LingFan One-Shot: Sweet Sacrifice

Another FMA one-shot. This time, the story behind this fic is based off part of the canon in the series.

Disclaimer: FMA and it's characters don't belong to me. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa

Summary: "My friend- I left her behind! If we don't save her, she'll die!". Ling's feelings when Lan Fan goes through the pain of losing her arm. Original story belongs to the FMA creator. Some quotes from the canon are paraphrased in order to avoid flames.

Ling Yao could still feel his heart beating a thousand beats per minute. He had succeeded in helping the Elric brothers capture the Homunculus known as Gluttony. However, he still had something weighing heavily on his mind.

Lan Fan. He had left her in the sewers after she severed her own arm. The foolish girl. Didn't she know she could bleed to death if he didn't reach her in time?

"I'm aware of who you are, Ling Yao, don't worry. We're headed to a secluded house where we'll be safe." Lt. Hawkeye informed behind the wheel of her speeding vehicle.

Ling clenched his teeth for a moment and shook his head fast in argument, "No, we can't! My friend-I left her behind. Go get her!"

The blond woman of Amestris looked at the Xingese prince as if he were insane. They didn't have time for that. They were the run with a Homunculus in the car. How could they stop just to pick up a "friend"?

"Out of the question! We have to keep going..."

The black-haired foreigner squeezed the back of the woman's seat that was keeping him balanced in the moving machine, "Please, she's waiting for me! If we don't help her..." Ling could feel his heart stop as he choked out the rest of his sentence, "She'll die!"

Die? Damn, it was against Hawkeye's nature to let an innocent person just die while she flees. She couldn't just ignore that and keep going, could she? And from the prince's panicked tone, his friend must have been horribly injured.

"...Fine but make it quick." The military woman spun the steering wheel to turn a fast corner.

As the car sped down the streets of Central, Ling directed Riza to the sewers he had left Lan Fan in.

"Stop there!" Ling demanded, pointing at a man-hole in the gravel.

Pulling on the parking brake, Riza jumped out of the car with the man of Xing trailing behind her.

"Go get your friend. I'll call my commanding officer and tell him to get a doctor."

Ling anxiously thanked her and opened the man-hole. Without even giving it second thought, the prince dropped right into the foul underground. He looked in both directions, freaking out over which direction to go.

Should he go left or right? Which way? If he chose wrong, it'd mean Lan Fan's life. But if he took too long to choose the correct path, she'd bleed to death in no time. Or which is she was already dead? Which if she had slipped and fallen into the waterways? Or what if she had collapsed and fell unconscious from the shock of losing her limb? No, he couldn't bear it. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his bodyguard. She was more than that to him. She was his friend, his loyal companion. He lo...

Suddenly, Ling sensed a familiar presence just down to the left. Could it just be a hunch? Even so, out of concern and fear, the man began running to where his senses instructed him to.

As the Emperor's son ran down the walkway, he called out his guard's name repeatedly; hoping that maybe she'd hear him and answer his call. Just as all hope was about to leave Ling, he spotted a shady figure lying in a dark corner, away from the water.

"Lan Fan...?" Ling walked slowly towards the slumped-over body. As he got closer, light from another man-hole above shined down, revealing to the prince that the figure was thankfully his injured vassal.

The armless girl held her head down and her body seemed totally limp. Blood had completely soaked Ling's yellow jacket that he had given to her as something to slow her bleeding. Ling wasn't sure if his guard was conscious but the fact that her body was shaking violently could serve as an indicator that maybe she wasn't totally unconscious.

The future Emperor of Xing leaned down to his bodyguard and took in a deep breath. He wanted to shake her to see if she was still alive. However, fear seemed to have caused his entire body to freeze up. He had never seen her so injured, so...lifeless, before. But he couldn't just sit there and speculate. Riza Hawkeye was waiting above ground for him to return with her. Screw his wrecked nerves, Lan Fan took priority over all else.

