, in this case it would have been a plateful of pie. However, she mused, the pie was not deserving of such a horrible fate, and restrained herself for its sake.
"Just because I am technically married to your father does not in any way mean that I take up the role of mother or stepmother or any other kind of relation to you, you gluttonous fiend."
"Ah. I now see why you were travelling with that Edward Elric fellow. You're temperaments are quite similar." The insult was hidden under layers of personal charisma and a friendly grin.
"How dare you compare me to the likes of that common heathen!" Her voice shot up several octaves.
"Oh, now, now, let's not quibble over something so petty, Mother. More importantly, for curiosity's sake, how were you able to learn basic Amestrian as a mere consort?"
In response Tianxian's eyes flashed that unnatural golden color before returning to their normal navy state. She stabbed the remaining portion of her pie with her fork, and jammed the rather large piece into her mouth to cover up the dumbstruck response that sat at the tip of her tongue. The nerve…
This was exactly why she couldn't stand the guy. Beneath that oft-present grin and lighthearted persona, Tianxian knew lay a cheeky and far more complex young man. He used his natural charm to lure people in, and when his childlike amusement coaxed their emotional walls down, he would suddenly pounce with an incredible shrewdness that left them questioning how they had been able to be manipulated by someone who had only moments ago appeared so gullible.
Ling Yao was made up of many idiosyncrasies, but most of all, he was deceptively observant. And, to a person who had an inordinate amount of secrets to keep straight like Tianxian did, that made him dangerous. Tremendously dangerous.
"Silence, Yao Clan slug." The young concubine mumbled, pushing herself away from the table.
She didn't even offer so much as a parting glance before she left to wander her way back to Garfiel's shop. With any luck, the Elric brothers would already be there waiting, and could sweep her off to Central before she had the misfortune of being pestered by a certain silly, yet far too perceptive, prince again. Not that it mattered, because regardless of her unannounced exit, Ling was already hot on her heels. His lanky legs effortlessly caught up to her much smaller stride, and he matched her pace with ease.
"What do you think you are doing?" Tianxian weaved her way in and out around various groups of pedestrians, and spoke without turning to her walking companion, "I believe that I have made it clear that your presence is not by any means welcomed."
The prince walked with a slight bounce to his gait, his long ponytail swishing back-and-forth in time with his steps. His arms were crossed lazily over his bare chest and his hands rested in the opposite sleeves. Though his eyes were closed, he appeared to be joyously sightseeing, playing to the perfect image of am innocent, curious newcomer. However, Tianxian knew better.
"We just reunited! I figured I would stick around you for a while. Adventure always seems to find me when I'm with you. I would hate to miss out on the excitement."
Hardly, Tianxian scoffed to herself, more like I am always dragged into whatever trouble you draw towards me.
"Leave me be."
He was still rambling when she tuned back in, "Oh! We could share our favorite memories from our time together in the desert. I'm sure Lan Fan and Fu would like to join in once they return."
"I decline."
"Those Elric brothers are quite an interesting pair, hm? They seem like they might be able to help me in my search for immortality. The little blond one is a horribly obvious liar, though. A bit like you, really."
"CEASE FROM COMPARING US THIS INSTANT!"
"Speaking of which, why are you with them? It must be to your advanta—"
Two simultaneous explosions rocked the ground the pair stood upon. Tianxian staggered to her left, barely avoiding Ling whose feet were drumming a disjointed tap-dance to keep himself from face planting. Despite their best efforts to remain upright amongst the sudden tremors, the Xingese duo caught ankles and landed in a pile of oddly angled limbs and ruffled hair.
Once again, much to Tianxian's displeasure, Ling's gangly body was sprawled out on top of her prone form. To his credit, he quickly pushed himself up onto his elbows and offered a sheepish chuckle, a flustered apology in the formal dialect of Xingese royalty passing through his lips. He was close enough that, if he had moved a fraction of an inch, then his broad chin would have been jabbing her in the eye.
No matter how much Tianxian wanted to deny it, she knew that her face must have been rosy from cheek to cheek. She was furious with herself when for some unbeknownst reason her heartbeat sputtered into a frenzy of erratic, loud thumps.
Dangerous, a voice whispered in her head, he's dangerous to the plan.
Instead she covered up her embarrassment with, "Remove yourself from me. I am unable to breath, you oaf!"
The chagrined young man fluidly sprung to his feet before offering Tianxian a hand. She stood on her own, pushing the courteous gesture away.
