Fullmetal Alchemist: The Valley of White Petals

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Valley of White Petals Shiroi Hana no Mau Tani (白い花の舞う谷) is the third Light Novel in FullMetal Alchemist Series.

Chapters

 * The Coronel's Conspiracy
 * Paradise Below
 * Unequivalent Exchange
 * The Truth
 * The Valley of White Petals

Synopsis
Roy blackmails Edward and Alphonse to make contact by freezing Ed's bank accounts, leaving him unable to pay for hotel bills or meals during his travels. When Ed calls Mustang, the colonel sends the brothers on a search for a supposedly nonexistent town named Wisteria, which has been rumored to be a paradise, in a desert, surprisingly. (Actually, the military want Roy to make the report, but he has more fun forcing Ed to do it). However, the town really does exist but is isolated from outside contact. Ed and Al are granted entrance into the town after helping Ruby, a girl who lives in Wisteria and serves as one of the best guards of the town to keep unwanted people from coming in. Ruby has a similar approach to life as Ed, which causes Al to instinctively like her while Ed finds her annoying. Ruby introduces the brothers to the mayor of the town, and he explains that the town runs on the law of Equivalent Exchange, so everyone works to get in reward their needs. After exploring the town, Al considers staying there forever, while Ed questions the town's system. Ed then meets a young boy who has been friends with Ruby before they came to Wisteria, and Ed learns of the poverty in the town that falls upon those who cannot work like everyone else, or who do things that the mayor does not feel worth rewarding. Ed and Al set out to prove the mayor of the town wrong.

Although Al does grow close to Ruby, it isn't clear whether he actually holds any romantic feelings for her. In spite of this, to gain access to the mayor, Ruby suggests that Al pretend to be her fiancé. The Elric Brothers eventually discover that anyone who gets in the mayor's way, or who wish to leave Wisteria, are usually drugged and sold to criminals, and are never seen again. Because Ruby truly wants to believe in the mayor, she has a great deal of difficulty in accepting this.