[FMA Big Bang fic] Down the Road - Chapter 5
Title: Down the Road
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang .
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
They could hear the sound of bells ringing.
Lan Fan turned around, confused; where was the noise coming from? It didn’t help matters when everything was pitch-black. She looked back and stared at a waterfall in disbelief-the same one she and Fu would go to for training.
“I remember when you were little, you would rather train than play, and I would tell the young lord to follow your example.”
Lan Fan gasped in fright and her heart lurched. No, it can’t be…
She tore her eyes away from the waterfall and gazed at Fu. There weren’t any deep cuts on his body and he looked healthy. Couldn’t contain herself, she hugged her grandfather and cried, her tears soaking Fu’s guard clothes.
(Art by seta_suzume )
“I can’t believe I’m seeing you again,” she whispered. Fu held her tighter. “I never got to say goodbye to you before you died.”
The two stayed like this for a while, enjoying each other’s embrace. Lan Fan had no words for this moment. Was this a dream or a different place entirely? Either way, she was seeing her grandfather and loving every minute of it. Fu soon broke their embrace and sighed.
“I’m sorry I brought shame on you and our lord. I wasn’t able to defeat King Bradley.”
Lan Fan shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “No need to apologize. You did everything you could. Luckily, he’s dead now and there should be a new Fuhrer for the people of Amestris soon.”
Those bells twinkled again, but her grandfather wasn’t bothered at all by it.
Fu smirked. “Oh, so I heard. Good luck to the new Fuhrer.”
“It looks like you got your death wish, then. You’ve been killed by someone like no other.”
“Indeed,” Fu said with a hearty chuckle. “He did put up quite a fight.”
Lan Fan looked at her automail, deep in thought. She, too, had a tough time with him; Bradley had taken her arm from her. It took six agonizing months for her to get used to the metal, but it was worth it in the end.
Fu and Lan Fan became quiet again, but it wasn’t long until the elder guard spoke. “I have to leave now, my granddaughter.”
Lan Fan felt as if someone stabbed through her heart with a dagger. Grandfather was leaving so soon? She wished the two could talk a little more, but that wasn’t going to happen. Accepting Fu’s leave, the girl hugged her grandfather one last time.
“You shall be missed, Grandfather.”
Fu had an apologetic look on his face. “I’m going to miss you too. However, one day, we’ll see each other again. Until then, I’ll wait for you.”
“I’ll come to you when the time comes,” Lan Fan said, smiling and nodding.
Whether heaven or hell, desert or forest, Xing or Amestris, she didn’t care as long as she was able to find her grandfather and see him again one day. The two separated, and Fu instantly disappeared.
Lan Fan was alone now, the sound of the bells still ringing in her ears.
+++
“Lan Fan, Lan Fan, Lan Fan!”
The shaking got harder. The young woman got up with an irritated grunt and rubbed her eyes. Ling stared at her with a worried expression.
“Master, something the matter?”
“I heard you screaming ‘No, Grandfather, no!” several times.”
Lan Fan gasped and bit her lip in embarrassment. She didn’t want to discuss her dream with Ling, but knew he would nag her about it if she didn’t say anything.
“I saw Grandfather again in my dream. He told me he’ll wait for me.”
“Wait for you…” Ling whispered.
There was nothing more to say about the dream to Ling. She could say how she was overwhelmed seeing Fu again and tell him of the short conversation with her grandfather that she wished hadn’t ended so quickly. She knew, though, her lord would say it was expected that she would miss her grandfather more than ever. Of course, Lan Fan longed to see Fu once more, but didn’t want Ling to see her cry again.
“Did I wake up May and Ada?” Lan Fan asked, now wondering if the two were alarmed by her screams, also.
Ling shook his head. “May’s still sleeping. I’m not sure about Ada, but I don’t think she woke, either. ”
Lan Fan turned around and saw May sleeping with Shao May. She smiled, thinking that the two of them together looked adorable. Thoughts about leaving, however, made her expression turn more serious.
“We should leave right away. I want to get to Xing as soon as possible.”
Ling nodded in understanding.
+++
After Ling and the girls had finished their breakfast, they packed up their belongings and got ready to leave. Everything else was already on the cart, including the canned foods and water jugs Clement gave to the young travelers for the journey.
