(AC: Xing Symphony~Overture~ - FMA:B OST 2)
The Xing Stalker immediately flung two of the kunai towards Al who managed to sidestep them, barely, and spun his spear around before swinging it across towards the stalker but the stalker nimbly ducked the weapon and caught it with one hand, pulling back on it, yanking it from Al's hands. Al scowled before clapping his hands together and slamming them down onto the ground, causing a sphere of earth to rise up around the stalker in attempt to trap them but the stalker used the spear to nimbly leap out of the sphere before it closed, standing perfectly balanced on the base of the spear, throwing several more kunai towards him, pinning his pants leg down. Al grimaced upon realizing he was immobile. He looked to see the figure draw a ninjato blade and charge towards him, raising the blade in preparation for a strike, Al instinctively raising his right arm up to block. The stalker proceeded to bring the blade down towards his arm but was stunned when the blade struck something hard, causing the stalker to stagger backwards from the impact. Al smirked towards the assassin before reaching up and ripping off his sleeve, revealing a metal arm guard on his lower arm. A similar metal guard was further up on his bicep.
"Thanks for the suggestion Ed." Al mumbled to himself with a smirk. The stalker's eyes narrowed before charging forward but Al scowled again and clapped his hands together before running his left hand along his right arm guard, recreating the metal arm blade that Ed would use on his automail arm. Al took a swipe at the stalker who quickly leapt back and deflected Al's attack with the ninjato, Al still pinned down by the kunai and unable to reach him. Al finally just raised one foot, tearing is leg free at the cost of some of his pants leg before doing the same with his other leg. Now free again, Al clapped his hands together and transmuted a series of cylindrical pillars towards the stalker, attempting to throw them off guard but the stalker flipped forward, rearing back its blade but Al was ready and managed to dodge the attack, grabbing the stalker by the arm and throwing him towards the wall behind him. The Stalker turned in midair and hit the wall feet first, crouching down onto it before leaping towards Al, the ninjato reared back. Al quickly clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground, transmuting a wall of rock up in front of him, hoping the stalker would crash into it but was stunned when he looked up and saw the stalker bound over the wall into the air. Al's eyes widened in surprise as the stalker landed behind Al. Al was about to run towards him when his left arm was suddenly pinned to the wall by a pair of stilettos, pinning him by the sleeve. Al attempted to tear the sleeve off but knew there wasn't enough time as the stalker ran towards him. Suddenly a cloud of smoke erupted between him and the stalker, causing Al to shield his eyes with his right arm. That's when he heard a loud metallic clang. (End AC) As the smoke settled, Al looked and what he saw made his eyes widen. Before him was another figure clad in black Xingese garb but their left arm was automail with black plating and a clear Xingese design to it. The figure had the automail arm raised across in front of them, blocking the ninjato. No words were spoken, the stalker glaring at the figure with a calm gaze before lowering the ninjato, turning, and running away, nimbly leaping up the side of one of the buildings and disappearing onto the rooftops. Al then turned to look at the figure before him. The figure then turned to reveal a familiar looking masked figure that Al recognized immediately.
"Lan Fan!" Al exclaimed as the figure bowed to him with a smile.
"Are you alright, Alphonse?" Lan Fan asked as she approached Al and helped remove the stilettos pinning him to the wall.
"I'm fine, yes. What about you?" Al asked, transmuting the armor blade back into the armor guard on his arm.
"Me? I'm fine." Lan Fan said as Al transmuted the wall back into the ground, cleaning up his alchemical mess.
"Thank you for rescuing me but, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Xing protecting Ling?" Al asked as Lan Fan grimaced slightly in frustration. Despite her mask, Al could tell she was frustrated.
"It was the Emperor who sent me here on my mission. The man you just encountered was likely an Assassin from a rival clan in Xing, sent to kill you and your brother." Lan Fan explained, startling Al.
