I own nothing from FMA: Brotherhood, but I wish I did, because that would honestly be pretty damn cool. Anyways, this story begins a couple of hours after Alphonse first gets his body back, during the scene where Ling, Lan Fan, and May say their (definitely not final) goodbyes. Everyone will be mucho sado (I'm sorry), but everything will turn out okay in the end... I hope. There will certainly be a lot of ships in this story, but it will definitely focus on AlMay (Why? Because they are babies). There will certainly be a bit of LingFan, EdWry, and RoyAi sprinkled throughout, so don not worry. Those babies deserve some love, too. With that said, please feel free to leave any suggestions of things that you would like to see in a review, and tell me what you think! Enjoy! (:
AN: By the by, I am a bit unsure how to spell May/Mei because on the FMA:B wiki page it shows it being spelt as May... So yeah. Could someone explain to me if I am spelling it correctly or not? Okay, I'm done. lol
May stared up at Ling and Lan Fan with tears in her youthful eyes, as her mind ran over what the dark haired lord had just said; that Prince Ling of the Yao Clan would protect her clan no matter what. The thought of that made her feel like sobbing in relief for a second time, the first round of tears having been induced by the amazing sight of witnessing Alphonse gain his original body back. That had been an entirely different measure of miracle.
Now, with a much lighter heart, the tiny princess gazed up at Ling with a slight awe in her eyes. It was simply incredible; the man who May had once seen as a squinty-eyed enemy was now seen as a selfless hero, a man who was willing to lend any help that he could to all of the neighboring clans.
The idea of the lord's newfound kindness was an oddity, much different from the hardened heart of their father, the Emperor, and it filled May's heart with an overflowing amount of warmth. It was but a true blessing. Prince Ling was a true blessing. Among the pain of the Emperor's refusal to aid her clan and the trials that she had gone through in order to get to that moment – a place where she was surrounded by friends and a place where Alphonse was completely happy – it was eternally comforting to know that, from now on, her people would be safe. Finally, her clan would be as protected, as the rights which the Emperor had initially forsaken them.
Unconsciously, May sniffled as she had done before and instantly threw a hand up to cover her suddenly heavy breathing. With her heart irrefutably pounding, the tiny princess stared up at Prince Ling from her short stature, and a sense of both immense reverence and extreme gratitude shined like a grateful beacon on the surfaces of her large, dusky orbs. The feeling in her heart was almost breathtaking.
Taking in a deep snuffle of air, Princess May could not help but nod absentmindedly, as the tears fell in two streams across her face. She did not notice the miniscule sensation of the wet droplets cascading down her moderately chubby cheeks; instead, she focused on the squinty eyes of the man in front of her, slowly taking a shaking step forward.
"You m-mean it?" May eventually managed to mumble through a few more thickened sniffles, "B-But we're so s-small, Prince. We have n-nothing to g-give you. W-We'll just be a b-burden-"
At the sound of May's meekness, Ling merely grinned and shot a soft, yet smirking glance to the ever-present Lan Fan by his side. Then, with a miniature shrug, he glanced over at the two newly unified Elric brothers, who stood silently over to the side, carefully watching the proceedings. First, he met Edward's stare. Immediately, the blonde gave him a sideways smirk.
Moving his contemplation downward, Ling met the younger Elric's glower and felt the need to pause. Leaning haphazardly against Edward's side, Ling was surprised to find that the look in Alphonse's scrutiny was harshly expecting. The teen stared him down. It was honestly a bit amusing how resolute Alphonse always seemed, yet even in the form of the taller blonde's exceptionally fragile and skeleton-like appearance, there was still a remarkably firm and grounded aura of protectiveness hidden in far the reaches of his vast golden eyes. They were expressive, his orbs, and an unreservedly honest rigidity for the girl in front of him had the spine of his body unconsciously fighting to get into a somewhat squarer stance beside his brother. Perhaps as a way to show the bulk of his seriousness, or perhaps his knees were simply beginning to quake. Whatever the case, Ling deftly nodded. It was easy to see that he cared unusually deeply for May. How queer. The tired strength shining in Alphonse's withered eyes showed that he did not seem to be wavering in his support of the little Xing princess any time soon.
