Author's Notes: I talked about doing this series for a while. I just didn't expect to get distracted by writing six other things first. I'm also in the middle of writing the third part of the daemons AU, but I really got some inspiration for this the other day when I figured out what word I wanted to use. As for this, I decided to do something different. They'll all be stand-alones, as usual, but some of them are going to be connected too. It'll be in order this time though. So like the first five will be connected and then the next five and so forth. I'll also be writing characters that I didn't do much with in the 100 drabble series. The title is taken from Georges Perec's "Species of Spaces and Other Pieces." And without further ado, let's begin!

Disclaimer: None of this is mine. I don't own anything. Sad day.

A is for Adventure

The sun was glaringly bright, but it wasn't nearly as hot as Roy had expected when he stepped off the train. It was nothing like Ishval had been and nowhere near as painful as the desert. Roy honestly wasn't sure how Ling Yao with his two bodyguards had made it across all those years ago, much less a lone thirteen year-old Princess May Chang. It made him think of Edward and Alphonse Elric, alchemy prodigies at such a young age. And what had he been doing at thirteen?

Oh yeah, that was right: he was stuck studying basic alchemy under a mad man in a decrepit house in the middle of nowhere and trying to convince his daughter to say more than five words to him.

Nonetheless, Roy was more than relieved that things were different now. They'd just managed to establish a railroad track and phone line between the two countries, which had proven to be more difficult than anyone anticipated. It had almost been easier to help rebuild Ishval, and that had taken years. One of the largest reasons that they had been able to accomplish building any sort of bridges between the two countries had been because of Alphonse Elric. He'd taken on his unofficial role as Amestris ambassador in Xing with particular gusto. It had certainly helped that he had a lot of pull with the new Emperor of Xing.

Putting on his military cap helped with the bright sunlight, a decent shade falling over the top half of his face and the front of the cap shielding his eyes. He liked the way it didn't allow people to look him directly in the eyes and covered his expressions. It closed him off to people when he didn't feel like talking to them. In this case, he was a newcomer to a foreign land, and while he normally would've tried to appear as open and friendly as possible, wanting to put on a good face for Amestris, he felt strangely uncomfortable the moment he stepped off the train.

Maybe it had to do with the looks that he'd caught from a few Xingese natives. All of them wore the same looks on their faces: first recognition, then confusion, and finally disgruntlement. For the first time in many, many years, Roy felt like an alien in his own skin, like he didn't belong, and he didn't know what to do. Growing up, he had mostly enjoyed the fact that he looked fairly different from everyone, if only because it made him stand out and somehow it made things easier with people. He wasn't the picture perfect Amestrian, apparently having inherited his mother's Xingese looks.

Being in Xing now suddenly reminded him of those first few months after Madam Christmas had adopted him and brought him back to live to Central with her. So many people had looked at him in bewilderment, some even walking up right to them and asking where he had come from, like he was some sort of exotic animal. Kids had bullied him for his different looks, to the point where he had become so defensive and once even cried and begged Christmas to take him back home.

Roy recalled his foster mother's words now: "You're different, Roy boy, and you always will be, but don't ever let it be your weakness. There is only one of you, so make it count. Show them how great it is to be different."

It hadn't been very comforting to a six year-old, but her words had sunk into his skin. Whenever he was lying in bed and frustrated with how much he stood out from everyone else, he would think back on those words and he used any hate and ignorance to harden him. They didn't know he was. They didn't know his history. They knew nothing about him. So what if he looked like them but a stranger in an Amestrian military uniform? He could use that to his advantage. He knew little of this country except for what he studied and the random bits that he could remember from his mother like a dream.

Truth be told, the only thing he really knew in Xingese was a bedtime song that his mother used to sing to him, somehow ingrained in his memory. But he took a deep breath and pushed his cap up so that his face was plain in sight and used what he'd been learning. When he said hello and asked an older woman carrying a huge suitcase if she needed any help in a perfect though obviously practiced Xingese accent, the woman started and then smiled at him pleasantly, nodding her head and telling him what a good boy he was. At least he was fairly certain that was what she was saying. Falman would've known.

"You're certainly starting off on the right foot," Riza murmured, appearing at his side like she had come out of thin air. Roy shot her a lopsided grin. This walking beside him thing was a rather new development, but he was fond of it. For the most part, she walked at least a step behind him, but in the past few months, after what he thought was a particularly passionate argument, she had suddenly started to walk with him. He liked it, though she proclaimed it was for tactical reasons. "We're not even here to do PR."

"I'm helping a beautiful woman with her luggage," Roy pointed out. "This is not a PR stunt."

"Remind me how many babies you told Havoc that you'd kiss after getting promoted to full General?"

"Hey, people like men that are good with children," Roy said defensively.

Riza rolled her eyes. "You basically used Edward's children as props for pictures."

"They love me," Roy replied, a small smirk to cross his face. Riza merely shook her head in response, though there was the barest of smiles on her face. It was true that Fullmetal's kids did love him, little Ben following him around and even baby Sara always wiggling her armsto be held by him, much to the displeasure of Edward.

