Hello again! Still angling for that once-a-week update schedule, which seems to be working so far. Everything is just holding here - so I want to take a moment to thank everyone who's reading, reviewing, and following this story so far. I talk a lot about comments/reviews, but the silent readers mean a lot too! Just because you don't stop in to say hi doesn't mean I don't appreciate you, because I truly, truly do. I like to check the stats periodically and I know you're out there, following along, which is amazing. When I started this I wasn't sure anybody would want to read it at all, heh. So every view makes me beyond thrilled, seriously. So, with that, I hope you enjoy this chapter - some necessary build-up for the action that's to come!


"I cannot believe we made it back here for the stupid sheep festival," Ed grumbled, reclining back on Winry's bed with his arms crossed over his chest. "Seriously. Of all the times to show up in Resembool…"

Lissa smirked at him, pulling her eyes away from the window for a moment. "You're just afraid you'll get lost in a flock again, huh?"

He turned up his nose. "I regret telling you that."

"Oh, come on," she laughed, unbothered. "I'm just messing with you. Anyway, Pinako's down there but we all agreed it wasn't safe to go into the crowds, so you're safe up here. Besides, Ed… You're definitely taller than the sheep now, you'd be fine."

Ed groaned and pressed both hands over his face. "Yeah, I really regret telling you that."

Relenting, she crossed to him and knelt on the bed in front of him, trying for an apologetic smile. "Y'know… If it makes you feel any better, I noticed you'd gotten taller recently."

That did it. His eyes lit up immediately. "You think so?"

"Definitely. C'mere, I'll show you." Lissa let him set his sandwich aside—he was always eating, honestly—before grabbing his hands and tugging him to his feet. She'd assumed they were around the same height, where they'd been the last time she'd bothered to pay attention…but she did not expect to let out an indignant yelp when she realized…

"You—when the hell did you get taller than me?!"

Ed's jaw was hanging open, as stunned as she was to realize he could look over her head, maybe for the first time in his life, standing a good inch or two taller even without his antenna. "Yes!" Ed laughed, catching her in his arms and spinning her around. "I'm fucking tall! Finally!"

Lissa giggled as he set her down. "You're not tall, dummy. I'm barely 5"4. But you are a normal-sized person, so congratulations."

"Aw, let me have it," he whined, bouncing up and down on his toes. "I'm never taller than anybody! And I've always been shorter than you, Liss." His eyes widened. "Shit, I—I didn't mean that was a bad thing, I never minded, I just… Dammit…"

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know that, Ed. You would've made a bigger fuss about it if you minded." Lissa nudged him backwards, urging him until his knees hit the bed and he sat down, leaving her the perfect space to sit atop his legs and drape her arms behind his neck. "You're so ridiculous about the height thing, you know that? It should not be that easy to piss you off."

Ed smirked and tugged on a lock of her hair. "Yeah, well, you try being teased about it for all your life. See how you feel."

"Aw, so sad," Lissa teased, grinning as she leaned in and kissed him.

"Tch. Shut up." But it was all in fun—evidenced by the smirk on his face and the way he kissed her moments later, left hand sliding underneath her shirt, along her back, what she'd realized was his absolute favorite thing to do. She'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it herself… And more than that, with nothing pressing for the moment, Lissa was content to just sit there, losing herself in him for a while. Honestly, they were getting a bit spoiled with all this free time, with nothing better to do than be together most nights…

Something brushed at Lissa's senses, enough to startle her into sitting up off Ed—who had lain back and taken her with him, at some point—and turn around to see what had caught her attention. Ed peered around her and cried out in surprise, upending Lissa off his legs when he jolted and sending her tumbling to the floor.

"In my bed?!" Winry shrieked, standing near the closet with her arms crossed. "Really?!"

Lissa scrambled to her feet, too excited and relieved to see the other girl to really worry about her embarrassment. "Winry! What are you doing here?" she cried, rushing over and grabbing the blonde in a tight hug. Thankfully, Winry just embraced her in return, easily moving past the awkward moment.

The door swung open, slamming into the wall—and chaos erupted. Lissa turned, one arm still around Winry's back, to see the room flood with people. First two guys she thought might be Briggs soldiers, pointing guns and wondering at Ed and Lissa's presence there… Then Darius and Heinkel, guns out as well, demanding to know what was happening… Greed trailed behind them, more irritated with the noise than anything… And even Den joined in the insanity moments later.

