The Sick Alchemist- A Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction

Chapter 26

Roy walked into the small room in wake of Hohenheim. He had been sitting on the couch with Ed when the man suddenly beckoned him to come with him. Curious, Roy followed him, and now the two of them were in a small, yet brightly, lit room. The door was closed and locked to prevent any disruptions. Hohenhein stared at Roy.

"Do you need anything?" Roy asked the man, who had remained silent.

"I see Edward's taken a liking to you," Hohenheim commented.

Roy was caught off guard by what Hohenheim said. "Well, he has been living with me for a while now."

"Alphonse told me," Hohenheim began. "I heard he greatly respects you."

This one surprised Roy almost as much as the last. "I-I suppose."

"Mustang, I want you to do a favor for me," Hohenheim said. "Will you be willing to do that?"

"It depends what the favor is," Roy told him. He slightly feared what the favor was going to be. He hoped it wasn't something bad.

There was a long pause before Hohenheim said something that greatly shocked Roy.

"Mustang. I'm leaving this country and I'm not returning." Hohenheim held a sad look in his eyes as he spoke. "I want you to take care of Ed and Al. If anyone asks, tell them that I'm dead. Say I died in a fire." He paused. "I want you to take Ed and Al and bring them to Central. I'm leaving tonight."

"But I can't just do that," Roy protested. "They're your sons. How can you just leave them?"

"Like I told you, I'm leaving," Hohenheim replied stiffly. "I'm burning my house, like Ed and Al did to theirs. I'll transmute a dummy that resembles myself. Adopt Ed and Al. Take care of them for me." Hohenheim looked on the verge of tears. "I've been a disgrace to them. You'd make a much better father than I ever could."

"But-"

"The trains leaving in fifteen minutes," Hohenheim interrupted. "Take that train to Central. And don't go looking for me."

Roy clenched his fists by his sides. "Alright, Hohenheim. I hope you know what you're doing."

Roy turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

"Roy, what's wrong?" Ed called from the couch.

"We're going back to Central," he replied softly. "I'll get our stuff. Just sit there for a bit, alright?"

"So soon?" Ed asked.

"Yes, Ed." Roy began to pack their things. "Alphonse is coming with us. You're father wants him to."

"The bastard?" Ed echoed, altering the words so they were more to his liking.

"Yes." Roy grabbed Ed's coat and helped the boy put it on. "The train leaves soon. We have to hurry."

"O-okay." Ed zipped up the coat as Roy went to fetch Al.

He found Hawkeye and the suit of armor in the kitchen, talking to each other.

"Hawkeye, Alphonse, we're leaving," Roy announced, peering into the room.

Al looked surprised. "But I have to help dad. I can't come."

"Your father told me to take you," Roy told him. "And besides, do you know what happened to Ed after you left? His stress increased to the point I had to get him medication in case he had an anxiety attack. He missed you and his nightmares were all about you leaving him." Roy pulled the bottle of pills out of his pocket. "Ed hates taking these. They knock him out and make him feel out of it for days. And he only has to take these because of the times his anxiety attacks are really bad." Roy dreaded telling Al all this, but he knew Al well enough to know that by saying this he'd willingly come.