Fullmetal Alchemist 1. Chapter 1

"Ill be back before you know it." The young blonde promised. His voice held a soft and gentle tone, almost if he was saying, 'I wouldn't leave if I didn't have to.' The two were standing outside of the grand Xing palace. Various plants and flowers surrounded them in the front lawn as they stood on the stone paved path. Two pieces of luggage and a briefcase stuffed with notes and papers were beside them as they stood in silence. The young girl of Xing decent stood before him, a few inches shorter than the blonde. Her sleek black hair was done in an up-do as she had two small buns and two braids that trailed behind her. Her kimono like dress was embroidered with intricate designs, implying that she came from a wealthy family. Nothing less was expected from one of the many princesses of Xing. The seventeenth to be exact.

"Oh Alphonse!" She exclaimed with dismay. She tried to hold her tone steady, but when she spoke it sounded like a cry for help. She knew he would only be away for two months, but she couldn't imagine being so far away from him. Earlier this week when he had announced he was leaving to go back to Risembol she insisted to go with him despite of her many royal duties. But the blonde had won that fight even though somewhere in his mind, he wanted her to accompany him dearly. And the day had come when the two had to be separated.

Mei shut her eyes tight and tried to hold back the tears that seemed to always come so easily. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around the dark blonde's mid back. She buried her head into his chest, enjoying the close proximity. Not until he breathed, has she realized what she had done. Knowing it would be awkward if she backed away, she stood her ground and simply enjoyed the moment.

Alphonse had not expected her to take this so dramatically. They had been over this almost a million times. And it wasn't as if he hadn't told her, she had all of last week to think about it. Her reaction startled him. He felt his heart drop as she said his name. Making her cry at this time was the last thing he wanted to do. But alas, he couldn't help but to make her upset. He closed his eyes, hoping that there would be no water works today. He had kept his emotions and thoughts concealed about leaving, but if she would start crying, he didn't think he could hold back anymore. All their adventures and traveling would be on hold, or maybe even gone forever. They had spent an entire 8 months together traveling the eastern countries. He hadn't realized how close they had gotten.

He wasn't prepared for the sudden burst of emotions either. His thoughts were ripped apart as they were interrupted by the young girl's arms being thrown around him. Her head rested against his chest and he wondered if she could hear his heart beating rapidly. The mere thought of them being so close made his cheeks burn. He knew they were close friends, and that she probably only was giving him a farewell hug, but that didn't explain the sudden burst of emotions. Sure, she was abit on the sensitive side, but that didn't explain why she was being so dramatic. Surely two months wasn't _that_ long? Would it be this big of a deal if they were just friends? Were they just friends? Did he want to be more than friends? His cheeks sure did. Who was he kidding, he was Alphonse Elric, he wasn't going to second guess himself like that. He knew this was an important trip, hell, this could change his brother's life! He shouldn't have hesitated to leave if she was only a _friend_. He knew he couldn't deny it anymore. It was true, all the things his brother teased him about. He was Alphonse Elric, and he had the biggest crush on Mei Chang.

With his new burst of confidence, he knew this was his last chance to say something before he left for two whole months. _Six long weeks..._ he thought as he took a deep breath. Her head still rested against him in the few minutes he had been thinking. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. They were as close as possible, and yet he felt like it wasn't enough. _Of course its enough Al! A simple hug is enough at the moment!_ A small voice echoed threw his head. Not a small voice he thought. His brain was telling him it's logically enough, they hadn't been close and anything more would be too much of a shock to May. But his heart disagreed. His gut told him to. And before he had realized what he was doing, he was face to face with May, his hand bringing holding her chin up to look at him.

She could feel his breath on her face. They had never been so close... or at least on purpose. Her heart raced as she looked into his golden eyes. They were much more beautiful up close. It felt like they were staring at each other for minutes, no _hours_. Their faces were only mere inches away from contact. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but she had a pretty good idea. _Does he have the guts?_ she thought as she began to get lost in his eyes. And he leaned in.

His heart pounded in his ears, or was it her heartbeat? He couldn't tell anymore. He could feel the tension in the air indicating that it was most likely her first. It was... or is _going to be _his first also. Inexperienced and nervous, was what he was. What if he messed up? What if she wasn't interested? She would've pulled away from his gaze by now... He was questioning everything at that very moment. 'No.' He thought. He couldn't second guess himself now. It was now or never, no regrets now. Before he could fully think it threw, he had already made contact with her lips.

She had always dreamed of what it would be like, kissing the love of her life. Ever since she had been turned down by the short tempered dwarf of his brother, she had looked forward to being with Alphonse instead. And when the day he had arrived, he was certainly one worth waiting for. Nothing she had every imagined could compare to the exhilarating sensation she was experiencing now. It was almost as if a tiny spark had connected their lips as they made contact. His lips were softer than anything she'd ever felt. All her thoughts had suddenly dissipated from her mind. She was pulled into her own cloud 9 as her eyelids slowly began to close. He deepened the kiss by tilting his head ever so slightly to the right. Their lips connected like puzzle pieces.

