Lingfan Week - Day 1 - Sacrifice

Fullmetal Alchemist
Ship: Ling Yao x Lan Fan
Synopsis: Following the Promised Day, Ling, Lan Fan and Mei once again brave the desert to reach Xing, and Ling is brought face to face with the sacrifices made for him to be there.

Written for Lingfan Week 2015 on Tumblr.
I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.

He'd probably never get over how vast the obsidian sky stretched over the sand; a sea of black and blue speckled with the brightest stars he'd ever seen. Ling took a deep breath and leant back further, letting his dark eyes roam across the desert's night sky. With only the flat sandy landscape beneath him, looking upwards like that gave the illusion that you could almost fall upwards into the blackness.

On his first trip to Amestris he'd been so preoccupied with the task ahead, finding the key to immortality, acquiring it, and getting back to Xing before the Emperor breathed his last, that he had had very little time for looking at the stars. But now... Ling glanced back down at the backs of his bare hands and felt a sharp pang of sadness. So much had been lost. So many sacrifices. He let out a small sigh and ran a hand through his bangs, stopping mid-motion when he caught sight of Lan Fan nearby. She was facing away from him, motionless except for the slight turn of her head whenever a wild animal barked, or a breeze stirred the sand.

They had been travelling through the desert for a day already, resting through the hottest hours of sunlight under a portable canopy they had brought with them from Amestris. Night was the best time for traversing through the desert, as the cooler temperature made it safer and easier, but just as the day got too hot, they had decided to rest and stay warm through the coldest part of the night. This way with a few hours on the move interspersed with a few hours rest, when the climate was at its worst, they could get the most effective journey time - time was of the essence, now that they had what they needed afterall. Mei was already asleep in a blanket under the canopy, Xiao-Mei tucked under her arm, but the blanket near to her was empty. Ling had tried, but just couldn't fall asleep. Lan Fan was on watch, because she insisted on it, and he hadn't wanted to disturb her so he had crept out of the little shelter, hoping to distract his mind with some night air.

She was far enough away that she wouldn't have heard him get up, but close enough so that he could still see the glint of starlight flash off her automail arm. He felt an even sharper pang of guilt. It was hard to admit how difficult it could be to see her metal limb, knowing that it was because of him (though he knew she would deny it), because directly or indirectly, he felt responsible... Ling's uncharacteristically melancholy thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Lan Fan slowly raise her automail arm to stretch it high above her head. He watched intrigued as she then proceeded to hold the shoulder steady with her flesh hand, and rotated the shoulder joint, moving the limb in a wide circle. He heard her sharp inhale even from where he stood, as she suddenly pulled the metal in close to her body and pulled tightly at the material on her shoulder, almost bending over in apparent pain.

He was at her side in an instant.

"Lan Fan...?" His voice was heavy with concern and he started to reach out to her, but stopped part-way.

"Ah! My Lord! I - I -" She attempted to compose herself in a manner more befitting the guard of a Prince of Xing (soon to be Emperor), but winced at the movement. Instead she saw the Prince's hand hovering just above her arm, and looked up to see his intense dark eyes gazing at her with worry.

"Lan Fan, are you okay?"

"... Of course My Lord." Lan Fan replied in a steady voice, but she had hesitated, and Ling was no fool. Ever since they were children Lan Fan had put his needs before her own, and considered him more than herself. But he had always had ways of getting her to open up.

Lan Fan couldn't hold his gaze for very long, and she knew he wouldn't let it go until she told him what was wrong - he'd never been any different. She sighed a little, though it was more a sign of defeat than anything, and shifted her automail arm carefully.

"... The nerves in my shoulder are damaged; my recovery was rushed, and there was some... trauma to the automail recently. Though it will not affect my ability to serve and protect you My Lord." She spoke hesitantly, but noticed how Ling's hand withdrew away from her, and panicked slightly. "It is only a temporary pain! It comes and goes, and I've been keeping the muscles moving so that it lessens the pain. I could get Princess Chang to see if she can perform healing Alkahestry on it, and perhaps that would make it better-"

Ling had automatically moved back when she had admitted to the pain her automail was causing her out of his mixture of shock and guilt. The metal was there because of him, she had rushed her recovery for him, then she had caught himself and Greed when they had fallen, and he could almost hear the groaning and grinding of the automail struggling to cope with the weight.

"Why did you keep this to yourself? You don't have to keep these things a secret , it's okay to tell me you're hurting. I'm sorry... All these sacrifices you've made... Lan Fan, you've made so many for me, if I can ever do anything for you I will do everything in my power to make it happen. I promise you."

"Ah ! No, please, it's unnecessary - I don't regret any of the decisions I've made. If it was to keep you safe, how could I ever regret it. Please, My Lord, it is my duty to make those sacrifices on your behalf." Lan Fan couldn't keep her earnest feelings from warming the words, and knew her Grandfather would have disapproved at the tone. There was a brief pause, where she wished she had her mask to hand that she could hide behind (sharing her feelings with the soon-to-be-Emperor made her far too embarrassed), and then Ling took a step toward her.

"Then I will make sure your sacrifices were never in vain, and that you will never have to make one on my behalf ever again." The intensity of his gaze was almost overwhelming so close, but then his eyes creased shut and his easy smile returned. "When we get back to Xing I'm going to make sure the first thing I do is get a banquet held in your honour. All of our favourite foods, and the finest of the Royal Chefs!"

She smiled with him.

"When Mei wakes up I'll ask her to see to your shoulder, but until then maybe I can help you with your exercises?" Ling moved even closer to her side, and gently lifted her metal hand in one of his own, with the other placed onto the shoulder the automail connected onto, softly keeping it steady. "I can keep the joint in place while you move, and we can start working on the menu for your banquet."

Lan Fan smiled, even as they both moved her arm into the most painful stretches, while Ling discussed dishes and sauces, because everything always seemed more bearable when he was there with her.

He knew he would never be able to repay the sacrifices she had made, but it was a start.