"Us? Why us? What did we do? Was it something I did while I was in Xing?" Al asked but Lan Fan shook her head.
"Your crime was helping the young lord ascend to the throne as Emperor of Xing. Some of his half-siblings are bitter about being beaten and want to see the people credited with having aided his ascension executed. That's why we're here to protect you and Edward." Lan Fan said as Al's eyes widened.
"Ed! I've got to warn him!" Al said but Lan Fan blocked his path.
"Relax, Alphonse, we have that covered. I did not come alone. I brought a friend with me to help protect Edward. The young lord has decreed that the Elric brothers be protected from any attempts on their lives and has dispatched me and a friend here to personally ensure your safety." Lan Fan said as Al sighed with relief.
"I see. Remind me to thank Ling the next time I see him. But wait, you said it was you and a friend. If you're here, then who else is here with you?" Al asked as Lan Fan smiled.
"My companion is already in Resembool keeping an eye on your brother. We split up to cover more ground in an effort to find you. I remained here in Central while my companion headed to your hometown. I received word early this morning that you were here and Edward was there so our orders are to not let either of you from our sight. As for who my companion is…I believe you know her very well." Lan Fan said as Al smiled in realization.
…
In Resembool, Ed and a number of the townsfolk were helping to repair the Rockbell home. Ed had finally taken to wearing the metal gloves from Al's armor after having smashed his fingers with a hammer one too many times. He was also sporting his brand new automail leg. As he worked to reaffix the door onto the doorframe, Winry emerged from the basement, wiping her brow.
"It's hot down there." She mumbled as Ed glared at her from the corner of his eye.
"Down there? What about out here? Some of us are working to fix your house you know?" Ed grumbled, earning an annoyed glare from Winry.
"I have several backorders for automail parts to fill to be shipped out before the train to Rush Valley arrives tomorrow and those monsters really made a mess down there! I'll do well to finish the order in time!" Winry argued as Ed snickered.
"Relax, I was just busting your chops! Leave it to the professionals to fix the house while we leave the automail to the professional." Ed said as Winry crossed her arms with a cheeky smirk.
"Professional, huh? If that's so, why are you working on the house? I've seen your craftsmanship with a hammer and nails Ed." Winry said but Ed took it in stride.
"It's not pretty but it'll manage. I'll admit I'm no good at this but it does give be a better understanding and respect of people who can't use alchemy. Kind of reminds me of when teacher sent Al and me off to spend a whole month on a remote island without using alchemy." Ed said with a smile.
"One is all and all is one, right?" Winry asked as Ed gave her a surprised smile and nod.
"Yeah. Did she explain it to you?" Ed asked as Winry nodded.
"Mmm-hmm. So not being able to do stuff like this very well doesn't bother you?" Winry asked as Ed shook his head.
"Not in the slightest. Alchemy was one thing I was really good at but now that that door's been closed to me, I need to find something else that I'm good at." Ed said as Winry smiled.
"Good for you, Ed. I thought you'd probably mope around after you lost your alchemy but you've been surprisingly optimistic." Winry commented.
"I gave up my alchemy to bring Al back. I won't lie, Alchemy was one thing I was really good at. Now that I can't use it, I need to find something else that I'm good at. But If you ask me, I broke the Law of Equivalent Exchange when I did that. Al's worth far more than just my alchemy. He's worth at least that and an arm." Ed said with a wink and grin as he pat his right arm on the bicep while flexing it, Winry stifling a laugh in response. She was about to say something when she paused and blinked curiously at something behind Ed. Ed followed her gaze and saw a strange but familiar creature nearby.
"Hey, Winry, how long has that strange cat been there?" Ed asked.
"He's not a cat, he's a panda!" a familiar voice argued. (AC: Stepping Along – FMA:B OST 2)
"Wait, I know that voice!" Ed exclaimed as a pink blur dropped down from the roof overhead. Before them stood a fourteen year old girl with black hair and wearing a beautiful pink outfit of Xingese origin. Ed and Winry almost instantly recognized her.