Before they realized it, a certain emperor had casually walked over to the scene waiting patiently for his own goodbyes to the young blonde. The black haired man watched for a moment as the young couple enjoyed themselves, clearly unaware of his presence. A slight smile spread across his face, oh did he have something to black mail them with now he thought. Beside his happy aura for them, he couldn't help feel a pang of jealousy watching the two. No, a pang of _greed._ He had thought he had gotten rid of the pesky trait. But he knew it would always be with him. He wanted that sensation, he wanted it all for himself. The fact that he knew that he couldn't obtain it made him slightly frustrated. He managed to push his greedy thoughts away as his childish instincts kicked in.

"Ey love birds!" He called out to them as he casually walked closer, a grin plastered on his face. He watched as the couple pulled away quickly, avoiding each other's gaze awkwardly. He couldn't help to snicker at the sight of the two being so embarrassed. They showed no sign of romance now.

"Your ride isn't going to wait forever ya know." Ling joked as he chuckled slightly. Alphonse's face was set aflame as a the red blush darkened. The dark blonde nodded slightly picking up his brief case filled with notes and calculations. Ling could practically see the bulge in the poorly treated bag. He really had done it this time he thought as he let out a slight sigh. If the blonde dropped it, surely there would be a million papers scattered across the floor, and Ling would be the first to laugh. The emperor looked back at his distant relative with a hint of pity. He had just cut short their first kiss he thought. The princess stood there with her head down in embarrassment, she stared at her feet, not daring to look up.

Despite her efforts to hide her face, she knew this would be the last she would see of him and she didn't want to waste a second. She looked up, her gaze meeting his. Her blush was uncontrollable as it deepened. Managing a slight smile, she nodded to him, giving him permission to proceed. He nodded back knowing exactly what she was saying. In the few months of being together, they managed to establish a non verbal way of communication of their own. Their conversation went something like this:

'_You can go ahead Alphonse.'_

_'I'll miss you though'_

_'So will I.'_

_'Till next time?'_

_'Till next time.'_

And Alphonse picked up his luggage and brief case, giving Ling a goodbye pat on the shoulder he walked towards the outer entrance of the palace. He stopped to take one last good look at Mei. He gave her a final smile as he waved his hand behind him. His light brown over coat trailed behind him as he walked away.

He loaded his luggage on his ride and took off on his long journey home.


	2. Chapter 2: Wait

The young blonde lay across the hard train bench. It would only be a few hours till he reached the station. He sighed as he stared at the hardwood ceiling of the train. This was his last few hours on the long journey to Risembol. He had taken a carriage to get to the edge of Xing. That alone had taken him about 16 hours not including stops for the horses to rest. Xing wasn't as advanced as Amestris, but it was much more eye pleasing than the industrial look of Amestris. Once he had arrived at the edge of the beautiful country, he was escorted across the desert with a bunch of other traveling foreigners. The trek across the desert was awfully exhausting. The fact that it was nighttime didn't help the heat, and he had been tired despite sleeping threw most of the carriage ride. The trek had taken about one and a half days to get through. Once he had arrived he had to walk to the nearest city on his own. Only to be informed the next train to Risembol was not due till the next day and he had to wait. When he had traveled to Xing he had been surrounded by familiar faces on the journey, and it seemed to go faster. But now he was all alone, he was left to dwell on his own thoughts.

He looked out the window watching the scenery pass by. The open fields of green and the dirt roads to his left looked awfully like home. If only time could go faster; he had been on this damned train for 3 days. Having the train stop at every stop was also annoying. His patience was surely tested here. He had always traveled with someone; that someone usually being his brother. He found himself re- reading his notes and research multiple times. To kill time, he slept, he mingled, he played cards, and he gazed outside. Even eating his meals slowly didn't make a difference. He knew there were only a few hours left, but the suspense was killing him. His face leaned against the window as he watched the now familiar scenery quickly go past him.

"I'll be there soon Ed." Al said to himself with a slight smirk.

"I'm coming home, and you better be ready."

* * *

Edward had arrived back at Risembol a few days prior till Al's arrival. He was welcomed home with open arms. He had never been so happy to be back. His mechanic, no, his fiancé had made a feast for his arrival. They enjoyed each other's company for the past few days. But now it was time to get down to business. Al had supposedly found something that could be a use to them in the alchemic category. And he also claimed he had partially mastered Alchehistory and he was comfortable enough to teach him. He wondered what his little brother was doing right now. Ed sat back in the kitchen chair and sighed. Winry was busy with customers and Granny was out buying some more food.

