Chapter Nine

Road Home

Greeling's Party

1:00 am

They had left the cabin the morning before and were currently walking through the foothills that would eventually lead them to Risembool. Originally they had considered looking for another cabin, or walking through the night, but had finally decided to make camp in a cave when the baby was tired of traveling for now.

No matter how many times one of the other men offered to carry the child, Ed insisted he was fine. He was clearly not fine, and if there had been any doubt the fact that Greeling had offered to carry the child, and for a whole hour Ed had allowed it before taking the baby back had assured them that something was off.

Ed was still in a lot of pain and carrying the child was not helping. He needed to be healed before the battle started and as such had resumed his exercises three days ago. They had roughly two weeks to finish getting everything in place, and Ed needed to get Yuery somewhere safe. He was not stupid, there was no way he was taking his child into battle. With his allies scattered, his only real option was Granny.

Granny would still be home, she always was. She said herself she waited for them when they needed a place to be. It would take them at least another week to arrive at their current pace, possibly a week and a half. That left Ed enough time to talk her into watching his son, switch out his automail, and get back to Central to try to save the world. It sounded a lot easier than it felt.

Soon, for better or for worse, this would all be over. He needed to survive this so he could go back to raising his son in peace. All he had ever wanted was his family to be safe and happy. It had been his goal his entire life, as far back as he could remember. He learned Alchemy to please his mother. He perfected it to bring her back. He'd joined the State Alchemy program to cure his brother. And now. Now he was throwing everything away to save them all.

The worst part of it was he felt he deserved every single bad thing that happened to him. He'd told Ling so often enough. Ling was running a commentary on the subject right now, much to Greed's annoyance. He was well aware of Ed's issues. He'd heard the kid's nightmares often enough. The kid's kid had issues too. Greed knew damn well it had been the baby causing all that trouble in the cabin, and on the road, though Ed refused to believe it.

Cave in the hills

7:00 am

Ed knew he had slept in before opening his eyes. The lighting in the cave set the time around seven, and Yuery rarely let him sleep passed six at the latest lately. It was then that it registered that Yuery wasn't laying next to him anymore and he tensed before realizing that why he hadn't panicked when waking was that he could hear his son happily babbling within arms reach.

He cracked his eyes to see what the baby was up to this time to the shocking sight of Greeling smiling as he shared a bowl of what looked like oatmeal with the baby. Ed watched as Greeling took a bite, then fed one to Yuery, who was sitting against Greeling's leg. It didn't make sense to Ed. Ling was too obsessed with food to ever share, and Greed was, well, Greed. Of course Ed frequently ate like this, every meal now that they were on the road, but no one else was expected to do so. For it to be the most selfish members of their party was just surprising.

He watched silently for another minute before fully opening his eyes as he said. "You could have woken me, there was no need to entertain him."

"Sure there was. You need to finish recovering, a minion who isn't one hundred percent is of no use to me." Greeling dismissed as he gave the baby another bite.

"Still. You didn't have to feed him. That was nice of you, thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I hate oatmeal as it is, then we have been eating it nonstop for weeks. The kid is just helping me get rid of it, he'll make a good minion yet." Greeling said trying to brush off Ed's thanks. "Besides, can't have the kid getting pissed and magicking the cave down around our ears."

"… How do you know its magic?" Ed asked which was a change, he usually denied it was the kid at all.

" Of course it's magic. You can't do accidental alchemy. Plus there's that whole soul thing Ling mentioned to me. Armestris used to have magic all over the place before Father decided it would interfere with his plans and had them all rounded up. That order is still active actually. If a magic user presents around here they are taken into custody and their family instructed that the child is to be listed as dead."

"I didn't know there were magic users here at all."

"Well, very few do actually. Between them being kept hush hush by the military and whatever it is the Father did to shield us from the wizards when Wrath came into office that's when I moved down south actually. Wrath being in office just didn't appeal to me."

"Great. So just another thing to worry about." Ed said with a sigh.

"Well the kid is full, time to get going." Greeling said. "Ten minutes and we move out."

Ed groaned but started packing up quickly before grabbing some jerky. He started munching as he tied his son to him and shouldered his pack. He then shook the other two awake and let them know that they were about to leave.

The chimera groaned like Ed had, but were on their feet at the mouth of the cave by the time Greeling had put out the campfire. His earlier kindness hidden behind his usual contempt. "Come on you idiots. We have places to be. I swear you are the worst bunch of minions I've ever dealt with."

"Get over yourself, you idiot." Ed said around a mouthful of jerky.

"They're gonna argue all day again." Heinkel grumbled to Darius.

"How is that new?" Darius replied as he led the way out of the cave, ignoring the teenagers.

Yuery was unhappy with being carried. He had been carried all day for the last week and a half, and wanted to walk. He made this desire known by repeatedly hitting his father in the chest and demanding "No,Down". Ed chose to ignore the boy, since there was no way to reassure him.

They were ten minutes out from the cave when Yuery started throwing himself back and forth, yelling loudly. Ed groaned as the chimera sighed and Greeling rolled his eyes. At this rate they weren't going to make it out of the woods by Promised Day.