“Again, be careful,” Clement told the group. Ling, Lan Fan, and May were on the cart, but his daughter hadn’t joined them yet.
Ada beamed. “We will Father, don’t worry.”
Clement couldn’t help but smile. Part of him worried over Ada’s safety, but knew he had to trust her on this. He kissed his daughter’s forehead before letting her climb onto the cart. Ada took control of the reins and shook it, signaling for Dory to go. The horse trotted slowly, so everyone was able to wave goodbye to the elder water alchemist.
“Have a safe journey, Ling, May, and Lan Fan!” Clement yelled.
“We will!” Ling replied back with a huge grin.
The man watched the group until they were too far away to see. He smiled.
They will be fine.
+++
When the group stopped to eat lunch, there were discussions about traveling by train. Ada explained the next city after Camiburn had a train station that could take them to Santa Rosa. Only problem was, it would be hard to convince someone that it would be necessary to transport a body all the way there.
“How about going by military train? You guys traveled that way in Amestris, right?” Ada asked.
“True, but that time the Armstrongs let the soldiers know about it. Here, we don’t have any permission to board the train. We could try sneaking in, but we’ll most likely get caught. Besides…” He rubbed his head and laughed in a sheepish manner. “We entered Amestris illegally without passports.”
Ling hated admitting that. He knew entering other countries without a passport was illegal and got into trouble at Central a while back due to that, but he also knew his family wouldn’t accept his ambitious plan to take the throne. At the time, the only way to carry out the plan was to run away.
Ada snickered. “Indeed, that would be a huge problem if anyone finds out you all came here illegally. Well, I can still somehow get you guys on a boat. My father has a few friends there that would be willing to help out.”
“That would be appreciated,” Ling said, a grateful smile spreading over his face.
The group continued eating in silence. Dory finished her food quickly and spied Shao May still munching on her own sandwich. In a lightning fast move, the horse snatched the panda’s lunch in her mouth and rapidly dispatched it. Shao May got up, squeaking angrily at Dory. The horse only looked back with what could be called a smug expression. Ada giggled.
“Sorry, Shao May. Dory loves to eat a lot. I should have brought more food for her.”
The panda huffed and crossed her arms over her chest in an annoyed manner, causing everyone to laugh.
+++
Everyone made it to Camiburn late in the afternoon. Unlike Slatesworth Town and Rainington, the city wasn’t as lively. Judging by the storefronts along the streets, Ling assumed the town was geared more towards business than leisure. The people that were walking about seemed to be carrying briefcases and stacks of paper, all of them hurrying to be somewhere else. No one bothered to stop to chit chat unless it was something really important.
“Camiburn is pretty much where a lot of business stuff is conducted. Also, one of the military headquarters is in this city. Despite the people busy here, they do have time to be social.”
Ling nodded, but didn’t agree with Ada. Central had more of a social feel t it-people knew each other, there were a lot of restaurants and entertainment, and children were not afraid to go outside. Here, it seemed everyone was busy with work, instead.
“You think we’ll find an automail mechanic?” the prince asked.
“Yes, there should be. I always passed the automail shops whenever I visited a certain area of town to buy something to eat.”
Eventually Ada found a spot where the cart could be hidden, so she secreted it in an alley between two buildings. Ada, Ling, and Lan Fan got off the cart while Shao May, May, and Dory stayed put.
“You three wait here and watch over Fu’s body until we get back, okay?”
May and Shao May nodded while Dory swung her head up and down once. The three then set off to find an automail mechanic. While they walked along, Ling overheard conversations from the people they passed by. There wasn’t much to their conversations that interested him; they talked only of Aerugo’s slow economy and the upcoming election. There was no talk of what interested Ling the most, Aerugo’s military. He did see some men in uniform, but they were uninterested in the group and focused instead upon reaching their destination.
+++
Lan Fan, Ada, and Ling went inside the first automail shop they found-Edgar’s Automail Shop.
The small building didn’t seem to have much in the way of automail parts behind the counter, which Lan Fan assumed was due to slow business. Still, there was the smell of grease and oil, which she still hated.
“Hello?”
The three flinched and noticed a middle aged man wearing a bandana fixing an automail arm. They were so fixated on looking about the place that they didn’t see him sitting behind the counter. He didn’t bat an eye at them.
