・┈➣ ﹕┆lurking homunculus °˖➴

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⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ┆𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 [ 001 ] ᯓ

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓. Looking down at the glass compass pointing north on your wrist you sighed. "We're close."

"[y/n] can't you make it rain with that weather science staff thingy?" A black haired man in yellow complained to the orange haired girl.

"We'll get you something to drink when we get to our stop young lord." Fu says to the man seeing the annoyed irk appear on your forehead. "Yeah ling we're here anyways."

Entering under the arch entrance of rush valley. "So hungry... So thirsty." Ling complained, hunched over lazily as they walked through rush valley.

Walking along the dirt streets you came to a stop. "Where's ling?"

"Young lord!" Fu cries out in a panic not seeing the prince anywhere. "Jeez. Let's split up. We'll meet back up eventually."

Nodding they follow the navigators order, breaking up they split to find the back haired prince.

The thick heel of your orangish brown sandals stomp against the ground.

You grit your teeth together glancing around at every corner to find your sad excuse of a friend.

Halting you catch notice of a suit of armor lifting up a familiar teen. "Ah!" You exclaimed in a scream.

Running over and taking ling from the armors hand, you raise your hand and slap the prince's cheeks. "You idiot! You made me look everywhere!"

"Hungry..." Ling muttered under his breath weakly. "Haha. Sorry to disturb but do you know any place around here where I could get him some food?"

Giving the armor and the blonde next to it a closed eyed smile.

The two just blink silently, taking in in a way you switched up so quickly and slightly questionable choice of clothing.

A revealing green and white bikini halter top, tight low rider jeans, orange high heeled sandals, white pearl like earrings, and a belt the buckle being circular with a B money symbol showing off the currency from her original home.

"Y-yes ma'am." The armor replied in a higher pitched voice.

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"I feel so much better. You guys are life savers, thanks a lot." Ling thanked the two men.

A pile of plates and other dishes stacked onto a table outside of a restaurant. "You're treat right?" He asked, remembering the words you stated before they left his kingdom.

'I'm not spending my precious money on your reckless spending. Find someone else.'

"When did I say I was paying?" The blonde questioned with narrow eyes. "Let's not quibble over something so small." Ling dismissed. "Who're you calling small!"

You chuckled at his outburst. "How lucky I am to have found such hospitality so far from home."

Wiping a tear with a handkerchief with a small panda on the corner. "Far from home? You mean you're not from here?" the armor said.

"That's right. I can from xing with my navigator." Gesturing to the [s/c] girl who drank orange juice out of a glass next to him. "She's from the coast. A place called the Conomi islands."

"Oh Xing. The country east of the desert!" The blonde exclaimed. "Aren't the Conomi islands in the middle of the ocean?" The suit of armor added in question

"Yeah, and crossing that desert was rough, let me tell you."

"Why in the world would you take that route?" the suit of armor asked. "It was the quickest. Only took 5 days compared to going around through other countries; it would've taken months!"

"I always wanted to see the ruins of Xerxes and that route goes through there. According to [y/n]."

"Xerxes ruins? I heard there's next to nothing out there." He stated. "I wanted to see for myself. Anyway I was headed here to do some Alkahestry research."

Crossing his arms with a grin. "Alkahestry?"

"Yes, I believe it's what you here in this country call alchemy. In xing it's known as Alkahestry, it's mainly used in the medical professions." Ling explained.

"Uh-huh. Different country's different customs I guess. Here alchemy use is mainly military. It's not hard to see why Even now we still have skirmishes at the borders of Aeugo to the south and Creta to the west. North of us is the huge country drachma. We have a pact with them and briggs mountains stand between us, making invasion difficult. But our relationship is still dicey at best"

"Sounds like you guys have got your hands full all right." You comment, a woman taking the plates and bowls from the table.

"Things began to move more toward the militaristic when the current Fuhrer king Bradley first came into power." The armor turns to his brother.

"I must say I am curious about Alkahestry. A branch of alchemy that's medically specialized."

"I'm curious too."

"By any chance are the two of you alchemists?" Ling asked, leaning in. "Oh yeah we actually are. I'm Edward Elric, a state alchemist."

