Author's Note: I had an idea and I decided to write it. –insert smiley face here- I hate how I can't put smileys on this thing anymore…sucks…this is manga-verse.
Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.
Spoilers: Chapter 15. Although…if you've been reading FMA fiction and you still don't know that Hughes died, then you really need to start paying attention…
Pairings: Royai.
Story Notes: What Roy did to get the wish doesn't matter so please don't worry about that. This takes place before anyone learned of Bradley being a homunculus.
"What a wonderful life I've had!
I only wish I'd realized it sooner."
-Sidonie Gabrielle
This must be a joke.
At least, that's what Colonel Roy Mustang was telling himself. After all, it was rather very strange when a woman you just happened to save looked at you and offered you a wish instead of, say, a date…or money, at the least. No, instead, he had a "wish."
Right.
"Sorry?" Roy asked, confused.
"Thank you for saving me," The elderly lady with reddish eyes repeated, calmly. "I insist on repaying you. I will grant you one wish."
He couldn't help it; he started to laugh. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't believe in wishes. But that's very kind of you."
"One wish, Colonel Roy Mustang, that is all. I insist that I repay you."
The officer paused. He had never told this woman his name or rank…but, then again, he was practically a celebrity and he was still in uniform. She could've just guessed. "If you insist," He mocked, all good humor leaving him.
Roy paused, trying to think up a wish that he knew would be impossible. He racked his brain for a few minutes…before snapping his fingers. Of course, why hadn't he thought of it sooner? He cleared his throat and said, rather dryly, "I wish Maes Hughes never died."
The woman's red eyes gleamed as she smiled darkly.
"As you wish."
"Good morning, Colonel!"
"How are you today, sir?"
"Morning, Colonel!"
Roy nodded to the morning greetings, sauntering passed the men (and women) to his office. He hoped that Hawkeye hadn't found too much work for him…he was tired from the events of the night before. Remembering the strange woman, he let out a quiet snort; did she honestly believe that she could bring Hughes back to life?
The dead stayed dead. Even alchemy couldn't properly bring them back.
So, of course, Roy was rather surprised when he walked into his office to find Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes shoving his photos of Elysia into First Lieutenant Hawkeye's face.
The colonel froze at the door and choked on his spot. "H-Hughes!" He shouted, shocked. "You're alive!"
His subordinates all paused to give him a strange look. "Well, Roy, to my knowledge, I never died," Hughes responded, cheekily, but paused when he saw how troubled his friend looked. "Roy, are you all right?"
Roy looked around the room, bewildered, wondering what was going on. Was this all some sort of cruel joke? How the Hell was his best friend standing in front of him when he should be buried six feet underground? "Y-yeah…I'm fine…" He replied, shakily. "I'll…I'll be in my office…"
With that, the colonel very gallantly fled into his office and shut the door.
Hawkeye stood quietly to follow, to maybe see what troubled her superior so, but was pushed back down by Hughes. "So, Riza, look at this photo, of my two dearest darlings! Aren't they just gorgeous?"
Roy collapsed at his chair, his heart beating wildly, and tried to process what he had just witnessed.
Hughes was alive. Not just alive, but it seemed as if he had never left, judging by everyone else's relative calmness (although, seeing how flushed Hawkeye was, he guessed she wouldn't be so calm anymore in a little while). He groaned and held his head in his hands, wondering what the Hell was happening.
"Are you not satisfied with your wish?"
Roy bolted out of his chair, knocking it over, and held up his gloved hand toward the source of the voice. His fingers moved into snapping position when he saw a flash of red, but his entire arm went numb and fell to his side when the elderly woman from the night before stepped out of the shadows of his office.
"You!" He shouted for the second time that day. "What the Hell are you doing here?!"
"I only wanted to see if you were satisfied," The woman stared at him. "It seems you are in shock. You did not believe I could grant your wish?"
"What the Hell are you, lady?" Roy demanded, ignoring her question. "Even alchemy can't bring back the dead! What did you do? How is Hughes still alive?!"
"He never died," Her red eyes seemed to gleam with amusement at the colonel's shaken state. "That is what you wished. I changed the past; he never learned what it was that killed him…so he never died. All else is the same. Are you satisfied with your wish, Colonel?"
Roy fell silent, taking all of the new information in. A few moments of silence passed before he nodded, slowly. "Hughes never died…" He murmured, before his face broke out into a grin.
The lady, however, was not as cheerful. "I am not so sure you should be so happy, Colonel," She said, quietly. "After all, even I am not above the Law of Equivalent Exchange. I saved Lieutenant Colonel Hughes from death…you will lose something else in return."
Roy nodded, distractedly, looking down at his desk. "You never answered my question," He said, finally, looking up. "How did you bring Hughes back—?"