Ling coughed and asked nervously, “Er…Edgar, I have a friend here that needs her automail checked. It has a small dent and I think it could use a quick fixing.”
The man slowly turned his head and stared at everyone in a suspicious manner. Lan Fan felt a chill run down her spine.
“You and the girl next to you aren’t from here, huh?”
Lan Fan glanced at Ling, knowing Edgar was talking about her and not Ada. She and Ling shook their heads.
“Please sir, look at her automail,” Ling pleaded, pointing to Lan Fan’s arm. “We’re leaving Aerugo soon and don’t know how far another automail shop is from here.”
“All right, fine,” the mechanic said, sighing. “Come over here, young lady.”
As Lan Fan walked, her arms shook. She wasn’t sure why, but this man was very intimidating. The only other person that scared her more was her grandfather. The young woman sat down and held her arm out, Edgar wasting no time looking over it. He scratched his chin.
“Yeah, there’s a small dent all right, but I wouldn’t worry about the automail being damaged too much. If you want though, I can fix it real quick for cheap.”
Lan Fan’s eyes lit up in gratitude. “Oh, thank you sir!”
“No problem. I’m curious, though. This automail is pretty nifty. Where you got this from?”
“Oh, Lan Fan got it from a mechanic in Central!” Ling answered cheerfully.
The man’s right eye blinked in annoyance. “Wait, Central?” The sound of his teeth clenching could be heard a mile away. “Get out!”
Lan Fan’s face was filled with confusion. “Excuse me for asking this, but why?”
“I’m not going to fix an automail from Amestris. Even if that country saved our butts from some monster wanting to take over the world, the mechanics there think they’re better than us. I hope that automail arm of yours falls apart.”
Lan Fan felt her pulse rising. How could he say that to a guest! If the man was in Xing, he would be ridiculed for it. She gazed at Ling and Ada, both of them with shocked expressions also on their faces.
“Fine. We’ll just take our business elsewhere.”
With the grace of an empress, the guard got up and immediately left the shop. Flabbergasted, Ling and Ada soon followed suit.
+++
“I’m sorry for what happened. I didn’t know automail mechanics here hate the ones from Amestris,” Ada said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.
“It’s okay,” Ling said with a sigh. “You didn’t know.”
The prince had his hand on his forehead. Just when he thought most of the people of Aerugo were nice, he would find rude ones. He would just have to get used to this fact.
The three continued walking until they saw a crowd collecting. Ling raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, isn’t that where we hid the cart with May, her panda, and Dory?” Ada pointed out.
Indeed, the crowd was gathering where they left the cart with May and the two pets. Ling’s heart jolted. There was only one possibility for this.
Oh no, Fu…
Ling immediately pushed through the crowd, with Ada and Lan Fan following behind. The three made it to the front and saw May arguing with a policeman and a woman. She was dressed in a red military jacket and skirt. It was similar to an Amestrian military uniform, but the buttons were fastened differently. The prince assumed she was one of the secretaries at the military base.
“Officer, see? That young girl and her animals are hiding a dead body!”
“We’re not hiding! We’re waiting for other people to come back from an automail…” She stopped and grinned when she saw Ling, Lan Fan, and Ada and pointed at them. “See! They’re here!”
Ling still had a puzzled expression stuck on his face. “Excuse me you two, but what seems to be the problem?”
“This lady here told me she smelled the stench from this cart, thought there might be a corpse hiding in there,” the officer explained, pointing to the secretary.
“Honestly, why four kids are carrying a dead body with them? Besides, I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the smell.”
Almost everyone in the crowd nodded. Ling groaned; things were off to a bad start. He knew he couldn’t say they were going to bury him in Xing; everyone would think they were crazy.
“Well, we are going to bury him not far from this city, so we’ll leave as soon as possible, Officer.”
Ling walked a couple steps forward toward the cart, but the lady blocked his path, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Now hold up, where are your parents?”
Unsure what to say now, Ling felt he was in a tight spot. How you could explain to someone that you and your friends had no adult supervision--- or that the only adult among them was the one who had died?
“Actually…the parent that watched us…he died recently.”
The woman’s eyes squinted and she sighed in disbelief. “Oh, really?”
“Um, Mrs. Euplet? If they say they’ll leave the town peacefully, let them. Besides, it is a dead relative, so they most likely need to go bury him as soon as possible,” the police officer said.