Ed hopped off the bed and darted over, sort of ducking behind the girls as he eyed the mess happening in the doorway. "What did we do?" he whispered hoarsely to Lissa.

She shrugged helplessly. "I think we just started the apocalypse."

Winry peered over the two Briggs men with a baffled look. "Wait, is that Ling? What's he doing here?"

"Er…long story," Lissa mumbled.

That set off warnings for Winry, apparently. "Okay, you two," she ground out. "You wanna tell me what's going on here?"

Ed wrinkled his nose and averted his gaze. "Looks like a cautionary tale about guns."

"Don't be a smartass," Winry snapped, jabbing her finger in his face. "Tell me why you're in my room. Now."

"It has the best view of the road!" Ed yelped, cringing away from her finger in fear.

Winry rolled her eyes and looked to Lissa for confirmation. "Is that really it?" she grumbled. "You weren't indulging some kind of…weird fetish for him, were you?"

Lissa didn't think she'd ever turned quite such a violent shade of red before. "No, holy shit, Win. No. Nothing like that. We've been keeping watch up here and the other rooms were occupied, that's all, I promise." She stuck out her tongue, sort of gagging. "Ew. What goes on in your mind, seriously? What fetish would that be?"

"How should I know? I wasn't the one making out with Ed two minutes ago," Winry pointed out smugly.

She…really didn't have a defense for that.

As the chaos at the doorway continued, Winry rounded on the group, eyed them for a moment—then screamed, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" and produced a wrench from, well…wherever she stashed them. Lissa figured she had them hidden all over this house, especially her own room, just in case she needed to defend herself. She really wouldn't put it past the other girl to have prepared for just about anything.

Winry's wrath was enough to rush everyone out of the room—besides Ed and Lissa, and Den, who hung around maybe to defend Winry—after which she slammed the door and rounded on the two, panting hard, angry… Only to wilt before them, shoulders slumping. "I… I was worried about you," Winry admitted softly.

"Uh—yeah, we—we were worried about you too," Ed stammered, grabbing Lissa's shoulder and staring across at Winry anxiously. "I, um…" He sighed, composing himself. "I thought Al was with you."

The blonde gasped and darted over to them, worrying her wrench in her hands. "He's at the train station right now," she told the two urgently. "He's with Miles. The train's gonna leave soon, but you might be able to make it if you hurry."

Ed rushed past Lissa, already racing for the door—but he stumbled to a halt before he reached it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Winry asked softly, uncertain. "Don't you wanna see him?"

Lissa's senses grew heavy with suffering.

"Well…technically we're fugitives right now," Ed admitted. His voice came out low and rasped, his automail clenched into a fist at his side. "I can't risk anyone seeing me."

Winry bit her lip worriedly. "But…still…"

"We can't," Lissa murmured, though it made her heart ache to admit it. She wanted nothing more than to go racing down to see Al, to ignore the risk… He'd been left alone now, because being with the Briggs forces just didn't count, it wasn't the same… Would he be upset when he found out how close they'd been? Or understanding?

No… He'll understand… Al's too sweet to place the blame on anyone…

She crossed to Ed and looped her fingers around his automail wrist, pulling him into her side. It was so, so painfully hard to be this close to Al and be unable to see him… And if it was that hard for her, she couldn't even fathom how much more difficult it must be for Ed. Reaching out with the Dragon's Pulse, Lissa almost burst into tears just to catch a glimpse of what he was feeling, the depth of that horrible sorrow…

All she could do was wrap her arm around his back and hold him close, try to help him weather the pain. He'd been separated from Al for longer than ever before…and now he had to wait even longer. This, more than anything, made Lissa just sink into her detestation of the homunculi.

The door swung open, and Lissa pulled Ed aside gently as Pinako stepped into the doorway, staring up in surprise at the three. "Winry?" she murmured, blinking up at her. Then she smiled gently, relieved. "Welcome home."

Winry returned the smile, her posture relaxing. "Hey, Granny," she greeted softly. "I hope you weren't too worried. I missed you."

