They arrived early in the morning, having packed only enough to last them a few days. Colonel Roy Mustang wanted to leave immediately without having anything prepared. He knew that his friend, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, was in some sort of serious trouble. However, his 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye's job was to make sure that Mustang was prepared and protected under all circumstances. No amount of prepping could have honestly prepared them for what they found when they entered Central. The whole city was in an upheaval. Someone had committed a murder; not that it was uncommon with Scar running around. But, it was not Scar's doing. All of the press seemed to be adamant about bringing that point across. The question was, who was stupid enough to kill someone in the heart of Central, the military stronghold?
It did not take long to find out who had been slain. Upon hearing the news that one of the few people Mustang considered a friend was 'killed in action', he quickly shut off the surge of emotions that fought their way to the surface. He knew that he couldn't lose his cool, not when he knew that anything could have him marked as 'unfit' for his promotion back to Central where it would be easier to watch and move up. He remained stoic in public.
He and Riza spent the days before the funeral with Gracia and little Elicia. Riza spent her time occupying the child, distracting her from the devastation of her father's passing. Of course, the four year old did not fully understand and welcomed someone to play with other than her mother. Riza learned through the little girl that Fullmetal and company had left only the day before they arrived and knew nothing about what was going on. This was something that she would tell Mustang in private, once they had the luxury of closed doors.
More than once, the beautiful blonde 1st Lieutenant had walked into the room where Mustang and the widowed Mrs. Hughes were, only to find a softer version of the aloof and detached man holding and comforting the woman as she sobbed hard against his chest. These moments, Riza would retreat back to her young charge and made sure that she would not interrupt the two other adults. But, even as she tried to sneak away without listening to the quiet words of a grief-stricken Mustang, she never could escape before hearing his whispered apologies over and over for what little, if any, part he had in the death of her husband. She would walk away without being noticed, her heart hurting for the two of them.
For three days, this was routine. Others would call on the Widow Hughes, but Mustang did not once leave Gracia's side without her request. He was unable to replace Maes, but he did his best to make it easier to bare for the single mother. Neither Gracia nor Elicia wanted for anything with Roy so near. Food, cleaning, anything he could do, he did. Be it because of guilt or sympathy, Riza could not tell. He refused to talk to her about what was going on in his head. He was isolating himself from the last person who he could talk to.
Nights were spent in silence, the two officers sharing the spare bedroom. Mustang insisted that Riza take the bed, stating he would be fine sleeping on the floor or couch. After much protesting, the woman convinced him to take the other half. It was plenty large enough to share. Though she wouldn't admit it, she didn't want Mustang to sleep alone or grieve without her being able to comfort him. She was his only support, now with the death of the Lieutenant Colonel. The two nights together in close quarters, not a word was shared. The cold, remote Colonel always came into the room after removing his military Blues, retired to his half of the bed, pulled the blankets to just cover up to the waistband of the boxers he wore, and didn't move again. Riza respected that he pretended to sleep and did not bother him after this display. Instead, she quietly let her mind wander until sleep washed over her in a sudden wave.
The morning of the funeral finally dawned, leaving the fatherless and husbandless Hughes' ill prepared and more emotionally wrecked than the days previous. Gracia dropped the plate she was fixing for her daughter, causing a sudden fit of waterworks as soon as it broke. Riza moved to retrieve it, but was beaten to it by the Colonel. Immediately, he pulled her against his chest, letting her tears soak into his uniform. Elicia's jaw trembled before she joined her mother in hysterics, not understanding why her mother was crying so much. Riza went to comfort the child, but she began sobbing for her father. This only made Gracia cling to Mustang, growing even more distressed. No words were spoken, except for the little girl's screams for Maes.
Eventually, the tears stopped and both of the deceased's favorite females went to get ready for the hardest moment that either knew. It was then that Riza saw the first crack in Mustang's steal mask. He had watched Gracia carry the drained child away before leaning down to pick up the shattered plate. As he did, the blonde moved to help. She reached out to grab a piece when her superior grabbed her wrist just a little too roughly. A slightly pained whimper left Riza's lips, not expecting such a sudden reaction.
"Lieutenant, do not touch that plate," he whispered harshly. His jaw was clenched tightly and it sounded as if the man was somewhere on the verge between screaming in rage or starting to cry like the family of the deceased.
Riza's eyes went wide as she pulled her hand away. "Y-yes, Sir," she stammered, getting up.
Mustang returned to picking up the plate, alone and silent again. The woman bit her lip, tearing up now. He didn't even look up at her as she turned and left the room. Her retreat into the bathroom off of the room they had shared simply resulted in her curling up and crying silently in the quiet. After her few minutes of this, she moved to pull herself together, attempting to wear that same mask of cold that Mustang wore so well. She found it didn't fit her as well, but it did what it was supposed to do.