After sitting the heavy luggage on the back of a cart pulled by a person on a bike, the old woman fished out a coin of Xingese money and tried to give it Roy, but he waved her away. She gave him a toothy smile and thanked him for his kindness, to which he bowed slightly and thanked her for allowing him to help. In all honesty, giving a hand to her had made him feel a little better and more comfortable. It gave him the courage to not hide who he was: a stranger in his mother's homeland.

"General Mustang!" a cheerful voice called out from somewhere in the crowd.

It didn't take Roy long to spot the person who had spoken his name, considering he was tall blonde mop in a sea of shorter dark hair. Alphonse waved a hand at them, a beaming smile on his face. Even after all this time, it still took Roy's breath away to see the younger Elric with his body. The last time he had seen Alphonse had been at his niece's third birthday party in Resembool, around a year ago. Had he actually grown taller than Roy? Though his hair was still cut short and parted to the side, he was wearing more traditional Xingese clothing.

"You look like you belong here," Roy greeted as he extended a hand towards the younger alchemist.

Alphonse swept a free hand down at his clothing, blushing a little. "May got them for me. She said it would look good for when I bring you to the Royal Court." Roy fought the urge to chuckle and tease him about the Xingese princess. He'd save that for later when they weren't out in public. "But it's really just a matter of comfort. You must be sweltering in your military uniforms."

"You grow used to the heat after a while," Roy replied, shrugging his shoulders. And so he had. He'd gotten used to it years ago when wielding his flames in Ishval. Still, Alphonse wasn't wrong about how hot the uniforms were. He could be completely used to it, but that wouldn't keep him from sweating. Alphonse's loose-fitting clothes certainly looked a lot more comfortable and cool. "Shall we?"

After assuring them that their belongings were being taken care of, the three of them stepped into one of the carts that the old woman had, though slightly bigger. Roy sat and listened with rapt attention as Alphonse began to describe the events of the past few months. It had been a huge shock when the new Emperor Ling Yao abolished the practice of taking a daughter from each clan as a concubine, but even more so when the young emperor announced his plans to wed one of his bodyguards, little more than a commoner in his clan. Xing was progressing faster than ever before and many things had started to change once Ling took over apparently.

"It's all so terribly exciting!" Alphonse exclaimed, his golden eyes shining brightly. Then he gave somewhat of a sheepish shrug. "And it's been stressful too. Many clans are disgruntled and feel as if they are being cast out of royalty and losing their bid to the throne. The power struggles are still there, just different. There have been at least four assassination attempts on the Emperor by his half siblings as it is."

"How has May been handling it?" Riza asked curiously, speaking up for the first time in the conversation between the two men. Roy could never forget the fact that May Chang had saved Riza's life and effectively his own on the Promised Day, but he did sometimes forget that Riza privately kept in sporadic contact with the young girl. Black Hayate did love to play with Xiao Mei after all.

Alphonse rubbed the back of his neck. "Indignant, as usual. Because Ling doesn't have an heir yet, he named May as his heir until he and Lan Fan have a child. A lot of the higher up clans were outraged by the decree since the Chang clan is the smallest and poorest and they believed that they should have been named heir." He sighed and shook his head, looking a little more tired. Apparently the Xingese royalty weren't the only ones that were feeling frustrated with the situation. "There was an attempt on her life a few weeks ago. She wasn't hurt, but since then, Ling has given her bodyguards. She doesn't believe that she needs them – says that she can take care of herself and she has me." His cheeks turned a little pink, but he pushed on anyways. "Needless to say, Ling has not been pleased by the way she's ditched her guards a few times."

Despite the severity of the situation, Roy couldn't help but snort. He could just imagine the young princess slipping out of sight of her guards and them having to report back to the angry emperor shame-faced and embarrassed. She was incredibly independent for her age and seemingly always had been. She'd crossed the desert on her own, fared in a foreign country, and fought monsters. A few assassination attempts probably didn't faze her one bit while her refusal to accept her half brother's protection drove him mad. It kind of reminded him of the way that he tended to throw himself in the middle of danger while Riza protested all the way.

"Enough talk of that though," Alphonse proclaimed, the smile returning to his face. "I'm really excited that you were able to make it for the wedding! It'll be a great start to build a relationship between Xing and Amestris."

"You've done quite the good job of it yourself already," Roy pointed out.

"I can only do so much though," Alphonse said. "You're actually a part of the Amestris government, General. I may have helped us get the foot in the door by helping with the train and the phone line, but you'll be able to get work done."

"Confident in my political abilities, are we?"

Alphonse grinned. "You don't get to full General at your age by just your looks."

"Your brother might beg to differ."

Both of them laughed while Riza smiled onward. As the cart rolled on, Alphonse explained a few Xingese customs that they would need to adhere to, for the sake of making things easier, and where their quarters would be during the time visiting. Riza made sure to tell Roy not to let his ego swell up over the fact that they would be staying in an actual palace. When they finally arrived, Roy had to stop himself from gaping in awe. The palace was a lot more impressive and colorful than he remembered from the pictures Alphonse showed him a few years ago when he came back to Amestris for Edward and Winry's wedding. It was a little difficult to think that he would actually be staying here.

