This is a royai oneshot/songfic written for a royai fanfic contest on one of my forums. The song is Ichirin no Hana, by HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR. Something about it screamed 'royai!' so I used it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Ichirin no Hana nor do I own FMA. –goes to sulk in a dark corner-
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It always seemed to be dark in the desert. Even when the unforgiving sun shone upon the desperate the arid land, there was always sand that blocked the light. No matter the darkness, everyone still managed to get burned. More than often the infirmaries were crowded with patients who had fallen ill with sunstroke.
It was there that she had come to know him. He was so different from everyone else there. They all had the killers eyes, but something in his had been different, an excruciating sadness that was welded into his irises. Although he was a state alchemist, one of the strongest ones at that, something about him was delicate.
You are
the only "you"
There is no such thing as your replacement
Don't wilt away, single flower
He hadn't wanted to be there. She'd talked with his friend Maes about their past at the military academy. He had been full of life then, talking of the beautiful future. She couldn't say she blamed him for wishing it hadn't come to this, an orgy of blood and death, no shade, but no light either. But he stayed. He didn't leave like Major Armstrong, he remained. He had a goal to fulfill after all.
You are like a flower
That bloomed in a dark shadow
Even though you're in a place you didn't wish to be,
You can't move because of your roots
She'd known who he was before, of course. Her father's prized pupil, heir to the secrets of his alchemy. But from the war, she caught glimpses of his true self. His drive to protect, desire to live, and the ultimate horror and pain of killing. But he couldn't let it show. He wouldn't be weak. Sometimes when she talked to him, she wished he would let it out. She herself wanted to scream, seeing someone else who had more hidden than she drove her to insanity.
Just spit out your closed up feelings
There had been a time when he had almost cried. They had been slaughtering the innocents that were left in a remnant of a city, and more blood had been shed that day than she had seen before. He'd collapsed into his tent, eyes deadened. Concerned, she'd followed him, seen him with his head buried in his hands. She wanted to hold him, reach out and take him into her arms. She couldn't let him fall apart like this. But she couldn't touch him, either.
I'll accept all of your pain and suffering
So please don't cry
Please smile, single flower
Instead she had spoken to him, calm and soft words, desperately trying to coax him back into reality. She silently promised she would protect him, help him end the evil in the country, help him on his way to the top.
I want to become your strength
Part of her had wished he would stay like that, defenseless. She wished solemnly that it would rain more often. She knew it was selfish, but part of her wanted him to be powerless, wanted him to be weak more often. She wished that he didn't have to be so strong always. Because when it rained, he needed her.
I wanted to see your innocent figure
That looked as if it were about to wilt, one more time
She had kept her promise. She stayed with him as he climbed through the ranks, silently watching his back. She cried for him, risked her life for him, and berated him for exposing himself. She gave everything for him. And she would continue to do it. He'd asked her once if she would follow him. She'd smiled and asked why he was even asking. She would always protect him. She had promised.
Even if there comes a time
When the whole world becomes our enemy
I'll protect you
Today she was still beside him, even if it was from a distance. The country was collapsing around them, people were leaving, friends dying, comrades disguised in betrayal. Sometimes doubt filled her mind, but she pushed it away. There was some unspoken reason that pushed her on, pushed them on. She would continue to protect him. Whether it was love or loyalty, she would protect him.
You are the only "you"
Till now and from now on
Even if there comes a time
When the whole world becomes our enemy
I'll protect you
So don't give up, single flower
