FIC: Fullmetal Alchemist "One Wrong Turn", gen, PG13
Title: One Wrong Turn…
Author: djin7
April Fool’s Prompt: *Ed, Ran Fan & Kung-fu fighting* Written for the fma_7sins April Fool’s Challenge
Character(s): Various Cast of FMA Manga.
Word Count: ~ 2500 +/-
Warnings/AN’s: I couldn’t get Ling to be nicer. PG13 for language. Gen, sorry. This story was possibly influenced by Kung-Fu Hustle and Kung-Fu Fighting. Also: not mine, don’t sue, no money here, move along. Thanks to Leila and Lisa for the beta.
<<<<<~>>>>>
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat ~ Sun Tzu
“Edward! Pay ATTENTION!”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Al groaned as Teacher once again upended his brother. He didn’t know why he had agreed to come see her, and for such a ridiculous reason. Surely, Hawkeye could’ve helped them. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard Ed yell, watching as he fell once again.
Al sighed. It was going to be a long day. If only Ed had listened to him and asked for help from someone else, perhaps in Central, like Lieutenant Hawkeye. But no, Brother had to come see Teacher, because only she could answer his questions about how the skills Ran Fan had learned were different, or if they were better or worse than what they had learned from her. Al had suggested they phone her, but that wasn’t good enough. Al only hoped that if there was any blood shed, Ed could heal in time to show up for the challenge.
“EDWARD! How many times have I told you to watch where you place your feet for balance?”
“SORRY! I was doing it right before, Teacher, y’could’ve mentioned that.”
“No more talking! ONCE MORE!”
Brother was once again on his back. Al sighed again.
A few hours later, Ed looked like he’d been through the special Izumi Curtis wringer, and his frustration was beginning to show. Then he opened his mouth.
“The reason I came here was to defend your honour! That stupid Ling said that you couldn’t have taught us better than Grandfather taught Ran Fan- “Ed sniped.
Al gasped, “NO! Brother, DON’T!”
Ed continued on, happily to his doom, “-and that her skills were so much better, and that you can’t have been a good teacher...”
Al shivered - as much as armour could shiver - and skittered away from Teacher and Ed, getting as far away as possible.
Even from a distance, Al could see the moment that Ed realised his mistake, because when he finally stopped whining, Ed looked up at Teacher, and his eyes were wider than his face.
“Are you saying, Edward, that you have dishonoured me?” Izumi hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Oh, Ed,” Al whispered, his gloved hands coming up to cover his eyes. He couldn’t watch this.
Ed’s ensuing howl could be heard for miles.
<<<<<~>>>>>
Boards don’t hit back. ~ Bruce Lee
Limping behind his brother on his way back to Central, Ed still couldn’t shut up about Teacher’s…methods.
“Why’d she hafta be so mean about it, Al? I was just sayin' that Ling was being a bastard, and next thing you know, I’m waking up across the room! What did I do?”
Al sighed yet again. “Ed, you insulted her teachings!”
“I DID NOT! I ONLY TOLD HER THAT LING DID!” Ed’s face was reaching an alarming shade of red.
“You implied that you had given him reason to say so, Brother. You made Teacher look bad.” Al kept walking. This was all Ed’s fault anyway.
“But Al,” Ed whined, “I was trying to defend her.” Al didn’t reply, leaving Ed to try to catch up despite his pronounced limp.
“This whole thing was a mistake from the beginning. You’ve got to stop letting the Prince get to you like that. It’s not as if Ran Fan said anything, she wouldn’t - she’s always been very good; her Grandfather has been training her since she was a small child. So stupid to let the Prince challenge you like that! I can’t believe you, sometimes. Her loyalty to the Prince forbids her to say no to him, and you couldn’t just leave it, oh, no.”
Ed made a little sorry noise, and Al knew if he turned his head, he’d see his brother’s face looking contrite. He continued, on a roll now, “You could have easily said no yourself, but you know what they say....”
