The Butterfly and Flame Alchemists: The Healing Flower

Chapter Five: Inevitability

Sleep did not come easy, if anything it felt as if it had never arrived, but Roy rose the next morning with dread for the day. The last thing he wanted to do was spend so much time away from home after the argument the ensued the previous night. Though she seemed to have moved on from it, he couldn't help but the ball of anxiety sitting in his chest.

"Jean will be stopping in occasionally to check on you," he said as he, Aileana, Hawkeye, and Russell all stood in the foyer, "and of course Joseph and Maria. Please try to listen to them as much as you can, alright?"

"Fine, fine," she waved him off, chuckling as she took him tightly in her arms, "please be safe. I don't want to get another call from Hawkeye saying you've upset a diplomat,"

"Hey, that wasn't even my fault really; how was I supposed to know I had broken his sister's feelings when I was at the academy?"

"Either way, be safe," her smile looked sad, her hands lingering on his arm for a moment more.

"Please come back soon, dad!" Russell smiled, jumping into his arms for a hug, "Mom says we might go to the festival in Risebal when you come back,"

"Shh, I hadn't told him about it yet," she whispered to him, then turned back to Roy, "it was something he and I were talking about the other day. He's only been once, you know,"

"Hmm," Roy pretended to think hard, "I guess I can take some time off and we can go see the festival,"

"Thanks dad!" he threw his arms back around him and Roy held him tightly. His mind was still running over the fact that, had he not acted when he did, he would not be holding his son at that moment.

"Sir?" Hawkeye said spoke up, pulling him out of his thoughts. How long had he been standing there?

"Oh, sorry Lieutenant," he pulled away from his son, ruffling his hair as he turned for the door, "you behave for your mother,"

With one last way, Roy and Hawkeye exited the estate and climbed into the car bound for the presidential train.

"You seemed lost in thought back there, sir," Hawkeye said, continuing to look through their itinerary, "is everything alright?"

"Ily and I had a fight last night," he said crossing his arms as he leaned back in his seat, "I was still thinking about what we said,"

"I hope it wasn't a serious argument, I'd hate for you two to part on a sour note,"

"No, we patched things up. This isn't the first time we've had this argument,"

Hearing this, she looked up at him. There had been once before, after one of the earlier times they had had this argument, where Roy broke character and vented to Hawkeye about it. She understood both sides of the argument, especially since she had been there when he was attacked by Lust. It always hurt her that the two of them were still haunted by the past.

"Well, sir, I hope that someday soon that argument will fade away and stay in the past with all the bed memories it brings up," she smiled briefly, then returned to her serious demeanor as she began to go over all they were to expect on their trip.

Three days had passed before Havoc had a chance to break away from his tasks to check up on Aileana. In the back on his mind he could almost hear Roy yelling at him, telling him that her safety should have been his top priority; but there were just something that he had to do himself, surely Roy understood that.