Good, Ling immediately thought, I can respect that.
Beaming now, the eighteen year old prince turned back to his favorite personal bodyguard – a beautiful Xingese warrior, Ling believed – and winked one of his squinty eyes toward her conspiringly. Smiling in May's direction, the youthful prince of the Yao clan opened his arms out to his teary-eyed, pigtailed half-sister. May stared mutedly; her lidded eyes widened in gentle understanding, and a few more tears escaped. It had been so long since she was last allowed to cry.
With even his squints seeming to smile, Ling threw away his usually discourteous and senseless nature in order to unexpectedly take on a sincerely welcoming and gentle tone. After all, this was surely the only kind of tone that his sister deserved. He knew many things now that he had not known before. The Xingese Princess was the Idiot Prince's family; just like the Elric brothers, although the latter was separated by blood. Still, they were all a part of a single great family, one in the same, and each interconnected by the universal amazingness of sheer happenstance. It was crazy. They were crazy. All is one, and one is all, as the Truth states.
Yes, Ling had truly learned a lot from his many misadventures with the two eccentric blondes.
"Aww, now don't cry! Come here, my little May-May. Hey, do you like my new nickname for you? Yeah, I came up with it myself. Although, I never did think of myself as much of a creative type, but what do I know, haha. I'm an idiot!"
Listening to the sound of Ling's natural laughter, May sniffled once more and ran forward, tightly throwing her arms around Ling's lower half. Beside them, both the Elrics and Lan Fan each took a careful pace back, however, all three smiled in soft appreciation. It was both reassuring and wonderful to see the two Xingese royalty smiling together after all of the chaos, even if the younger of the two siblings was smiling through the water of her tears.
"You idiot," the princess sobbingly agreed; nevertheless, she gripped onto his legs gratefully, "You idiot. Thank you. The people of the Chang clan thank you. The future generations of the Chang clan thank you, and even I thank you… brother Ling."
Brother.
Prince Ling could not help but beam softer at that name. Weirdly enough, the title of it sounded so lovely coming off of the tips of his half-sister's tiny lips. Perhaps… Perhaps this would be the start of a beautiful familial relationship. God knows that Ling could use a couple of more positive influences in his life besides Lan Fan and Fu.
Ling stopped cold, but little by little rested his head over May's own. The muscles in his arms tightened almost possessively in his squeeze. God, how the young lord would miss his oldest bodyguard.
Rest in peace, Fu, Ling silently thought, squeezing May taut, and don't you worry about stubborn, old Lan Fan. I'll be here to watch over her for you; you can count on me.
May sent Ling a sad lip of a smile from beneath him. It was their father's fault for the insistent feuding between the children's clans; never the Xing clans themselves. It was done out of necessity, as the Emperor of Xing was the one who pit the clans against one another. They had no choice but to fight for the ability to live on. They needed the money. It was the essence of the Emperor's carelessness and non-correctable greed which bent the country of Xing from the inside out. In the end, it was the Emperor's selfishness, the hateful decisions of her father, which forced May out of her home country to begin with. Everything was because of him. The Chang clan's monetary situation was her reason for reaching out in her search for the source of immortality in the first place. The search had begun as an act carried out of necessity. Hopefully, as of this moment, thanks to Ling's words, it was not. Similarly, it was the ways of her father which brought upon the gradual decay of her tiny province, up to a point of utter desperation so wrought with pain that the dank concept of malnutrition and starvation was as normal as the grim homelessness plaguing the crowding streets of her subjects.
Nonetheless, begrudgingly, May did have at least one thing to thank her father for, even if it was both embarrassing and painful to admit. Admittedly, it was also quite shameful. For if the princess had never been forced to leave the constraints of Xing, then she would have never been able to meet the soft aloofness of Mr. Scar. She would have also never been able to meet Edward or Winry, or that one guy with the really thin mustache and shady motives. Moreover, she would have never known or gotten to know the kindness of both Dr. Marcoh and the man of her literal salvation, Prince Ling of Xing.