Considering all the chaos, the entire group reconvened in the basement—also for safety, really, since it was a risk to all be so visible in the windows—and after a quick, awkward meet-and-greet where Winry learned that Ling's body had been taken over by Greed, by a homunculus, which almost ended badly, Pinako decided it was her duty to feed everyone. Only once everyone had a plate of food did they delve into the full explanations of, well…everything. Lissa noticed, as the evening progressed, that Ed grew quieter and quieter, mostly just staring down into his plate and pushing food around, barely even eating. She didn't want to call him out in front of everyone, so she just stretched her leg out under the table to rest against his, aiming for a little subtle comfort.

After dinner, Winry was ready to work on Edward's automail, so Lissa followed them up to the workroom—she didn't particularly want to linger and get sucked into some planning discussion with Greed, to be honest. Besides…she was still worried about Ed. And sitting down would quell some of the dizziness that had set in over dinner.

Winry had him lay out on the bed and rest his arm on a table situated along the side of the bed, just for this purpose, and then immediately went to work. Lissa settled gingerly near the end, not wanting to interfere or anything. She didn't want to make it difficult for Winry, since they were basically dragging her into a job the moment she'd gotten home. Thankfully, the blonde seemed to be in decent spirits, easily drifting into her own story—how she'd gotten here, where she'd been…

"You went all the way out to Liore?" Lissa asked, looking up at her in surprise when Winry dropped that little bit of information.

Winry nodded absently, as she checked a screw in the automail with her forehead creased. Once that was finished, though, she got up and crossed to replace her tools, apparently finished. "Yeah. They seem to be doing better, actually. The whole town is pitching in to rebuild, and everybody seemed pretty…happy, especially considering everything that happened there."

Ed gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully. "You don't say," he murmured. "Liore's getting up and running again, huh…" A faint smile pulled his lips up. "Good to hear. I was nervous they might not." He sat up and curled his fist experimentally, the metal clacking at the movement. "So…" Ed's jaw tightened. "Why is Al traveling with Major Miles, anyway?"

So that's really what he's worried about. Of course.

"I'm not sure on the details," Winry admitted slowly, not facing him, "but the northern troops are hatching some plan in the east. Al figured he could help out, so he volunteered to tag along."

"I see," Ed murmured softly.

Lissa rested her hand on his knee, the human one, aware his brother's absence was affecting him more than he wanted to let on. But how could it not be affecting him? Al was off on some self-imposed mission to help the Briggs soldiers, going in exactly the opposite direction… Heading east, instead of west to Central. Could they safely get word to him, call him back? Or…would they just have to hope he'd make it back for the Promised Day?

"That sounds like Al," Lissa mused, almost smiling somehow. Regardless of her misgivings, it wasn't surprising that Alphonse had decided to help out.

"Oh, and Ed…" Winry's voice changed, just enough to make Lissa turn to her, wary. "We ran into your father in Liore. He should be on his way to Central now. I think he's headed for some slum named Kanama." She finished packing away her tools and set the crate on a nearby shelf, conspicuously turning away from them. "You oughta go there and get the full story from him."

Lissa didn't have to see Ed's face to know how he felt about that—even if meeting up with Hohenheim was necessary, that didn't make it easier to handle.

"You know… It's almost the Promised Day," Winry murmured, finally turning back to them.

Lissa nodded reluctantly. "We heard all about it from Ling and Greed. That's a big part of why we're traveling with Greed, honestly, even though he's a homunculus."

Ed's gaze darkened. "Ling said…it could give us the chance to get our bodies back…" He clenched his automail fist and curled it into his body, scowling fiercely. "But it's most likely gonna result in catastrophe for Amestris."

That was true… No matter how much Lissa hated it, the unfair truth was that the best chance Ed and Al had for getting their bodies back…was the ruination of their country.

"Listen, Winry," Ed began slowly.

Winry frowned at him. "What is it?"

"I want you to take Granny and Den, and leave the country for a while," he told her, gazing down at his automail like he could read the answers to everything there.

Lissa nearly fell off the bed as Winry whipped out a wrench and smacked him with it, rushing into that signature indignant anger of hers. "I'm not running away!" she told him fiercely. "You can't just send us off like that! I know you wanna protect us, but you need to try to save everyone!"

Ed shot up before Lissa could stop him and shouted back, "I'm gonna do everything I can to stop it, but there's a chance it might not work!"