Without saying anything, Ling gently picked up his servant bridal-style and began running back in the direction he had come. Damn, what would Fu have done if he were here now? Would he have just left Lan Fan there? No, even if she was useless without her arm as she had claimed before severing it, the warrior girl was still an important member of his team. How could he just leave her behind?

"Ha...Hang in there, Lan Fan." Ling quietly begged as he reached the latter that lead up to the outside.

Repeating his earlier actions, Ling threw the girl over his shoulder and began climbing. The cover opened to show Hawkeye standing there waiting for him with an unfamiliar black-haired man by her side.

Panting, Ling took his vassal off his shoulder and picked her back up in his arms. At seeing Lan Fan's condition, Hawkeye and the unfamiliar man's eyes widened,

"Dear God, what happened to her?"

Ling could feel his body begin to tremble as he stared at the bleeding flesh, "She cut off her arm."

"Why on earth-" But Riza was cut off by the new man,

"Lieutenant, we can ask questions later." The man focused his black eyes onto the car, "We should get a doctor as soon as possible."

Ling had no idea who the man was but thanked him and rushed back to the car. Jumping into the driver's side, Riza pushed her foot on the gas and the group started off in a direction given by the man.

"Colonel, are you sure it's all right to ask Dr. Knox to help? After the war..."

"I know, but we don't have much of a choice here..." Roy Mustang looked into the upper mirror to see Ling staring at his bloody bodyguard in horror, "We don't have much time. If that girl has lost as much blood as I think she has, we need to get the nearest medical specialist; whether we're sure he'll help or not."

As the car continued down the streets, Ling stared at his jacket that was still covering up what was most likely just a hole on Lan's shoulder. He felt so very ill. So nauseous that he was sure that if it weren't for the panic he felt on the inside, he'd get sick right there in the car.

"Lan Fan, please...please don't die..." He mumbled, letting the girl lean on his shoulder.

Unthinkingly, Ling touched the shoulder where an arm should be connected to. Gasping, Ling drew his hand back and looked down at it. Nothing but crimson soaked the prince's hand and shirt. So much blood. Too much blood. Ling's entire front was completely stained with the liquid just from carrying her. She had indeed lost much more blood since he had left her in the sewers before going to help Ed and Al. What would happen if they couldn't find this "Dr Knox"? What if she had lost too much blood already and there was just no hope of saving her? And why wouldn't such terrible thoughts stop running through Ling Yao's brain?

Just as Ling was about to impatiently call out to the two adults in front, Roy opened the car door and hopped out. The Xingese man watched as the military officer walked over to a house with a gate and a man walking towards it. The older gentleman stopped at seeing Roy. Ling could see them talking for a moment, then the man made a gesture at the Colonel, ordering him to wait. Riza waved from inside the car at Roy who turned back and gave a nod at them.

"Looks like he's agreed to help." The sniper mumbled, looking back at Lan Fan. Riza's expression saddened at the sight of a dying girl who looked to be only Edward's age,"How absolutely terrible..."

At that moment, Roy ran back up to the side of the car that the couple from Xing was in. He opened the door and looked at Ling, "If you can, try to wake her. If she falls completely unconscious, we might be in trouble."

Reluctant but agreeably, Ling nodded and tried gently slapping Lan Fan's pale cheek, "Lan Fan, wake up, please. It's me...come on..."

At hearing quiet moans suddenly come from his bodyguard, Ling felt his heart nearly jump out of his chest. Roy nodded and motioned at Dr. Knox who seemed to have grabbed a bag and was walking towards the car.

"Okay Mustang, where is-" But before Knox could finish his question, Roy brushed past him,

"Knox, I'm going to use your car, okay? I'm going to go pick up the Elric brothers!"

The doctor raised a brow and looked at the Colonel who had already jumped in his car, "The Elric brothers?"

"Sir, please get in!" Riza ordered, opening the door to the passenger's side.

Sighing, Knox propped himself up into the car. Riza pressed the peddle and made a U-turn towards their designated location.

"So, where are we going?" Knox asked, looking at Riza.

"To a safe house."

"And where's this injured person Mustang told me about?"

