Disclamier: No, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, don't sue!

Halfmetal Alchemist: Chapter 8

Mustang Nightmares

"Hey little guy! Did you miss Daddy?" A man with long black hair picked up a little boy and swung him around in circles, careful to keep a good hold on him. A woman walked in behind him and the man's face lit up. "Aren't you going to say hi to Mommy, Roy?"

"You really should keep that quiet, Leroy." Leroy let Ilia hold Roy and grinned broadly. "Why though? I'm Fuhrer now! We can get married and everything!" Ilia shook her head, but smiled a bit. "I know you're Fuhrer now, Leroy, and I'm very proud of you," she said as she stepped closer to him. Leroy put his arms around her shoulders and cocked his head, questioning her with his large onyx eyes. "They've just decided that the Fuhrer can not be given the right to withdraw the rule of fraternization, there's no way we can…" she broke off and Leroy furrowed his brows, looking her in her vulpine like eyes. "We'll do whatever it takes to make ends meet, Ilia."

"Dad! Dad! Hurry up or we'll never get to the beach!" Leroy shook his head, sporting a much shorter haircut. "Don't worry, Roy, the beach won't run anywhere! I'm just waiting for your mom to bundle up your sister and then we'll go." Ilia hurried down the mansion steps carefully supporting a tiny bundle and sat down in the backseat of the car. Roy leaned over the bundle and the baby whined and reached for his face. "Heh, she's so cute… will Terra look like you, Mom?" Ilia shrugged and let baby Terra wrap her hands around her finger.

Roy stood, shoulders hunched, watching the funeral proceed, an infant Terra clinging to his leg. Maes was there, watching his expression carefully and sadly. He put his hand on Roy's shoulder to comfort him, but Roy brushed it off angrily. Roy stared at his hands and clenched them tightly, tears forming in his eyes. One spark, just one… I could have saved them both! A blonde girl his age approached him and pressed something into his hand. He looked up and she smiled sadly, going back to stand beside an elderly man. He looked at his hand and saw that it was a ring with a hawk inscribed in it.

"You can't keep doing this you know." Maes had confronted Roy on his way back to the mansion with Terra. "What are you talking about?" Roy said, avoiding Maes's eyes. Maes held out his hand. "The gun." Roy looked up, startled. "Give me the gun, Roy." Roy reached into his jacket slowly and took out the gun, handing it over to Maes. "You can't keep living like this, Roy. You have responsibilities now." Roy got angry. "How do you know how I feel? You could never know how I feel! I could have saved them Maes, just one spark… just one…"

Maes held his shoulders and shook them roughly. "Get a grip Mustang! I know you're no good at alchemy, but you've got to try! Don't you want your revenge on the guy who murdered them?" Roy nodded numbly. "Then get stronger, you idiot! Get stronger in your alchemy, make them fear you, so nobody'll dare cross the line with the Flame Alchemist! Then join the army, with me, and maybe you can be Fuhrer too, like him! I've got your back from below, Roy."

"Maes…"

Maes smiled at him, but his grin turned into a hideous sort of smirk, and he whipped out a dagger, lunging for him. Roy fell downwards, and he saw his father being struck from behind by a knife, as he fell, fell, fell... he lifted his hands and snapped, generating a spark, but he couldn't focus his alchemy, and his father fell.

"NOOOOO!" Roy bolted upright in the train and his children stared at him. Sweat was poring from his face and he lookedup, just realizing that they were there. "I'm... fine. It was just a nightmare, that's all." Ed nodded and curled up by the window next to Leroy while Al and Alley leaned back to back against each other. Leroy continued to watch Roy. "I-I... thought you should know... Father..." Roy waited, but no sound came from Leroy's mouth. "Um... nevermind... nevermind... it's not important. You should sleep some more."

He lay on his back and stared at the ceiling, his mind in turmoil. Was he, after all these years, still subconsiously guilty over his parents' deaths? He sighed and put his hands over his eyes. All he wanted to do was find Terra and Fullmetal, and Alphonse and Winry. What could they have been doing all these years, if they were still alive? Why had they not come home? He looked at Al and Alley, sleeping peacefully side-by-side, not having the slightest notion enter their heads that they might not be Mustangs at all, but Elrics.

He thought that Ed might suspect by now, the boy was no fool. It was almost blatantly obvious that he was no son of Roy's, bearing not even the slightest resemblance to him, but thankfully, the mere thought that Riza was mother was a coverup. He laughed to himself, realizing how little he knew of Al and Edward's real identities. Most of their birth records had been burned in the fire, and it had been childsplay to recreate birth certificates stating that they were his own. Only Alley's had survived the fire, so they were tweaked, just a bit, to ensure that there would be no questions asked.

The first place to look for answers would have to be the Elrics's home town of Rizenbul. Roy thought that if there was any indication as to why they might have left, that it might be there. He might just get a lead if he was lucky.

But for now, he would have to get used to the jerking of the train and think of a way to keep his nightmares at bay. Until he got to Rizenbul, there would be no answers for the questions Roy Mustang was looking for.

: ) One more chapter through; everyone welcome Chapter 8!I've got more time to write now that it's almost the weekend, and there is no camp on weekends (YES!)! As of next chapter, Ed and Leroy will take the stage, maybe switching off every once in a while with Al and Alley. Also, a bit more of the Homuncu-Human Ultimus! I'll get a little deeper into his character, and if I get a lot of reviews, I'll bring what happened to the other Elrics into the light a lot earlier than planned: )