"Well, I suppose that was our cue?" Ling nodded toward the area not too far away with two billowing smoke clouds, "I'd recognize Lan Fan's bombing prowess just about anywhere. I am willing to bet they all have at least come to a standstill."
Tianxian scowled into the distance. She didn't know the Elrics well enough to ascertain whether they would be able to survive a battle against fearsome combatants like that of the prince's body guards, "If your Yao mutts killed my escorts…I will seek rightful compensation for my grievances."
"Was that a threat on my life?" Ling's dark eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline. It wasn't like it was the first time someone had warned him that he was in danger of potentially being snuffed out. However, it was unusual to hear it coming from someone who had no intention of using his death to climb the social ladder to the seat of future emperor.
Mustering up the darkest look she could, Tianxian shot the young prince a glower that clearly answered his question. Yes. Yes, it was a thinly veiled death threat.
Slightly stunned, though mostly amused, Ling gave a hasty shrug of his shoulders, "I suppose that's fair enough. Though, I doubt Lan Fan will take the idea of it well…"
At the mention of the strict warrioress' name, Tianxian visibly stiffened as nervous globules of perspiration trickled down the back of her neck. Lan Fan. What a formidable person to have as a foe.
Being ingrained with a hatred for all things Yao Clan since her training as a future concubine had begun all those years ago, Tianxian was naturally disposed to making degrading comments about the Yao Clan heir. That, and the fact that from the get go, the young prince has rubbed her the wrong way with all his childish games, deceptive perceptiveness, and insistence on referring to her as his mother. Unsurprisingly, Tianxian's sharp tongue and irreverence for a certain member of the Xingese aristocracy, did not sit well with the fiercely loyal Lan Fan.
She had been on the receiving end of the female body guard's wrath before, and had nearly lost an arm to a well-aimed kunai. The memory of the cold metal almost lodging itself in her flesh, sent a fresh chill down her spine…maybe she should just return to Garfiel's and hope the Elrics showed up there alive?
Ling took several steps in the direction he had indicated before peering back over his shoulder as he realized his companion was still rooted to the spot he had teased her in moments ago, that ever-present grin lighting his features,
"Hm, is something wrong? Let's hurry, Mother. I'd hate if we missed out on all the fun."
Tianxian and Ling heard their voices before they saw their bodies. It was impossible to mistake Edward's tenor voice, and they followed the agitated sound through the clearing smoke and debris. The two came to a standstill as Tianxian's jaw fell open.
Lan Fan and Fu, two warriors that Tianxian considered to be the creatures of nightmares, were completely incapacitated. Meanwhile, discounting a detached metal arm, the Elric brothers stood unscathed.
Just who the hell have I been travelling with?, The consort warily asked herself.
Still awed, the much less dumbstruck Ling pulled Tianxian along by the wrist, and decided to make their presence known, "Okaaaay, good work guys!"
Stiffening, Edward slowly turned his head back to level a sneer directly at the prince, "Why you…what're you so chipper about?" – He then focused his golden gaze on Tianxian, who had painfully twisted Ling's arm to make him release her wrist – "…and just where in the hell have you been?!"
"Pillaging the town," She responded with a deadpan expression. "Asserting my dominance, and lavishing in stolen riches."
"YOU WHAT?! I turn my back for ten minutes, and you—"
Ling interrupted Edward with a chuckle, "What she means is that we've been eating pie—"
This time it was the Yao Clan heir's turn to be interrupted as Tianxian added, "On your tab."
"You guys have got some pretty impressive skills. I know, why don't you come and work for me, and together we can take over this country? What do ya say?" Ling chimed in again before Edward had time to rage about his "borrowed" money.
"Oh no," Tianxian growled, stepping up to jab a finger at Ling's chest while her other hand rested haughtily upon her hip, "Those two are my peasants, not your's. They are here to serve me, and gain me audience with the Furher. Just like a Yao Clan dog, stealing what is not their's."
Tianxian could hear Lan Fan shouting obscenities in the background, but chose to ignore it as she set her resolute gaze upon the blond alchemist and the suit of armor, "Heathen and oddly dressed brother of Heathen, tell this avaricious slouch that you both belong to me."
"We belong to no one!" Edward screeched, marching forward and brandishing his detached arm at the two Xingese foreigners, "I have had enough of the idiotic chattering coming from the both of you! Just go back to Xing!"
"Look! There they are!"
The peculiar grouping of illegal immigrants and Amestrian citizens halted their arguing to look on at the crowd that had gathered nearby. A sea of angry faces being aimed their way set them all at unease.
"Look at the mess you've made! You practically destroyed our town!"
