Well, here's the next one.

I don't own FMA.

The Elric's arrival at Dublith was a rather anticlimactic event, all things considered. While finding out about Scar's survival had set Ed in a good mood at the beginning of the train ride, his nerves over seeing his teacher again and yet another nasty nightmare of Hohenheim had managed to cast a gloom over him as he and Al trudged along to their teacher's house. By the time they'd arrived at the Curtis' doorstep, both Elrics were visibly nervous, so finding out that neither Sig or the house had changed was something of a relief. With that said, he definitely should have realized that Izumi Curtis would jump into attack mode the minute she saw him. He didn't though, and neither did Al for that matter. Once all parties had settled down, Izumi welcomed the brothers into her home. The tea had barely been served when Ed got right to the heart of their visit: the Philosopher's Stone.

Teacher's arms lay crossed in front of her chest as she replied, "The Philosopher's Stone? No, I don't know much about it. It holds no interest for me."

The answer was in no way surprising considering how she'd glossed over the subject during their lessons growing up, so Ed was ready to accept the answer and move along when Sig interjected, "There was that one alchemist. I thought that one man in central knew a lot about the stone."

The comment drew gasps from both Elrics, and Ed demanded, "So who was this guy?" He leaned forward, mood lifted, as his heart rate picked up.

He was nearly buzzing with expectation as Teacher looked thoughtful, "Let me think ... what's his name? Ah, Hohenheim."

In an instant, the warmth that Ed felt inside turned to an icy chill as a pit formed in his gut. He could vaguely hear Al gasp as he felt his brother's gaze fall upon him, but he couldn't hold back his readily apparent anger. Panic had him trembling unconsciously as he thoroughly rejected the idea of approaching Van Hohenhiem for aid. There was no way he'd do that, not after what the man had said.

His Teacher seemed indifferent to his internal struggle as she demanded to know what was bothering Ed but all Edward could muster himself to say was, "Then he's alive?"

"Someone you know?"

The question demanded Ed gave her an answer, yet it was Al who replied, "He's our father."

Ed fought back the urge to deny the statement as he watched surprise color Teacher's face when she confirmed that they were referring to the man who'd abandoned them all those years ago. Something about her tone got to Ed and he snapped, "Yeah, that's the one! It's all because of that bastard that our mother's dead, and if it wasn't for him ..." his voice trailed off as he thought of the night his father left, the day his mother died, and most of all, the sharp accusations from the park. He lowered his head to hide the barrage of complicated emotions that fought to appear on his face. Despite that he could still feel sympathy radiating from his teacher.

It was likely because of Ed's silence that Al spoke up, "Um, did our dad say anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Something about a life long dream coming true. He seemed very happy with he said it." Immediately after saying that, Teacher stood and walked over to box Ed's head before she said in a stern tone, "Now we're going to eat!" and walked into the kitchen to prepare the food.

After the tension surrounding the Philosopher's Stone, conversation at the dinner table was lighter, and more cheerful as Ed and Al recounted their adventures in Rush Valley, and similar tales before they retired to the bedroom they slept in as children and reminisced about their training. One particular lesson stood out from the rest though, one where there Teacher mentioned the truth. With that in mind, the Elric's approached her the next morning.

At least, they started to approach her about it. The got as far as trying to start the conversation before their teacher attacked, forcing Ed to use alchemy without drawing a circle and confronting them about their own encounter with 'Truth.' With no other options available, Ed confessed to what had happened with their mother and Teacher told them of how she lost her organs while trying to resurrect her child. Upon seeing her regrets over keeping her suffering silent, both brothers tried to put up a brave front and appear optimistic, but she saw through it as in an instant and offered them comfort.

Teacher kicked them out the minute they calmed down though, and it was only because of Sig's scolding that they saw sense and ran back from the train station to demand help, and were lucky enough to receive. While there was little they could do then, they rested easier knowing that they'd achieved some manner of success.

The next morning began rather uneventfully in comparison to the previous two. They had breakfast and Ed was recruited to help teacher wash dishes while Al swept in front of the store. It was a simple, banal task which Ed conducted easily until Teacher turned to him and said, "Now tell me what about your father is keeping you from asking him for help."

The plate that Ed had finished drying slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor. He glanced down at it before his head snapped up again to find her eyes focused solely on him. For a second, Ed said nothing, he just sputtered under his teacher's stare before he bent down to repair the plate as he replied, "What the hell are you talking about? I never said anything about not talking to him." He tried to laugh off the statement as he shakily tried to brush off the bottom of the plate before he handed it to his teacher.

Despite his attempts to dismiss the conversation, his Teacher looked far from convinced. She washed the plate only to hold it out of his reach when he went to dry it. Ed wanted to object further, but his teachers stare silenced him. The air felt thick as she said, "Don't you dare try to pull that bullcrap with me Edward Elric. I could see your face well enough when I mentioned him, and you can't get away with saying 'he just left when we were little' because I know there's more to it than that."

