Chapter 5

-A Stranger's Word

Edward sat at a table belonging to a Xingese café on the street corner. With a pencil in his left hand, he scribbled hastily onto the crisp white paper he pinned with his metal hand. His gold eyes scanned the paper, making sure to fill every empty space with his thoughts till he ran out. A little longer, he thought, reaching the bottom of the before signing his signature.

Grabbing his coffee, his chucked it down in one hot steamy gulp, wincing from the heat nearly boiling his tongue to a pile of flesh. Gagging the steam out, he sucked in the cold morning air to cool his gullet down.

"Damn it, why the hell do people here have to make their coffee so hot!" He half yelled, his easily provoked temper flaring up again. Being stuck in a country with no leads for nearly eight days was making his mission quit unbearable, nearly impossible.

Despite the foul heat burning a metaphorical hole in his stomach, with gentle hands, he folded the paper nice and neat into his pocket. The newly written letter to his brother was the only source of comfort he was feeling at the moment, last thing he wanted was to rip it to shreds from a little tantrum. Eyes softening, he dropped his head and walked away from the shop, feeling the odd gazes from watchful citizens.

He ignored them with ease as he walked down the street with a quick stride. So many thoughts were running through his head, unwanted memories painfully reminding him of all the wrong he had committed in his life. The mental torture was almost enough to distract him from the pain that burned from his poorly treated chest wound.

I should've died. Were the thoughts that repeated themselves like a broken record, echoing through the bloody muddled void that had become his mind.

Edward slapped his normal hand to his forehead, palm covering his left eye. Al would've killed him if he voiced these thoughts, but then again, they were not entirely wrong. Out of everything he's done, he deserved death. Not a peaceful end, but a gruesome and painful murder that'd ravage his soul beyond repair. It's what he believed he deserved, from all this pain of equivalent exchange, he still believed he wasn't doing enough.

He walked around the corner, heading back to the tiny hotel Inn across a river, sheltered behind a whole trove of bamboo. Despite his inner turmoil, the tranquility of this country was calming to him. It was the most content he'd felt in ages. If only his brother was here to remedy in the scenery with him.

Eventually finding his room, he shut the wooden door made of carved bamboo, and flopped down on the small cot that was his bed. He looked at the paper he had written after another long day of fruitless searching. Since arrival, he had not even touched the pen and paper that seemed to be calling to him, begging for something to be written. He fought the urge off, still not having the courage to mail his brother a letter.

But today, he was finally able to get ahold of himself and wrote what he should've said the moment he got on that train and left the country side. He just hopped his brother was not mad still when he got it.

Grabbing a stamper, he stabbed the envelope containing the vessel of his precious words, imprinting the mark of central command on its upper left fold. Running his tongue along the lip, he firmly pressed it down till it was closed nice and tight. Taking it, he went to his window and dropped the letter in a bucket that was hung by a rope. Dinging the bell with his metal thumb, he watched the rope tug the bucket away from the window in a flash.

Ed watched as a Xing woman draped in white got the tin pail and leaped from the roof, disappearing into the darkness. He nonchalantly folded his arms, still finding the mailing system of this country extremely weird. But, as long as they delivered it to the right place, he wouldn't complain.

Pulling away from the window, he carried himself across the room and threw down on the cot, feeling the wooden legs rock under the extra weight. Draping his arm across his forehead, Ed closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of crickets chirping. He slacked his jaw, was it really almost night time? He wrote that paper this morning, it must've taken him longer to walk back to the Inn then he first anticipated.

He wanted to open his eyes and cast his gaze to the sky he knew should've been filled with stars. Xing was, after all, in a much higher altitude then most of Amestris, much closer to the stars.

His gut started to boil over again in worry, how much longer would this mission take? The longing to return to his brother was nearly chewing a hole in him, hating the fact he was forced to investigate something as pointless as rumors.

"Stupid Mustang," he hissed under his breath. "Sending me on some shitty mission with absolutely no leads or back up."

"What a shame to see a tourist look so down." Came a sly, baritone voice tinged with a creepy sense of calmness.

Leaping up at the unfamiliar vocals, Ed instinctively clapped his hands and summoned his automail's large wrist blade, the alchemic lightning flashing, casting the whole room in a blue glow. Grinding his teeth aggressively, he reared up and faced the direction the voice was coming from. Sitting in the window was a woman.

She was tall, a bit rugged with the scars signaling a brawler. Long black hair was tied back in a messy pony tail, her face remained hidden in the shadows—only icy blue eyes gleamed through the darkness.

"Who the hell are you?" The state alchemist snapped, pulling his lip back in a feral snarl.

"State your hand, little man." She bluntly rhymed with a dead-panned look.

"Who are you calling little!" Ed burst, feeling the flames of rage course through his systems, fueling his urge to break down those feet and slap em on her head.

She chuckled, moving her head to the side as if she were rolling her eyes, unfazed by the sizzling heat fuming off his blooming red aura. "Calm down, I'm not here to fight," she waved her hand that was wrapped in black tape, visible yet unrecognizable tattoos decorated the forearms.

Easing up, he still kept his feet firmly in their attack stance, his weapon protectively held in front. "What do you want?"

"I've been seeing you around lately, noticed you were a state alchemist." Her blue eyes darted to the night stand, observing the silver pocket watch crusted in blood. "Since it's uncommon for Amestris state alchemist to be out here, I had to guess—you're here for the rumors, huh boy?"

"You're a perspective one, so you've been stalking me?"

"Stalking is a harsh term," she rested her chin upon her raised knee cap. "I prefer the term watch. So yes, I've been watching you."