"May!" The two exclaimed in unison, greeting the young princess. (A/N: She looks the way she does in the Elric Family Photo at the end of Brotherhood.)
"How long have you been here?" Ed asked as May smiled.
"Since this morning." She replied.
"Wow May you've certainly grown." Winry commented as May blushed and smiled in appreciation.
"Thanks. So have you Edward. You really were short before." May said, earning a furious glare from Ed.
"I'M-STILL-TALLER-THAN-YOU-YA-RUNT!" Ed yelled.
"So what brings you to Amestris? And why make the trip all the way out here? Surely it wasn't to see us, was it?" Winry asked as May tapped her chin.
"Actually in a way, I am here to see you. I'm here on a special mission given to me by my brother, Emperor Ling Yao of Xing!" May declared proudly.
"Well how about that? Ling became Emperor after all." Ed said, proud of Ling's accomplishment.
"Mmm-hmm, he's been making sweeping changes across Xing. He's put an end to the clan wars and is uniting everyone together. Even the Chang Clan has gained newfound respect and power thanks to him. I owe him a huge debt. I might not have become Empress but having Ling on the throne has turned out better than I could ever have imagined! And it's all thanks to you and Alphonse." May said as Ed blushed and scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile.
"Really it was nothing." Ed said. (End AC).
"Wait a minute, you mentioned some kind of special mission, May. What kind of mission is it?" Winry asked as May paused, her smile vanishing into a worried frown.
"Um…can we talk about this inside?" She asked as Ed and Winry exchanged worried looks before nodding. A few minutes later, Ed and Winry were seated next to one another at the kitchen table while May sat across from them, Xiao-Mei sitting on the table in front of her. (AC: Dante – FMA OST 2)
"I'll start from the beginning. When Ling was named Emperor two years ago, his first act was to put an end to the clan wars that have ravaged Xing for hundreds of years. He and the Imperial Army has been actively intervening against any and all clans that attempt to wage war against one another, forcing them to resolve matters through diplomacy. Most of the clans now have peace treaties between each other which has made Ling kinda popular as he's united the country. Naturally there are some who aren't happy with his rise to power and are especially unhappy with his rule. There are a dissident few amongst the clans that seek to see him eliminated. They also want to eliminate those responsible for his winning the throne away from them." May explained as Ed grimaced.
"You mean me and Al?" Ed asked as May hesitantly nodded.
"Yes. We uncovered evidence that assassins from Xing have come here to kill you and Alphonse. In response, Ling dispatched me and Lan Fan to be your bodyguards. He didn't dare trust anyone else for the mission." May explained as Ed slammed his fists onto the table, starling both May and Winry as he slowly stood up.
"Damn it. Of all the times for Al to run off too. I knew I should've chased after him." Ed whispered angrily to himself.
"And do what, Ed? How could you protect Al?" Winry asked as Ed looked at his hands with a grimace. He then put his fist into the table again, grimacing in frustration.
"If I still had my alchemy I could help him." He grumbled angrily as May raised her hand.
"I might be able to help. Ling gave me something that could-." "No! Don't you do anything that will restore my alchemy!" Ed interrupted, starling May who froze in place.
"Equivalent Exchange. For mankind to gain anything, something must be given up in return. To get Al back, I gave up alchemy. You think I don't know how to get it back? I know exactly how to do it, but the means of getting there…I could never forgive myself if I did." Ed said as Winry gulped.
"Does it…does it mean using a-." "A Philosopher's Stone? Yeah. It's the only way I know about." Ed explained as May put her hand down. (End AC)
"Then…maybe there's a way to help Al without using Alchemy." Winry said, earning Ed's attention.
"What do you mean?" Ed asked as Winry stood up from the table.