Unafraid, Winry got right into his face. "I don't wanna hear any doubts from you!" she snapped—and just like that, her anger melted back, and she took a step away, gaze turning horribly sad. "Please, Ed," she begged softly. "You can't let them go through with this. Just tell me you're gonna stop them and save the country! I wanna hear you say that you're gonna protect the country and then get your bodies back." She clenched her fists at her sides. "Do whatever it takes to make that happen!"

Ed scowled at her. "Winry, you make it sound like it's easy," he grumbled, averting his gaze.

"This isn't the time to start doubting yourself, Ed!" Winry admonished. But he just turned and walked away, grabbing his white shirt from where he'd draped it over a chair and heading for the door. "Listen to me!" she demanded, but it just wasn't getting through to him.

"Winry, you just don't know when to shut up, do ya?" Ed growled, ripping the door open and stalking out of the room.

"Edward!" Winry called after him—but he'd already slammed the door behind him.

Lissa wrapped her arms around her middle and sighed wearily. "I'm sorry," she murmured, on her boyfriend's behalf.

"Has he…been like this recently?" Winry asked her softly, turning to her uncertainly. "I didn't mean to upset him… I just… I know what he was doing. He wanted to have an excuse to fail, that's all… He wanted it to be okay if he couldn't do it because Granny and I would be safe."

"It's been…hard," Lissa admitted, scuffing the toe of her boot on the floor. "Ed…went through a lot, after Baschool. We both did." Neither of them had admitted just how badly he'd been hurt—how close he'd actually come to…losing his life. And she wasn't going to betray his confidence like that, not for a moment. Still, she wanted to convey to Winry that this was just…stress, it was just Ed's own fears about what they had to do making him lash out.

"Lissa…" Suddenly Winry crossed to her and gripped her hands tightly, staring right into her eyes. "You'll look after him, won't you? I know it's a lot to ask, I just… I feel like he needs someone watching over him right now."

She smiled a bit ruefully. "I already am, Win. I promise. Al and I swore a long time ago to take care of Ed, and we've been doing our best to keep up with that."

Winry nodded, a little hesitantly, but she smiled in return anyway. "Thank you. I'm glad he's got someone looking after him, honestly… He really needs that."

The door swung open, and Lissa rose to her feet before Greed even stepped inside. "Hey, Starlight. Time to go," he ordered. "Round up your boyfriend, please. He's sulking in the kitchen and I don't really wanna deal with moody teenagers tonight."

"I'll get him," Lissa sighed, waving him away. The homunculus shrugged and padded off, hands in his pockets. She stood up, against her own wishes, knowing Greed would only pester her if she didn't go along with his demands. The sudden change in position sent stars cascading across her vision, but she blinked them away. "Right. I gotta grab Ed. Meet you outside?" she asked Winry, feigning total ease at the situation.

Winry nodded, frowning a bit. "Okay, sure."

With that handled, much as it could be, Lissa left the room and headed down to the kitchen. Sure enough, Ed was standing there with his arms crossed, his shirt hanging open and unbuttoned, a scowl deep-set on his face.

"You didn't need to be so harsh with her, y'know," Lissa murmured, approaching him.

Ed twisted his mouth up. "She was oversimplifying it. As if there's anything simple about what we have to do."

"It's not like she knows all the details," she sighed. Lissa tugged his arms down and began buttoning his shirt up for him, working her fingers along the buttons steadily just to keep her hands busy. "I know you're stressed…but there's no reason to take it out on Winry, she was just trying to look out for you, in her own way."

He sighed roughly. When he bowed his head his bangs brushed the top of hers, so close to just…folding into her. "I just wanted to keep her safe," he murmured. "That's all."

Lissa slipped the last button through its hole and rested her hands on Ed's chest, her left hand halfway on his automail, just trying to keep him steady. "We'll keep everyone safe when we stop Father and the homunculi. Winry and Pinako, and Gracia and Elicia, and every damn person in Amestris, okay? You don't have to send anybody away. We're going to do this, Ed."

"How are you so sure?" he asked her quietly. "How do you have so much…conviction?"

"Because… Over the years, I've seen and done so many things with you and Al that people would say are impossible. And I figure…we can do one more impossible task. Together." Lissa slid her palms up and over his shoulders, behind his neck, and pulled him in, embracing him tightly and resting her chin on his shoulder—which now required her to almost raise onto her tiptoes, embarrassingly. "I'm right here with you, Ed. I promise."

