Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Forever ❯ One-Shot

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Forever

By: emeraldoni

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own this story line. This is placed after the series and movie, but is still comprehendible even if you haven't seen the movie.

Riza Hawkeye had never been a woman to sway on her feet. Ever since a child she had been the practical one in the family. While her brother had scrounged to become an artist, and her parents disappeared on one of their many adventures, Riza had pursued her stable career in the military.

Well, at least she had thought it was stable. In the beginning her hard work paid off. She rose in the ranks, the fact that she was woman disregarded when faced with her skills at shooting.

In fact, everything had been going swimmingly, until she met him.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“First Lieutenant Hawkeye, the fact that you acted against my direct orders had been recorded on your permanent record. Shooting at an unidentified target is unbecoming of someone in your position. I trust in the future we won't have such an occurrence again.”

Riza kept her face calm and serious, though her insides were boiling up, “Sir, may I speak? Sir.”

“Go ahead, Hawkeye.”

“The fact that the `unidentified target' was carrying a gun, and at the time pointing it at you, seems to have escaped your notice. Whether the person in question was unidentified at the moment is irrelevant. My duty is to protect you—and any other civilians in danger. This persecution of my character is entirely unneeded.”

The said persecutor lounged back in his chair, looking completely uninterested at the topic at hand.

“What ever you say, Hawkeye. I'm sure you know best.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Riza saluted and turned to leave, pausing as she heard his voice at the door, “It will still be going on your record, so I trust it won't happen again.”

It was at that moment that she decided she hated him. How Roy Mustang ever became her superior, other than the fact that he was an amazing alchemist, was beyond her.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

Learning to adapt to her surroundings was something that Riza had once prided herself on. No matter how harsh the conditions, how tough the commander, she could always adjust, survive.

Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case in Colonel Roy Mustang's office. Being the only female was not something that bothered her. The department being completely unethical and useless was something that did.

Her first day in the office, Riza had been in shock. She did not show it, but the slovenly nature of the men had completely stunned her. Walking into the room with bright-wooded desks lined up with toppling piles of paper and stained white-washed walls had been the first indication that something wasn't right.

The second clue had been the conked out officers drooling on their desks, fast asleep. She ignored them, along with the big one cowering in the corner muttering something about `demon dogs' and `evil co-workers.'

Well, she could handle that. Getting them into shape might be a challenge with worth her skills. Unfortunately, she began to doubt the boss who would actually let his men get like this.

Striding over to the closest sleeper, Riza nudged him awake, poking her with a thin finger that would terrify any man who knew of her shooting skills.

The young man, a boy almost, with shorn black hair and top-rimmed glasses just snorted, shifting unconsciously away from her prodding.

Kain Fuery was having a lovely dream about living in his own home with a pretty little wife—with blonde hair—and the idea of a promotion. Soon, though, the feeling of a cold, unyielding object pressing against his left cheek roused him.

“I suggest that you wake up before I leave you in a permanent sleep.”

Riza never cared to use drastic measures, but this boy seemed to ask for it. His mutterings of some weird fantasy that Riza did not care to know had finally set her off.

Unlocking the safety of her pistol, and shoving it into his cheek, she chose to wake him gently.

The officer's dark eyes stared up at her blearily, blinking for a moment, before widening with fear.

Riza watched calmly as the young man jumped back, knocking his chair off balance, and leading to his ungracious sprawl on the floor.

“I am looking for Colonel Roy Mustang. Please direct me to him.”

The young man hurried to his feet, saluting when his eyes fell on her uniform, and marks revealing her status.

“Forgive me, first lieutenant; please let me lead you to him right away.”

Riza smiled, just slightly, “Thank you.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“So, I see that you are the new addition to the office.”

“Yes, sir.”

Riza stood rigidly before the large desk, behind which a young man sat with black eyes and even blacker hair. His expression was serious as he stared at a folder, presumably Riza's military record.

“Quite impressive, I see.”

He was talking to himself.

“Oh, you were the one who shot the 5th avenue killer? I always wondered about that…”

“It was nothing, sir.”

“Hmmm… I always thought that if you had shot just a little bit lower, we might have saved his life. Maybe you need to work on your aim?”

“No one is prefect, sir.”

“…Perhaps…”

Riza remained silent, hiding her irritation at the purposeful provocation directed right at her.

“Well, you look like you will do just fine here. Find a desk with the men and get to work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Riza turned around to leave, saluting to her superior.

“Oh, and Hawkeye? I'm sure you won't let you feminine side get in the way of your work.”

She ground her teeth, “Of course not, sir.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“Hey, Hawkeye! Are you every going to bring Black Hayate back into work?”

Riza turned her attention to Fuery who was looking excited at the thought of seeing his rescued pup again.