He introduced himself. "And I'm his younger brother Alphonse Elric. It's nice to meet you." The armor adds on.

Getting up out of their chairs the two travelers hold their hands out. "I'm Ling Yao."

"And I'm [y/n]." Taking their hands in a respectful shake. "So Ling, [y/n], what can you tell us about Alkahestry? We'd sure love to learn more."

"Nothing. Yeah sorry but we're not actually Alkahestrist." They proudly smile at the boys who deadpan at his answer.

"If you don't practice Alkahestry why come all the way here to research it?!" Clenching his fist and getting up close to the prince's face.

Nudging the blonde alchemist back with a portion of your blue staff, you knock him back. "He's actually looking for something. Perhaps you might've heard of it."

Resting your cheek against your fist, elbow placed onto your thigh. "The philosopher's stone." Brown eyes snapped open with a grin.

The two boys' eyes widen and take a step back. "I'm very eager to find it. Do you know anything about it?"

Tense silence fills the air before Edward turns away. "No. We can't help you." Beginning to walk away. "You wouldn't be lying to me now would you?"

With a snap of his fingers Lan fan appeared behind the alchemist holding a kunai up to his neck and Fu pushing a sword into the gap between Alphonse's chest plate and arm.

"So do you have something to tell me?" Ling interrogated with a smirk. "Why the interest in the philosopher's stone?"

"I want to achieve... immortality. Out with it, what do you know?" Placing his hands onto his hips. "Immortality please. What a bunch of nonsense."

Glancing over to the masked woman holding a knife to his skin. "Not to me it isn't."

"In any case I can't say that I care too much about your way of asking questions."

Pushing the blade away with his automail hand and swinging back with the other trying to hit lan fan. "Kind of rude don't you think?"

The ninja skilled woman leaps into the air and kicks her heel into the alchemist's head.

"Brother!" Alphonse yells for his brother, Grabbing into Fu's sword. "You're going to fight us too."

"Hey, hold on!" Watching the older man leap back before charging forward and kicking his helmet.

Shouting when he stumbled back and landed on the ground with a hollow thud.

"Jeez, is that guy an acrobat?" The blonde questioned through gritted teeth. "Must be a Xingese fighting style Could be tough to beat."

"Even so they're still not as strong."

"As teacher!" They shout in union.

The two guards rush forward and in a blue light an explosion goes off. The smoke and dust cloud clears as ling chuckles.

"And off they go. Hey pops, let's add some dessert to my tab." The man holding a notepad quickly and happily obliged.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

"We'll split up. You two take the armor, I'll take the short one." Throwing the three blue poles into the air you tighten them together, forming a blue bo-staff.

Grunting in acknowledgement they break apart. Sliding down a thick pipe the blonde follows after.

Clapping his hands together and swiping his alchemy over the metal, making his own staff.

Your eyes widen at the sight and block his attacks with your staff.

Charging towards each other, their staff's clash. Dodging the thrust of his weapon you bring your own down breaking his in half.

The end of the blue staff hitting against Ed's cheek knockin him back slightly.

Rushing at you he punches forward, your arm wrapped around his. "Crap."

Falling back he flipped you over and off of him. "You'd really fight a girl?" You questioned skidding back on her heels and raising her bo-staff.

An embarrassed and shameful blush speared lightly onto his cheeks at the joking question.

"Damn you're persistent. Picking a fight like this just because I won't give you information? What are you guys after, you and your boss with the freaky closed eyes. And why do I have to pay his bill! Are you poor or something?!"

You scoff and clench your teeth.

Getting out of your fighting stance to yell at the blonde. "Okay one he's not my boss! He's... sadly my friend. And two...."

Not saying anything else you rushed forward, going to poke his eyes. Kicking back he landed a hit onto your shoulder.

"Hey I landed one!" not focusing on the fight the flat of your sandal landed against his face making him fly into the curve of the large pipe.

"Ow that hurt."

'That's strange. As soon as I mentioned money she completely lost it.'

A smirk spreads onto his face. Reading the girl's reactions and finding a way to beat her.

