A Frustrating Person

Author's Note~ I realized that I haven't written much about the Xingese characters, which is a shame because I love them. As I was writing this, I figured it out. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. This was originally going to be a short drabble, but it kind of...ran away from me a bit. This may not be my finest work, or even in character, but I tried, so I hope you'll still enjoy it regardless.

Rating: K

Disclaimer: [insert witty comment about how I'm not Arakawa-sensei here]

Ling Yao was truly a frustrating person.

"I order you to call me Tono!*"

They had just gotten back from their trip a month ago, only to find out that their father had already passed away, which meant Ling was to be immediately crowned, his coronation tomorrow. She had been meditating in the garden when he appeared out of nowhere and said this, his finger in her face. She stared at him dumbly.

"Are you joking?"

"Certainly not," he scoffed pompously, "I'm your ruler now, so you should address me as such."

She sniffed. "You're no ruler of mine." Ling arched his brow at her cold tone.

"C'mon, you're not still mad that I got the stone, are you?"

She glared at him. "The only reason I didn't get the Philosopher's Stone is because I healed a dying Amestrian soldier," she gritted, "It should be me getting coronated tomorrow and we both know it."

"What would you have done if it had been?" he asked skeptically, a frown marring his face.

She furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how could you have changed this country? I'm sure you hate the current system even more than I do, given your clan's status," he pointed out, "so how would you have changed it?"

There was a beat of silence.

"I…" she was at a loss for words, but Ling's stare didn't falter. "I don't know," she admitted in defeat, "I just wanted a better life for my family."

"Okay, then, let me ask you this. Let's say you were the next successor. Do you really think the country would accept you, at your age and current standing?"

"I figured I could've waited a few years," she muttered almost guiltily.

"Well, that's wonderful, except we don't have a few years. We need a leader now."

"I could've-"

"How old are you?" he cut her off, "12?"

"I just turned 13."

"Exactly. And you're still growing. You're only a child. You don't need all that weight on your shoulders stunting your growth. Not to mention, you'd be making yourself an easy target."

"And you don't think people will resent taking orders from you? You can't be much older than Edward-san."

"As a matter of fact, I'm younger than him, and I'm well aware that there will be multiple assassination attempts. But atleast I have Lan Fan. You have no one."

"I can take care of myself," she bristled.

"As can I, but everyone has a blind spot."

"There are royal guards," she pointed out.

"And who's to say those royal guards won't be the culprit?" he countered, "You can't trust anyone."

"But-"

"Ms. Chang," he chastised gently, "This is for the best. You don't have to like it, nor do I expect you to, but you need to accept it. I don't want to be your enemy, not after everything we've been through."

"Very well," she sighed grudgingly.

"Thank you," he said, as he started to head back towards the palace. "I hope to see you at my coronation tomorrow."

"Will you keep your promise?" she blurted out. He paused, signaling that he was listening, so she continued. "You said back in Amestris that my clan would be treated as equally as the others. Will you keep your promise?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" he responded in mild annoyance, "I always keep my promises." She sighed in relief.

"Besides," he began, a cheeky grin on his face, "What kind of older brother would I be if I let my little sister live in poverty?"

She snorted. "Some older brother you are," she scoffed, light pink tinging her cheeks, "Your lapdog tried to kill me."

"I carried through you the desert," he pouted.

"You carried me for 10 minutes and then collapsed because you were hungry," she deadpanned.

"I'm anemic," he defended petulantly.

"You tried to eat Xiao Mei!" she huffed indignantly.

"It's not my fault! She's so tiny I thought she was a rice ball!" he whined.

"That's because you're an idiot," she snapped.

"You can't call your future Emperor an idiot. So disrespectful. And here I was thinking of making you my successor, but I change my mind now."

You're not-" she started hotly, but then stopped herself, her eyes widening in realization. "Wait. What?"

"I want you to be my successor," he repeated, oddly serious, "Should anything happen to me, or should I decide to resign for whatever reason, you're the only one I would trust to take my place."

"What makes you think you can trust me?" she challenged.

"Because during our time in the desert, you never tried to kill me. Any of our other siblings would've taken any opportunity to get me out of the picture and take the Stone, but you didn't."

"I thought about it," she mumbled guiltily.

"But you didn't act on it, and that's all that matters."

"Only because I was a coward, and I wanted to conserve my strength. What makes you think I won't try to kill you now?"

"What you told me earlier," he said.

"Wha-"

"Your motives for putting yourself through Hell to find the Stone. All the rest of us wanted power, while you just wanted to help your loved ones. That's admirable."

"So you want me to be the next heir? Won't that make me a 'target'? What's your angle?"

"Angle?"

"Yes, don't take me for a fool. I'm not naïve enough to think you'd just give away such a prestigious position for free."

"You're a clever girl."

"Yes, I'm well aware. Now get to the point!" she groaned. He paused, stepping closer to put his hands on her shoulders and force her to meet his eyes.

"5 years," he said steadily. She looked at him quizzically, but he didn't waver. "If your clan is still in poverty in 5 years, then I will renounce the throne, with you as my heir."

She narrowed her eyes. "And what happens if they aren't?"

"Then I will simply just pronounce you the next heir until I have children."

"So I have to wait 5 years," she asserted.

"For your own safety and well-being, yes. It would look bad for my reputation. Now I really must get going now. See ya around, Princess."

"Yeah. That bodyguard of yours is probably tearing the whole palace apart looking for you," she joked weakly.

"Oh, I doubt that. I'm sure she knows exactly where I am," he remarked knowingly, his eyes shifting to a nearby tree. "Thanks for the chat. Til next time, okay?"

Her eyes shined dangerously. "Who says I want you to-," she stopped, noticing that he was already gone. She sighed, resting her head in her hands. She came out here to relax, but now she was feeling heavier than ever. Even so, it didn't stop the corners of her lips from turning up ever so slightly.

Ling Yao was truly a frustrating person.

A/N~ *= Tono is the equivalent to saying 'My Lord', but I wasn't sure how to translate it without making it sound awkward.

Review, please! :D