The emotionally charged household somehow went through the getting ready process without another fit of tears. They managed to finish getting ready and out of the house with no incident this time. On they marched into the cars that were waiting for them. The four took one together, while a few others held other family and friends. Elicia fell asleep almost as soon as her mother sat down and remained so until they reached the site. Gracia was wrapped up in her own thoughts, petting her daughter's hair gently. Riza looked to Mustang, only to find his attention was wasted on staring out of the window.
For a moment, the blonde hesitated. She thought back to the earlier kitchen incident. Cautiously, she reached out to gently pull Mustang's hand into both of hers. She expected him to have another reaction like earlier, but his eyes never looked back at her. It was as if she hadn't actually done anything to try and teether him back and comfort him. She sighed heavily, but otherwise didn't break the silence.
Eventually, the funeral line came to a hault. It was time. They began to get out, Gracia first with a quiet but alert Elicia clutched to her chest. Mustang got out next, walking away without offering any help to Riza. Not that she expected it; he had other things on his mind. The blonde quickly moved to join the three and stood beside Mustang. Her loyalty was clear for anyone to see. However, Mustang paid little attention to this display. The two stood amongst the ranks that surrounded them. Gracia and Elicia had their own place to watch their loved one be lowered into the ground.
It wasn't until they started to shovel the dirt back into the hole and over the casket that the small child began to protest, begging them to let her daddy finish his work. Even the strongest of the crowd let out a few tears at the unhappy child. All except for Fuhrer Bradley and Colonel Mustang. Both men simply lowered their heads. Riza lightly brushed her own wet cheeks dry, watching her superior with sad eyes. Gracia had to take the child away, everyone now watching their loud retreat as the child began screaming. Several people began to cry as well.
After the scene and the job was done, people began to leave. They paid their last respects then headed back to their vehicles. Mustang waited, Riza by his side. They watched as the crowd dwindled and eventually disappeared. All that remained were the Fuhrer, Major Armstrong, Mustang, and Riza. Without any announcement, the Colonel walked away to where his friend lay.
Riza looked to both the Fuhrer and the Major, frowning softly, "We will catch up, Sir."
The Fuhrer nodded and began walking away. Major Armstrong hesitated for a moment before laying his hand on Riza's shoulder, "Take care of him, Lieutenant. He needs you more than anyone else now."
Riza bit her lip before nodding just a little, "I will..." With this, she moved to join Mustang now. She, however, waited for a moment and stayed back just a little as she watched him. She knew that he wanted a private moment to say some things that could be considered treason. Armstrong walked away as well, leaving them alone now.
Mustang decided to wait until all others except his remaining friend had left before he moved to face the headstone of his friend. In a sign of respect, he pulled his hat down off of his head and held it at his side. He looked down at the cold stone and frowned softly, "Promoted two grades for dying in the line of duty... Brigadier General Hughes, huh? What good does it do to have someone who said they'd support me from below get above me, you idiot?" He paused for a moment, trying to put his feelings into words. "I don't know what is more absurd: You or the State."
He didn't hear Riza as she walked up, but did feel the light hand that she placed on his back. "Colonel..."
Even though she had caught him unaware, he didn't miss a beat, addressing her now without turning. "Alchemists are nasty creatures, aren't they, Lieutenant? There's a part of me that was just frantically piecing together the theories of human transmutation in my head. I think I can now understand what those boys felt when they tried to transmute their mother." There was another long pause, one where Riza began to cultivate a very small, sympathetic frown. Mustang's eyes did not waver from the grave in front of them. "Why didn't he tell me, Lieutenant? Ed and Al in danger. Lab five. Maybe I could have done something to help."
"Maybe because he knew you'd try, Sir."
Mustang turned to face Riza, a small look of confusion on his face, "What's that mean?"
The blonde watched him carefully, weighing her next words with care. "When those two boys are in harm's way, Sir, well, sometimes your decisions aren't exactly rational. Maybe Brigadier General Hughes didn't tell you because he wanted you to concentrate on your own goal, instead of the Elrics', so you could make it to the top without any more setbacks." Mustang said nothing to it, turning his attention back to the grave after this being said. Riza bit her lip lightly, "Are you all right?"
"Yes, I'm alright." Mustang shifted enough to put on his hat now. His eyes were hidden by the brim as he looked up and slightly away from her. "Oh no, it's started to rain."
Riza was rather confused by this. She looked around slightly and tried to see or feel it. "No, there's no rain-" She fell short when she turned her attention back to her superior and saw silent tears falling. The mask was starting to crack more, and Riza was happy that he was actually letting it show.