Feeling his blonde antenna jump up in irritation, he sighed and sat down, dropping his defense, but still keeping his guard up. "You followed me without my knowledge, that's called stalking."

"You're a golden eyed blondie walking around in a nation dominated by dark haired people, you're pretty easy to pick from a crowd." Straightening her back up, she smoothed out the white shirt and leather pants she wore, no shoes in sight. "But enough of the formalities, I'm in a hurry, and I know you'd like to get home. She aimed her crooked finger at the dumbfounded looking Elric.

"You're looking into the rumors that've been floating around these streets, haven't you?"

His heart skipped a beat, unsure if he should lie—but since she obviously knew, might as well be honest. "Yea, I was sent by the military to investigate rumors about some form of alchemic activity going on."

The woman, who looked to be about thirty, ran a curious finger down her chin. "Don't you find it a little odd that the Amestris government is fiddling around with completely different nation?"

Ed crossed his arms, a stubborn look tugging at his lips. "Like I haven't pondered that a million times, but it's not my place to ask questions. I just show up, dig around, and come back with my report." He crossed his legs, glaring down at the polished floor. "Technically, I aint supposed to come back till I have something. But, since I have yet to turn up one lead, I'll have to come back and file these claims as false information."

The woman suddenly burst with laughter, shutting him up. Slapping her forehead, she cut him a mischievous smile that spelt danger to Edward. "For a state alchemist as gifted as you are, you sure are a simpleton."

Before Ed could lash out a rebuttal, the woman shot a silencing hand out. "You obviously know these rumors, if true, are pretty dangerous. Do you honestly think citizens would discuss something they fear with a foreigner from Amestris?" She shook her head, almost as if disappointed in him. "You aint digging very good, and with your short patience, I can understand that."

"Hey, shut the hell up, before I come over and—"

She cut him off, again. "Look, I can provide you with the information you need."

Ed stopped, suspicion already running through his veins. "Who are you, and why are you offering to help?" He crooked his blonde brow, hardening gaze demanding an answer. "Despite what information you have, I know you don't know me, so what's the deal, stranger?"

She chuckled, shaking her head again; man that gesture was really starting to piss him off.

"I can assure you, my intentions are at the best of heart. I guess you could say, I'm tired of seeing you pointless stragglers blindly fumble through the streets without a lick of sense." She raised her hands, gesturing for the alchemist to approach her. "I won't lie, I'm not a normal citizen—but what I am and what I do has nothing against you. What I am doing, quite literally, is being generous."

Ed made no response, his eyes searching her blue orbs for any hint of the truth. When he further refused to respond, the Xing woman sighed again.

"Look, if you want some honesty, I'm tired of these rumors and I want them to put at rest. They're scaring everyone, my husband and kids. It's making life around here different, I want things to go back to normal. So, if you're here to put these rumors to death, I'll be happy to give you a lead. If not, then I guess I'll go."

"Wait," Ed stopped her before she could leap away from his window. "Okay, okay, what exactly do I need to do? Just tell me, and I'll fix it to the best of my ability."

"I'll take you to where you need to be."

Ed frowned, he was not stupid to follow a stranger blindly into a place that could be a trap. "Just tell me, I can follow instructions."

The woman's frustrated frown suddenly folded into an unreadable look Edward almost couldn't read. "It'll be quicker if I showed you, besides, aren't you in a hurry to?" She tapped a broken finger nail against the wooden window frame. "Like, a little brother to get back to?" She smirked when Ed's face bristled like a deer caught in head lights.

Sensing his mind hitting a road block, she took advantage of his weakness and pressed. "I've heard a lot about, Elric—you have a lot of baggage, such as…" she drew a finger to the wound hidden beneath his shirt. "Some missions going wrong, life not going right. You have a lot to fix, so, let me help you by making the first step easier."

"H-how…" Ed croaked. "How do you know all this?"

"I can tell a lot by a person's eyes, pupils can tell your whole story." She chuckled and leaned back in a mockingly calm gesture. "Now, what will it be? Accept my help, or go home empty handed. Again."

Hearing the word 'again' struck a nerve as the skin around Ed's nose furrowed, eyebrows meeting in the middle. "Fine, I'll meet you tomorrow, BUT—" He jabbed his weapon in her direction, "Give me one reason to doubt your intentions, and your head is gonna meet the pavement."

"Deal," she waved her hand, blowing a scent of jasmine in his direction. Flipping backwards out the window, she stopped and turned back to face the reddening Elric. "Get some sleep, you won't be able to concentrate without it." Turning away, she paused and whipped back around. "And who knows, maybe you'll find what you've been looking for."

Before Ed could call out, the mysterious woman vanished into the night.

Feeling royally stumped, Ed growled and threw off his jacket that was clinging to his sweaty skin. Slipping his boots and pants off, he fell back into the cot, the night's chilly breeze hitting his bare legs barely protected by his small trousers. He ran his flesh hand down his thigh, feeling the familiar scars married to his tanned skin, angry eyes staring back at the window.

Who the hell was that? He hissed.

Every bit of his body warned him to call off this meeting, he had no idea who this was or what her intentions were. But the things she said, he just couldn't ignore those. One way to look at this, he needed leads, and this woman was practically giving him one.

Repositioning his body into a more comfortable position on his side, he peeled his eyes away from the window. He'd just have to be careful and not take his eyes off her for a second. Who knows, maybe she really was just someone trying to help. Or, maybe not.

He'd have to sleep on it as Ed yawned and felt his sleep deprived eyes fall against his command.