“Maybe, as soon as I can be sure as Colonel Mustang will not scare him again.”

Fuery's crestfallen expression should have pluck her heart strings, but it did not, “Oh, yeah, he doesn't really like Black Hayate much, does he?”

“Of course he doesn't!” Interrupted Havoc, his thin face just asking for trouble, “It's just a mangy dog. Who wants one of those around, unless on a plate?”

“Which is why Black Hayate will not be visiting this office anytime soon.” Commented Riza, closing the subject at hand.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“Sir, the Elric brothers are back, they're requesting you see them.”

Roy smirked at the wall, not looking at the woman reporting in his office.

“Well, make them wait a little bit longer. I need to regain my energy before facing the midget.”

Riza sighed, perplexed at Mustangs constant pestering of the Elric boys.

“Maybe today can be a day without any fighting, sir. I'm sure that Havoc and the rest would be relieved to not have to clean up your office yet again.”

“It is not my fault Edward has a short fuse. It must go with his short stature.” Roy shrugged, mockingly, “I try to be perfectly reasonable with them, but it never seems to work.”

“If I may object, sir, rubbing into Edwards face his lack of growth does not seem to be a move that incites peace. And maybe listing their every action since they left here the last time could be foregone as well.”

“Sure, sure,” Said Roy, waving his had, “For you, Hawkeye, I will try my best.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

And so she devoted her life to him. Roy was her reason for living, though not in the sense many would believe. His beliefs became hers, and they had a bond which could not be broken.

Like Maes, Riza vowed to support Roy to the top, to get him in his position of power, to make his dreams, his revolution, come true. She would protect him with her very life, follow him to death.

Her hatred, her upset at their first meeting had been forgotten, and its place she formed a newfound respect for the man who wore a mask, only to cover the scars buried underneath.

Sometimes, when she came into the office late at night, finding Roy slumped at his desk, she would offer him comfort.

“I tried to kill myself, you know.” He had once told, “But I couldn't do it.”

Riza had kneeled beside him, unused to his disheveled appearance, his unguarded eyes.

“It is a good thing you did not, sire. Then you dream would never come to be. It is time that you fix what you broke.” She offered him a soft smile, warmth flowing from her mixed-colored eyes, “And you know, we are all here to support you. You will never be left alone.”

He had then lain his head against her shoulder, eyes hidden, though she knew what was in them. He always tried to hide the pain in his eyes, the open wound that he tried so hard to ignore. She had wrapped her arms around him.

“I'm sure everything will work out.”

His hands found hers, fingers wrapping around each other in the search for support.

“You'll always be here with me.”

“Yes.”

“Always?”

“Always.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

Riza had always found she had a steady head on her shoulders. She was someone dependable. When she said she would show up, she would. When she said she would help, she did. She would always look her fear in its eye, facing it down until she had everything under control.

It wasn't until the end, until the climatic conclusion of the military, that Riza found real fear.

She had never entertained the possibility that maybe Roy might survive the fighting, the battle. He was there, and though she had always been reasonable, she could not imagine him gone.

When Roy had left to confront the fuehrer, Riza felt a constriction of the chest, a tightening of her throat. She reached out to grab him, reaching out to take a hold of something, to make sure her life would not leave her, yet he was already gone.

Riza did what he had told her to. She found backup, she raided the fuehrer's home, and then she did what she wanted to do.

She got in the way of danger, taking down Archer, giving up the hope that maybe Roy had survived. She stuck her neck out, almost inviting the shining dagger to come down upon. But in her reasoning, that was nothing compared to what Roy was doing.

When it was over, when she finally found him, her heart almost stopped. He was so hurt. He was in such a bad condition.

She kept her calm, she kept her cool. Her demeanor, once a blessing, now felt like a curse. Finding Roy near death had made Riza want to be normal in the fact that she was free to express herself.

She didn't know that most important person could read her just fine.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“Just eat. You have to get better.”

Roy rolled his one good eye, wincing with the movement of the other, then proceeded to complain, “I'd rather not. All I've had to eat is burnt porridge for the last week. I think what I need is a nice, juicy, tender steak.”

Riza sighed, “Well, you're not going to get it. Now eat.”

Roy, being stubborn, turned his head away as Riza attempted to shove the spoon into his mouth.

Black Hayate padded into the room, staring up at his owner and apparent beau with soulful eyes. A high pitched whine issued from his jaws, a pity call for the `fighting' to stop.

Both of the human figures turned towards him, each holding different expressions.

“Ah!” Said Mustang, a grin breaking out and his arms opened wide, “I hear condolences from my friend over there. He agrees: I shouldn't have to eat muck any longer.”