Furthermore, and honestly the most shameful reason for her secretive happiness, Princess May was happy to have met the overwhelmingly beautiful and breathtakingly marvelous Alphonse Elric. Certainly, she believed the teen to be gorgeously courageous and wholly unparalleled. Witnessing him alive in his body, the frail fifteen year old was as kind as he always was, never used to be; an amazing feat for someone who had just been through so much. Alphonse's eyes were bright, and his smile grinned through the pain of his dangerously chapped lips. He would gradually struggle to raise his hand in her direction every time he caught her staring at him, moving his palm in a tiny wave. Then, his golden eyes would shut in the wake of his kindness, a carefree chuckle would leave his lungs, and a mild tint would push through the sullen paleness of his terribly gaunt cheeks. This was when her breath would hitch, and her pulse would inevitably quicken. This was the power that Alphonse held over May Chang.
Curiously enough, it moderately surprised May how Alphonse could continue to sustain his beautiful image whenever he looked so weak and boney, and yet, it also did not surprise her. Perhaps it was his big heart which made his pale body shine when he sat among the brightness of the day, because it was definitely not the sheen of his armor. (AN:*What a terrible joke, I know.) Thankfully that part of him was long gone by now.
Basically, though her Alphonse seemed rather feeble and emaciated at the moment, May's love was as compassionate and stunning as ever. Conversely, when was her Alphonse not attractive?
… Actually, do not answer that. May would definitely challenge anyone who failed to answer that question correctly.
To continue, May's favorite person was such a cutie, inside and out. The miniature princess found it absolutely adorable how he unconditionally loved Xiao-Mei, even if the little panda was currently on time out. Yeahhh, she bit him as soon as the two were reacquainted with one another. Apparently no human is safe from the sharp sting of Xiao-Mei's pearly whites. That said, within the strict confines of May's pure heart, the girl knew that she loved her Alphonse dearly; she was incontestably sure of it. The delicate, skinny blonde was her prince, her cute, new china doll named Alphonse.
Likewise, it was no secret that the little pre-teen considered her one and only beloved to be the true Fullmetal Alchemist, considering he was literally made of metal for almost six years. I mean, yeah, the freaking guy was amazing. Sure, Edward was alright, but c'mon now. Alphonse was… well, he was Alphonse!
From his stance above her, Ling sighed into the weight of May's embrace. There, the young lord gently coddled the trembling princess, as her petite body wracked with cries. The prince's grin became softer when a few droplets landed on the front of his black t-shirt, and the coolness of them sank deeply into the fabric of his clothing. The weight of them settled further within the darker depths of his soul; her sobs brought upon a much lighter feeling to his heart, making him feel a strong surge of protectiveness towards her.
Immediately, Ling could see why Alphonse had managed to become so attached to her so quickly. When holding her, the height of his half-sister seemed almost incredibly small in accordance to his much larger, though lanky build. Idly, in the back of his mind, Ling wondered if his sibling would always stay so short.
Ling whispered, "Shh, shh, my little May-May."
Chuckling mutely beneath his breath, the older prince tightened his hold further around May's still shaking form. Rubbing his face lovingly into the crown of her dark braids once, the much taller man grinned softly.
"Let's go home and help out our clans. How about it, ne?"
As the two royals disentangled, May gave another, though considerably more stifled sniffle and cheerfully nodded along with her response.
"Mhm. I'm ready. Oh, but wait!"
May practically jumped on her heels and enthusiastically turned to face the Elric brothers. Then, she stared unwavering into their eyes. Taking in a full breath of air, the Xingese princess allowed her cheeks to tint a rosy shade of pink, before she could take in no more.
Finally, the fiery princess yelled, "You better write me when you get better, Al!"
Immediately, Alphonse's eyes widened, and his heart stopped. He took in a short breath, as she continued.