The blond woman locked her eyes into the mirror causing Knox to follow them. At seeing the sight in the mirror, Knox shot his head back at Ling and Lan Fan; his dark eyes becoming the size of peas,

"What the hell? T-They're just kids!"

"That's correct, sir. Also, there's another creature in the back with them."

Knox's eyes wandered over to the giant ball that was Gluttony that sat to the side of Ling and Lan Fan. When he looked at it, the back seemed quite cramped.

"What are you guys getting me into...?" Knox groaned, rubbing his temples. Just as he had seemed to calm down, the black and white haired man rose his voice again, "And would someone mind telling me exactly what happened to the girl that kid is holding?"

Riza frowned, informing him that she didn't know the whole story and to ask Ling. By the time Ling had briefly told the two adults about Lan Fan's getting hurt and cutting off her arm (but not telling them Bradley was the one who caused it), the group had made it into a strange forest that seemed to be away from the city.

"We're almost there." Riza explained, turning her eyes from the path back to Ling, "How's she doing? Is she breathing still?"

Breathing? Bloody hell, Ling had totally forgotten to check for breathing.

The fifteen-year old placed an ear near Lan Fan's face to see if he could hear any breaths. After a few seconds, he confirmed that she was indeed breathing but it was very slow and quiet. At hearing this, Riza pressed her foot harder on the peddle, increasing the vehicle's speed. At last, the car came to a stop in front of an abandoned cabin located in the middle of the woods.

Knox and Riza got out first, then opened one of the doors. Riza held out her hands, telling Ling to hand Lan Fan to her so she could take her inside. Ling did as told and surrendered his guard to the Lt.

Ling then got out and grabbed Gluttony. Groaning, Ling slowly dragged the creature inside the cabin, following the doctor and Riza. Riza called back, instructing Ling to place Gluttony inside one of the dark rooms. The prince did as commanded and made sure there was nothing the Homunculus could use to cut the rope that bound him.

Then, just as Ling had thought his heart had begun to calm down; a loud, blood-curdling scream echoed from another room inside the building. The prince instantly found himself rushing out of the room in the direction of the scream. He stopped at a doorway to see Dr. Knox and Riza Hawkeye holding a groaning Lan Fan to a worn down bed. Now Ling's legs felt like boulders. They kept him frozen in the spot he stood and he could no longer move. The sight before him make his insides twist and turn, causing the feeling of great nauseous to rise again in his throat.

Before Ling could get a word in, Knox shot a look at Hawkeye, "Go boil some water!"

"Sir." She mumbled before rushing out of the room, leaving Ling standing there in the doorway as he watched Knox prepare Lan Fan for surgery.

The girl, who had been completely silent on the way over, now whaled and twisted in agony. Lan Fan's face seemed to be more red now then it was pale when she had first cut off her arm. Her hair clung to her face in clumps and large beads of sweat dripped off the warrior's face as she swung her head back and forth, in attempt to somehow relieve the horrible pain she felt.

Knox bent down and reached into his medical bag. Pulling out a few medical instruments, the old man reached over and pressed a cloth onto the wound causing another throat-wrenching scream to escape the vassal's lips. Ling felt his stomach begin to do summer salts as he listened and watched his once-calm bodyguard continue to wail. The prince of Xing had never seen her so upset, so in pain before. Sure, she had gotten injured during her duties before but never anything bad enough to the point of screaming so loud that she began to lose her voice in an instant.

Damn King Bradley. He was the reason for Lan Fan's losing her arm. He was the bastard who nearly killed her. He was the reason for her uncontrollable pain. Ling could only wish that he'd see the man again so he could get his revenge for what he had done to his faithful guard.

"You said she was attacked or something, right?" Knox asked, suddenly breaking awkwardness in the air.

"Yes..." Ling mumbled.

Knox shot a look over to the royal man, "She's lost a lot of blood. Did you find her like this or was she with you when she got hurt?"