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Ed let out a battle cry, running towards the orange haired girl. The blue three portioned bo-staff blocking his punches and kicks.

"What's the matter, you're starting to slow down a little." The blonde taunted. "If this is the best his flunkies can manage, that bastard ling must be pretty pathetic when it comes to choosing the best pay grade."

Narrowing your eyes you charged, jabbing the end of the staff towards the alchemist.

'Just like before. As soon as I mention anything bad about money she completely loses her cool. Those are questionable motives.'

"And when that happens." His elbow collided with your stomach. "Now then I think it's about time this ended!"

Going to place his hands onto the pipe they stood on a small blue pole struck the wires of his already beat up automail.

"Cloudy tempo!" After putting the pieces of your clima-tact back together and striking the bottom onto the pipe a large puff of thick dark clouds fill the air around them.

Whispering under your breath as you ran away, yellow lightning strikes with the rumble of thunder cause an explosion to go off along with another caused by Fu and Lan fan.

Walking up the mountain of broken concrete your brown eyes laid sight on the metal arm sticking out of the top. "I overdid it. Wait...I didn't!"

Throwing the staff to the ground breaking it into its three main pieces. "Usopp should've explained it better before I left!"

Crossing your arms and pouting for a second you turn back to the staff. "I don't mean that, well...." Placing them back in the holster on the belt on your hip you went over and picked up the broken off metal arm.

A nail pulls out of the automail and sets off a rope trap.

Having a feeling that it was a trap you moved out of the way before being caught, tossing his arm to the side.

"Hey, girly, you should be a lot more careful where you use that thing. Would've killed anybody else."

Hearing the alchemist's voice you turned to the blonde. "You removed your own arm?" Taking notice of where the metal was pulled from the other.

"I spent a fair amount of time hunting rabbits when I was a little kid, setting a trap for you was easy."

"Apparently it didn't work well." Glancing up at the empty rope. "How could you tell?!"

"It wasn't that hard! It was obvious!" You yelled back. "Brother!" Al called to his brother, holding Fu and Lan Fan. "Huh? Oh, hey Al."

"Okay good work guys!" Ling praised, appearing alongside Al and Paninya. "Why you! What are you so chipper about?!"

Al places down the two and you make your way over to the long haired prince.

"You guys have got some pretty impressive skills. I know, come work for me and together we can take over this country, what do you say?" He offered.

"I've had enough of your idiotic chattering! Just go back to xing!" Ed exclaimed.

"Look there they are!" A male citizen of rush valley pointed. "Look at the mess you made, you practically destroyed our town!"

"You're covering the damages." The man from the restaurant shakes the bill at them. "And your restaurant bill too."

The citizens of the town begin to overlap each other, cussing out complaints.

"Wait, j-just hold on a second. This guy and his entourage should be paying for everything." He stuttered, pointing over to ling.

"I so sorry I no understand much language of this country, okay, buh-bye now!" Quickly shuffling back he jumps off the short cliff edge.

Ed irked. "Hey, get the hell back here!" Seeing a flash of orange Al gasped in a hum, looking down he saw the two guards he captured were gone.

"They ran away!"

Whipping his head behind him he saw the [s/c] skin toned girl wasn't there either. "The other one did too! You gotta be kidding, how am I gonna fix this place up with only one arm?"

"Hey, did that girl seem familiar?" A woman asked, turning to the man next to her.

"Now that you mention it I think I've seen her on a wanted poster. "Cat burglar [y/n]" I'm pretty sure that's what she's called out at sea."

"Yeah, in the grandline they don't study alchemy."

Their conversation piqued the interest of the alchemists.

"Here, ever since she got separated from the straw hats her bounty poster has been shipped to every country besides the ones located on the ocean."

Handing the girls poster to one of the men. "366,000,000!" They screamed. "I wouldn't try to capture that one. She's hard to keep contained."

Letting their conversation sink in two words rang through his head. "Cat.... burglar?" Feeling around his belt Ed was unable to find his pocket watch.

"Oh, come on!"

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

The sun had finally begun to set and after hours of trying to find the girl who they are pretty sure took his watch.