He wrapped his arms around her and curled her into him, breathing out harshly into her hair. "I'm gonna trust your conviction, Liss," Ed murmured. "I'm gonna trust you."

Lissa closed her eyes a moment. "We've got this. I really believe in it—in all of us."

He mumbled something, the words muffled by her hair, and she pulled back far enough to meet his eyes. "What's up?" she asked softly.

But he just smiled and brushed it off. "Nothing. C'mon, we don't want Greed to get impatient. He'll never stop whining about it if we make him wait."

Though she wanted to know what was on his mind, she knew better than to press Ed right now—and besides, he was right. Greed would have their asses if they made him wait any longer. So she just handed him his black suit jacket and let the moment pass, going outside to join the others just a moment after Winry and Pinako had stepped out to see them off, flanked by the two Briggs guards.

"You're really leaving in the middle of the night?" Winry asked, a touch worriedly.

Ed inclined his head. "We were actually planning on leaving a little earlier today, but then we ran into you." A genuine smile bloomed on his face. "It was good to see you. And thanks for the tune-up, Winry." He reached out and took Lissa's hand, turning to leave, as they had plenty of distance to cover.

"Oh, Ed…" Pinako spoke up, getting his attention. "If you happen to run into Hohenheim, you make sure to give him that message from your mother, all right?"

"I will, I will," he sighed, lifting his free hand without turning around. Lissa only knew he was distressed by the way his hand clenched down on hers.

Winry darted after them as they headed down the stairs. "Wait—are you sure you-"

"Just lay low until the Promised Day passes," Ed interrupted, not unkindly. He paused and turned back to her, just looking over his shoulder. "We're gonna stop them, Winry. And Al and I'll be home before you know it, with our bodies back. We all will."

Lissa felt a swell of just…pure love in her chest. He really was trusting her.

Ed cracked a grin, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Have an apple pie waiting for us, okay?"

"Okay," Winry agreed, smiling now.

"Be safe," Lissa added, nodding at her friend. "We'll see you soon, Win. All three of us will come back to celebrate afterwards."

Winry beamed at her. "I'll hold you to that."

And I'll hold myself to it. All of us are coming back—whole. No matter what it takes.

It wasn't hard to find Kanama—a ramshackle sort of miniature city outside Central, with a woodsy feeling undercut by a tinge of rust that made Lissa wonder about the overall feeling of the people there. They had to be unhappy with the way Amestris was being run, since they'd been relegated out here… But they seemed to be making do, at least. Nobody really looked at them twice as their group entered, which said a lot about the locals' mindsets, in Lissa's opinion.

Still, there was one issue. Kanama was a bit…bigger than they'd expected, and they had no idea where to even begin looking for Hohenheim.

"I'd try to sense him, but it's a little hard to feel through the cloud of homunculus standing a foot away," Lissa muttered, giving Greed a sharp side-eye.

He shrugged. "Not my fault."

Ed squeezed her hand to calm her down. He knew, better than anyone else since she'd actually explained it in full, that sensing a homunculus full-time was a bit…draining. "I'll just ask someone, okay? He's bound to have made some kind of trouble. They'll know him." He stepped over to where a couple farmers were working, and asked, rather politely, "Excuse me. This place is called Kanama, right?"

The farmers paused in their work, looking up at him in confusion. "Uh, yeah," one told him, nodding. "You're in the right place. Can we help you with something?"

"I'm looking for somebody called Hohenheim." Ed's nose wrinkled as he said the name. "Have you heard of him? He's, uh, a sort of middle-aged guy with blond hair and gold eyes." He cautiously avoided saying like mine, she noted, though it would've been a helpful demonstration in that moment.

Thankfully, he didn't need to explain any further. "Oh, yeah. I know him. He's a few blocks over. I can take you, if you'd like."

Lissa smiled at him. "That'd be great, thank you."

The farmer said something quickly to his buddy, and then gestured for them to follow him as he set off through town. He led them down a few alleyways, clearly some back route, and finally out along a path near the very edge of Kanama.

Lissa sensed him before she saw him—the proximity overcame the usual muffling from Greed being so close. That same wrongness, the uncomfortable blood-slick feeling of a Philosopher's Stone… She'd never really wondered why he felt that way, never tried to delve too far into that… But now, more in tune with her own abilities, she was deeply unsettled by the fact that he felt like a damned Philosopher's Stone. Why? How was that even possible?

