It was the beginning of a day and all the cadets in my year were lined up in front of our beds as per usual, our commander was coming around for an inspection.
"You're lucky I don't make you lick your boots clean, drop and give me 75!" he yelled at some poor chump.
"Sir, yes sir" he responded and then dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups, next to me Roy looked a little nervous as the commander continued walking, I gentle nudged him with my elbow.
"Calm down, Roy, you look fine" I said with a reassuring smile, he looked at me briefly and nodded, unfortunately the commander had heard me.
"Was that an unauthorised conversation cadet?" he had yelled/asked right up in my face. I straightened up clicking my boots in the process.
"Sir, no, sir!" I responded.
"If I catch you talking at inspection without permission again, you will have push-ups all day do I make myself clear soldier!"
"Sir, yes, sir" and with that he walked off and yelled at some poor sap about his collar. Later that day we were all on the training fields doing laps, I was in front of the crowd of boys and they were all sweating while I was having the time of my life.
"Come on ladies you don't want to beaten by me do ya?" I called behind me and I heard a few groans. I crossed the line first and the commander looked at me.
"Congratulations cadet, you're the first one finished which means you get to drop and give me 50" he called with a smirk.
"Sir, yes, sir" I said and dropped to the ground and began my push-ups, proper ones too, not the girlie ones. As I was working he had walked off to go supervise another squad and Jacob Neilson came up and doubled over trying to catch his breath.
"Heh, sucked in Hawkeye" he panted, it had taken a while for them all to finish and as they had I had finished my push-ups, so I got up.
"Fuck you Neilson" I replied with a smile.
He smirked, "No thanks we're in training right now so maybe later" I gasped playfully at his comment.
"You sick bastard, I'm not that kind of woman"
"Yeah you're the kind that gets covered in three layers of mud everyday" he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah well at least I know how to keep a steady boyfriend" I taunted back with a smirk, secretly implying he is gay.
"Ooooooh burn Neilson" a guy in squad called, I laughed and he smiled waving my comment off.
"Oh yeah? When was the last time you even spoke to a guy as a girl?" he asked I gasped again, although he did have a point. I opened my mouth to speak but I was cut off by a very commanding voice.
"Neilson that's enough leave her alone" Roy commanded coming in between us. Jacob put his hands up in defence.
"Sorry Mustang, I didn't realise you thought I was moving in on your girl" he said and I laughed at the look on Roy's face. He was blushing so much I would have died from laughter.
"Sh-she's not m-my g-girl" he stuttered out and I laughed some more.
"It's alright Roy, Neilson and I have this running thing were we insult each other and whoever doesn't think of a come-back loses" I explained calming myself down a bit, "we're currently tied two for two"
"Well considering you didn't have a come-back this time its' three for two"
"Hey interference that doesn't count" I pouted and he laughed, then the siren for lunch went off, "come on, Roy, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving" I commented, he nodded and we started heading for the mess hall.
"Ooooooh, first name basis, you must be real special to her Mustang" Neilson called as we were walking off. I stopped and turned around a sweet smile plastered on my face.
"Hey Neilson?"
"Yeah?"
"Shut the hell up before I shove a rifle down your trousers and start shooting" I said with the same smile and a sickly sweet edge in my voice, I then grabbed Roy's arm and started dragging him to the mess hall. On our way there we passed some of the senior's and according to the rules we saluted as they went past and they were talking about something stupid like their parents in the military or something. We were about to continue on our way when we heard a collision.
"Oh, sorry about that man I didn't see you there" the blonde one had said then he stood up and laughed, "wait you're Ishvalan, I take that back, ew you got your desert smell on my sleeve" he complained and his friends laughed. I clenched my fists at my side from the anger, I was so annoyed with them I went straight up to them, ignoring the protest that Roy gave me.
"Hey piss off you bastards and leave this guy alone" I demanded with a glare and they laughed at me.
"Well if it isn't little Miss Hawkeye" the blonde taunted.
I rolled my eyes, "I repeat: Piss. Off." I growled I glared at them with a look of pure hatred and I believe I scared them off because they scoffed and walked off. Roy then came up and helped me pick up the poor guys books.
"Are you alright?" he asked as we handed the Ishvalan his books, "that was pretty messed up".
"Always is" he said standing up, "thank you, both of you" he said, I nodded and we went our separate ways. At the mess hall Roy and I were lining up for lunch and Roy was about to get a spinach quiche when someone else took it from him, we both looked up at the black haired man with glasses.