Mrs. Euplet made a “pfft” sound. “Why couldn’t they bury him where he died?”
“Maybe he wanted to be buried somewhere else or they’re actually taking him to the nearest cemetery.”
“The nearest cemetery is next to this city,” Mrs. Euplet pointed out, glaring at the officer.
Not threatened, the officer shrugged. “Again, as long as they leave immediately, it’s fine. Where they want to bury him isn’t my problem unless they dumped his body somewhere in the city.”
The woman growled and turned to face Ling, Lan Fan, and Ada. Her expression frightened him, causing the prince to swallow hard.
“Well, you four,”-she pointed at May too-“shouldn’t be running around with a corpse, even if that person was the one watching over all of you before.”
Ling clenched his fist. This woman was now getting on his nerves. He didn’t notice Lan Fan biting her lip, her patience also being tested.
“I’m not sure what problem it is you have with us, but rest assured, we’re not going to dump the body anywhere within the city. We actually left him here for a bit because my friend needs her automail checked.”
Ling pointed to Lan Fan, the girl rolling back the sleeve of her blouse to show Mrs. Euplet her automail arm.
The woman pressed her lips. “I see. However, you shouldn’t have left your…little sister, I presume, alone with the body. You should have let your two friends go alone and stayed with your sister.
All of a sudden, Lan Fan kicked the politician in the face. Ling couldn’t help but let his jaw drop with astonishment. He hadn’t seen her this mad in a long time.
“We must leave, now!” Lan Fan commanded, stressing the last word.
Without hesitation, Ling followed Lan Fan up onto the wagon, May scooting to the other side. After the young water alchemist climbed up, she shook the reins wildly and the horse didn’t hesitate to leave at a full gallop. The crowd quickly parted, moving out of the way so they wouldn’t be trampled. It wasn’t long until the group left the city unharmed. Back in the alley, the woman got up, rubbing at the bruise on her forehead. She shook her fist at the retreating wagon, all the while commanding at the top of her lungs for them to come back.
When the group was at a good distance from the city, the prince sighed in relief. He turned to throw Lan Fan an infuriated look.
“Why you have to kick her, Lan Fan?”
“I won’t tolerate someone disrespecting you, my lord,” the young woman said with a straight face.
The prince sighed and shook his head. He appreciated his guard caring for him, but now everyone would get into deep trouble because of her rash decisions.
+++
Sunset was was fast approaching and the group began setting up camp. Ada and Ling had gone to gather firewood, leaving May, Lan Fan, and the pets to watch over the cart. Dory was quite tired, and was taking a nap. The princess was playing with her panda while the guard was sitting on a log, thinking.
She didn’t like Ling’s look after she told him she wouldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting him. It was a shame he didn’t appreciate her forcing people treat him better; instead, he would only complain that this was the tenth time she almost hurt someone.
“Are you all right, Lan Fan? You look sad.”
The young woman blinked and turned her head to see May and her panda looking at her with worry.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, Lady May,” Lan Fan reassured.
“Oh, okay.” May’s gaze softened. “I thought you were thinking about whether Ling likes you or not.”
Lan Fan’s cheeks blushed, burning as hot as flame alchemy. “What…what makes you think that?” Her attempt at not stuttering failed.
The princess giggled. “I knew you like my brother after seeing you kicking Mrs. Euplet. I think it’s nice you care about him so much.” May beamed at her, then went back to playing with Shao May.
Her blush lit brighter. Lan Fan usually tucked her face under the turtleneck of her guard clothes, but she wasn’t wearing her uniform right now. Her, attracted to Ling? She didn’t think so. Again, she simply had deep respect for her lord. If she were to fall in love with him, she would be ridiculed. A guard’s duty was to protect their lord, nothing more.
Ignorant of her true feelings, she didn’t realize they ran much deeper than that.
Onto to Chapter Six!
Author: bay115
Beta: The lovely and great alchemyotaku75
Artists: seta_suzume, ghosthax (thanks so much you two!), and bay115
Genre: Drama, Action, Flashback
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 36,028
Pairing/Characters: Ling/Lan Fan (UST), May, Shao May, short appearances from various OCs and canon characters (including one from the Daughter of the Dusk FMA Wii game)
Warnings: Violence, deceased body being carried throughout this story.
