The Colonel ordered an officer to bring the corpse into the military's pathology.

The Colonel roamed through some of the clothes hanging inside the closet. Nothing all too suspicous he assumed and dropped a jacket onto the bed behind him.

"Where might the hint be this time?" Roy scrutinized.

"Did this man have children?" interjected Hohenheim as though he over heard his friend'd question.

"No, I don't think so, why?" Mustang was puzzeled.

On the left side, hid behind a few socks was a toy and baby-shoes. Hohenheimlifted these two things and angled them in front of the other's face.

"A toy and baby-shoes. Now don't tell me this man collected these." Hohenheim smiled and reached behind him for a plastic bag to store the evidence in.

He remained on his spot for another while and faced the corpse as if he was expecting to find something unsual.

"What's the matter?" inquired the Colonel.

"I wonder." He paused. "What my oldest son might be up to right now."

"Why's that?" inquired Roy bending down to take a closer look at the bloodstain on the closet's floor.

"He is alone." Retorted the elder. His eyes looked sleepy, rather as if he was spacing out. Like the brain lost connection to the body and he was just babbling random things.

"Your kids are alone often lately."

"With a girl."

Roy had nearly dropped the tweezer he held in his right hand to pick up a lose hair strand. "Then why, are you still here?" Hohenheim did not miss the insinuating tone in his voice.

"You are right. I'm off. Tell me what you found later on." He retorted monontonely and left the room before the Colonel could even give his usual salute – even if it was just to annoy his friend.

----

Hohenheim took Roy's car knowing the Colonel would not have any trouble getting a lift home considering he was an high animal.

The blonde man sprinted to the door and knocked. Taking one last breath he smiled at the dainty lady opening the door in the best way possible. Though smiling at the moment seemed hard to him, since his son was in there alone with a girl, without anyone looking after him, and the woman that had tried to seduce him a couple of times alreay, was anything but normal – suspicious even.

Though he hated to admit it, he did not miss his wife lately as much as he did the first day. He even forgot about her. Pacing from one hint to another there was no time to come up with a plan how to safe his wife. He knew, following the game was all he could do. Though it did not make much sense to him. All he did so far was finding corpses. He analyzed the hints and found the next dead body and it went on and on this way. Whatever was up with those things he found close to the corpses every time was a miracle to him, but he supposed it might just be a mood of those people that played with him.

Now that he thought about it, he felt like he needed to check on Alphonse too. Sighing deeply he decided he would go fetch Edward and head back home. "I might aswell have to give that little man a harangue."

Stretching and yawning Hohenheim slammed the door open. A blonde boy jerked off the bed hastily pulling up his unbuttoned jeans. His father tilted his head and have his sone one of those special looks. – "My son, you screwed up."

"Get dressed and come downstairs. I'll give you 3 minutes." The blonde's voice sounded dull and monotone. "I knew that had to happen sooner or later." He told himself shutting the door behind him. That was a lie as Hohenheim had to admit. He prayed he culd just skip this part. "Trisha…" he sighed.

----

The younger blonde came downstairs, dressed just as neatly as before. His father did not look into the youngers son and just headed for the door. "Thanks for the evening Amanda, I shall ."

The woman just nodded and ran up to the tall man hugging him one last time. "I will look forward to that." She caressed his cheek with his left and winked.

Hohenheim shuddered a little but nodded only. He had rather not known this woman's thoughts at the moment. "I wonder wheter this husband even exists." He wondered. Let's go." He added looking at Edward.

Hohenheim tried to bring up a certain topic while they sat in the car, knowing this might be his only chance – he could not escape after all, unless he was keen on falling onto the ground out of a driving car.

Though the elder had trouble starting. Actually he was sure there was nothing he would needed to talk about, he did not even want to. But. He was a father, he had to. It wa shis duty. A duty he would have liked to ignore.

"Edward we need to talk." He began. On purpose he looked out of the window pretending to look at the landscape – as if you saw much at night.

"There is nothing we would need to talk about. I'm filled in into sex, contraception and all that. Thanks to school." Edward retorted placidly looking inot the other direction. Hohenheim was sure to have noticed this faint cold tone that underlay his words.

Hohenheim pulled their car up to the house. He was somewhat relieved. Smiling to himself, he drew out the keys and opened the door as he realized he did not lock the door in the first place since there was still Alphonse inside.

----

"Alphonse, we are back." Exclaimed Edward. "Sshht." Interjected his father. "He might be sleeping."

Edward just grunted and took a leave to his left as his figure suddenly froze.

"What's the-"

To their left Trisha's favourite plant was kicked over and soil covered the floor. Looking further to their right a few chairs were lying on the floor. Drawers were open, cuttlery spilled on the floor.

Hohenheim's heart raced. He rushed upstairs and bursted the door to the boy's bedroom open. No sigh of the younger.

"Edward!" he yelled. "Is Alphonse anywhere downstairs or in my office?"

Utter silence spread. Edward replied after a while. "No, why?"

Hohenheim had troble to stand straight and not sink to his knees. Why did they take his son too now?

"They took him away from us too."

----

"So do you think they will start a second game?" Edward had finally broken the silence. Hohenheim had cleaned the kitchen not leaving any stain. It was unusually clean now.

His father had his hands folded on the table, his eyes blank. He had been staring at the same spot on the table the past 10 minutes already.

"No." he hesitated. "I believe this is supposed to be some kind of punishment. I did not carry out their little game like they wanted me to." Once again he paused still focusing the same spot. "I slacked off."

xxxx

Short chapter I know. But I felt like updating already.