After several seconds, Ed finally took the bait. “What? What do they say?”
Al stopped, turned around to glare at his rash brother, looming over him.
“They say ‘pride goeth before a fall’, Brother.”
<<<<<~>>>>>
“To train the mind one must first train the body” ~ Izumi Curtis
Al looked around nervously at the crowd of people. Ed was fidgeting beside him.
“Brother,” he whispered, “stop being so jumpy.”
“I can’t help it,” Ed whinged. “I can’t stand wearing this uniform. It’s itchy and makes me look stupid.”
“It does not, Brother,” Al whispered. Ed just continued making irritated noises as he hopped from foot to foot.
Everywhere Al looked, there were dignitaries and soldiers, and the crowd kept growing. He and Ed were leaning up against a back wall, trying not to stick out too much, even though he was by far the tallest in the room and Ed the shortest, as well as youngest. Al hoped that Major Armstrong would show up soon - he was always useful for taking the spotlight from Al’s oversized presence.
“Ah, Edward and Alphonse, so glad you could make it,” Lieutenant Hawkeye said suddenly from beside them. Both Ed and Al jumped.
“Ah-thank, y-you, Lieutenant. You’re looking lovely,” Al tittered. Riza was wearing a beautiful ballroom dress, and both brothers were slightly in awe of her out of uniform. Al suspected she still had her gun, though.
“I see the Military does indeed make uniforms in miniature size,” Colonel Mustang’s amused voice came from behind her.
“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THE MILITARY TAILOR HAD TO SPECIAL ORDER KID-SIZED NEEDLES!”
“Brother! The Colonel didn’t say that!” Al admonished him. It wouldn’t do to have Ed get all worked up before the Prince and Ran Fan showed up.
“BUT HE WAS THINKING IT!” Ed continued ranting much to the amusement of the Colonel and now Havoc as well, the latter having wandered over from another group to watch Ed flail.
Al just shrugged his shoulders, ignoring his brother’s antics, and turned to continue chatting with Lieutenant Hawkeye.
<<<<<~>>>>>
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~ Lao-Tzu
Al watched the door warily, keeping an eye out for the Prince and his Xingese entourage. Ed was sulking along the edge of the crowd, rebuffing any efforts at conversation by various people from the office.
The Colonel and the Lieutenant were schmoozing-well, the Colonel was schmoozing and the Lieutenant was clearly watching his back, despite her formalwear. Al’s nerves were shot and he knew Brother wasn’t doing much better.
Finally, Ling arrived - fashionably late, of course. He swept in, his purple Emperor Prince robes shot with gold thread glinting in the candlelight from the tables, followed by a large contingent of people - servants, Al thought - with the ever present Ran Fan at his side, slightly behind him. Al had never seen her look more beautiful; her hair held up by a fancy set of combs, and her robes the most brilliant shade of gold. He knew that despite the dress, Ran Fan was watching the Prince’s back, much like Lieutenant Hawkeye with Colonel Mustang.
Al looked around over the heads of the people who had stopped what they were doing to witness the spectacle of Prince Ling’s entrance, looking for Ed. He finally spotted him, standing by Havoc at the food table (of course), looking slightly green as he watched the procession from the door heading toward him.
Al quickly moved to try to intercept Ling before he got to Ed; he was well aware of the potential trouble the two of them would cause. The Prince's party was still a distance away when he reached Ed's side, and he sighed with relief.
“Brother,” Al whispered, “be calm, please. Don’t make a scene in front of all these people!” Al watched as Ed closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths. He heard Ed whisper to himself “to train the mind one must first train the body, to train the mind one must first train the body “, stopping only when they could hear Ling’s voice.
Ed opened his eyes and a slow, brilliant grin spread across his face as he turned to greet the oncoming party. He held his head high and his back straight.
Al’s only thought was, oh, this can’t be good.