Summary: Ling, Lan Fan, and May took the long road back to Xing by passing through Aerugo and crossing the ocean, carrying Fu’s deceased body with them. As the group was traveling, they got to know Fu better by reading his journal. Unfortunately, the journey doesn’t go smoothly as a water alchemist, the Aerugo royal family, and thieves make sure to delay the trip.
Author's Note: For the 2010-2011 fmabigbang .
Chapter One: Before the Trip
Chapter Two: Meeting With May
Chapter Three: All Quiet on the Southern Front
Chapter Four: Ada of Rainington
Chapter Five: The Camiburn Tale
They could hear the sound of bells ringing.
Lan Fan turned around, confused; where was the noise coming from? It didn’t help matters when everything was pitch-black. She looked back and stared at a waterfall in disbelief-the same one she and Fu would go to for training.
“I remember when you were little, you would rather train than play, and I would tell the young lord to follow your example.”
Lan Fan gasped in fright and her heart lurched. No, it can’t be…
She tore her eyes away from the waterfall and gazed at Fu. There weren’t any deep cuts on his body and he looked healthy. Couldn’t contain herself, she hugged her grandfather and cried, her tears soaking Fu’s guard clothes.
(Art by seta_suzume )
“I can’t believe I’m seeing you again,” she whispered. Fu held her tighter. “I never got to say goodbye to you before you died.”
The two stayed like this for a while, enjoying each other’s embrace. Lan Fan had no words for this moment. Was this a dream or a different place entirely? Either way, she was seeing her grandfather and loving every minute of it. Fu soon broke their embrace and sighed.
“I’m sorry I brought shame on you and our lord. I wasn’t able to defeat King Bradley.”
Lan Fan shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “No need to apologize. You did everything you could. Luckily, he’s dead now and there should be a new Fuhrer for the people of Amestris soon.”
Those bells twinkled again, but her grandfather wasn’t bothered at all by it.
Fu smirked. “Oh, so I heard. Good luck to the new Fuhrer.”
“It looks like you got your death wish, then. You’ve been killed by someone like no other.”
“Indeed,” Fu said with a hearty chuckle. “He did put up quite a fight.”
Lan Fan looked at her automail, deep in thought. She, too, had a tough time with him; Bradley had taken her arm from her. It took six agonizing months for her to get used to the metal, but it was worth it in the end.
Fu and Lan Fan became quiet again, but it wasn’t long until the elder guard spoke. “I have to leave now, my granddaughter.”
Lan Fan felt as if someone stabbed through her heart with a dagger. Grandfather was leaving so soon? She wished the two could talk a little more, but that wasn’t going to happen. Accepting Fu’s leave, the girl hugged her grandfather one last time.
“You shall be missed, Grandfather.”
Fu had an apologetic look on his face. “I’m going to miss you too. However, one day, we’ll see each other again. Until then, I’ll wait for you.”
“I’ll come to you when the time comes,” Lan Fan said, smiling and nodding.
Whether heaven or hell, desert or forest, Xing or Amestris, she didn’t care as long as she was able to find her grandfather and see him again one day. The two separated, and Fu instantly disappeared.
Lan Fan was alone now, the sound of the bells still ringing in her ears.
+++
“Lan Fan, Lan Fan, Lan Fan!”
The shaking got harder. The young woman got up with an irritated grunt and rubbed her eyes. Ling stared at her with a worried expression.
“Master, something the matter?”
“I heard you screaming ‘No, Grandfather, no!” several times.”
Lan Fan gasped and bit her lip in embarrassment. She didn’t want to discuss her dream with Ling, but knew he would nag her about it if she didn’t say anything.
“I saw Grandfather again in my dream. He told me he’ll wait for me.”
“Wait for you…” Ling whispered.
There was nothing more to say about the dream to Ling. She could say how she was overwhelmed seeing Fu again and tell him of the short conversation with her grandfather that she wished hadn’t ended so quickly. She knew, though, her lord would say it was expected that she would miss her grandfather more than ever. Of course, Lan Fan longed to see Fu once more, but didn’t want Ling to see her cry again.
“Did I wake up May and Ada?” Lan Fan asked, now wondering if the two were alarmed by her screams, also.
Ling shook his head. “May’s still sleeping. I’m not sure about Ada, but I don’t think she woke, either. ”
Lan Fan turned around and saw May sleeping with Shao May. She smiled, thinking that the two of them together looked adorable. Thoughts about leaving, however, made her expression turn more serious.