His mind wondered as he wondered how much his brother had changed since they last saw. 8 months... he breathed to himself. It had been 8 whole months without seeing his brother. He thought he was going to lose his head; they were always together on adventures. Even with the occasional phone call he still felt like he had no contact with his little brother. Ed chuckled, remembering his crazy first phone call to Al.

"Al! I don't know what I've done!"

"Brother?! What's wrong are you alright?"

"I don't know I think I'm going to have a heart attack!"

'What's wrong?! Brother!"

"I think I just proposed to the devil!" Ed screamed into the phone.

And then it got quiet.

"Al? You there? Al?!"

Faint snickering could be heard from the other end of the line.

"Al! It's not funny I have no idea what I've just done! And I have to go see her every other month for auto mail!"

"Oh brother, I knew you had it in you." Al replied still laughing.

"Al. what am I going to do?! I think I PROPOSED to her! I wasn't trying to do that, I just wanted to tell her how I felt! Do I buy a ring? Do I call her back? Do I tell her it's a mistake?"

"Do you love her?"

"Well uh.." Ed's face was beet red as he stumbled over his words,

"I uh, I think so. I mean, I don't know it's all going so fast Al! I-I-I…"

"You what?"

"I'm scared Al." Ed whispered into the phone.

"Ed, after all we've been through you can't let Winry bring you down to your knees. We've been best friends since kids. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Al thought about what he had just said and took it back mentally.

"Al, even though you couldn't feel her wrench throws in your armor i'm sure you know that it hurts like hell. What if I slip up somewhere along the line and we can't be together what am I gonna do? It'll make all automail checkup appointments awkward! What if-"

Al cut him off with a laugh.

"Brother, you worry to much. If she thinks you did purpose to her you would marry her right?"

"UH." Ed said rather loudly.

"Lets NOT go there Al. Not yet. I mean I do like her, but dontcha think that's a little 'Jumping the gun?"

"Alright brother, just relax you don't have t-"

Al's talking was interrupted by static sounds.

"Well helloooo there Eddy." Ling said with a playful tone.

"You Bastard give Al the phone back!" The blonde shouted back into the phone.

"Al's right here, why don't you talk to me instead? Do ya miss me?"

"Of course I don't miss you! Give Al the phone back now!"

"Oh seems Al went to go do something"

"You just said he was right there!"

"Oh I did? It seems I was wrong" Ling said innocently

"Why I oughtta.."

_Click_

"WHY THAT STUPID LITTLE SON OF A GUN. IM GONNA GO OVER TO XING JUST TO KICK HIS ROYAL LITTLE ASS. I'M GOING TO FUCKING GET YOU LING."

* * *

Ed stared at the clock as it ticked. He sighed once more, _two more hours until I see my brother_ he thought. He shifted in his seat as he grew impatient. Why couldn't time move faster? His little brother was sitting on some train right now, and he couldn't wait any longer. He felt a smile appear on his face. _And I bet he's bored out of his mind_ Ed thought. He lent back in the chair a little further. He wondered if he should go wait at the station instead. He groaned at his own impatience and lent back even further. Before he realized it, the two front legs of the chair had lifted off the ground and he fell backwards.

He landed on the floor with a thump. "Goddammit!" he shouted as he rubbed the back of his head. Winry had rushed down the stairs with oil plastered on her cheeks, her eyes were wide as she ran over to him; wrench in hand.

"What in the name..." Her voice trailed off as she examined the situation. "What the hell are you doing Ed!?" She questioned, her tone was almost if she was scolding him. A frown formed on her forehead as she sighed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you." she said with a sign of playfulness. She helped him up and examined the chair that had appeared to have a broken leg.

"My Chair!" She exclaimed as she held the chair leg in her hands. "Do you have any idea how much I paid for this Ed!?" She complained as she looked back at him with a furious glare. Edward simply brushed his shirt off and groaned.

"I'm alright, thanks for asking." He snapped back at her. He seriously wondered how he managed to propose to her. Ed simply sucked it up and sat next to her on the floor as he examined the damage.

"It's Fixable." He said simply. Half of him just wanted to clap his hands and use Alchemy to fix it. But he knew that was no longer an option. He looked back at her with a sigh.

"Edward..." She began. She knew how upset he got when he couldn't fix things like he had used to be able to. She could tell in his eyes, that he was seriously thinking about trying. It had taken him a good month to stop trying to use Alchemy. She had caught him clapping his hands various times and she couldn't help to feel bad about it. Sure, the price was definitely worth it, but she knew part of him was lost when he had lost his Alchemy.

Her eyes widened as she noticed he had started smiling. "When Al gets here, he'll fix it in no time with his Alchehistory." He replied with a bit of excitement. She couldn't help giggle at his sudden happiness.

"Okay Ed." She replied with a chuckle as got up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to her customer. Ed gave up and lay down on the floor. He closed his eyes as he drifted off into deep sleep.