"Mr. Ho," the farmer called out as they approached. Hohenheim was seated on a log by a fire, too well-dressed for his surroundings, cooking some kind of meat on a stick over the little makeshift bonfire. "You've got some company."

For a moment, tension burned through the air as Ed glared across at him, and Hohenheim stared back at him over his shoulder.

Then, relenting, Hohenheim set his stick down and got to his feet, turning to face them properly. "Edward… I didn't think-"

Ed lunged so fast Lissa almost thought he'd borrowed her abilities for a moment. He darted forward and rammed his automail fist right into Hohenheim's jaw and the left side of his face, sending him flying end over end to land in an ungainly heap in the dirt. Unabashed, Ed turned back to everyone else and checked the wrist on his automail, sighing in a kind of relief. "That felt good," he muttered.

Hohenheim sat up with a groan. "You could've at least warned me you were about to slug me!" he complained, rubbing his face. "And with your metal hand, too."

Ed just put his hands on his hips and ignored him.

Lissa knew realistically she ought to tell him off for it, to say something inane like he's your father and you shouldn't hit him—but knowing what she did, she thought he was pretty damn justified in throwing that punch. She was actually surprised it was just one.

"I see you've made a new group of friends," Hohenheim observed, as he got to his feet.

Heinkel shook his head wearily. "It's more like we're all in the same sinking ship."

"That's right," Greed confirmed. The ass was grinning like he was enjoying the show, and Lissa rather wanted to punch him for it. "And I guess you could say I'm the captain of that ship."

"So you're the one in charge?" Hohenheim asked curiously. "Then I'd like to thank you for looking after my son, and his young friend here as well."

Greed smirked at him. "Sure. But y'know, your son can be a real pain in the ass."

"Hey!"

But nobody was really paying attention to his frustration, Lissa noted with some anger burning in her chest. What was it with Hohenheim just…ignoring his son like this? She wondered if this had been Ed and Al's childhood… Trying to get his attention and being unable to break through the wall. It sounded miserable.

"That's an interesting tattoo," Hohenheim added, moving right along.

"Yeah… You noticed." Greed lifted his hand to display the crimson ouroboros tattoo. "I guess there's no point in hiding it." A certain spark glimmered dangerously in his eye. "But let's make this honesty thing mutual, pops."

Ed cast a rather unfriendly look towards his father. "Look, we need to talk. The Promised Day is tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Hohenheim nodded. "Fair enough. I'll tell you everything. But I expect full disclosure in return." His gaze raked over Lissa, and she forced herself not to look away—there was no sense in arguing, besides. They needed every single one of their assets on the table.

They all settled around the fire, Lissa taking a seat rather pointedly beside Ed, technically between him and Hohenheim, and curled her right hand into his left. She shot Hohenheim a look when he noticed their position, daring him to question them now—but to her surprise, something softened in his gaze as he stared at the two, taking in their position, a gentleness she hadn't seen in him until that moment.

But it faded as soon as he cleared his throat and began his story.

Lissa sat through it, clutching Ed's hand, as much a lifeline for her as she was for him, as Hohenheim revealed everything. It was one thing to sense a Philosopher's Stone on him…but it was something so, so vastly different to hear his true history. Not an Amestrian…not by birth… No, he was Xerxesian, a four-hundred-and-fifty-year-old man in an immortal body, a remnant of a long-dead civilization. And…more than that…her original sense of him had been right. He was quite literally a living Philosopher's Stone.

And a former slave. She'd never even known Xerxes kept slaves—even in Amestris the practice was outlawed—but it certainly warped her perspective of the society. It was always held to such a standard in what little history was known of it, but this changed things, to hear that not only did they keep slaves but in fact, slaves weren't supposed to read or write or have any sort of intelligence level whatsoever.

All of which made Ed and Al half-Xerxesian. The golden hair and eyes, the unique traits they shared, had been a defining characteristic of the people of Xerxes.

If Hohenheim hadn't said it with such surety, with such consistent honesty in his tone, she might not have believed it at all. But every word he spoke reeked of the truth, no matter how much she began to wish he was lying. None of it, none of it excused him abandoning Ed and Al. Not a damn bit. But…it did put into perspective why he'd done it nonetheless.

