I don't own hagaren, though i would dearly love to.

As this is my first fanfic, pls do not expect too much out of it, and please review after reading, arigatou!

English end of year paper tomorrow, must brush up my skills... ))

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'Hey Al, are you sure we're headed in the right direction?' Ed grumbled loudly to his brother.

'Yes, Nii-san'

'You told me that... 18 times already'

'Gomen-nasai nii-san, but taisa's map tells us to head this way...'

---

The scorching heat sapped energy and drained will, yet the Elric brothers kept going on, never once stopping or stalling except only for the absolute necessities. Roy had sent them out into the unbearable dessert heat only to gather loveberries, apparently for Roy's latest date. AND he had filed it and recorded it, so it was official...

---

'Al, I really feel like slicing off that taisa's head, or grinding it, or boiling it... Making us come all the way out here just to gather loveberries!' Edward spat out the last word with vehemence obvious in his voice.

'Actually, me too... just that I don't think I'll have the heart too, Nii-san...' Al finished off sheepishly.

'Then shaddup and walk.' grunted Ed in reply.

---

'Niisan! Did you hear that?' Al suddenly said, stopping.

'What?' Ed replied, his irritation evident in his tone of voice.

'There it is again!' repeated Al, his voice filled with a strange mixture of joy and relief.

'WHAT?' Ed yelled, his small form bouncing angrily up and down on the hot desert floor 'Shh, listen!'

'Mew'

'Its just a neko! What's so great about that'

'Let me keep it, pleeeeeeeaaseee Nii-san!' Al whined pitifully, pleading for a chance to keep the poor creature.

'I'm hungry' Ed abruptly changed the subject, for the sole purpose of avoiding the subject.

---

The fact couldn't be changed: Their food supplies were running low, and it would be extremely risky to keep a pet, much less feed it in their unstable condition.
Ed conveyed this message clearly and enunciated on each and every syllable to Al, hoping to dissuade him from the idea of another travelling companion.

However, far from being dissuaded, Al had his own ideas.

'Nii-san, if there is a cat, it means that there is civilisation'

'big deal, lets get going'

'niiiiisan, if there is civilisation, there is food, shelter, and maybe they may even sell loveberries!

'Food'

'Yes, Nii-san, they should actually have quite a lot of it, especially if a neko can have enough energy to mew so loudly'

'Shelter'

'Yes, and that means sleeping in a proper bed, not on alchemised makeshift mat or a rock. And it would have showers too! And it would be warm at night and'

'Stop it Al!' Ed shouted in resignation 'lets go get the neko'

'Nii-san!' shouted Al, hugging his elder brother tightly, nearly suffocating him due to his larger build.

---

Ever since Ed found out The method, he was able to retrieve his and Al's lost body parts, and sadly, Al had been growing very fast, at around 1-2 centimetres a day, outgrowing his initial stage of being shorter than Ed.

---

Heading off toward the sound of the neko's cries, Ed and Al, as expected, found themselves approaching a small, cosy village. The houses there did not exceed 2 storeys in height, and little children ran freely from street to street playing, with an occasional nanny crying out shrilly for the child under her care.

---

The mew was quickly located, coming from a corner street, at the very edge of the village that was the closest to the desert. 'Stop it!' cried Al, running down the alley, as a couple of lean boys dressed in patched clothes threw small stones at the kitten, causing it to mew so pitifully.

'Stop it!' Al repeated, raising his voice.

'Heh, city boys, they don't know who we are,' the teen nearest to Alphonse said, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

'Let's get him!' the same boy cried, the remainder of the group rushing towards Al at the same time.

'Ah!' Al exclaimed, clapping his hands together and pressing it against the ground creating a half slanted wall, locking the attacking boys in.

'Wha... What?'

'How?'

'Hes a..an alchemist?'

The boys trapped were stunned. Consequently, the kitten started mewing again.

'The neko!' Al exclaimed, realising that he just did one of the biggest mistakes.