"I've been working on something in the basement for the past couple of years, ever since Ed and Al started visiting different countries to learn their versions of Alchemy. It was initially going to be just a simple hobby but it kind of spiraled out of control. It's almost finished but I'm going to need your help to finish it May." Winry said, confusing May.
"My help? But I don't know anything about automail." May replied as Winry smiled.
"Trust me, I know what to do. Just be patient, Ed. You'll be able to help Al soon enough." Winry said with a determined smile.
…
(AC: Nocturne of Amestris~Duet~ - FMA:B OST 2)
Back in Central, it was late evening and Al had just finished eating dinner with the Hughes women. He had changed clothes since his encounter with the assassin and now sat listening to Elicia's excited commentary about her schooling. Lan Fan was hidden on the roof of the apartment complex, remaining vigilant for any would be assassins. Al had tried to convince her to join them for dinner but she flatly refused.
"And then sometimes when one of us has a birthday, we get to eat cake! Do you have a favorite kind of cake, Big Brother Al?" Elicia explained as Al tapped his chin in thought.
"Well I'd have to say my favorite cake was the one my mom would make for mine and my brother Ed's birthdays. But it's been so long since I've had it, I've almost forgotten what it tastes like." Al explained as Elicia smiled up at him.
"Maybe you should ask her to make one for you. I ask my mommy to make cake all the time, right mommy?" Elicia asked as Gracia nodded.
"She does, but I don't think Mr. Elric's mommy can make him a cake, sweetie." Gracia said as Al glanced her way, a sad smile on his face.
"Why?" Elicia asked, confused.
"Well…she's in heaven with daddy. They're probably neighbors." Gracia said with a sad smile, holding back a tear, Al holding one back himself. Elicia seemed to frown slightly at this.
"Oh." She replied. Al, not wanting to see Elicia sad, immediately stood up.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I got you something while I was visiting another country in the East." Al said as he walked over towards the couch where he had set the box from Xing. Elicia perked up almost instantly.
"Really? What'd you bring me? What'd you bring me?!" she asked excitedly as Al opened the box and pulled out a doll made of porcelain in a beautiful red kimono. Elicia marveled in awe at the doll.
"I saw this in Xing and it made me think of you. All the little girls there have one and I thought you might like it." Al said as Elicia carefully took the doll, her eyes sparkling in wonder.
"She's beautiful." Elicia said as Gracia smiled warmly at the scene.
"Elicia, what do you say to Mr. Elric?" Gracia asked as Elicia smiled up at Al.
"Thank you Big Brother Al!" Elicia exclaimed as she threw her arms around him in a hug, but as she did, they heard a shattering sound. When they looked, they saw that Elicia had accidently smashed the head of the doll on the edge of a side table, shattering the doll's head. Elicia's eyes almost instantly filled with tears. Al, quickly raised his hands defensively.
"Wait-wait-wait, don't cry! I can fix this! Mrs. Hughes, do you have a mug you don't use anymore that you don't mind parting with?" Al asked as Gracia nodded and hurried to the kitchen. She returned to find Al laying out a sheet of paper on the floor, drawing out a transmutation circle using one of Elicia's crayons. He then placed the broken doll and the head fragments on the circle before placing an old and chipped mug into the circle with them.
"Watch, Elicia. This is called alchemy. I'm going to use alchemy to repair your doll." Al said as Elicia and Gracia watched from the side. Gracia already knowing what was going to happen smiled while Elicia watched with wonder as Al placed his hands at the edge of the circle, causing it to glow with a bright blue light.
"Oh~h~h~h!" Elicia marveled. As the light faded, she saw that the doll had been fully repaired but the mug was gone. Al cautiously picked up the doll and handed it to Elicia.
"I made the doll a lot stronger and much harder to break. Be careful with it though, just because it's harder to break doesn't mean it won't break at all." Al explained as Elicia held the doll close.