<<<<<~>>>>>
The dance of battle is always played to the same impatient rhythm. What begins in a surge of violent motion is always reduced to the perfectly still. ~ Sun Tzu
“Ah, here we are,” Ling drawled. He nodded to them, “Ed, Al.”
“Ling,” Ed said, eyes narrowed, the grin never leaving his face. Al wondered how he did that.
“Prince Ling, it’s good to see you.” Al said, trying to cover up his brother’s rudeness.
Ed then turned to Ran Fan and bowed deeply. “Ran Fan. You look very beautiful.”
Shocked into silence, Al and Ling could only stare as Ran Fan blushed. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“May I get you a refreshment?” Ed continued, pointedly ignoring Ling’s smug look. He stuck out his elbow, which Ran Fan took, and he led her over to the refreshment table a short distance away.
Al noticed that Havoc, Mustang and Riza were also watching the scene with interest. He struggled to think of something to talk about to take away the scrutiny on Brother.
“So - any word on Scar?” Al fumbled for a topic, hoping to get Ling’s attention. It worked, and soon the Prince was embroiled in a conversation with the Colonel about the most recent sightings of the Ishvalan, while Al hummed along at the important bits.
All too soon, however, Ed was back with Ran Fan in tow, and the conversation quieted down.
“So, boss - are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?” Havoc asked, grinning. Ling guffawed, and the Colonel smirked; Lieutenant Hawkeye just looked stern.
Ed turned a brilliant shade of red. “She’s. Not. My. Girlfriend.” He pronounced each word slowly, as if willing Havoc to understand. Al noticed that the orchestra had started up.
“Well, Ed - are you ready for the challenge?” Ling was apparently not enjoying the attention that his bodyguard and Ed were receiving, and it appeared he had decided to stop playing and go for the throat.
Ed stood frozen for a moment, his mouth working, nothing coming out. Ran Fan just stood silently to the side of her Prince. All of the gang from the office seemed very interested in what was happening. If armour could sweat, Al would be dripping on the floor.
Ed coughed once, seeming to get a handle on himself. “Of course,” he said calmly, the grin once again on his face. “I’m ready. You remember the terms?”
“Yes, yes,” Ling said, and waved imperiously at him. “I am well aware of the terms. So, what are you waiting for?” He nodded to the dance floor and the couples that were already filing out for the next song. Ed’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but he straightened up, and turned to Ran Fan.
Bowing again, he straightened and held his arm out to her. “Ran Fan, may I have this dance?”
Al could have sworn he heard both Havoc and the Colonel suck in a breath.
Ran Fan looked to Ling once more, who nodded at her, his eyes never leaving Ed. “Thank you, young Master,” she said to him. Then she held out her hand to Ed and replied, “As you wish.”
Brother took her hand and led her out to the floor. All eyes were on them, and Ling and his entourage quickly took up positions around the dance floor to watch. Al noticed the gang doing the same.
“So, Al," whispered Havoc, “what’s all this about?”
Al sighed sadly, and began his story. “It all started last month when we were in the country, hunting down a lead. Ling and Ran Fan were there, and Ling was criticising Ed’s martial arts technique….”
<<<<<~>>>>>
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.~ Lao-Tzu
…one month previous:
“Your kung-fu is not very advanced, little Alchemist.”
Al grabbed Ed just in time, picking him up off the ground to stop him from attacking the Prince. Ed was cursing and kicking, legs flailing.
Ling just chuckled. “You see? Even your brother knows that Ran Fan can best you should you try to attack me. I need not even move a muscle. Obviously, your teacher did not take the time to teach you the finer arts.”
“YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU ROYAL SHIT! MY SENSEI IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD! SHE COULD TAKE ON THE ENTIRE XINGIAN ARMY AND SHE’D WALK AWAY WITHOUT A SCRATCH!”
“Brother, calm down. Don’t listen to him.” Al tried to rein Ed in.
Ran Fan leaned over to whisper in the Prince’s ear. Ling frowned, and then looked at her. “Fine,” he said, pouting.