The woman was gone.
"Are you sure you're fine, sir?" Hawkeye asked Roy, a touch of concern in her tone. She had every right to be worried, after all. Her colonel had spent the whole day with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, looking through photo albums with the man, discussing the Hughes family, and ditching work, all without a single complaint. It was…extremely strange.
"I've never been better!" Roy responded, cheerfully, swinging an arm around his Lieutenant's shoulders as he led them back to his office. She flushed and opened her mouth to voice her protests when he cut her off. "You know what, Riza; I've been thinking today that life is short, so we might as well enjoy it as much as we can."
"Like you already do, sir, when you ditch work for your dates?" She asked, pointedly ignoring his use of her first name. Roy let out an amused bark, before stopping in front of the door to the office. "The Fuhrer wants to see you," He said, casually. "He said that he wants an account of our meeting with Scar from a sniper's view," he glanced at his watch, "you'll be a bit early, but that might impress him."
Hawkeye snapped to a salute and was about to turn away when—"Riza, wait"—a hand came up to the clip in her hair. Her golden locks cascaded down her shoulders, forcing her to freeze and turn back to her superior, wondering about his sanity. "Sir…?"
Roy grinned at her. "You look good with your hair down," He complimented, casually. "You should wear it like that more often."
He reached out and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, before turning and entering his office, Hawkeye's clip in hand. The lieutenant stared after him, her mouth slightly open, wondering what in the world had gotten into her colonel.
As she reached up to touch her cheek, she smiled.
Maybe her colonel's temporary insanity wasn't too bad.
Hawkeye paused, wondering where the Fuhrer's secretary had gone. The office was dark and empty, the only light coming from the crack under the door leading to King Bradley's personal office. She stepped towards the door and raised her hand to knock when she heard a voice. "Scar is becoming an issue, Wrath, you need to stop him at once!"
"I realize that. I have Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, on his case, but it seems that the Ishvalan is trickier than we thought. I might have to move the case to a different department."
"The Flame Alchemist can't catch an irritating little Ishvalan? His reputation is not well earned."
Hawkeye's eyes narrowed as her hand fell to her side. What was this…?
"Get a real detective, Wrath, before Scar kills off all of the State Alchemists. We need sacrifices for the Philosopher's Stone, remember that! Father will not be pleased!"
Hawkeye's eyes widened. What was this…? The Fuhrer knew about the Philosopher's Stone? And…what was this about…sacrifices?
"Focus on your part, Envy, the Alchemists I have in mind as sacrifices will not die so easily. However, if Fullmetal or Flame finds out about our plans…Father will be less pleased with you."
Hawkeye slowly backed away from the door. State Alchemists as sacrifices? For the Philosopher's Stone? And this 'Envy!' What were they planning to do with Ed and the Colonel? She turned and was about to leave, quietly, when she heard Bradley's voice a little closer to the door.
"What, Pride? Ah…Mustang's dog has been listening in on us? Well…Envy, dispose of her."
A gasp escaped her lips as she bolted out the door.
"First Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Hawkeye paused when she met with Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc outside under the streetlight. She glanced over her shoulder to the building off in the distance, her breath coming out in short gasps. She vaguely wondered how the other officer managed to have such good timing . "Lieutenant Hawkeye, what are you doing here? Why are you in such a rush?"
"I…" Hawkeye coughed before straightening and demanding, "Where's the nearest phone? I need to speak with the Colonel!"
Havoc looked startled before saying, slowly, "Can't it wait until you get back to Headquarters?"
"No," Hawkeye spotted a phone booth out of the corner of her eye and dashed towards it, leaving behind a startled Havoc. "Excuse me!"
She threw open the door and stepped in, grabbing the receiver and punching in the office's number at the same time. She was vaguely aware of Havoc coming to stand right behind her, blocking the entrance of the booth.
"This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye; I need to speak with Colonel Roy Mustang immediately, please…"
"Hawkeye, just wait 'til you get back to HQ…"
Hawkeye glanced backwards, reaching into her holster. She drew her weapon and held it out, pinning Havoc with her eyes. "Who are you?" She demanded. "What are you?"
Havoc suddenly grinned. "How'd you tell?" He asked, curiously.
"You don't have a cigarette," Hawkeye responded, flatly, still holding to the receiver, willing her superior to hurry up and answer. What the Hell was this thing impersonating Havoc?
"Ah, right. The nicotine stick that you humans seem so fond of," The grin twisted into a sadistic smirk. "Ah, well, Lieutenant. It's a shame that I have to kill a pretty thing like you so quickly…but Wrath is a pain-in-the-ass when it comes to secrecy…so I guess I have no choice."