“I made this `muck.' And do not try to use Black Hayate as an escape. It will not work.” Riza motioned for the dog to leave, and he did so with a mournful expression.

“Ohh, look what you did: Interrupted our manly conversation.”

Riza looked at Roy flatly, and cowed just the tiniest bit, “Just eat the food.” She said, stressing every word as though Roy was either deaf or stupid.

Roy sighed, “Fine, I give up. My life is forfeit to a bowl of evil tasting—” He glanced down at the food, “—and horrible looking mud.”

“I don't care. Just eat.”

Roy did so, and after a struggle of mocking faces and annoying teasing, Riza took the bowl away, coming back in to sit on the edge of his bed.

Roy had his eyes shut, but opened them when he felt the change of altitude on the strdy piece of furniture. He found himself staring into the concerned eyes of the woman who used to be his first lieutenant.

“Riza… I'm fine. You know that. I could probably get out of bed right now and win a war. Or, as well as I could fight before.”

Riza's face altered into a scowl, “I don't think so. You're staying in bed, where you belong. You will not be going out and `winning wars' for a while. Live with it, sir.”

“Don't call me sir. We are not in the military any longer. You know what my name is.”

Riza bit her lip, a rare open sign of uncertainty, and Roy rook advantage of it.

Riza froze when she felt the warm hand against her cheek, brushing her hair behind her ear. She relaxed into the touch quickly though, nuzzling the hand, eyes sad as she stared up at the man she had somehow come to love.

“Your dream…” She whispered.

“Was fulfilled, even if I never reached the top. It's time to start over.”

Roy leaned forward slightly, gently caressing Riza's soft lips with his own.

“You know,” She murmured, lips brushing barely against his, “I used to hate you.”

“I know.”

“I used top despise you.”

“I know.”

“I used to respect you.”

“Used to?”

“Yes, but now…” She paused, their foreheads pressed against each other as she stared into his eyes, “…but now… I love you.”

Roy allowed a ghost of a smile, then kissed her once again.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

And then he disappeared.

Riza had no idea where she went. One day, he was just gone.

She searched everywhere for him, tearing the house apart, asking the neighbors. No one had any clue where the former colonel could have gone.

When Riza had paid a visit to her once-upon-a-time co-workers, they had avoided her eyes. They would not look at her face, choosing to stare intently at the ground, fumbling over their words as they made excuses.

It hurt so badly. She had been betrayed, cast out by her only true friends, her loved ones.

The telegram she received a few days later was supposed to have calmed her, reassured her in the worst kind of way.

He said he didn't want to put her in danger, that the remains of the military would go after him, and he didn't want her to have to deal with them.

She wished she could hate him again. She wished she could grab time, rewind it like a toy then do it all over again.

Instead she just ripped up the note, throwing onto the ground in a foreign fit of emotion.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“What about Hawkeye?” Asked Falman, concern obvious in his tired gaze.

Roy was huddled against the wall, ripped clothes revealed under the threadbare sheet. Falman could hardly believe that Mustang was living in such a place. His home had now become a little cabin, barely standing under the elements. The weather at the moment raged with anger, throwing a blizzard at the nearly deserted area.

Roy would not look at the man who he had once commanded, instead choosing to look painfully at the floor, “She is better off without me. With how things are, Edward Elric missing, the military in disarray… She is much safer at her home, alone.”

“She doesn't think so.”

“That doesn't matter. As long as she's safe.”

Falman rubbed his forehead. New wrinkles had appeared over the short time since the upheaval of the government. The time had been hard, “You're going to lose her. She may not be alone for long.”

“As long as she's safe.”

“She is going to find trouble. You cannot keep a woman like her in a house for long.”

“Then find a way, as long as she is safe.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

Riza had never imagined that they would come together again, and in such an unlikely place as well. In actuality, she had never even dreamed that there could be another hidden city, another abandoned civilization under the ground.

The fact that they were all together again, even under such circumstances… well, it enlightened her heart.

Of course, it was hard was well. Seeing the girls, Winry and Rose, in so much pain as Edward, who had just come back, left once again. Seeing the destruction of the place that held memories, even though it was her first time there, it was almost more than she could bear.

Trying to console Winry, who, though she put on a wonderful façade, was absolutely devastated, had hurt the worst. The girl reminded her so much of herself. Riza saw her own heartbreak in that forced smile, her own cover in that joyful mask.

Winry had left behind by her loved ones, just like Riza. The only difference was that they had been forced to leave. He hadn't.

When she saw him there, in the Underground city, right under Central, she had almost given in, she had almost cried.

She didn't though. Instead, Riza hardened hr features, staring at him, then turning away. She couldn't look at him for long. Her will was only so strong.

