Faithfulness and love

Can one truly exist without the other?

Roy Mustang stared out the window of his office. It had been a quiet day at work, the Elrics were off on a mission, investigating a clue about the philosopher's stone, Fuery worked diligently on an old radio, Havoc dutifully signed papers while Falman filed then, and Breda ate a hotdog while cleaning his desk.

Mustang stared out at Central, watching the sun illuminate the city as it made it's way down towards the horizon.

Mustang's most loyal subordinate made her way into his office and stood behind him to the right, sharing the scene with him. Roy smiled at her presence, suddenly feeling safer than before. He never doubted her loyalty to him and that made her his most valuable asset, but she was so much more than just that.

"Lieutenant," Mustang said, his eyes not leaving the landscape before him. Said officer didn't respond, she knew him well enough to know he would go on.

"Why do you follow me so blindly?" a simple question, one that had been asked by so many different people whence the observed the odd pair. They seemed so wrong for each other, but no two people were better suited to be together.

"You know the answer to that sir." Hawkeye replied, gazing out the window. Mustang didn't respond this time. He knew the answer…of course he knew, but there was something so amazing about her reason that he had to keep hearing it, and not just from anyone, from her, only her. It was like he needed to hear her say it, because it would strengthen him on his path to his goal, because if he didn't accomplish his goals, it would be a betrayal of her trust and loyalty. It would cause her pain, something Roy Mustang never ever wanted to do.

"Because you have a goal" she started, quickly glancing at the man to whom she was so devoted, "because your goal embodies the hopes and dreams of the people. Because you are the change this nation needs. Because you are our best hope. Until that day the change is made and the world is a better place, I will not stop following you. Even then, I will forever be faithful to you."

Mustang shut his eyes, feeling the sun shining down onto his face. Faithful. That single word summed up their entire relationship. They would always and forever be faithful to one another for they are all they have.

Faithful.

Faithful means being true to ones promises. He promised to make their world a better place, one step at a time. She promised to follow him to that better place. He promised to look out for his subordinates, protecting them with all he has. She promised to shoot him in the back if ever he strayed from that righteous path. In these ways they are faithful.

Faithful means steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant. He remains loyal to the people. She remains loyal to him. Never to turn their back on or betray the object of their loyalty. In this way they remain faithful.

Faithful is reliable, trusted, believed. He relies on her, he could barely make it through a day without her. She relies on him with all she has, if he were to pass on, she would be by his side, where she belongs. He trusts her with his dreams, his goals, his life. She trusts him with her well-being, her devotion, her past. She believes that he is what is best for this world. He believes she will be the light at the end of the tunnel. Their lives are long tangled ropes, wrapped around each other and tied together with no hope of being undone. They can never be torn apart, they go too far back, they are too close, they are too faithful.

But what is faithfulness without love? Can one truly exist without the other? Is it possible for these two concepts to live separately, apart from one another? For how can one be truly faithful if they do not love? And how can one love, and yet not be truly faithful?

Love is a personal attachment or deep affection for another. They are attached by the heart. Never to be separated. They are so deeply affectionate of one another that they could not live without the presence of the other.

To love is to be more than just friends. It is to go beyond the boundaries of a close relationship as two separate people. It is to become one. And are they not one? Do they not move as a unit, talk as a unit, think as a unit? Can they not have entire conversations just by sharing a glance? Did he not trust her to follow his orders to not die? Did he not understand her intentions by her single flick of her auburn eyes?

He has saved her from the abyss, from the horror of her childhood, from the hell of war, from the burden of an unwanted scar.

She has saved him from a path of hopelessness, pain, and despair, from an incurable wrath, from a heart-breaking sorrow.

Have they not truly become one?

Roy Mustang watched as the final rays of light began to disappear, shining off the buildings, illuminating the air as they fell slowly out of view. He glanced at his subordinate standing in his shadow. He marveled at the way the sun shone off her golden hair making it glow like a halo around her head. The light reflected in her eyes, making them shine like diamonds. The soft rays on her face made her appeared relaxed and young and carefree. They gave her the look of a beautiful young girl, untouched by the pain of the world. But that wasn't the Riza Hawkeye he knew. He watched as the sun set, leaving them suspended in semi-darkness. He watched as his lieutenant appeared behind the mask of the sun. He watched her battle worn face emerge. A face that had seen so many horrors. This was the face of Riza Hawkeye. This was the face Roy Mustang always wants, no, needs to see. This was the face that always pulls him through. This face was so much more beautiful to Mustang than any young innocent girl, because this face had seen the horrors of the world, and come out of them a stronger person.

Roy mustang stood, still gazing intently into the face of his beloved subordinate whose eyes met his with an understanding he couldn't find in any other. He took another step towards her, softly placing his rough, calloused hand against her soft, warm cheek. He held her gaze a moment longer before placing his lips against hers, against the woman who was irrevocably faithful to him….against the woman he loved.

Faithfulness truly cannot exist without love, he thought as he withdrew from her warmth and grabbed his coat as he exited the room. Somewhere, somewhere along the way he had fallen for her. Somewhere amidst the tears and the pain, the hope and the despair. Somewhere between the bloody hell known as war and the evil known as alchemy he had found love. But, Roy realized, it has always been there. From the moment she declared her undying faithfulness towards him, from the moment he promised her the lives of the people, from their beginning as one there had been love. For love cannot truly exist without faithfulness, and faithfulness will never truly exist without love. They are a part of each other.

~bear head