"I guess nothing was worth staying for, Hayate." Riza sighed, crumpling a piece of paper and tossing it to the floor. "Nothing at all."
Even though Hayate did not know exactly what was wrong with his mistress, he knew something was. The day the black-haired man had left, she had cried. She had not been the same since.
To her credit, Riza was doing a good job of holding down the fort. The other men never stopped respecting her, and she was herself when she was around them. They would know either way, and the occasional invitation or two to dinner helped matters greatly. She knew she was not the only one who was affected, but it was nice to be reminded.
She had not wasted her time when he first left. She had gotten all of the cursing and badmouthing out of her system before curling up and crying. Worry and longing had penetrated her most deeply the first few days, and even though they had worn down now, they still lingered in the back of her mind, ready to pounce when sleep took control. The sleepless nights were what had first alerted everyone who did not work with her.
The first one was Gracia, who, knowing that Roy was close to "full recovery" status, had come to visit. Riza had invited her in, and Gracia had immediately noticed the dark circles. It was not the work, which, according to Sheska, was the same load as ever. Roy's absence was the only other piece she needed to figure it out.
There had been few others, but they were showing proper concern by staying out of it for the most part. Riza could take care of herself, and she did not enjoy being babied. Comfort was not what she wanted, anyway.
Worse yet, she was getting used to his absence. She did not want to at all. However, she knew getting used to it was better than the alternative. She still missed him, but duty came first. Maybe, just maybe, she could find some way to bring him back. Roy's will was very strong, but Riza's matched his very closely.
"He'd better come back," she mumbled darkly as she headed for the bathroom.
Hayate nudged the ball of paper toward her.
"No, Hayate. It's not play time, and you can't play with this, anyway." She smoothed out the piece of paper. "I may need it later."
The dog did not know what the symbols were, nor did he care, but the paper smelled familiar. It both vexed and calmed his mistress- it must be his.
Riza-
I'm safe. I'm coming back. I promise.
Riza came back from the bathroom and pulled the covers over herself, taking one last glance at the paper. Her expression held so many emotions that it was hard to tell just what she was feeling the strongest. She let out a final heavy sigh and flipped over so that she was not facing it, then muttered something. It was not a command, and Hayate knew that it was for nobody else to hear, either.
"God help us if he's lying."
A/N: NO LAMBASTING ABOUT THE GOD THING, PLEASE! She was being bitter, as I'm sure we all are when we think someone we love is being stupid and it hurts us. I've never seen proof as to her beliefs either way, though I've read up to 73. If I missed something, let me know in a review or PM. I'd be more than happy to hear it!
Anyway, this one-shot was inspired by a video-in-the-works from one of the members of the Royai thread on the fullmetal-alchemist (dot) com forums: Schubes' "Ocean Avenue" amv-in-the-works, to be precise. I know, my fic does not fit the song perfectly, but this was how it came out. I'm happy with it.
Oh, and when she said she might need the paper later? Reassurance. Yep. That's it.