"You're covering the damages!"
"And your restaurant bill, too!"
Edward gulped as he backed away from the crowd with jerky steps, "H-hey! Wait, j-j-just hold on a second, this guy and his little entourage should be paying for everything!"
The dark of eyes of Ling and Tianxian met, and for the first time since their encounter, the two made an unspoken agreement with one another: to work together to act their way out of paying the bill.
Tianxian began chattering in loud, obnoxious Xingese. She set her face into a manic expression while bowing repeatedly and flailing her arms. Crocodile tears welled in her almond-shaped eyes as she attempted to look at pitiful as possible.
Next to her, Ling was doing some odd dance while uttering in horribly broken Amestrian as his voice cracked from the high pitched tone he had taken on, "So sorry, I no understand much language of this country!"
Suddenly, Tianxian felt a warmth around her waist, and it took her a moment to realize the arm belonged to Ling as he shimmed them back towards the edge of the debris field, "Okay, bye-bye now!"
The wind rushed by the pair as they engaged in a freefall down to the ground. Instinctively, Tianxian wrapped her arms and legs around Ling with a strength that nearly snapped his ribs in half. They landed upright, without injury, and Ling let out a shaky laugh as the girl detached herself from him and air reentered his screaming lungs.
Adrenaline still pumping, Tianxian surprised herself when she grabbed the prince's hand, and took off at a neck-breaking speed as Edward's indignant cries of outrage faded as they gained more distance. Despite her best efforts, Tianxian was unable to keep a euphoric smile from surfacing at the corners of her lips. Even if she was put under extreme torture she would never admit it, but she was fighting hard to keep a laugh from bubbling out.
Fun. She was having fun. Had she ever felt this free before?
The raven-haired boy easily kept pace with the girl urging him forward as she made complicated twists and turns throughout the town, his natural grace allowing him to easily change direction on the spot.
To say he was gobsmacked would have been an understatement. Though he couldn't claim to be an expert on the behavioral habits of Tianxian Shi, Ling knew that it was the first time he had seen her drop that faux haughty façade and genuinely enjoy the exhilarating feeling of just being alive. She was a sight to see.
Her short hair flew behind her, swinging to-and-fro as it just barely brushed the collar of her cheongsam. He was scarcely able to see the side of her face, but what he could see, her cheeks were flushed from exertion and her eyes twinkled with childlike delight.
Tianxian Shi was not the typical ethereal beauty that Ling had come accustomed to seeing meekly decorate the halls of the palace like his mother did. No, she was not disarmingly gorgeous. No, she was not the image of elegance. No, she was not the epitome of loveliness by any means.
But, she was imperfect, and human, and so, so alive, flourishing with untamed youth and blooming in reckless vivacity. And that, that held a stunning quality all its own. For a split moment, he was enchanted.
So, he gripped her hand a little tighter, and without so much as a second thought, allowed her to lead him down a burgeoning path of new, and potentially risky, possibilities.
Too bad, it was that exact moment that Ling's stomach chose to make itself known once again, causing the young prince to lurch forward and knock heads with Tianxian sending then both spiraling into unconsciousness.
That's a wrap! Hopefully Tianxian has become a little more relatable, a little more human. The next chapter will be a flashback to their time together in the desert...it's...interesting to say the least, ha. :)
That being said, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! The reason it took me so long to squeeze this chapter out is, because I am also writing another fanfiction as the moment as well. It is a Greed/OC fic set a hundred years before the main storyline. Ever wonder why Greed defected from Father after a hundred years of service? Curious as to why he has a policy against telling lies? Speculated why the 'Ever Avarious One' seems to hold no superiority complex over humans? Find out the answers to these questions and more by following the short life of Nadine Huntly, a spirited Amestrian Military Academy student, whose insatiable curiosity for all things supernatural might have just caused her to bite off a bit more than her tender years can chew. Let me know if you all would be interested, the prologue is already up under "Ode to Forgotten Histories". :)
A ROUND OF MUCH APPRECIATED THANKS TO: Thanks to Pinkablu, JellOtaku, and AmateurWriter120 for favouriting last chapter! Thanks to ShadowSeraphin, Cow-Lover2214, AmateurWriter120, and No.1DigiBakuFan for following last chapter! A huge, mega, ultra shout out to mun3litKnight for reviewing once again, you give me the much needed encouragement to carry on to another chapter. Please follow their shining example. :D
You know the drill: favorite, follow, and REVIEW (my little heart desires to hear from you all, please don't break it by giving no response)!
Much love,
pseudo ~