"The wedding won't be for another three days," Alphonse said as they started up the stairs. He gave Roy a look that came off as remarkably shy. "May and I were thinking… We could take you around the capitol and maybe a few of the closer cities and villages."

"I'd like that," Roy said earnestly. "Sounds like an adventure."

Alphonse gave him a strangely hesitant look, chewing on his bottom lip. "Your biological mother was from Xing, right?" Roy nodded his head. Though he never talked extensively about his late parents, he had told Alphonse and Edward a few things over the past few years. They had been stunned to find out after so many years working under him that he too was an orphan like them and had spent a few months on his own in an orphanage before being found and taken in by his aunt. "Do you know what clan she was from?"

Roy frowned. "No, I don't. I could call Madam Christmas though. She might remember my mother's maiden name or have some sort of paperwork with it on there." So much of his childhood had disappeared after his parents' deaths. The most he had were a few pictures and documents that had been left at the orphanage with him. Everything else had seemingly vanished. His foster mother had been able to dig up a few more things using her resources, but it hadn't been much.

"I just thought, maybe, if you were able to find out, after the wedding, we could visit your mother's clan." The hopeful look on Alphonse's face almost made Roy stop in his tracks. "Maybe you would find some relatives."

Honestly, Roy didn't know what to say. He truly hadn't thought a lot about the fact that his mother's family would still be in Xing. He'd never entertained the idea of coming to Xing before the official invitation to the royal wedding came and by the time they had arrived, he hadn't had much time to think about being in his mother's homeland. He didn't really know the circumstances of his mother traveling to Amestris, except that she had come with a few friends, leaving her family behind. She'd wanted to travel and study in a new country. It could easily be said that he inherited his dreaming and ambitious nature from her.

The idea that he could connect with his mother again in such a small way… It was more than Roy could have ever anticipated. He didn't realize how much he wanted it until the opportunity was staring him right in the face.

"That would be…" A genuinely grateful smile twitched onto Roy's face. "That would be nice."

Alphonse seemed quite pleased with himself and started to talk about some of the artwork as they walked down the hallways towards their quarters. They weren't allowed to share a room, as it wasn't proper for unmarried men and women to do so, but at least their rooms were next to each other. Roy found himself too distracted though, Alphonse's voice a distant sound. Once they reached their rooms, he let them have some time to get adjusted while he went to find May. A few things would need to be done before their arrival was officially announced in the royal court.

Once their luggage arrived, Roy and Riza split off into their respective rooms to get ready. He'd changed into a new uniform right before they had arrived at the station. It had been decided that it would be more appropriate for him to be announced in his military uniform than a nice suit, although he wouldn't be expected to wear it except for when he was meeting with Emperor Ling, the wedding, and in the royal court. It wouldn't hurt to freshen up and make sure everything was in place.

Still, Roy found himself distracted the moment he caught sight of his reflection. From the few pictures he had of his parents and the descriptions Madam Christmas had given him, Roy was a near mirror image of his mother. He had her inky dark messy hair and near black eyes that shined with boldness. He had her nose and, judging from one grainy picture, the same lopsided grin. This had been her country, her home, her life. Why had she decided to leave it all behind to go to another country? Why had she married his father? Had she not been happy here? Had she missed it and her family?

Did the family she left behind here even know that she'd married and had a son? Did they know she'd died?

A knock on his door stirred him out of his thoughts. "Come in."

Though he didn't look back and continued to mess with his hair, trying to pretend as if he hadn't been lost in thought, he knew who had entered the room. He could tell by her measured steps and the careful way that she shut the door behind herself. When he turned around to face her, Roy couldn't help but smile softly. She had a gentle look on her face that told him that he couldn't hide his thoughts from her.

"It's a shame you'll have to wear your military dress blues for the wedding," Roy sighed as he reached out for her. She didn't fight him when he pulled her into his arms and rested his cheek against her head. It was a marvel at how well she fit against him, so snug and small. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the scent of her rose shampoo almost mesmerizing. "You look incredible in a dress."

Riza started to pull away from him. "Sir, we shouldn't–"

Roy opened his eyes and stared down into her guarded amber ones. "We're in a foreign country where all of four people know us, one of whom I'm pretty sure has told epic tales of our love. I think we can live a little." He gave her a lopsided grin, which she eyed suspiciously, dashing his hopes that that would be enough to convince her to relax. "Think of it as an adventure, a chance to get away and simply be us, even if it's only for a moment here and there."

That seemed to spark something in her. A gleam of hope appeared in her eyes and she sighed before leaning back against his chest and slipping her arms around him.

This was something new as well, but he liked it. The moment they'd started to invade each other's personal space more, he'd known that he wouldn't be able to stop it. They found themselves connected to each other like magnets drawn to one another. In here, they could be themselves, even if out there, they would have to be respectable again. He had a good idea though that part of the reason Alphonse thought to give them a personal tour of the city was so that they could be together and not have to worry about what others thought.

Yes, this was certainly going to be an adventure, and Roy for one was excited to see where it took them.