He turned to the boys and stated imperiously, “Ran Fan informs me that she believes that your sensei is a world-class martial artist, and that you two have learned much in a short time. She says that with more training, you would do your Teacher proud. Ran Fan also says that the art of kung-fu is more than just aggression, it is a dance, and that a Teacher may open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”
At this, Ed stopped his flailing, though he was still breathing hard from all of his yelling. “Let me down, Al. I promise I won’t do anything stupid.” Al hesitated for a moment, then eased his brother down lightly.
Once down, Ed seemed to struggle to get a hold of himself. Ling looked smug, and Ran Fan wary. Al knew how she felt.
Ed spoke up. “My teacher can do things that you can only dream of. Without a weapon to hide behind.”
Ed seemed very calm, but Al knew his brother was only moments away from another episode. Al tried to ease the situation.
“Brother, to be fair, we only trained with her for less than two years - Ran Fan has trained with Fu for her whole life. She must have certain skills we didn’t have time to learn.”
Ed looked up at him as if he’d never seen him before. Al cringed. “Yes, Al, I know. All I’m saying is that Teacher is so good, we don’t need to be taught for years and years.”
Al felt slightly guilty.
Ling smirked. “If that is so, Little Alchemist, then you won’t mind a little wager?”
Al didn’t like the sound of that. Ran Fan visibly tensed, but her face was a mask.
“What kind of bet?” Ed sneered.
“Next month, in Central, there’s a diplomatic Ball. As a Major in the army, you will be invited. I propose this: If your kung-fu is as good as Ran Fan’s, and if your teacher showed you the fine art of moving to music, then you will also have the skills to dance with her at this event. Few can do so without looking like they have feet made of lead.” Ling looked at Ed, his eyebrow raised. “Oops, sorry. You do have a foot made of lead.”
Al caught Ed just in time, right before he launched himself at Ling again.
He had a bad feeling about this.
<<<<<~>>>>>
End.
Author: djin7
April Fool’s Prompt: *Ed, Ran Fan & Kung-fu fighting* Written for the fma_7sins April Fool’s Challenge
Character(s): Various Cast of FMA Manga.
Word Count: ~ 2500 +/-
Warnings/AN’s: I couldn’t get Ling to be nicer. PG13 for language. Gen, sorry. This story was possibly influenced by Kung-Fu Hustle and Kung-Fu Fighting. Also: not mine, don’t sue, no money here, move along. Thanks to Leila and Lisa for the beta.
<<<<<~>>>>>
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat ~ Sun Tzu
“Edward! Pay ATTENTION!”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Al groaned as Teacher once again upended his brother. He didn’t know why he had agreed to come see her, and for such a ridiculous reason. Surely, Hawkeye could’ve helped them. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard Ed yell, watching as he fell once again.
Al sighed. It was going to be a long day. If only Ed had listened to him and asked for help from someone else, perhaps in Central, like Lieutenant Hawkeye. But no, Brother had to come see Teacher, because only she could answer his questions about how the skills Ran Fan had learned were different, or if they were better or worse than what they had learned from her. Al had suggested they phone her, but that wasn’t good enough. Al only hoped that if there was any blood shed, Ed could heal in time to show up for the challenge.
“EDWARD! How many times have I told you to watch where you place your feet for balance?”
“SORRY! I was doing it right before, Teacher, y’could’ve mentioned that.”
“No more talking! ONCE MORE!”
Brother was once again on his back. Al sighed again.
A few hours later, Ed looked like he’d been through the special Izumi Curtis wringer, and his frustration was beginning to show. Then he opened his mouth.
“The reason I came here was to defend your honour! That stupid Ling said that you couldn’t have taught us better than Grandfather taught Ran Fan- “Ed sniped.
Al gasped, “NO! Brother, DON’T!”
Ed continued on, happily to his doom, “-and that her skills were so much better, and that you can’t have been a good teacher...”