"Thank you Big Brother Al." Elicia said softly with a smile, blushing before running up and kissing him unexpectedly on the cheek. Al was caught off guard by the sudden move but watched as Elicia turned and ran to her room.
"I think I should probably mention, she's had a crush on you ever since you showed up at our door three months ago." Gracia explained with a small laugh. Al rose to his feet, scratching the back of his head.
"Promise me you won't tell my brother that. He'll only tease me about being some kind of a ladies man or something." Al said as Gracia chuckled again.
"My lips are sealed, Alphonse. But thank you for taking the time to visit us." Gracia said.
"Colonel…I mean General Hughes was instrumental in helping brother and me get our bodies back. Ed and I owe him a debt we can't begin to repay. Plus we want to make sure you and Elicia are taken care of." Al explained as Gracia gave him a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Alphonse. But between you and General Mustang, Elicia and I are well taken care of. The General stops to visit at least once a month, to make sure we have everything we need." Gracia said, showing Al a photo on the wall of Roy, Gracia, and Elicia at Maes' graveside. Roy was intentionally standing on the opposite side of the grave from the Hughes women, wearing his dress uniform. Al then saw something on the photo that looked like a smudge on Roy's face but attempts to scratch it off failed. Gracia merely laughed softly in amusement.
"I tried to convince the General to shave the mustache off. I just didn't think it suited him. I haven't seen him since so I wonder if it worked." Gracia said as Al grinned and laughed.
"I'm pleased to report that the General is clean shaven." Al replied as Gracia smiled.
"Maes always joked that Roy just didn't have the face for facial hair." Gracia said, her smile shrinking slightly at the memory of Maes.
"He was a good man. And I like to think you're right about something. You said earlier that the General's probably neighbors with my Mom in heaven, that they're neighbors. I think you're right. I think my parents and the General, along with many of Ed's and my friends that have passed on, are all friends and neighbors in heaven right now." Al said as Gracia gave a nod.
"I sincerely hope so. I imagine Maes is showing everyone pictures of me and Elicia and driving everyone crazy." Gracia said with a smile. Al laughed and gave a nod.
"Maybe so. Well, it's getting late Mrs. Hughes. Thank you again for dinner." Al said as Gracia followed him to the door.
"You're always welcome to visit anytime, Alphonse. And tell your brother and Winry congratulations from us." Gracia said as Al nodded.
"I will. Good night." Al said as he departed. As he reached the outside of the apartment complex, he spotted Lan Fan in the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
"Where to next, Alphonse?" Lan Fan asked.
"Back to the hotel. That meal left me feeling tired. Mrs. Hughes is a good cook." Al replied as they started walking back towards the Central Hotel.
"Forgive me for asking, Alphonse but, who were they?" Lan Fan asked as Al glanced at her.
"Oh, the Hughes family? They're the wife and daughter of a close friend of Ed's and mine. Back when Ed first became a State Alchemist, we had no place to stay but a soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes invited us to stay at his home while we were in Central. He and his family were so kind to us and Winry too. But the Lieutenant Colonel got too close to discovering the conspiracy that would've destroyed Amestris and was killed by the Homunculi. That's why we're so close to them. Without the Lieutenant Colonel and his help, Ed and I would never have gotten our bodies back." Al explained before noticing that Lan Fan had disappeared into the shadows. (End AC)
"Lan Fan?" he asked into the shadows but got no reply. He looked around but saw nothing. He decided to press on, approaching an intersection where Al would turn towards the Central Hotel. As he approached the intersection, he suddenly felt something drip onto his head that felt like a drop of rain, causing him to pause. He looked towards the skies but they were clear. He then looked straight up and what he saw immediately made him leap forward in time to evade a massive wolf-like chimera. (AC: Crisis in the North – FMA:B OST 2). Al quickly spun to face the chimera, taking note of the Red Kingdom bandana around its neck.