"As soon as you get better, you write me! You hear me? You better write me! I better get a letter from you! If you don't write me, then I… I-I'll miss you, and then, I'll hurt you! Okay, Al?"
Staring at her, one with a look of reverence, the other with a playful sneer, both brothers grinned at her exceedingly amusing nature to suddenly explode in their faces whenever she wanted. It was obvious that there was a certain charm to this girl; that much was evident. However, how charmed were the two Elric brothers? Well, that was the true question.
Eventually, Alphonse was able to smile softly and nod through the warm sensation that was settling in his chest.
"Okay, May. I've got it," the teen was the first to speak as his honest eyes met hers, "I can't wait."
At that, May could only blush further. Not a moment later, she blanched a stark white when Edward outright laughed at the Xingese princess.
"Oi, what about me?" The used-to-be-alchemist joked loudly, "Tch, of course you only want to write my little brother, Al. Considering he is your boy toy, after all."
When Edward said that, May practically felt like dying on the spot. Staring blushingly at the ground below her, the poor, distraught princess instantly corrected her statement, "A-And you too, Edward! I-I mean… both of you. You should write me, too. You know, if you want to-"
May turned her gaze away from the two of them, but sneakily gave Edward a minuscule sneer, "You pipsqueak."
"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Edward seethed, instinctively taking a step forward with his automail leg.
"Well, c'mon Ling! Lan Fan!" May swiftly cheered behind her.
As if by lightning, the insanely fast princess was already halfway down the road by then; most likely to save herself from being pummeled by Edward's very thick and meaty, extremely human fists.
When Edward moved his foot, he felt a considerable weight move alongside him, and the thin body of his brother Alphonse was pulled a bit, haphazardly moving along with Edward's fast movement.
"Woah there, Al."
The elder Elric stabilized Alphonse and craned his neck downward to stare at his brother, who just leant against his arm, staring contentedly in front of himself. The shorter brother sighed when he saw that the whole of Alphonse's soft golden eyes was trained on the back of May's giggling and retreating form. A sure sign that he would one day have an irritating, Xingese Princess brat for a sister-in-law; certainly, including even a newly crowned Xingese Prince for his blonde, dim-witted brother.
At May's disappearing form, Ling shrugged good-naturedly and shot Lan Fan an amused glance. Both Xingese bowed deeply in a sign of undoubtable respect for the Elric brothers.
"It was way cool to meet you guys," Ling hurriedly lamented, "and I seriously hate goodbyes, so I guess I'll see you later? You two should definitely visit the Yao clan during Christmas time. That's when the real fun starts! Don't worry, I'll write you two!"
"Who's worrying?" Alphonse sassily chirped.
Edward grinned, throwing a supportive arm around his brother's shoulders, "Not us, pal, but we'll be looking forward to it!"
With a short wave, the Xingese prince ran down the road with long strides, deftly managing to catch up to his much shorter sibling. The tall man laughed like an idiot all the way, physically bouncing at the thought of becoming an emperor, until he finally was able to match strides with May. The two of them paused, waiting in the distance for their last companion. Staring unwaveringly, Ling stood halfway turned toward the trio with a melancholic grin, while May kept her back straight, unwilling to face the two Elrics on her own. The short princess stood in the middle of the dirt road with her arms held fiercely by her sides. Mentally, the Xingese thought that it was a blessing that her form was too far away for the Elrics to see that her hands were shaking in two tight fists of remorse. Still, she was almost certain that the two brothers would know. At least, she was convinced that Alphonse would know.
Behind the pair, the bodyguard Lan Fan gave both Elrics a sincere smile. She bowed to them a second time from behind her mask, taking a quick glance at the back of her lord.
"It was a pleasure," the usually silent warrior whispered genuinely as she bowed, "I do hope that we will meet again."
The brothers blinked in surprise but grinned.
Edward smirked, "Same here."
"Me too!" Alphonse chirped.
Feeling satisfied with her farewell, Lan Fan nodded and gave the blonde duo another smile. The lightning-fast female took a backwards hop behind her and twisted through the air, landing expertly on her feet in the opposite direction. Continuing her sprint, she began to hurriedly run toward her most precious lord and his young charge.