“We should leave right away. I want to get to Xing as soon as possible.”
Ling nodded in understanding.
+++
After Ling and the girls had finished their breakfast, they packed up their belongings and got ready to leave. Everything else was already on the cart, including the canned foods and water jugs Clement gave to the young travelers for the journey.
“Again, be careful,” Clement told the group. Ling, Lan Fan, and May were on the cart, but his daughter hadn’t joined them yet.
Ada beamed. “We will Father, don’t worry.”
Clement couldn’t help but smile. Part of him worried over Ada’s safety, but knew he had to trust her on this. He kissed his daughter’s forehead before letting her climb onto the cart. Ada took control of the reins and shook it, signaling for Dory to go. The horse trotted slowly, so everyone was able to wave goodbye to the elder water alchemist.
“Have a safe journey, Ling, May, and Lan Fan!” Clement yelled.
“We will!” Ling replied back with a huge grin.
The man watched the group until they were too far away to see. He smiled.
They will be fine.
+++
When the group stopped to eat lunch, there were discussions about traveling by train. Ada explained the next city after Camiburn had a train station that could take them to Santa Rosa. Only problem was, it would be hard to convince someone that it would be necessary to transport a body all the way there.
“How about going by military train? You guys traveled that way in Amestris, right?” Ada asked.
“True, but that time the Armstrongs let the soldiers know about it. Here, we don’t have any permission to board the train. We could try sneaking in, but we’ll most likely get caught. Besides…” He rubbed his head and laughed in a sheepish manner. “We entered Amestris illegally without passports.”
Ling hated admitting that. He knew entering other countries without a passport was illegal and got into trouble at Central a while back due to that, but he also knew his family wouldn’t accept his ambitious plan to take the throne. At the time, the only way to carry out the plan was to run away.
Ada snickered. “Indeed, that would be a huge problem if anyone finds out you all came here illegally. Well, I can still somehow get you guys on a boat. My father has a few friends there that would be willing to help out.”
“That would be appreciated,” Ling said, a grateful smile spreading over his face.
The group continued eating in silence. Dory finished her food quickly and spied Shao May still munching on her own sandwich. In a lightning fast move, the horse snatched the panda’s lunch in her mouth and rapidly dispatched it. Shao May got up, squeaking angrily at Dory. The horse only looked back with what could be called a smug expression. Ada giggled.
“Sorry, Shao May. Dory loves to eat a lot. I should have brought more food for her.”
The panda huffed and crossed her arms over her chest in an annoyed manner, causing everyone to laugh.
+++
Everyone made it to Camiburn late in the afternoon. Unlike Slatesworth Town and Rainington, the city wasn’t as lively. Judging by the storefronts along the streets, Ling assumed the town was geared more towards business than leisure. The people that were walking about seemed to be carrying briefcases and stacks of paper, all of them hurrying to be somewhere else. No one bothered to stop to chit chat unless it was something really important.
“Camiburn is pretty much where a lot of business stuff is conducted. Also, one of the military headquarters is in this city. Despite the people busy here, they do have time to be social.”
Ling nodded, but didn’t agree with Ada. Central had more of a social feel t it-people knew each other, there were a lot of restaurants and entertainment, and children were not afraid to go outside. Here, it seemed everyone was busy with work, instead.
“You think we’ll find an automail mechanic?” the prince asked.
“Yes, there should be. I always passed the automail shops whenever I visited a certain area of town to buy something to eat.”
Eventually Ada found a spot where the cart could be hidden, so she secreted it in an alley between two buildings. Ada, Ling, and Lan Fan got off the cart while Shao May, May, and Dory stayed put.
“You three wait here and watch over Fu’s body until we get back, okay?”
May and Shao May nodded while Dory swung her head up and down once. The three then set off to find an automail mechanic. While they walked along, Ling overheard conversations from the people they passed by. There wasn’t much to their conversations that interested him; they talked only of Aerugo’s slow economy and the upcoming election. There was no talk of what interested Ling the most, Aerugo’s military. He did see some men in uniform, but they were uninterested in the group and focused instead upon reaching their destination.
+++
Lan Fan, Ada, and Ling went inside the first automail shop they found-Edgar’s Automail Shop.