"Here. Let me carry the kid. He's making you slow." Greeling said as he reached out for the baby. Yuery glared in his direction and continued to throw himself around. Ed sighed as he lifted the boy out of his carrier and then lifted the carrier over his head. Greeling quickly attached the carrier before placing the still angry child inside. "There we go, now even if he decided to start kicking, no problems. Plus without the burden maybe you can keep up."

"Wha- I keep up!" Ed growled. He sped up to take the lead, not wanting to talk to Greeling anymore. Darius and Heinkel rolled their eyes but followed after him, with Greeling straggling behind as he pointed out the squirrels and flowers around them.

This managed to keep Yuery occupied for close to half an hour before he grew bored again and started throwing himself around. Greeling, like his father, ignored the boy's antics even when he started saying "Gee Down NO NO NO NO GEE NO." Which Greeling found very annoying, both parts of him.

Sometimes, when he offered to take the kid, Greed would give Ling the lead. Ling seemed to really like the kid, and the kid seem to like Ling better than Greed, which he was fine with since Kids weren't on his list of things to do when he took over the world. Ling was not in the lead at the moment though, not wanting to deal with the angry toddler either. Ed had just turned back toward them, to see if he needed to take the baby back, when a loud crack was heard overhead as a branch fell into the path, only missing Ed because Darius pulled him out of the way at the last minute.

"What. The. Hell." Ed said as he pushed at the bigger man who had landed on top of him. Darius groaned, the branch had hit him on its way down and lashed his shoulder, but better his shoulder than the kid's head. Yuery was giggling and clapping. Heinkel came over to help haul Darius off of Ed, and Greeling was staring thoughtfully at the branch.

The break was clean, as if it had been cut. Either someone was out here with them, or the kid had done it again. Now Greed and Ling were in agreement the kid couldn't actually control it, but these incidents were growing more common, and more dangerous. They needed to get Edward to admit it was his kid… and then figure out a way to get him to stop. Edward seemed more open to the possibility this morning. Ling was pondering if the kid had gotten it from his mother (which was the most common way of having magic in Xing) or if he'd developed it randomly. Either way, he was almost certain Edward himself didn't have any magic in him. Maybe. Possibly. Or he was good at hiding it. But if was good at hiding it, then wouldn't he know it was the kid and have a way to stop him? No it likely came from the mother.

After they had patched up Darius and Ed could breathe properly again, they started back up the trail. Yuery had finally cried himself into a nap, which they were all grateful for, though Ed was also feeling guilty and worried about Yuery's development. He was going to have to find a better plan than dragging his son through the wilds with him. What was he thinking, bringing a baby out here?

He pulled out the map, and recalculated where they were exactly, before announcing to the others "If we take this logging road, about ten minutes ahead of us, down the river, we can shave about three days off the trip. If we manage to cage a ride on the back of a shipment we could be in Resembool by tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Darius said, with Heinkel nodding. They then all turned to Greeling. Everyone knew that Ed only said these things as if they were suggestions to keep Greed happy, but it really had been an order. Greed, in turn, always pretended to consider it before agreeing. The chimera didn't want to know what would happen should Greed decide to say no one of these times. Hopefully this part of their ordeal would be over soon.

Eastbound Cargo Train

Between Izumi and Al's contacts, they had arranged this trip to get them back into Resembool. For Al the best part was that once they reached Resembool they then went through East City then right into Central. It had been perfect. He would leave Winry at home then ride his way into the battle. They had roughly five or six days left, Al had lost track which.

What he had failed to mention to anyone, because he didn't see what help worrying would be, was that he was fading. It started up in North City, but it was becoming more frequent the longer they traveled. Perhaps it was his armor rejecting his soul, or Ed was in serious danger, or they had been apart too long. No matter what it was though, he had to help save their friends before he faded away completely.

He was strangely calm about the whole thing. It had been months now since the first time it happened, and he had come to terms with his inevitable end. He worried a bit about how Ed would handle it, how WInry would handle it, their dad… but overall he had come to accept it was nearly over for him. Just as long as the others were alright then he was happy. For now though, he needed to pretend everything was fine. He explained to WInry as they settled down for the long ride, that he would be riding on and she would not. She started to protest, until Al said. "When it comes down to it, this is going to be an alchemic battle Winry. You would just be a distraction like that time with Scar." He knew it was mean to manipulate her like that, but it was far more important to keep her safe, than to keep her happy.

She almost cried, before stopping herself. She'd promised not to cry, so she wouldn't. She was angry though. Why did these things always happen to them. She didn't want to watch more people walk away who were never coming back. She wasn't stupid, she knew chances were not in their favor of a safe return. She was once again about to lose people she loved and was helpless to help them. If only she knew for sure Ed was going to be there. If there was one thing the last few years had taught her, it was that Ed always seemed to pull off the impossible.

Al seemed to know this was her train of thought because he assured her that Ed was going to show back up. His brother would be fine, he had been in contact with their people after the mine. So even if he was still listed as missing, someone knew where he was. Al just wasn't the one who knew where. It was strange being out of contact with Ed, but he was trying to stay positive. They couldn't very well be seen together after all.

