A/N: Part 3- Hohenheim meeting Edward by Trisha's grave. Most of the lines of dialogue are taken straight from the manga, but some of them are edited, seeing as I read manga scans and a lot of it DESPERATELY NEEDS EDITING ANYWAY.

Part III

The stone was simple, just her name and date of birth and death. Nothing extra, nothing fancy, nothing to tell it apart from any of the other graves dotted about the cemetery, nothing but the fact that it was her grave, the grave of his wife.

Trisha Elric, 1878-1904. Twenty-six. She'd only been twenty-six. He was over 450 years old, and she had only been given twenty-six short years on this Earth. It just wasn't fair.

He crouched at Trisha's grave for two hours and wept, unaware of any of the other visitors that came by. That whole time, he didn't utter a single word, simply because he didn't have the strength. After that time had passed, he managed to crawl back to his feet, where he stood mumbling for at least another hour.

Hohenheim knew better than any the dangers, risks and impossibility of human transmutation, but even he could not stop the theories from running around his mind in that moment. He would have done anything in the world just to have one more day with her and the their family.

"Why... why didn't... you wait?" the words choked in his throat. "Why didn't...you wait... for me? We were supposed... supposed to go... together... Trisha... Trisha..."

Had she died hating him for deserting her and the boys? Did she look down on him now, cursing his name, blaming him for what their sons had tried to do and what had happened to them?

If he'd been there, if he'd stayed, he could have saved her. It would have been easy. Their house would still be standing strong. It was dinnertime now, they'd all be sitting down at the table, stuffing their mouths with Trisha's glorious cooking. They might have even had a child or two. They'd be one, big, happy family, without a care in the world...

But she was dead, and it was all his fault. His sons would be right to blame him.

He had finally become vaguely aware of another presence in the graveyard rushing up the path. They stopped a few paces behind him and gathered their breath. Hohenheim paid them no heed until he heard his own name shouted.

"Van Hohenheim!"

Slowly, he turned away from the grave and found himself staring in the face of a young boy he should have known well. His golden eyes were seethed in fury, but behind them, Hohenheim could still see the child he had once cradled in his arms. "Ed...ward?"

He wanted to rush towards him and gather him in his arms, to grovel and apologise until he was hoarse, to beg him to forgive him, but he couldn't, his legs were rooted to the spot. He did not deserve to be forgiven, and Edward was wearing a look that suggested he would kill him if he ever got close enough. He would never forgive him.

"Have you... grown bigger?" was the best he could manage. What a pointless, stupid thing to say...

"Why are you phrasing it like a question for?"

"You've got quite a reputation in Central... the 'smallest state alchemist in history'?"

"It's 'youngest'!"

"I heard from Pinako... you did a human transmutation."

"You bastard, you still have the cheek to show up here at this time!"

"What in blue blazes are you addressing your parent as a bastard for?" Say it, Edward. Say it.

"You're not just any bastard, you're the bastard! If you weren't in front of mother's grave right now, I would have knocked you down!"

I wouldn't have blame you if you did. It's far less than I deserve. His eyes turned back to Trisha, and the rest of the conversation flew by in a daze. He only heard every other word his son was spouting at him.

"Trisha... why did you die?"

"Why? It's because of a shit like you! You made her go through a lot of hardship!"

I know... I know... "A little more time, that's all... a little more time..."

"Ahhh! You planned to give her more hardship in that 'a little more time'!"

"I promised you so..."

"You have no idea how hard it was for her as a single mother!"

"Trisha... don't leave me alone..."

"You're the bastard that left her! Argh, we're not even communicating on the same frequency!" Ed punched the ground furiously. "You came back too late, and now you have no place to stay! Why the hell did you even come back?"

I wanted to be with my family again. I wanted to come home...

"Ah, yes... my home..." Hohenheim's gaze wandered towards the black landmark on the hill. "Why has it been burnt down? Nothing... there's not a single thing left of it."

Edward looked away uncomfortably. "We decided not to turn back from our chosen path. It was better not to have a home to return to. That's the resolve of our decision."

"You're wrong. It is because... one does not want to see the remnants of one's own mistakes, isn't it? It is for the sake of running away from the unpleasant memories, to erase the evidence of what we have done. It is just like the kid who wets his bed in the night and hides his sheets..."

"...No. You're wrong!"

"You are running away, Edward."

"WHAT WOULD A BASTARD UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT!"

"I do understand." So much...

Edward turned away, face contorted with anger. He started back up the path, cursing under his breath. "Conversing with a bastard gives me a disgusting feeling."

"Didn't you come to visit her grave?"

"Not while I'm in this foul mood!"

Surprising even himself, Hohenheim left his wife's side and began to follow his son up the hill. He wasn't sure why, why he would leave her company to go after someone who so clearly hated him. Perhaps... perhaps, merely because he was alive, or because he hated him... because he was giving him all the venom and spite he deserved.

"Stop following me!"

"You're going to Pinako's, right? I'm going there too as I have nowhere else to go. It can't be helped, I guess."

They walked for some time in icy silence, Ed always a few steps ahead of him. Hohenheim adjusted his stride to keep it that way, although he longed to be able to walk by his side.

"You have left your hair long," he said after a while. Then, as an after thought, "In the same style as mine as well."

It was clearly a bad thing to say. Ed immediately seized his ponytail and furiously braided it, before glaring at Hohenheim darkly for ever suggesting such a thing. He quickened his pace and hurried ahead.

Hohenheim smiled sadly to himself and sighed at the irony, however small a part he had played in his son's upbringing, however much his son despised him, they were still so obviously related. "He's exactly like me when I was young."

.o0o.

A/N: I have two more little short chapters after this. One is Hohenheim watching Edward sleep (I loved that scene in the manga!) and the last LAST will be an extended scene at Trisha's grave right at the end.

PS, I just watch episode 63. Oh, it was so beautiful. Who else loved it? Best series ever? I think so!

I already have one of the parts written... will upload after some good reviews! :P

Virtual cookies to my wonderful reviewers. Love you all!