Silence filled the area following her words. Ed swallowed hard to combat the sudden dryness of his throat, but he couldn't make himself speak. Instead, he looked away. A sigh came from his teacher's direction, and she pulled the cloth from his hand. He could hear the dish being dried and put away, but he still didn't look over. Not until he was he felt his teacher's hand land on his shoulders. He heard her say his name and found himself looking against his will. He'd expected her to scold him, but she only sounded concerned as she said, "It's alright Ed. No matter whatever happened with him, I won't spread a word of it."

The promise worked. Ed tried to swallow the lump in his throat and said, "And what if I said that the night Hohenheim left wasn't the last time I saw him? What if I said it was Father's Day this year?"

A third swallow thankfully brought a small amount of spit down Ed's throat, "Suppose I tried to forgive Hohenheim for abandoning us, an he, he rejected it. What if he said he hated me?" Ed sucked in a breath in an effort to stop himself from shaking further than he was, "Just what would you do if I said that he looked me in the eye and told me I should have died? And what if, what if I tried-"

Ed was cut off abruptly when he found himself in a relentlessly tight hug from his teacher. He stood there, still trying to make sense of the situation when he head her say, "If Van Hohenheim did even half of that, then he's the most pitiful creature in existence, and I'd like to go and beat the sense out of him." Despite hearing her clear as day, Ed continued to stare dumbstruck as his teacher stepped back, her expression the epitome of righteous fury as she turned to Sig, who Ed had forgotten was there, and said, "You got that honey?"

Sig nodded in assent as he repeated, "Beat Hohenheim within an inch of his life should we lay eyes on him. Got it." and proceeded to start sharpening a large knife.

Ed sputtered again as Teacher turned back towards him and asked, "Does Al know?" Ed shook his head furiously, and she demanded, "Well why not!? He has the right to know just what kind of scum his father is!"

"I can't do that to Al, he loves our Dad! Besides, it's only me that Hohenheim hates! He loves Alphonse!"

A cascade of blood came out of Teacher's mouth when she started to object, so she sighed and waited for Sig to wipe her mouth clean before she said, "Listen Edward, this isn't something you should keep to yourself. You might think you're doing your brother a favor by keeping him in the dark, but you're not." Ed looked away again drawing a second sigh from his teacher before she said, "This isn't going get us anywhere." She looked Ed in the eye, "I need an object delivered to the baker down the street. Why don't you take care of that and then we'll continue talking."

The suggestion came as a welcome relief, and Ed quickly snatched up the package and hurried out the door.

... ... ... ... ... ...

It hadn't taken long at all for Edward's reply to his letter to arrive. Unfortunately for Scar though, it lacked much of the information he'd been seeking. While Edward did mention a fight, it was immensely clear to Scar that if he wanted the full story, he'd have to travel to meet Edward in person rather than read it in a letter. It was the most sensible decision the boy could have made, but it was still frustrating for Scar to be left in the dark.

He was going over the letter one last time while lifting weights to rebuild his strength when the tent flap opened to reveal one of his hosts, a young Ishvalan boy, who proceeded to complain that he was pushing himself too hard again. The boys complaint went unacknowledged as Scar noticed the man behind the boy. The face of his master was one that that came as a welcome relief. Once they were both seated Scar was quick to say, "I am glad you're well." A slight bow accompanied the statement as he gave thanks for his teacher's survival.

His master remained upright though, as he said, "I was informed that you've been targeting State Alchemists for execution. I know the animosity you feel. A State Alchemist is responsible for the burning of our village and the deaths of our loved ones. But, your vengeance will only sow the seeds of further violence. What you're doing is senseless revenge, and it's feeding a fruitless cycle of death. You must end this cycle, once and for all."

Scar made no reply to his Master's words. Although he knew they were correct, he could not bring himself to follow them.

"And yet," his Master continued solemnly, "When I arrived, I heard you've began corresponding with the State Alchemist Edward Elric."

Scar glanced down at the letter before him as he insisted, "That letter and my interactions with Edward Elric are unrelated to my quest for revenge. He would have been a mere child when the war took place."

Something like a smile tugging at the corners of his master's lips, "And yet a short while ago you were seeking to end his life as well. Whatever your connection to Edward Elric may be, I hope that you continue to foster this relationship, and let it allow you to see the better parts of other State Alchemists."

A second period of silence followed his master's words only to be interrupted by the arrival of two bounty hunters who'd been called for by a crook named Yoki. Both bounty hunters were easily disabled before Scar continued on his way.

I'm pretty pleased with this one. It gave me some trouble, but it turned out well enough,

I have started the next one, so hopefully I'll have it up in a week, but I'm not sure about the following ones.