It didn't matter. The plan was set. Izumi and Sig were making there way to Central now. Al would soon be joining them. Scar, Yoki, and the chimeras were to also meet him there. Dad and his team were prepared to move. Hohenheim had a plan too. Al had faith that his brother also had a plan.

Central City HQ

Colonel Mustang's Office

3:00 pm

Everything was set now. It wouldn't be long before the plan was set in motion, tonight he was to meet one last time with his contacts at his mother's then he would disappear until Promised Day would begin. He had already made sure that there was nothing in his house that could be used to figure out what they were planning. He also had stashed an overnight bag away in a safehouse that hadn't been used since he was a child, outside the city limits.

Over the last few weeks he had discretely tested the limits of Pride's reach. He had selected the safehouse farthest out but still within reasonable distance from the city. It was still a calculated risk. He was intending to make it look like he may have died tonight. Hawkeye, who was in the greatest danger, was to disappear at the same time and meet him there. He couldn't risk them deciding to take it out on her when he was gone. Everyone else on his team would make their way to the warehouse district just outside of reach in the next couple of days. They were scheduled to meet one last time the night before Promised Day to go over the plan.

He was relieved it was almost over. He would either be reunited with his sons or dead by the end of the week. He missed them terribly, and hoped he'd at least get to see them one last time. His new team seemed to notice his distraction, which was not good. He couldn't afford to tip his hand at this point. He lifted the phone to call 'Alison' and arrange their 'date' the day after tomorrow. By the time he was done, his team was back to cringingly ignoring him and General Armstrong was plotting his slow death. She may have agreed to using this form of code but that didn't mean she wouldn't find a way to torture him for it later.

Shortly after finishing his phone call, Roy looked at the clock which was one minute short of four, an hour and a half before work officially ended, and began packing up his desk. He wouldn't be receiving a reprimand for leaving early. After today, they would have so much more to hang him with than cutting out with work undone.

His assistant, who he still didn't bother to know, looked like he wanted to protest Roy's early departure, but in the end simply rolled his eyes and left it at that. After all, Hawkeye was the only one who had ever been able to control him. Mustang had signed a grand total of two papers today. He had burned six. And the rest just sat on the corner of his desk mocking the normally orderly assistant.

Mustang-Elric Residence

4:15pm

He walked calmly through the rooms, unsure if he would ever see them again. Even if everything went well, it was entirely possible that his house would be destroyed, or at least the contents removed. Over the last few weeks he had secured certain items, such as photo albums or rare books, and following Ed's lead, mailed them to Resembool. He had then spread out the remaining books and photos to make it impossible to see that some were missing. Unless of course it was someone who lived here, or frequently visited.

He had no way of removing the boys things, without drawing attention to himself at least, so instead he had made a list of everything that may need to be replaced. He was currently standing in the center of Ed and Yu's room, staring at the thin layer of dust that had managed to collect as if they had been gone years. He reached into the crib to extract the stuffed rabbit that had slept with Yuery since he moved to his own bed. It was already looking lumpy and threadbare as stuffed animals do, and smelled exactly like his grandson.

Admonishing himself as a sentimental fool, Roy carefully wrapped the rabbit in one of Yuery's blankets and stuffed it into the bottom of his case. He then went downstairs to collect anything else he might have forgotten, which was turned into a single photograph, taken by Hughes months ago, of himself, Yuery, and Ed napping on the floor. Unfortunately, Al had not been present for this photo but it was still one of his favorites.

Vanessa had taken Franklin the Great and Cobalt earlier when she moved out in a very showy 'break up' for the benefit of the neighbors. She had also taken a large collection of incriminating paperwork he had collected on other members of the military over the years to be kept safe. This had been something he had been unwilling to ship, even if on a personal level the photos and books had been more important. These papers were for the future of his country.

One last glance around, and Roy left the house with his briefcase in hand, walking slowly to his mother's bar to ensure his escorts would stay on him this time. This time it was crucial that they watched, so that they could confirm he died. They would blame him for the bar's destruction. He had made sure to leave just enough evidence to point to a suicide, but vague enough that should by some miracle they all survive, he couldn't be charged.

Safe House

11:00pm

Roy had doubled back several times, to ensure no one had followed him, before finally making his way to the location. No one else was to be there. Aside from his mother, no one alive knew that it was here at all. His mother should be well on her way to Creta by now, and Hughes was gone beyond a place anyone could contact him.

The house was dark, as it should be, and pushed back all the way to the tree line on three sides. The tinted windows, which were not noticeable unless someone was very close, at which point he had other problems. There were unseen alchemic traps set at every point of entry, so all he had to do was activate them to keep him safe.

Once he was inside with the doors locked and sealed he was able to relax slightly. He walked through the small building to ensure it was still secured, which took less than five minutes as it only contained three rooms. Front room that served as both the living room and the kitchen, a small bedroom, and a tiny bathroom. There were no closets, and the bed was designed as a solid piece of wood with a mattress laid on top, so nowhere for someone to hide. As soon as everything was done, Roy kicked off his shoes and laid on the couch fully intending to get up and change properly for bed. He was asleep almost before his head met the pillow.