'Let me help you do that'

'Ah, Nii-san!' exclaimed Al, blushing slightly for being so rash. Edward then clapped his hands together and pressed it against the wall, carving a set of footholds in it, and also using the extra material to create a jutting ledge at the top.

'Gaambatte, Al!' cried Ed, giving Al a mischievous grin.

Without hesitation, Al then scrambled up the footholds and jumped into the mini-fighting arena.

---

Minutes later, Al deconstructed a hole in the wall, and emerged panting slightly, while holding the tiny neko under one arm.

'You aren't hurt, are you?' questioned the concerned elder brother, scrutinizing the latter in the process.

'No... But I think they are...' Al replied, blushing again in less than an hour before, while motioning with his thumb at the three beaten boys behind.

---

'Lets go get some food'

'Okay'

The two brothers then headed down the street, in search of a decent restaurant, or at least a marketplace. However, to their dismay, no restaurant or marketplace could be found, at least not to their sight. Left with no other choice, Ed then politely asked a nearby nanny for directions.

'Ano, do you know where there is any food, like a restaurant or a marketplace, or any other kind of place?'

'chibi desne?' the old lady replied, apparently not hearing his request.

anger marks traced themselves onto the side of Ed's head. raising his voice loudly, he repeated the question. Thankfully, this time the lady heard, and said in a voice that would have made a crow fly away in fright

'aah, go down the road, then turn left at the main crossing then turn left again at the 2nd crossing, then turn right at the next crossing. That's the marketplace.. And we don't have a restaurant, chibi. that's only for the rich city..'

---

Ed flew down the street, his leather shoes thumping rythymithically on the sandy pavement, Al not far behind.

'I can't believe she called me "chibi" so many times!' Ed yelled, swinging his head around, and almost whipping a kid with his braid at the same time.

'Lets just get the food first, Nii-san' Al replied, levelheaded.

---

Before long, the pair arrived at the marketplace, and strangely, no children were spotted, but many women were there, even the butchers were women.

After purchasing some pre-prepared food, and earning many stares, the Elric brothers then managed to fill their stomachs and decided to turn in for the day. Even the little neko received food, mostly from the fishmongers and milk women.

---

'Al, do you know if there is any weirder town around? I haven't even seen a single guy!' Ed commented, after receiving a streetful of stares.

'Nii-san, I don't like it either, its as though a guy hasn't stepped in here for a long, long while..' Al replied, sounding really puzzled.

'Then lets just find somewhere decent to sleep, k Al?' Ed then said, stifling a yawn

'Ah, yes Nii-san' Al replied, cradling the little bundle of fur under his care.

'mew..'

---

After finding a hotel, with much difficulty, Ed then gratefully sank into a bath filled with hot water, Al at his side. Undoing his long braid was tough.. the dust and dirt glued the long strands of hair together, and help from Al was often needed.

---

'Ah, Al, could you do me a favour'

'Yes Nii-san'

'Could you help me undo this part?' Ed requested, pointing to a particularly knotted part

'Of course!' Al said, standing up and moving across the bath to undo Ed's long hair.

'Arigatou' Ed replied, gratefulness tingeing his voice.

---

However, unlike what the perverted yaoi writers always wrote, Ed and Al never once thought perverted thoughts of the latter. never. in fact, they often took the opportunity of showering to scrub each other's backs, in particular for Ed, whose back had accumulated 7 years of sweat and dirt.

After the showering, the duo plus kitten then went/trotted to the queen-size bed, and flopped down onto it, exhaling audible sighs of relief, contentment and various other feelings.

That night, light snores filled the air as the two brothers and neko slept peacefully, Ed's stomach facing the sky again...

---

how's that for my first chapter! not that bad huh? anyway, it dragged on, and I just finished my English exam.. ate some guides cookies.. mmm. especially for the macadamia ones. oosh! ., Review please!

making an Ed soft toy, based on a fan art of Ed stuck in a sushi. yeap. my Edo-kun is gonna be stuck in a sushi!