"She cut off her arm while she was with me but...I had to leave her to go help the Elric brothers. We were being chased so...I left her down in the sewers where the man who was after us couldn't catch her."

At hearing the mention of the sewers, Knox's grey eyes went wide and veins appeared all over his face, revealing that he was furious, "You mean to tell me you left her wandering the sewers after she severed her own arm?! "

At hearing it aloud, Ling realized how bad it was, "Yes..."

Knox shook his head as he turned his full attention back to his patient, "Don't blame me if she gets lock-jaw."

Just as Ling turned to leave the doorway to go wait outside, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Something that he'd never thought he'd see of his incredibly tough warrior. It was slightly difficult to tell with the poor lighting and her bangs covering most of her face, but Ling knew. Tears were streaming down Lan's face. Even though Knox had given her a cloth to bite on in attempt to ease her pain, tears would not stop running down the beaten ninja's face.

He had never seen Lan Fan cry in his life. Ling had known her since they were about six, and in that time, not once did he see her sad or even shed a single drop. He wasn't sure if it was because she had no reason to cry or that she was too strong for such things or maybe she just refused to. But now, nothing, not even her amazingly powerful will could cease her sobs. It sounded almost stupid but was she really in that much pain? Just from losing one arm? Ling felt as if he wanted to run back to Central at that very moment and find Bradley so he could behead him for the horrors he had caused.

"You might want to wait outside, Ling." Riza instructed, returning to the room with a tub full of water and towels.

The Yao son said nothing and stood in the doorway for a few more seconds, burning the picture of his sobbing, pained bodyguard into his memory. He then turned and walked outside the room into the darker part of the run down cabin. He stood still for what seemed like hours but dropped himself onto a small box to sit on. Burying his face into his hands, Ling continued to hear Lan Fan's screams, Knox's demands for more light and supplies, and Riza's replies.

"Ling?"

The Xingese prince looked up to see two familiar faces standing before him.

"Ed...Al..." Ling mumbled, his face completely robbed of its emotion now.

Al leaned his metal armor towards Ling, "The Colonel said Lan Fan got hurt. How is-"

But before the younger Elric could finish, another loud scream echoed from inside the surgery room. Edward's golden eyes widened and Al took a step back, gasping. It was obvious they hadn't considered Lan's injuries to be that serious.

"...The Colonel said she got hurt but he wouldn't tell us how bad...he said that was your job. What..." Ed shot a saddened and pained look at his friend, "What happened...?"

Ling looked away from the alchemists, drooping his head, "She cut off her arm..."

Another gasp echoed from Alphonse's armor, "S-She cut off her arm?! Why?"

"Because..." Ling clenched his cut hand into a fist, "...she was attacked...and..."

At that moment, Roy entered the building with a white box in hand. He handed it to Ling, telling him it was a first aid kit and to bandage his wounds. Ling tied wraps around his hand and placed a bandage on his bleeding cheek. After thanking the Colonel, Ling felt his body jolt at hearing yet another loud moan.

Ed's expression saddened more. How could this have happened? They had promised to help them simply lure out the Homunculi and it ended up like this?

"Ling, I..." The shorter man felt his lips trembling as an apology hung on his lips. He had never meant for his friends to go through such trial. They were foreigners in this land, innocent bystanders in whatever was going on in the land of Amestris. Why had they been caught in the middle and paid for it?

Just as Ed went to finish his apology, Ling interrupted, telling him that this was his choice.

"We both had something to gain out of this whole thing so it made sense to help you. I just..." Ling hugged his knee to his chest as he buried his face into his knee cap, "I never thought something like this would happen..."

A few more screams sounded from the room Lan Fan was in before it finally went completely silent. Ling rose his head, heartbreak evident in his eyes.

"When I decided to look for immortality, I knew that I'd have to make sacrifices...but..." Ling shut his eyes tight as he remembered the agonizing look on his guard's face earlier, "I wasn't ready for this...! Lan Fan was though- She made the decision that I was too weak to make!"

"Ling..." Ed had never seen the typically goofy teen like this before. He was serious and extremely upset by what had happened. It only made the Elric boy feel that much guiltier for putting his friends at risk like he had.