When he finally fell silent, his tale finished, the sun had set and darkness fallen over Kanama, broken by a few strung electric lights and a handful of fires. Greed alone didn't seem stunned—though Lissa supposed being a homunculus himself, that wouldn't be quite as shocking. Darius and Heinkel seemed floored by it, jaws dropped, eyes wide. And Ed… He was practically trembling beside her, his automail curled around his abdomen like he could keep the flood of emotions inside, while his left hand gripped hers so tightly it nearly hurt. He'd bowed his head, his face screwed up in distress, mostly hidden behind his bangs as he struggled to come to terms with his father's personal history.

"I was worried this might be more difficult for you to accept than it was for Alphonse," Hohenheim murmured, gazing across at Ed, seeming almost worried.

Ed jerked upright and stared at him in shock. "Wait, you told Al about this?" he demanded.

"I did," Hohenheim confirmed. "I'm sure he has his own thoughts on the matter…but he accepted it nonetheless."

Of course he had… Lissa couldn't imagine anything less. Al had such a giving heart, and besides…he was a soul bound to a suit of armor himself. He probably didn't think he was in any position to pass judgments on someone else's situation, not given his own existence—though this…she really thought he could've afforded a little skepticism here.

Hohenheim pointed at himself and looked at Ed rather gravely. "If you want to use me to get your bodies back…you can."

"Are you crazy?!" Ed snapped, leaping to his feet and glowering down at him. "Maybe you are a living Philosopher's Stone, but I'm not gonna sacrifice innocent souls!" He flung his left arm wide in anger. "It's our fault we lost our bodies!"

A fond sort of expression came over Hohenheim's face. "I'm proud my son feels that way."

That just seemed to make it worse somehow.

"There will be a solar eclipse tomorrow," he continued, focusing back on the task at hand. "He—the one the homunculi call Father—plans on harnessing it for his scheme."

"An eclipse?" Ed repeated, frowning. "So that's his plan?"

Hohenheim nodded, and looked up at him steadily. "Listen, Edward… He has to be stopped at all costs. I need you to help me."

Ed's face contorted. "Help you?! Now look here—I'm gonna stop that bearded bastard, but I'm not doing it because you want me to help you! Our best chance at beating this guy is to team up, and that's the only reason I'm even talking to you right now!" With that, he turned and stalked off, apparently signaling the others to follow. Lissa would've done it anyway, but it was a good excuse to stand up and go after him, since she knew he needed a little…help, after all that.

"That's fine with me," Hohenheim conceded softly. "It doesn't matter what your reasons are as long as you'll still fight alongside me."

Just as Lissa reached him, Ed paused, sucked in a deep breath, and muttered, "Granny asked me to give you mom's final words." He turned just far enough to see Hohenheim out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry I couldn't keep my promise, but I'm dying first. So there, I told you!"

He suddenly gasped and turned all the way around, eyes going wide, and Lissa followed to see Hohenheim was…crying, staring up at the dark night sky and crying silently.

Ed stood there a moment, breathing hard—then he grabbed Lissa's hand and turned to pull her away with him. She didn't think he could deal with his father crying, mourning…and she didn't really blame him for that.

"Miss Caito…"

She flinched and turned to see Hohenheim gazing at her, his expression unfathomable. "I was wondering…if I might have a word with you in private."

Ed drew himself up. "No way, you-"

"It's fine," Lissa cut him off, though she was surprised to find herself willing. "I'll be okay, Ed. I handled Kimblee on my own, didn't I?" She squeezed both his hands, the automail cold and unyielding in her fingers. "I'll meet up with you later, okay?"

He scowled across at Hohenheim. "If you upset her, I'll break your damned arm," he snarled.

"Ed," Lissa murmured, the single syllable a chastisement. "Go on, I'm okay here." She stretched up and kissed him, keeping it gentle and innocent since his father was watching, after all—and then nudged him towards where the others had gone.

Though he looked completely unhappy with it, Ed relented and walked away, leaving her alone with Hohenheim.

Not…exactly her favorite position to be in, honestly.

Lissa turned to him, wary, to see he'd settled back in front of the fire on the same log, and was gesturing at the one she'd just vacated as well. "Here, have a seat. I'm not going to reprimand you, I promise," he told her, cracking a faint smile. "It's nothing like that. Though… I understand why you'd expect it. I was a bit…harsh on you before."