The small building didn’t seem to have much in the way of automail parts behind the counter, which Lan Fan assumed was due to slow business. Still, there was the smell of grease and oil, which she still hated.
“Hello?”
The three flinched and noticed a middle aged man wearing a bandana fixing an automail arm. They were so fixated on looking about the place that they didn’t see him sitting behind the counter. He didn’t bat an eye at them.
Ling coughed and asked nervously, “Er…Edgar, I have a friend here that needs her automail checked. It has a small dent and I think it could use a quick fixing.”
The man slowly turned his head and stared at everyone in a suspicious manner. Lan Fan felt a chill run down her spine.
“You and the girl next to you aren’t from here, huh?”
Lan Fan glanced at Ling, knowing Edgar was talking about her and not Ada. She and Ling shook their heads.
“Please sir, look at her automail,” Ling pleaded, pointing to Lan Fan’s arm. “We’re leaving Aerugo soon and don’t know how far another automail shop is from here.”
“All right, fine,” the mechanic said, sighing. “Come over here, young lady.”
As Lan Fan walked, her arms shook. She wasn’t sure why, but this man was very intimidating. The only other person that scared her more was her grandfather. The young woman sat down and held her arm out, Edgar wasting no time looking over it. He scratched his chin.
“Yeah, there’s a small dent all right, but I wouldn’t worry about the automail being damaged too much. If you want though, I can fix it real quick for cheap.”
Lan Fan’s eyes lit up in gratitude. “Oh, thank you sir!”
“No problem. I’m curious, though. This automail is pretty nifty. Where you got this from?”
“Oh, Lan Fan got it from a mechanic in Central!” Ling answered cheerfully.
The man’s right eye blinked in annoyance. “Wait, Central?” The sound of his teeth clenching could be heard a mile away. “Get out!”
Lan Fan’s face was filled with confusion. “Excuse me for asking this, but why?”
“I’m not going to fix an automail from Amestris. Even if that country saved our butts from some monster wanting to take over the world, the mechanics there think they’re better than us. I hope that automail arm of yours falls apart.”
Lan Fan felt her pulse rising. How could he say that to a guest! If the man was in Xing, he would be ridiculed for it. She gazed at Ling and Ada, both of them with shocked expressions also on their faces.
“Fine. We’ll just take our business elsewhere.”
With the grace of an empress, the guard got up and immediately left the shop. Flabbergasted, Ling and Ada soon followed suit.
+++
“I’m sorry for what happened. I didn’t know automail mechanics here hate the ones from Amestris,” Ada said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment.
“It’s okay,” Ling said with a sigh. “You didn’t know.”
The prince had his hand on his forehead. Just when he thought most of the people of Aerugo were nice, he would find rude ones. He would just have to get used to this fact.
The three continued walking until they saw a crowd collecting. Ling raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, isn’t that where we hid the cart with May, her panda, and Dory?” Ada pointed out.
Indeed, the crowd was gathering where they left the cart with May and the two pets. Ling’s heart jolted. There was only one possibility for this.
Oh no, Fu…
Ling immediately pushed through the crowd, with Ada and Lan Fan following behind. The three made it to the front and saw May arguing with a policeman and a woman. She was dressed in a red military jacket and skirt. It was similar to an Amestrian military uniform, but the buttons were fastened differently. The prince assumed she was one of the secretaries at the military base.
“Officer, see? That young girl and her animals are hiding a dead body!”
“We’re not hiding! We’re waiting for other people to come back from an automail…” She stopped and grinned when she saw Ling, Lan Fan, and Ada and pointed at them. “See! They’re here!”
Ling still had a puzzled expression stuck on his face. “Excuse me you two, but what seems to be the problem?”
“This lady here told me she smelled the stench from this cart, thought there might be a corpse hiding in there,” the officer explained, pointing to the secretary.
“Honestly, why four kids are carrying a dead body with them? Besides, I wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the smell.”
Almost everyone in the crowd nodded. Ling groaned; things were off to a bad start. He knew he couldn’t say they were going to bury him in Xing; everyone would think they were crazy.
“Well, we are going to bury him not far from this city, so we’ll leave as soon as possible, Officer.”
Ling walked a couple steps forward toward the cart, but the lady blocked his path, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Now hold up, where are your parents?”