He didn't look back at her as he 'corrected' her, "Yes, it's raining."
She didn't quite know what to say to it, but she tried to show she understood, "Y-yes, you're right. Let's go back. It's chilly out here." She moved to him, placing her hand on his upper arm now. She led him back to their waiting vehicle. They had it to themselves, Gracia and Elicia taking comfort in actual family and choosing to ride back with them instead.
For most of the ride, neither spoke. Mustang simply shut down again. Riza didn't want to interrupt any thoughts that he may be having. The driver brought them to Gracia's home. Only then did Mustang decide to speak.
"Take us to the Military base."
Riza bit her lip as the driver began to change directions, "Sir, do you think that is best?"
"Lieutenant, Gracia has enough to deal with as it is. We are more of a bother than anything. We will do what we can here, then return to our post until the transfer to Central is finalized. I want to speak to Major Armstrong tonight, as well as investigate the scene where it happened as well. Make it happen, Hawkeye," he explained, a gleam starting to show in his eyes.
The return of his fire made her gain a little smile, "Yes, Sir. Of course."
The next few hours were a whirl of action. Mustang wanted to know everything about what Hughes had been working on and everyone who knew. He investigated the office where his friend had spent his last few hours, the people he had seen, and everything he could find in link with Hughes. They worked late into the night, Riza helping where she could as Mustang sifted through so much information. Finally, he made a sort of break. Armstrong had told him that they had an idea of who killed Hughes, but they did not have the identities of the killers. He was not allowed to tell him what they knew, presumably because of a higher ranking officer telling him to remain silent on the case. Mustang had also found several books that Hughes had been using as research. It gave him so much more of an idea of what he was working with. There were a few scrawled notes stuck inside a book, as well as a couple of drawings. Two things stood out most in his mind: The Ouroboros tattoos and the word Homunculus. It had a good deal to do with the Philosopher's Stone. He made it a point to talk to Edward if he ran into a dead end or had any questions. Until then, he would keep his work to himself.
Riza brought him food when she felt that he needed it. At one point, she disappeared for an hour to see what she could do on her own for people who had seen Hughes in his last few hours. Her hunting didn't turn up with much, but when she came back, she brought coffee for her superior. He would need it if he was planning to stay up looking about for things. She entered Hughes' office, where Mustang had taken office while he was in Central, and found the Colonel with his head on the desk, fast asleep. A faint smile came to her face as she walked towards him and set the coffee down.
"Sir?" she quietly said, trying to rouse the man from his slumber. He didn't move at her voice. More of a smile came to her face as she reached out to gently touch his back, the same spot that seemed to be a signal between the two of them. It was the one place that she went to lay her hand in any situation. It did the job it was meant to do, waking up the sleeping Colonel without causing panic or alarm. He turned his half opened eyes to her, questioning her without words. "You were drooling on your paperwork. I brought you coffee."
Mustang shifted, pulling away from her slightly as his attention went to the notes in front of him, "Thank you, Lieutenant. You should go get some sleep. It is late."
"I am fine, Colonel. I would rather stay here with you. It doesn't seem safe to leave you alone while you are pursuing this." She shifted some to idly straighten up some of the books along the shelf. "I have a job to do and that is to protect you at any costs. Any order that requires me to leave you is in direct violation to that."
"Oh, Hawkeye," he said quietly, a small smile on his face. He picked up the coffee. "You are irreplaceable." After this, he took a sip of the hot liquid, finding it perfect in temperature and sweetened just to his taste. This only cemented the words he just spoke in his mind. She paid more attention to what he needed than he did most of the time. "I would not have any other person as my right hand."
This made the woman look at him out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't uncommon for the two of them to be affectionate while in private, but comments like that made her oddly happy. "Thank you, Sir. I aim to be the best at my job." She returned her attention to her task now, not wanting to pay too much mind to his words.
"I think it is about time we go rest. We have to be at the train station early tomorrow, or later today rather. I'd rather not sleep the whole time back." He got up and started shifting the papers that he had spread out on the table. He gathered them into a pile and stuffed them into a folder before sticking it under his arm. "We have work to do on the way."
Riza moved the last book into place, then turned to face him, "If you are ready, Sir, we can go. I can call for a driver while you finish up here."
Mustang nodded slightly before waving her off, "Thank you. Let me know when we are able to go."
Riza did as she was told, going to find a way to the place they were staying. Mustang had let her know that they had a room set up elsewhere so they wouldn't be troubling Gracia by coming in so late. Once she had left, Mustang finished his coffee then went about looking at the few personal effects left in the room. There was not much to find. Gracia had told him that Lieutenant Ross had brought her a box of his things when they came to tell her the news. Most of the pictures were now in her possession, save for one.