Al shivered - as much as armour could shiver - and skittered away from Teacher and Ed, getting as far away as possible.
Even from a distance, Al could see the moment that Ed realised his mistake, because when he finally stopped whining, Ed looked up at Teacher, and his eyes were wider than his face.
“Are you saying, Edward, that you have dishonoured me?” Izumi hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Oh, Ed,” Al whispered, his gloved hands coming up to cover his eyes. He couldn’t watch this.
Ed’s ensuing howl could be heard for miles.
<<<<<~>>>>>
Boards don’t hit back. ~ Bruce Lee
Limping behind his brother on his way back to Central, Ed still couldn’t shut up about Teacher’s…methods.
“Why’d she hafta be so mean about it, Al? I was just sayin' that Ling was being a bastard, and next thing you know, I’m waking up across the room! What did I do?”
Al sighed yet again. “Ed, you insulted her teachings!”
“I DID NOT! I ONLY TOLD HER THAT LING DID!” Ed’s face was reaching an alarming shade of red.
“You implied that you had given him reason to say so, Brother. You made Teacher look bad.” Al kept walking. This was all Ed’s fault anyway.
“But Al,” Ed whined, “I was trying to defend her.” Al didn’t reply, leaving Ed to try to catch up despite his pronounced limp.
“This whole thing was a mistake from the beginning. You’ve got to stop letting the Prince get to you like that. It’s not as if Ran Fan said anything, she wouldn’t - she’s always been very good; her Grandfather has been training her since she was a small child. So stupid to let the Prince challenge you like that! I can’t believe you, sometimes. Her loyalty to the Prince forbids her to say no to him, and you couldn’t just leave it, oh, no.”
Ed made a little sorry noise, and Al knew if he turned his head, he’d see his brother’s face looking contrite. He continued, on a roll now, “You could have easily said no yourself, but you know what they say....”
After several seconds, Ed finally took the bait. “What? What do they say?”
Al stopped, turned around to glare at his rash brother, looming over him.
“They say ‘pride goeth before a fall’, Brother.”
<<<<<~>>>>>
“To train the mind one must first train the body” ~ Izumi Curtis
Al looked around nervously at the crowd of people. Ed was fidgeting beside him.
“Brother,” he whispered, “stop being so jumpy.”
“I can’t help it,” Ed whinged. “I can’t stand wearing this uniform. It’s itchy and makes me look stupid.”
“It does not, Brother,” Al whispered. Ed just continued making irritated noises as he hopped from foot to foot.
Everywhere Al looked, there were dignitaries and soldiers, and the crowd kept growing. He and Ed were leaning up against a back wall, trying not to stick out too much, even though he was by far the tallest in the room and Ed the shortest, as well as youngest. Al hoped that Major Armstrong would show up soon - he was always useful for taking the spotlight from Al’s oversized presence.
“Ah, Edward and Alphonse, so glad you could make it,” Lieutenant Hawkeye said suddenly from beside them. Both Ed and Al jumped.
“Ah-thank, y-you, Lieutenant. You’re looking lovely,” Al tittered. Riza was wearing a beautiful ballroom dress, and both brothers were slightly in awe of her out of uniform. Al suspected she still had her gun, though.
“I see the Military does indeed make uniforms in miniature size,” Colonel Mustang’s amused voice came from behind her.
“WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THE MILITARY TAILOR HAD TO SPECIAL ORDER KID-SIZED NEEDLES!”
“Brother! The Colonel didn’t say that!” Al admonished him. It wouldn’t do to have Ed get all worked up before the Prince and Ran Fan showed up.
“BUT HE WAS THINKING IT!” Ed continued ranting much to the amusement of the Colonel and now Havoc as well, the latter having wandered over from another group to watch Ed flail.
Al just shrugged his shoulders, ignoring his brother’s antics, and turned to continue chatting with Lieutenant Hawkeye.