Unsure what to say now, Ling felt he was in a tight spot. How you could explain to someone that you and your friends had no adult supervision--- or that the only adult among them was the one who had died?
“Actually…the parent that watched us…he died recently.”
The woman’s eyes squinted and she sighed in disbelief. “Oh, really?”
“Um, Mrs. Euplet? If they say they’ll leave the town peacefully, let them. Besides, it is a dead relative, so they most likely need to go bury him as soon as possible,” the police officer said.
Mrs. Euplet made a “pfft” sound. “Why couldn’t they bury him where he died?”
“Maybe he wanted to be buried somewhere else or they’re actually taking him to the nearest cemetery.”
“The nearest cemetery is next to this city,” Mrs. Euplet pointed out, glaring at the officer.
Not threatened, the officer shrugged. “Again, as long as they leave immediately, it’s fine. Where they want to bury him isn’t my problem unless they dumped his body somewhere in the city.”
The woman growled and turned to face Ling, Lan Fan, and Ada. Her expression frightened him, causing the prince to swallow hard.
“Well, you four,”-she pointed at May too-“shouldn’t be running around with a corpse, even if that person was the one watching over all of you before.”
Ling clenched his fist. This woman was now getting on his nerves. He didn’t notice Lan Fan biting her lip, her patience also being tested.
“I’m not sure what problem it is you have with us, but rest assured, we’re not going to dump the body anywhere within the city. We actually left him here for a bit because my friend needs her automail checked.”
Ling pointed to Lan Fan, the girl rolling back the sleeve of her blouse to show Mrs. Euplet her automail arm.
The woman pressed her lips. “I see. However, you shouldn’t have left your…little sister, I presume, alone with the body. You should have let your two friends go alone and stayed with your sister.
All of a sudden, Lan Fan kicked the politician in the face. Ling couldn’t help but let his jaw drop with astonishment. He hadn’t seen her this mad in a long time.
“We must leave, now!” Lan Fan commanded, stressing the last word.
Without hesitation, Ling followed Lan Fan up onto the wagon, May scooting to the other side. After the young water alchemist climbed up, she shook the reins wildly and the horse didn’t hesitate to leave at a full gallop. The crowd quickly parted, moving out of the way so they wouldn’t be trampled. It wasn’t long until the group left the city unharmed. Back in the alley, the woman got up, rubbing at the bruise on her forehead. She shook her fist at the retreating wagon, all the while commanding at the top of her lungs for them to come back.
When the group was at a good distance from the city, the prince sighed in relief. He turned to throw Lan Fan an infuriated look.
“Why you have to kick her, Lan Fan?”
“I won’t tolerate someone disrespecting you, my lord,” the young woman said with a straight face.
The prince sighed and shook his head. He appreciated his guard caring for him, but now everyone would get into deep trouble because of her rash decisions.
+++
Sunset was was fast approaching and the group began setting up camp. Ada and Ling had gone to gather firewood, leaving May, Lan Fan, and the pets to watch over the cart. Dory was quite tired, and was taking a nap. The princess was playing with her panda while the guard was sitting on a log, thinking.
She didn’t like Ling’s look after she told him she wouldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting him. It was a shame he didn’t appreciate her forcing people treat him better; instead, he would only complain that this was the tenth time she almost hurt someone.
“Are you all right, Lan Fan? You look sad.”
The young woman blinked and turned her head to see May and her panda looking at her with worry.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, Lady May,” Lan Fan reassured.
“Oh, okay.” May’s gaze softened. “I thought you were thinking about whether Ling likes you or not.”
Lan Fan’s cheeks blushed, burning as hot as flame alchemy. “What…what makes you think that?” Her attempt at not stuttering failed.
The princess giggled. “I knew you like my brother after seeing you kicking Mrs. Euplet. I think it’s nice you care about him so much.” May beamed at her, then went back to playing with Shao May.
Her blush lit brighter. Lan Fan usually tucked her face under the turtleneck of her guard clothes, but she wasn’t wearing her uniform right now. Her, attracted to Ling? She didn’t think so. Again, she simply had deep respect for her lord. If she were to fall in love with him, she would be ridiculed. A guard’s duty was to protect their lord, nothing more.
Ignorant of her true feelings, she didn’t realize they ran much deeper than that.
Onto to Chapter Six!