As she approached Ling and May, Lan Fan was unable to stop the warmth that flooded her usually hardened gaze. It was embarrassing, rightly so, but the pretty Xingese warrior could not wait to return home with her beloved lord beside her. If Prince Ling was there, then she knew that everything would be alright. No matter what, life would become as it should be.
*A Few Seconds Before*
Ling laughed maniacally, as he rapidly approached May. Stopping beside her, the idiot prince reached over to happily grab her arm, but was shocked when she gently butted him away. Surprised by her rebuff, he moved his neck to stare down at her face and gave a low sigh at what he saw. May's eyes were closed, and they dripped with tears that fell mutely upon the ground.
Resignedly, Ling moved into a slanted position toward the Elric brothers, while May refused to look back. The poor Xingese could not turn around, for the fear of having Alphonse witness her crying again was far too great. It would literally break her heart to have to witness any more pain in his eyes, especially if it was caused by her. The last thing that May wanted was to hurt her beloved Alphonse.
Ling gave another sigh, as he watched Lan Fan turn to run toward them.
"It's okay, you know," the prince of the Yao clan spoke down to May from the corner of his mouth, carefully considering the bittersweet faces of his new much lighter haired friends. The pair of brothers stared melancholically back, but while Edward was regarding at the whole picture, Ling could tell that the bulk of Alphonse's attention was focused solely on May, as his regressed cheeks were settled firmly into a concerned frown.
Instantly, the squinty-eyed prince sent the Elrics a strong but saddened grin.
"If it's anyone, they'll understand the most."
Suddenly, Ling threw up a fist. The two Elrics blinked in surprise, but a cheeky smirk played on the corners of the brothers' lips. In response, both men threw a fist up high into the air; granted, Alphonse could only raise his wrist for a tiny distance due to the weakness of his muscles.
As Lan Fan approached, Ling spoke out loud, "We won't forget you Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric. I hope to see you soon."
With that said, Ling grinned. Then, the three Xingese born children turned away from the Elrics to continue down their chosen path at a steady pace. Carelessly, the prince began to let out a happy hum. A slight pep entered his steps.
Behind them, staring with a pair of narrowed eyes, Edward gave a heavy sigh and looked down at Al.
"You know," he began with a smile, "I think I am honestly going to miss those guys. Hell, I may even start to miss the little runt if I get the pleasure of being out of her presence for a long, long time, and besides, that idiot prince needs to hurry up and become the new Emperor of Xing so that he can pay me back for all of the food money he… stole… from me- YOU SQUINTY-EYED, LANKY XINGESE FREAK! OH, YOU BETTER HURRY UP, GET SUPER RICH, AND GAIN THE RIGHT TO RULE YOUR WHOLE COUNTRY, OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BEAT YOU DOWN TO A FREAKING PULP!"
"Time to go!" Ling started to sprint.
Lan Fan deadpanned, "The lord has been threatened," and dutifully raced after him.
"Wha-"
From behind them, May paused to stare at their backs for a long moment. Finally, crinkling her nose, the little Xingese princess snorted, before finally laughing outright and grinning through the stickiness of the leftover tear lines on her cheeks. Allowing a giggle to escape her, the girl eagerly chased after her new friends. Faintly, deep in her chest, her heart squeezed with a weird feeling of anticipation taking hold of it. The world was a brighter place now. All is one, and one is all.
Somehow, for once, May felt excited for the upcoming future.
"Well, that's what you get," she jokingly yelled, hoping that the call of her voice was loud enough to be heard by Alphonse, "For being a fatsooo!"