<<<<<~>>>>>
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. ~ Lao-Tzu
Al watched the door warily, keeping an eye out for the Prince and his Xingese entourage. Ed was sulking along the edge of the crowd, rebuffing any efforts at conversation by various people from the office.
The Colonel and the Lieutenant were schmoozing-well, the Colonel was schmoozing and the Lieutenant was clearly watching his back, despite her formalwear. Al’s nerves were shot and he knew Brother wasn’t doing much better.
Finally, Ling arrived - fashionably late, of course. He swept in, his purple Emperor Prince robes shot with gold thread glinting in the candlelight from the tables, followed by a large contingent of people - servants, Al thought - with the ever present Ran Fan at his side, slightly behind him. Al had never seen her look more beautiful; her hair held up by a fancy set of combs, and her robes the most brilliant shade of gold. He knew that despite the dress, Ran Fan was watching the Prince’s back, much like Lieutenant Hawkeye with Colonel Mustang.
Al looked around over the heads of the people who had stopped what they were doing to witness the spectacle of Prince Ling’s entrance, looking for Ed. He finally spotted him, standing by Havoc at the food table (of course), looking slightly green as he watched the procession from the door heading toward him.
Al quickly moved to try to intercept Ling before he got to Ed; he was well aware of the potential trouble the two of them would cause. The Prince's party was still a distance away when he reached Ed's side, and he sighed with relief.
“Brother,” Al whispered, “be calm, please. Don’t make a scene in front of all these people!” Al watched as Ed closed his eyes and began taking deep breaths. He heard Ed whisper to himself “to train the mind one must first train the body, to train the mind one must first train the body “, stopping only when they could hear Ling’s voice.
Ed opened his eyes and a slow, brilliant grin spread across his face as he turned to greet the oncoming party. He held his head high and his back straight.
Al’s only thought was, oh, this can’t be good.
<<<<<~>>>>>
The dance of battle is always played to the same impatient rhythm. What begins in a surge of violent motion is always reduced to the perfectly still. ~ Sun Tzu
“Ah, here we are,” Ling drawled. He nodded to them, “Ed, Al.”
“Ling,” Ed said, eyes narrowed, the grin never leaving his face. Al wondered how he did that.
“Prince Ling, it’s good to see you.” Al said, trying to cover up his brother’s rudeness.
Ed then turned to Ran Fan and bowed deeply. “Ran Fan. You look very beautiful.”
Shocked into silence, Al and Ling could only stare as Ran Fan blushed. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“May I get you a refreshment?” Ed continued, pointedly ignoring Ling’s smug look. He stuck out his elbow, which Ran Fan took, and he led her over to the refreshment table a short distance away.
Al noticed that Havoc, Mustang and Riza were also watching the scene with interest. He struggled to think of something to talk about to take away the scrutiny on Brother.
“So - any word on Scar?” Al fumbled for a topic, hoping to get Ling’s attention. It worked, and soon the Prince was embroiled in a conversation with the Colonel about the most recent sightings of the Ishvalan, while Al hummed along at the important bits.
All too soon, however, Ed was back with Ran Fan in tow, and the conversation quieted down.
“So, boss - are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?” Havoc asked, grinning. Ling guffawed, and the Colonel smirked; Lieutenant Hawkeye just looked stern.
Ed turned a brilliant shade of red. “She’s. Not. My. Girlfriend.” He pronounced each word slowly, as if willing Havoc to understand. Al noticed that the orchestra had started up.
“Well, Ed - are you ready for the challenge?” Ling was apparently not enjoying the attention that his bodyguard and Ed were receiving, and it appeared he had decided to stop playing and go for the throat.
Ed stood frozen for a moment, his mouth working, nothing coming out. Ran Fan just stood silently to the side of her Prince. All of the gang from the office seemed very interested in what was happening. If armour could sweat, Al would be dripping on the floor.