"Fullmetal." It growled as Alphonse froze. He watched as the Chimera stood up on its hind legs, revealing that it was a humanoid chimera. He scowled before clapping his hands together and transmuting the arm blade from the arm guard. He then heard a growling behind him and looked over his shoulder to see another wolf/human chimera behind him. He suddenly realized he was surrounded as two more humanoid chimeras emerged from the shadows, boxing him in.
"I don't know what you want me for, but you won't get it!" Al yelled at the chimeras.
"We just want you." One of the chimeras growled. Suddenly, one of the chimeras let out a howl of pain as it was stabbed in the lower back from behind by a figure clad in black: Lan Fan. The Xingese guardian quickly pulled her own ninjato from the chimera's back and charged towards one of the other chimeras.
"What?! Two of them?!" one of the chimera's yelped as the chimera Lan Fan was charging towards rose up on its haunches and attempted to bite Lan Fan's arm off but bit down on her automail arm, breaking several of its teeth before Lan Fan sliced it's throat open with a single swipe.
"Wait! Don't kill them!" Al yelled, earning an unreadable expression from Lan Fan due to her mask. Lan Fan immediately spun and threw her ninjato at the chimera she had stabbed earlier, the blade piercing its leg, causing it to fall to the ground in pain.
"DAH! You son of a-!" the chimera howled. Al clapped his hands together and transmuted a wall between him and the other two chimeras as Lan Fan leapt at one of them, fighting hand to hand in an effort to disable it. One of the chimeras immediately leapt out from behind the wall, straight into an alchemically transmuted fist made of rock as it rose from the ground, Al smirking confidently before hearing a hissing sound from behind. He turned and saw a large serpent-like chimera standing behind him on two humanoid legs with a feminine human body. He froze as he saw a hood form along the chimera's neck, giving it a cobra-like appearance. Al stood ready to defend himself when he was suddenly grabbed from behind by the wolf-chimera he had punched in the jaw via alchemy a second ago. Al was pinned, and couldn't move.
"Don't worry alchemissssst. My venom issssn't deadly. You'll jussssst fall into a deep ssssssleep." The cobra chimera woman said as she approached him, running a clawed finger along his chin. She was about to attempt to bite him when a stiletto flew into the side of her neck, causing her to let out a loud shriek as Lan Fan grappled onto her from behind, grabbing her by the throat with her automail arm. Al struggled to get free from the wolf chimera. Al clapped his hands together before kicking the chimera in the knee, causing him to make the both of them fall into the ground. Al landed with his palms touching the ground, causing the earth beneath them to crackle with alchemical energy before a stone wall flipped up out of the ground beneath them, catapulting them backwards towards the wall of the building behind them, the chimera getting sandwiched between Al and the wall. This gave Al an opening to break free and he took it by spinning around and pinning the chimera behind him against the wall by the throat with his armored arm.
"Alright, why are you after me?! What is it you're after?!" Al asked as the chimera coughed.
"I don't know! They don't tell us!" the chimera replied as Al scowled at him, not noticing as the chimera flexing its left arm.
"Then tell me what the Red Kingdom is after? What are its goals?!" Al asked as the chimera snarled.
"We are of only one goal: we want to see Amestris burn." The chimera grunted as Al's eyes widened. He was suddenly blindsided when the chimera swiped at him with his claws. Al managed to leap back in time for the swipe to only leave four shallow claw marks across his right cheek. Before he could recover, the chimera had pounced on him, pinning him to the ground by the arms, his clawed hind legs digging into his calves, pinning him down. Lan Fan was still grappling with the cobra chimera when she witnessed Alphonse get pinned. She suddenly felt the chimera's long tail wrap around her throat from behind, quickly constricting around it in an effort to choke the life out of her. Lan Fan started gasping for air as the chimera raised her up with her tail and turned to glare at Lan Fan with a fang filled grin.
"Now let'ssss ssssee what's beneath that massssk of yoursssssss." The chimera said as she reached for Lan Fan's mask.
End Chapter 5