"Hey, I'm finished." Knox grumbled, peeking out the door.

Roy, Ed, and Al nodded in Knox's direction and then looked back to the broken prince. Roy and Al took off towards the room while Ed tried to lean down to look at the illegal alien,

"Are you coming? Don't you wanna..."

"No. Go on without me." Ling mumbled, "I...I don't think I can face her right now."

Without saying anything else, Ed followed after the flame alchemist and his brother.

~xXx~

"She seems okay."

Ling looked up to see Al standing before him.

"She woke up for a few minutes. She could talk and everything. Dr. Knox said she'll make it..."

Ling forced himself from making any kind of reaction, "That's good..."

Al nodded and left to go check the room Gluttony had been left in. Ling then looked back to the floor. Two more minutes passed. In truth, what Alphonse had just said had made him feel more relief then he ever had in his whole life. But at the same time, it also made him feel the worst he'd ever felt too. She had lost a part of herself and nearly died. All for the sake of his own dream to become Emperor. What she had done for him could never be repaid. She could never get her arm back. She could never forget the horrible pain she felt going through the loss. No matter what Ling did, he could never truly thank her for what she had done for him.

No, the only thing he could do, is keep moving and get the thing he came to Amestris for: The Philosopher's Stone. He would get one and return to Xing to become the Emperor. He wouldn't let Lan Fan's loss be in vain. He would accomplish his dreams, if not for himself, but for her as well. It was the only thing he could do.

Taking a few deep breaths, Ling rose from his seat and looked over to the doorway that lead to the room his bodyguard was now resting in. He had told Ed he couldn't face her. He felt too guilty about what happened. But if she was resting, maybe it would be alright just to check for himself...

Ling cautiously made his way to the door and peaked in. No one else was in there. Not Knox, Lt. Hawkeye, or even Edward. No, all that was in there was a sleeping Lan Fan who seemed to have a wet rag placed over her forehead. Careful not to make too much noise, the slit-eyed teen tip-toed his way over to his guard's bedside. Looking down at her, Ling could see how exhausted she was from all that had happened. Bags hung under her eyes and hair still clung to her face in sweaty clumps. Ling could almost hear the cries from his guard again just by standing there now.

"Forgive me, Lan Fan..." Ling mumbled as he reached up a hand to brush some bangs out of her face, "I'm so sorry..."

Lan Fan didn't so much as stir at Ling's touch, indicating that she was out cold. Ling then looked over to where his subject's arm had used to be. Now, it was nothing more than a nub covered with bandages. The prince could feel his eyes begin to water at the sight so he turned his blue orbs back to the girl's face. Unthinkingly, Ling brought his hand down to his vassal's cheek and begin stroking it ever so gently. So gently that it hardly felt as if he were touching her. The more Ling stared at her, the more he wished that this whole thing had been a dream. But nothing could change what happened. Nothing could be undone. And just as he had sworn after some time of thinking out in the hall, he would make sure that Lan Fan's sacrifice would not be in vain.

Bending over the bed, Ling planted his lips on the sleeping warrior's cheek. After breaking the little kiss, Ling grabbed the hand that was still attached to Lan Fan and gave it a slight squeeze,

"I promise...I will definitely get the key to immortality. And then we can return to our land, together..." Ling leaned over again and placed his forehead against hers, "I swear it to you, Lan Fan."

He wouldn't stop. Ling would keep going in this hell-filled land if that's what it took to get what Lan Fan had sacrificed so much for. While he could never truly repay her for what she had done for him, Ling would make sure Lan Fan knew one day, just how much she and her sacrifice had meant to him...

Author's Comments: I'm not really satisfied with the ending. I wanted it to be kind of poetic but my brain stopped working at the end of this. Even so, I hope you guys like this. Personally, I always wished the anime/manga had gone into more details on Ling's feelings when Lan Fan cut off her arm. Well, that's what fanfictions are for, right? Please review and let me know what you guys think!