She reluctantly sat back down, resting her forearms on her knees and meeting his eyes. "I wasn't very welcoming myself, to be honest."

"No, but I can't blame you for that." He inclined his head towards where Edward had vanished. "You're very protective of my sons, I can tell that much—and I admit, at first I misjudged you. I didn't fully understand your motivations for looking after them, and some part of me thought you might be with them for the wrong reasons. But I know better now." Hohenheim's eyebrows lifted. "Tell me, Miss Caito… Have you told Edward that you're in love with him?"

Lissa sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth. "I—I don't know what you're-"

He smiled gently at her. "It's not an accusation. I doubt he even realizes the extent of it, if you haven't told him yet. No, it's something I noticed… You see…" Hohenheim's eyes fogged with tears, and Lissa shifted uncomfortably. "It's the look in your eyes, Miss Caito… It's the same as what I always saw in Trisha's eyes when she looked at me."

"Their mother," she whispered, stunned. "You—figured it out just from…a look? But… I don't…understand…"

"Seeing Trisha look at me that way meant everything," he explained softly. "I'd know it anywhere. In truth…when I first met you, I was worried you were both too young to jump into something like this, not immature but inexperienced… Yet seeing you now…" Hohenheim mirrored her position, resting forward, elbows on his knees. "You truly love him, don't you, Miss Caito? In a very conscious, very genuine way."

Lissa swallowed hard, suddenly unable to hold his gaze any longer. "I do," she murmured, the words just spilling out. "I love him, but… I haven't told him."

"Oh?" He looked surprised. "Why not?"

"Because… It isn't right, to do it now," Lissa muttered. "Not with everything we have to deal with. The Promised Day is tomorrow, and I won't be an extra distraction for him. We already have a bad habit of jumping in the way of danger for each other, I can't risk making that worse… And if he…" She felt her face heating up. "If he doesn't feel the same… I could make tomorrow unbearable."

Hohenheim sighed deeply. "That's very noble of you," he observed. "Noble…and foolish."

Lissa jerked her head up to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"You're trying to spare Edward a distraction, thinking of your mission and the battle we're all facing." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's a foolish notion. Not trying to spare him, no, I understand that intention—but you see, the fact is, my son is already in love with you as well. He looks at you exactly how I looked at his mother."

The sound of her heartbeat pounding flooded her ears.

He…he thinks Ed's in love with me? All this, just from a look? From reading the emotion in his eyes? I know Ed wears everything on his face, but even so…

"It manifests in such small gestures," Hohenheim continued softly. "What used to be conscious becomes automatic… Being close seems to be the most natural thing… You start to forget what your life was like without that person, and realize you could never go back to whatever you had before you found them. Does that sound familiar?"

Lissa nodded weakly. "Yes."

A smile curled the ends of his mouth up. "I wouldn't waste any time, Miss Caito. None of us know how much we have left—and I would hate for either of you to go into tomorrow with any regrets. You love him. And I can see he loves you in return. Don't waste that opportunity."

"And what if you're wrong?" she asked him lowly. "What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

Hohenheim shrugged. "He doesn't seem the type of person to push you aside just because of that. And I doubt there will be much space to worry about it tomorrow anyway. But what do I know? I'm just an old man who's out of touch with the world." He sighed and got to his feet, stretching his back out. "Even so…I know what a young person in love looks like. I saw it in you, didn't I?" A faint smirk. "You'd better go find Edward before he comes back to hit me again, don't you think, Miss Caito?"

She stood up too, and muttered, "Lissa. You don't need to be so…stuffy."

He smiled like he'd won a battle. "Then just Hohenheim is quite all right, without a title. I don't believe we need to pretend we don't know each other." With that, he inclined his head and strolled away from the fire. "Goodnight, Lissa."

She just wrapped her arms around herself and didn't reply.


(Full disclosure. This was *hard* to write, here at the end. I wanted to stay true to Hohenheim's depicted character - despite my personal issues with him and the situation - because I do believe this is something he'd do. Well-meaning, but with a bite. He's got no business interfering, really, but he's pretty much the King of No Social Graces, so it fit. Please also note that for all Lissa dislikes him, she hardly remembers her parents, so someone even attempting to be parental with her is a big deal. She's still sixteen, after all. Sigh. I hope that was handled well because I truly did want to stick him into a box and never let him out again.)