Sulkingly made it back to where Winry was working. "We're back!" They called for the blonde girl. "Hello, we meet again!"

Ling held a hand up cheerfully, a teacup in the other. Not saying anything he stomped over and whacked ling with his metal arm.

"What's your sorry but doing here?!"

"Now, now. We're all friends here right?" Crawling up off the ground.

"That's how you treat your friends, by sicking your dogs on them? Those three didn't go easy! Especially since one is a pirate!"

"Oh it's the short guy."

"Who're you calling short!" He screamed. "You!" You fired back leaning down to his height.

His tan cheeks coated in a light pink.

The green and white bikini halter top doing your cleavage no justice. "Here."

You sighed, dropping his watch into his hand. "My watch! Thanks!" Grinning at the orange haired girl. "Hey.... DIDN'T YOU TAKE THIS FROM ME!"

You shrugged. "The girl's name is Lan Fan. The old man is called Fu. Their family has served mine for generations. They're quite good at what they do."

"Oh, so you shake down strangers for food and yet you can somehow afford two personal attendants and a personal navigator." Ed deadpanned.

Ling tossed his arms up in a shrug. "Well I am the emperor's son after all." He justified.

"Huh? The emperor's son?" The brothers questioned in confusion. "That makes you..."

"A prince?!?" Falling to their hands and knees they cackle in response to the information. "Not the reaction I anticipated. "Sorry we just didn't see that coming."

Al apologized through laughter. "Yeah, the guy who collapsed on the side of the road and then mooched food off of us is the son of an emperor-"

Ed's laughter was cut off, a kunai sticking into the wood right beside his head.

Screaming, him and al scooted away. "You will not speak badly about master ling." Lan Fan seethed, peeking up slightly over the window seal.

Al whimpered. "Nice to see you." The blonde said sarcastically. "No you're probably right, it's not actually that big a deal." Ling brushed off.

"The emperor has a lot of sons, it's like this. My country Xing is broken up between 50 different clans with an emperor at the top reigning over all of them. The daughter of each clan's chief becomes one of the emperor's wives and bears his children. The current emperor had 19 daughters and 24 sons. I come in at number 12 in that line up."

The prince explained. "43 kids?! That's incredible!" The blonde exclaimed, holding his torn off arm. "The issue of succession must be a tricky one."

"Indeed it is that is the problem we're facing right now. The emperor's health has begun to deteriorate recently. Each clan is doing everything they can to curry favor, and I'm no exception."

"You want to up your chances by discovering the secret of immortality." Ed picked out from their enter interaction. "Exactly!" Ling laughed. "Okay the philosopher's stone, what information can you offer?"

Ed looks up. "Not happening. The stone isn't a tool for some political gain." Exclaiming ling tossing himself onto the blonde. "Aw! Then I'll have to stay with you until you tell me!" Rubbing his cheek against Ed's.

Irking he smacks at black haired man with his severed arm. "Oh no you don't, get off me!"

You and Lan Fan perk up at the scene. "I'm back!" A female voice breaks through the argument causing the blonde to stop and tense up. "Did you see that, there was some kind of fight on main street. So it took a while too-"

A blonde girl entered Garfield's workshop, stopping; she stared at the scene of Ling clutching onto Ed's leg, you sitting on the tea time table, Alphonse sweat dropping, and Edward golding his detached automail.

"What happened to your arm!" She yelled in anger.

Crashing echoed through rush valley mixing in with the blonde teens screaming. "Edward Elric, you careless little jerk!" Mechanic tools flying through the shop.

You stood next to ling by the open window watching the blonde attack her friend. "Young lord." Fu called out, dropping down.

Ling hummed before following the older man onto the shop's roof, leaving you to stay with the others.

—

"So where are you going to destroy your automail this time?" Winry asked angrily, working with Garfield to fix the blonde arm.

Quietly you sat next to Al, being left behind by the prince and his guards."You just assume I'll break it?" Ed sulked.

"We were thinking about doing some digging in central." The suit of armor replied.

Winry quickly turned to them. "You guys are going to central? I