There was a picture of Hughes and Elicia, found in a compartment of a drawer that had been made secret. The only clue to its existence was what appeared to be a crude drawing of the Ouroboros mark. Mustang tore out the drawer in an attempt to get to it, only careful to keep from breaking the piece to hold it in place. When he saw it, he gained a sad look. Gently, he picked it up. It was something recent, taken at her birthday from the looks of it. He knew he should have left it, but instead he slipped it in the folder of his notes. Beneath it, he saw a sealed letter addressed to him. This caused him to frown softly before he picked it up.
For several minutes, he just looked at it, staring at the rushed scrawl of Hughes' print. Then he decided that he needed to know what was written. These were the last words to him and could explain everything he didn't understand. He sat down at the desk and put the folder down. Afterwards, he took the envelope in both trembling hands.
As he carefully opened it, his stomach threatened to expel the dinner Riza had brought him. He pulled out the folded paper that had been quickly stuffed inside days before and let out a heavy sigh. It was now or never, him knowing Riza would be back in a few minutes to make sure he was safe. With this in his mind, he began to read the messy words his friend had left in a rush.
'Roy, it goes all the way up to the top. They won't let me live after what I found out.
Trust no one, especially those in high places. Godspeed.'
Mustang frowned at this, rereading the short note several times before the footsteps up the hall stirred him. Quickly, he replaced the drawer and such, hoping he was fast enough. As he was placing the paper in his folder, Riza opened the door. This caused him to jump slightly when he saw her.
She looked at him, puzzled, "Sir? Is everything okay?"
Mustang fidgeted with the papers before replying, "I guess I am just on edge because of all that is going on. Are we ready, Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Sir. They are waiting on us now."
"Right. Let's go." With this, he grabbed his notes and walked out, not looking back. Riza quickly followed behind him.
Mustang sighed softly as Riza joined him. He watched as she walked over from the bathroom and crawled up next to him in the rented bed. When she shifted to stay on her half, he wrapped his arm around her. This surprised the blonde, a nervous look starting to take over.
"Colonel..."
This was when he could not hold it in any more. The entire time they had been in Central, he purposefully put distance between himself and Riza. He hadn't wanted to broadcast his weakness to all of the officers in place, especially not with Hughes' killer most likely still in the city. He pulled his subordinate closer, burying his face into her chest and letting out a few precious tears. He didn't want to let go of the woman he trusted with more than just his back. He knew that Riza wouldn't hesitate to give her life for him, as he would for her. Though, he wouldn't tell her that.
"He knew, Riza... He knew that he was not going home. He called to tell me everything he could... I should have been here."
Riza suddenly tightened her grip on him, shifting to pet his hair gently, "No... Roy, you couldn't have known what was happening. He didn't tell you. That isn't your fault."
He shook his head fiercely, "I knew something was wrong. I could just tell that something was wrong. Yet, I ignored it."
"It will do no good blaming yourself for this. There is no one to blame but the person who pulled the trigger," she whispered softly. "There was nothing you could have done where we were. Even if you were here, you would have been targeted as well. He would have told you everything he knew, putting you at risk."
Mustang sighed softly, officially finished with his tears of grief, "Do you know what the last thing he said to me?"
Riza watched him, furrowing her eyebrows some, "I do not, Sir..."
"'You need to hurry up and become important here so we can have an easier time. And find yourself a good wife.'" He imitated his friend rather well. "As if he didn't know what was going on. He was hiding it the whole time... He refused to tell me and left me this mess of a puzzle to find out anything..."
"Perhaps it was so you wouldn't get distracted from your own goal, Sir... You tend to get caught up in so many other things when your most important task is the one right in front of you." The blonde knew that maybe what he needed was a swift kick to the ego. She was more than likely the only one who actually would. "It will not do if the next Fuhrer is unable to stay focused on his main task. You need to start staying on track or you will never make it, Sir." This was more effective than any slap that could have been administered. She watched the look change from one of self-pity to almost an anger at himself. She offered a little smile as he looked up at her.
"Are you with me, Lieutenant? No matter what happens?"
The question took the smile from her face, "Are you honestly asking me that, Sir? You know I would kill for you, as well as die for you. I will follow where you lead."
Mustang watched her, taking every inch of her face in. It took him a minute to actually formulate the words he wanted, "I need someone to be behind me every step of the way. I don't want to do this alone. I need someone who I trust with everything. Are you willing to be that person?"
Riza looked at him with a very serious look, "I have known what the job entails since I said yes. I will do what you ask of me without hesitation, Sir."
"Good. Then I have everything I need."