* * *

Al woke up with a jolt. He fell forwards and hit his head on the next bench in front of him.

"Ow..." He complained rubbing his head. He looked around to see other passengers with looks of worry in their faces. Why had they stopped? There was no intersection and the station was nowhere in sight. Before he could get up and investigate the train's door was kicked open by a bunch of men with guns. Their faces were covered with ski masks and sun glasses over the eye opening. They wore boots and camouflage pants along with black tank tops exposing their muscular bodies. Passengers shied away from them as they walked through the isle, guns in hand. Their loud boots thumping on the hardwood floor of the car.

"Listen up! As long as everyone co-operates no one will die today!" One of the men's voices boomed throughout the train car.

It was more of a command than an offering. He was pretty intimidating, Al had to admit. As the taller one kept on walking down the aisle, his comrade stayed in the center. The taller one made his way to the last car and entered without a hitch. Al looked around, examining his options. _One vs one_ He thought as he glanced over at the masked man. He slowly slid towards the edge of the bench looking over at the small child who sat across the aisle. The child was pressed up against her mother the furthest away from the isle. Al simply smiled and winked at the girl as he got up.

"Ey! What do you think you're doing?" One of the men howled.

"Stretching my legs, it's been certainly a long train ride." Al smiled and started stretching casually.

The man knew he was messing with him. Letting out a hasty growl he flung himself at the blond, gun loaded in hand. Of course the blond heard his thick footsteps approaching and took the initiative to make his move. Finishing the circle he had made on his bench he clapped his hand and slapped them onto the bench causing the wood to bend out of its original form. Light blue sparks crackled in the air as the wood molded itself into a fist and went straight towards the masked man. The man was clearly not expecting _that_ to happen and flew backwards from the impact of a hard fist hitting him in the stomach. Before the masked man could even open his eyes the blonde had already knocked him out.

Al stood back for a moment wondering if he had hit too hard. He bent down and grabbed the gun from the man, placing it in the back of his pants for later. The entire car was silent and he felt pairs of eyes staring at him from behind. Standing up straight and stretching his back he turned to the civilians. A smile was plastered on his face as he waved to them awkwardly. He wasn't much for the spotlight.

"Uh, Hiya." He said with a smile.

"Our hero!" the little girl he had seen across from him exclaimed. Beside from the girl's outburst no one else spoke, numerous eyes burning through his soul. He decided it was time to find out what the holdup was and awkwardly left the car. He still felt the gaze of multiple people resting on the back of his head.

Closing the door behind him he looked around seeing the train completely stopped in the middle of nowhere. He could tell that they were getting close to Risembol since everything was open fields. 'Smells like home.' he decided as he took a deep breath. Looking into the window of the next car he knew there would be more armed men ahead. Going in through the door would surely get me shot, he decided. Maybe I should make more of a grand entrance, he thought with a grin in his face.

Yeah, that sounds nice.

* * *

Ed woke up with a sore face. He had fallen asleep right where he had fallen out of the chair. He stared at the dark hardwood floor for a moment, memorized. A blanket was placed on him but it didn't make difference, he still felt cold. He leaned on his arm left and rubbed his eyes as he looked around. /Still in the dining room/ he thought as he sat up and looked around. He crossed his legs and picked up a note on the ground which was deliberately put there next to a glass of water and a pill.

_For when you awake knuckle head._

~Winry

He sighed and put the note back. My head sure does hurt now... he thought looking at the pill. Swallowing the pill, he got up and sat in one of the other chairs. He rested his head on his arm as leaned against the table. "1 more hour until pick up Al." he breathed.

"Oh lookie here, sleeping beauty has finally awoken." Pianko interrupted

Ed snorted and looked out the window. "Thanks for waking me up granny."

"You're the idiot, who wanted to sleep on the floor, don't blame me." She replied taking another puff of her pipe.

"Whatever." He groaned.

"You better freshen up your attitude; Al wouldn't appreciate a grumpy brother when he gets back." She chimed and walked out the room.

"Well I wouldn't be grumpy if you'd just wake me up ya old hag!" He yelled and dropped his head onto the table. Thus worsening his headache; enough for Ed to simply wrap his arms around his head and whimper.

Winry's words echoed in his head "What are am I going to do with you."

_Yeah, what am I going to do with myself,_ he agreed silently.

The clock ticked slowly, its hands teasing Ed. He couldn't wait for his brother anymore. Getting up and pushing in his chair, he walked out the door with his jacket. _It's better to wait for him there than sitting around doing nothing_ he thought as he began his trek to the long awaited station._ This really does bring back memories..._ he sighed trying not to be sentimental. He knew that this trip was important, but how long would Al be visiting?

Ed kicked a rock along the dirt road while he walked.

_ Maybe I should get some flowers._


End file.

Fullmetal Alchemist, Adventure, Romance