Ed coughed once, seeming to get a handle on himself. “Of course,” he said calmly, the grin once again on his face. “I’m ready. You remember the terms?”
“Yes, yes,” Ling said, and waved imperiously at him. “I am well aware of the terms. So, what are you waiting for?” He nodded to the dance floor and the couples that were already filing out for the next song. Ed’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but he straightened up, and turned to Ran Fan.
Bowing again, he straightened and held his arm out to her. “Ran Fan, may I have this dance?”
Al could have sworn he heard both Havoc and the Colonel suck in a breath.
Ran Fan looked to Ling once more, who nodded at her, his eyes never leaving Ed. “Thank you, young Master,” she said to him. Then she held out her hand to Ed and replied, “As you wish.”
Brother took her hand and led her out to the floor. All eyes were on them, and Ling and his entourage quickly took up positions around the dance floor to watch. Al noticed the gang doing the same.
“So, Al," whispered Havoc, “what’s all this about?”
Al sighed sadly, and began his story. “It all started last month when we were in the country, hunting down a lead. Ling and Ran Fan were there, and Ling was criticising Ed’s martial arts technique….”
<<<<<~>>>>>
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.~ Lao-Tzu
…one month previous:
“Your kung-fu is not very advanced, little Alchemist.”
Al grabbed Ed just in time, picking him up off the ground to stop him from attacking the Prince. Ed was cursing and kicking, legs flailing.
Ling just chuckled. “You see? Even your brother knows that Ran Fan can best you should you try to attack me. I need not even move a muscle. Obviously, your teacher did not take the time to teach you the finer arts.”
“YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU ROYAL SHIT! MY SENSEI IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD! SHE COULD TAKE ON THE ENTIRE XINGIAN ARMY AND SHE’D WALK AWAY WITHOUT A SCRATCH!”
“Brother, calm down. Don’t listen to him.” Al tried to rein Ed in.
Ran Fan leaned over to whisper in the Prince’s ear. Ling frowned, and then looked at her. “Fine,” he said, pouting.
He turned to the boys and stated imperiously, “Ran Fan informs me that she believes that your sensei is a world-class martial artist, and that you two have learned much in a short time. She says that with more training, you would do your Teacher proud. Ran Fan also says that the art of kung-fu is more than just aggression, it is a dance, and that a Teacher may open the door, but you must enter by yourself.”
At this, Ed stopped his flailing, though he was still breathing hard from all of his yelling. “Let me down, Al. I promise I won’t do anything stupid.” Al hesitated for a moment, then eased his brother down lightly.
Once down, Ed seemed to struggle to get a hold of himself. Ling looked smug, and Ran Fan wary. Al knew how she felt.
Ed spoke up. “My teacher can do things that you can only dream of. Without a weapon to hide behind.”
Ed seemed very calm, but Al knew his brother was only moments away from another episode. Al tried to ease the situation.
“Brother, to be fair, we only trained with her for less than two years - Ran Fan has trained with Fu for her whole life. She must have certain skills we didn’t have time to learn.”
Ed looked up at him as if he’d never seen him before. Al cringed. “Yes, Al, I know. All I’m saying is that Teacher is so good, we don’t need to be taught for years and years.”
Al felt slightly guilty.
Ling smirked. “If that is so, Little Alchemist, then you won’t mind a little wager?”
Al didn’t like the sound of that. Ran Fan visibly tensed, but her face was a mask.
“What kind of bet?” Ed sneered.
“Next month, in Central, there’s a diplomatic Ball. As a Major in the army, you will be invited. I propose this: If your kung-fu is as good as Ran Fan’s, and if your teacher showed you the fine art of moving to music, then you will also have the skills to dance with her at this event. Few can do so without looking like they have feet made of lead.” Ling looked at Ed, his eyebrow raised. “Oops, sorry. You do have a foot made of lead.”
Al caught Ed just in time, right before he launched himself at Ling again.
He had a bad feeling about this.
<<<<<~>>>>>
End.