*Several Weeks Later*
Dear May Chang, Xingese Princess of the Chang Clan,
It has been a while, has it not? I am fine, but there is one thing that I want to talk about first. To be honest, there is one thing that I have been thinking about since we first parted ways so many weeks ago. It's incredibly lame, I know, but… I found it extremely hilarious when you called Ling a "fatso." Yeah, Brother thought that it was funny, too. I just wanted to tell you because I regret the fact that I never got to comment on it, and every time I remember it, the idea of you saying that plays in my mind, and the thought makes me chuckle. I instantly imagine the three of you running off into the sunset, and it sets me into a whole other round of giggles. Uh-oh, brother is telling me to shut up now. NO, YOU SHUT UP, ED! Sorry, please excuse my language, May.
Well, since we cannot simply telephone each other from across the desert (you stupid desert), I guess I will just have to write you as the thoughts come to me… I am sorry if the lot of my letters end up turning into a bunch of useless novels. My mind tends to ramble sometimes, especially when Ed is busy sucking up to Winry, which I think I will explain his sour attitude. Why? Because I am stuck in my makeshift bedroom, and no one allows me to do anything for the simple fear of me breaking (why, oh why). Anyways, at the moment, Ed is currently sulking around the house since Winry is a bit mad at him. Brother is really stupid, so he probably said something even more stupid. Poor Winry.
Oh, by the way, brother just told me to write you "hey, Usagi." …Whatever the heck that means. Wait, he said that it was a reference to your braids… Whatever. He is an idiot. Nevertheless, how are you May? I am pretty good… I think. My body is a lot more filled out than how it began, and I can grasp the pen that I am writing with, so that's a start. I can walk around the bottom floor of our home. It is a bit annoying, but Ed does not trust me whenever I try to go up the stairs… Although, it does not help me that I fell attempting to climb them on my own a week ago. I can walk on crutches pretty well, but my knees tend to buckle whenever I put too much weight on a step. However, I am quite proud to say that I did manage to make it to the third step! But then gravity was like, "um, no Alphonse."
Stupid gravity (Insert a mental image of me thumbing down gravity here).
To continue, my health is steadily improving. On my really bad days, sometimes Ed has to help me get dressed, but that's fine. At first he was really tentative to say anything, but now he's gradually beginning to complain about it a lot more, since I am getting so big now. This is really good to be honest. I don't want him feeling like he has to hold back whenever he is talking to me or anything.
Oh, hey! On a much lighter note, I finally got to have a taste of Winry's apple pie like I wanted to! Let me tell you, it was amazing! It certainly tastes as good as it looks. Ed and I like to fight over who gets to eat the last slice; yeah, Winry hates when we do that. But hey, I will definitely make sure to fight for your honor and bring you back some pie to try out once I finally get well enough to visit you. Granted… if it is okay for me to come visit you. It is okay if I visit Xing, right? It is okay if I cannot.
And listen, this is another good bit of news (however bittersweet it may be), but Mustang got his sight back. Yes, he got his sight back. I know, right?! Plus, he became the Brigadier-General back at Central. It is about time. I am happy that he can see, but… to regain his sight, Mustang had to use a Philosopher's Stone. Apparently Marcoh had one left and approached him with the proposition to use it… When I first heard about it, I was a bit upset, but I could see why the General used it, however, Ed was certainly not happy about it. As usual, the two's fight ended with Lieutenant Riza holding brother at gun point for threatening the General, but eventually Ed managed to get over it… but that certainly won't stop him from complaining about it at home.
You know… I honestly think that Ed is going to have a nervous breakdown soon. I think that not being able to use any of his old alchemy is starting to get to him. You know how his gate got completely destroyed? Yeah… the poor guy is almost running himself ragged, mentally worrying about being able to protect us. Specifically Winry. Sure, I know that brother laughs it off like it's nothing, but I fear that he is beginning to become rather distanced from us… Winry is starting to see it, too. Maybe that was what their fight earlier was about…
Oh, well. I guess that I will tell you more about that matter once I find out more for myself.
Anyways, I hope that you are doing well. Hopefully your clan is okay. Ling tells us that he is going to be coronated to the Emperor of Xing in the next couple of months, which is extremely exciting, so I am happy that all things are gradually beginning to turn around for everyone. He also invited us, so I hope that you will be there. It would be awesome to see you again.
With kind regards,
Alphonse Elric