It didn't help that he looked so haggard, so weary. His eyes were shadowed and his cheeks hollowed slightly. The tweed suit he wore was dirty and old, the hat adorning his head looked like it had come back from the dead.

“Riza…” He had whispered, then turned away as the men came up to congratulate him on a job well done. He had helped Ed defeat the monster from the other world. Roy Mustang was a sideshow hero once again.

The girls just lay, broken, at the side, watching the joy with hooded eyes and cracked masks.

Once again, Riza's heart broke, and she wondered if it could ever be fixed.

Oooo000OOO000oooO

Riza had rejoiced when she heard of the Elric brothers return. She felt happiness for the girl who had lost so much: Winry.

She did not go to see them though, for she knew they would probably not remember her. Riza was just the quiet first lieutenant in the background, the one who pushed from below. Her personality left much to wanted; her existence should not have been spared.

So Riza celebrated by herself, a mental celebration that few would notice.

That night, as Riza sat on the couch, reading one of her many `How to-' books on the care of pistols, she had not expected any guests.

Finishing dinner, a mournful affair with only her and Black Hayate as guests, had been uneventful. The dog, now getting on his years, shown by the gray hairs popping up on his chin and tail, thumped his body at the sound of a knock on the door, but did not deign it important enough to get up and investigate.

Riza sighed, setting her book on the arm of the faded flower couch she currently rested upon, and got up to answer the door.

She wore something she would never wear outside, a ragged skirt that ripped off at the knees, and a sweater with too many loose strings to count. Her hair was down, m a little longer now, but mostly the same, wrapping around her neck in a tangled mess.

When she answered the door, the figure on the other side stepped back with shock.

Riza then proceeded to imitate the move, as she stared at the man before her in the old tweed suit.

And then, without warning, and much to her shame, Riza's eyes began to water.

Roy rushed forward, wrapping his arms about her in a tight embrace, “I'm sorry Riza. I'm so sorry.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

Riza stared down at her hands, blinking rapidly, which was at odds to the glare she kept shooting at the remorseful Mustang.

“I just wanted you to be safe…” He whispered.

“I can take care of myself. You know that.”

“I don't know that! You never know what could happen! What if your guns were taken from you? What if you were faced with an alchemist?” His voice lowered to a whisper, “What if I wasn't there?”

Riza choked, her eyesight blurring in the lamplight, “You weren't there. I've been alone. You've never been here.”

“I didn't want you hurt.”

“I was hurt.”

“You could have died.”

“And how do you know I didn't?”

Roy was silent, “Would you turn me away?”

Riza paused, staring at the man she had loved, the man who had left her behind.

“I wish I could, but I can't.”

Oooo000OOO000oooO

“I guess you do have some redeeming qualities to you.”

Roy smiled lazily from his nest of quilt as he stared at the bare woman before him. She was in much the same condition, considering she was unclothed as well, and he wished the bed wasn't quite so comfortable.

“How could you say that, Riza? Of course I have `redeeming' qualities. What do you call what we did last night?”

“That was what I was talking about. It was the `some'.”

Roy rolled his eyes as he shifted over to Riza, who was lying on her belly, watching him with lidded eyes. He shifted over, so he was hunched halfway over her, and began to trail kisses up her back, her shoulder blades.

Riza just groaned, “I cannot believe you still have any energy left.”

“I am the flame. I am energy.”

Riza rolled her eyes, “Whatever, Flame, get off my back.”

“You're no fun.”

“Of course not.”

Roy sighed as he rolled over onto his back, arms resting behind his head. Riza couldn't help her eyes as they trailed over his toned chest, but she blushed as soon as Roy caught her doing so.

His eyes turned up to the ceiling, “I have a question to ask you.”

“Hm?”

“I know it's not the best setting, you know, with the atmosphere and all that, but I think it should be asked.”

Riza turned to her side, head propped up by the palm of her hand.

“You might say no.” Roy said.

“I might.”

Roy turned surprised eyes on Riza, “You're not supposed to say that! You're supposed to tell me that you could never say `no' to me.”

“No.”

“Fine then, I won't ask you. You have crushed my wavering confidence, my floundering ego.”

“I haven't `crushed' anything. Just ask me the question.”

“Okay.” Roy took a deep breath, his chest rising a few inches, then lowering just as many, “Her I go…”

Roy turned to look at Riza, the woman he loved, “Riza, will you marry me?”

“I don't know… You wont let your masculine side get in the of our work.”

Roy blinked, “I better watch what I say from now on. I can't believe you remember that.”

“Well. I guess I could marry you. As long as you don't drag me down.”

Roy kissed her knuckles, “Of course not. I will support you from below.”

“No, sir, not from below, but from my side.”

“Forever?”

“Forever.”