Before Hawkeye could pull the trigger in response, the…thing's features started to pale and sharpen, its stature shrinking a little and broadening. Within seconds, Colonel Roy Mustang stood before her, smirking. "Come now, Riza, would you really shoot your own Colonel?" He asked, smoothly, in her superior's calm baritone.
Hawkeye froze, her golden eyes widening with horror and distress.
The thing was right…could she truly shoot her own Colonel? She was torn between what to do and did not react as the Mustang-clone pulled out a gun and pointed it at her chest. She still did not react as he pulled the trigger.
The receiver slid from her hands as it splattered with blood.
"You need to get a wife, Roy!" Hughes declared for the fourth time that day and seemed delighted that Roy did not react violently. Instead, the colonel laughed, cheerfully, raising a glass of scotch to his lips.
"I do," He agreed, also for the fourth time.
Hughes' green eyes gleamed mischievously. "Have anyone in mind?" He asked, slyly.
Roy smirked. "Actually…"
He was interrupted by a phone ringing. He smiled softly, remembering how he had grown to hate the sound after Hughes' death. He picked it up, casually asking, "Hello?"
"You have a phone call from a normal line from First Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir."
"Put her through," Roy responded, cheerfully, waiting for the click and going on, "Hawkeye, shouldn't you be with the Fuhrer right now? What the heck are you doing, calling me? Don't tell me you're lost?"
"…"
"Hawkeye?" Roy asked, before pausing, his heart already speeding at an erratic pace. This was too familiar…his voice grew louder as he started to demand, "Hey, Hawkeye! Hawkeye! Hey! Answer me! Riza!"
His panicked shouting caught the attention of the others. "Roy?" Hughes asked, frowning.
"Riza! Riza, answer me! That's an order, damn it!"
"I never thought I would have to bury you," Roy quietly murmured to Hawkeye's grave stone. His hands were shaking in his pockets, his coat nearly sliding from his shoulders. The image of Hawkeye's bloody body in the phone booth, her dead eyes wide with shock, still burned in his mind.
Funny; it seemed as if phone booths would always bring him pain.
Already, it was difficult for him to recall her pretty face; she had never liked pictures much and never really took them, unless necessary. At least with Hughes, he had some remembrance. Riza was almost literally his shadow; silent and guarding, blending in with the background. He fingered her hair clip in his pocket; he still had that at least.
For a split second, he was happy that he managed to expose his emotions for her, at least for a few minutes. But in the new second, that happiness died as he thought of the price that came with that exposure.
"Damn it, Riza, why did it have to be you?"
"It is because you wished that Hughes had not died, Colonel, and someone of equal value to you had to be lost."
Roy did not have to turn to know that the elderly woman was back. She continued on as she stopped a foot or two behind him, "More in this case, I would assume, as you changed the past. I guess it is only fitting that your love is the one that died."
"I want another wish," He said, quietly, ignoring her words.
He watched as her shadow, cast across Hawkeye's tombstone, shook its head sadly. "I cannot, Colonel, that is a rule. You may save me again, but you would be doing so for selfish reasons. I can only grant wishes to those who act for selfless reasons."
"I see," Roy murmured, still gazing at the tomb. Major Riza Hawkeye, it read, as she (like Hughes before the wish) gained a double promotion for dying in the line of duty. His fists clenched, tightly; the hair clip in his pocket cracked from the pressure. "Leave."
"I am sorry, Colonel."
The shadow vanished.
Roy let out a shaky breath as his eyes stung. So, this was the price he had to pay. He had only wanted his best friend back, damn it! Why did that mean he had to lose her? As selfish as the thought was, he wished that it had been someone else—anyone else—that died. Hawkeye was precious to him…why did she have to die?
"It's raining, Hawkeye," Roy whispered as a tear finally escaped and traveled down his pale cheek. "I'm useless in the rain, remember? So come back…please.
"I need you."
Author's Note: Um. Yeah. I read a book around six or seven years ago (I forgot the title) about a girl who helped an elderly woman and got a wish in return. She wished to be popular at her school and it was about all of the troubles she went through. So I did the same with Roy.
Please don't hate me! I just thought it was an extremely interesting idea to see how Roy would react if Hughes had not died…but Hawkeye did. I don't think the reactions would be completely different…but I think that, if Hawkeye were to die, Roy would be a bit (a lot) more helpless than he was at Hughes' funeral. I don't think Roy would commit suicide…after all, Hawkeye was one of the first he exposed his dream to, right? I think he'd feel obligated to achieve it, at least for her.
If you're wondering why Hawkeye took so long to notice that it was Envy and not Havoc, it's because she was trying to contact Roy as quickly as possible. She probably (probably? I'm the author, I should know) figured that, if Bradley was after her, she's dead, so she just wanted to get the message to Roy before she died.
Just a thought…Constructive criticism is appreciated! Thank you for reading!