"Sorry pal, spinach quiche is my favourite, just can't resist it you know?" he said, then looked at me with a smirk "oh I'm sorry sweetheart did you want it?" he asked I chuckled.
"No thank you, spinach is disgusting" I replied, he laughed and walked off, ah Maes Hughes; he has quite the reputation of being an ass and a show off around here. Well after we had gotten our lunch we sat at our usual table, Roy looked over at the table that Hughes sat at and I sighed sadly, he was sitting with those bastards that pick on people.
"So he's one of them" Roy said in disgust.
"Appearances are deceiving, Roy, he's not that bad a guy once you get to know him" I stated sipping my drink; he sent me a look that said I was crazy but I just shrugged and went back to my lunch, after all I had no idea if he was a good guy or not, I've never talked to him, but I just had a gut feeling that told me if I was in fight and I had a bunch of guys with guns to back me up or him and Roy, I go with him and Roy.
So the next day was the usual routine, we did some training went to classes and when it finally came to lunch Roy and I were lining up in front of Hughes, Roy looked at me and smirked.
I sighed and shook my head, "Don't start something you can't finish" I told him.
"Oh I'll be able to finish it" he claimed and as Hughes reached out for a spinach quiche Roy took it from him, "sorry pal just can't resist it you know? Spinach quiche is my favourite" he said with a smirk. I chuckled and Hughes smirked.
"Aren't you going to offer it to your little lady friend there?"
"Nah, she hates spinach" Roy replied and I rolled my eyes, those idiots just started something that's either going to end really good, or really, really, bad. The next few days have been strange Roy and Hughes have been competing in everything , they've actually been able to overtake me in laps, so now we're at the shooting range Roy and Hughes were once again competing and I was taking a short a break and talking to some of the other cadets in my year.
"Hey, Hawkeye, what's up with Mustang and Hughes?" someone had asked me, I looked over to the two black haired idiots.
"That's beyond me, all I know is that they have this rivalry going, it's pretty funny to watch actually" I replied, then I decided to be annoying and went up to Roy and 'lightly' tapped his foot setting his aim off by a long shot (pun not intended). He turned around and glared at me and I could see his temptation to shoot me with his rifle but I just smiled, picked up a book and started walking over to Hughes, I wasn't watching were I was going and 'accidentally' tripped over him causing his aim to go off as well. My plan to annoy them was not without its risks, after all when I tripped over Hughes I landed face first in the mud, I looked up with my face and blonde hair covered in mud as Roy and Hughes looked over at me then the both of them burst into laughter, I simply smiled after all if you can't laugh at yourself you must be a prick. Hughes stood up and offered me a hand which I gladly accepted and he pulled me up, then pick up the book.
"Maybe next time you should look where you're going" he said then Roy came up to me looking a little bit jealous and put an arm around my shoulder.
"Come on let's go get you cleaned up" he said with a glare in Hughes's direction, I laughed and looked at him as best I could with the mud on my face.
"Aw it's just a little mud I can fix it up later" I complained but judging by the look on his face I had no choice it was either walk or be dragged, so I sighed and nodded, then headed off to the bathroom to wash off the mud.
Later that day Roy and I were headed to library when we saw the seniors and the Ishvalan walking into an alley so we followed.
"You sure think pretty highly of yourself don't you, Ishvalan" the same blonde from the other day scoffed down at the poor guy who was slumped on the ground, once again the anger inside me was boiling to the surface.
"And what makes you think you belong here with us?" another asked, Roy was also getting pissed at this I mean for crying out loud that guy is an Amestrian citizen just like us they can't do that.
"Roy, we have to do something" I whispered he nodded, and started walking in.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled at them.
"Who the hell are these two?" the blonde asked then looked me up and down, "oh wait you're the little girl that thinks she can be a soldier" he said and his friends laughed, I bit my lip but decided to tell them off anyway.
"I don't think, I know, and for your information I got into the academy because of my work ethic and because of the pure gall it took for a girl like me to sign up anyway. I did not get where I am now because of my daddy's military career, you stupid bastard" I growled and he looked at me a bit shocked.
"Lara calm down, we don't want to start a fight" Roy said placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Excuse me? Is this Roy Mustang talking you always start fights, in fact I'll give you five minutes until you start one here" I said my temper flaring a little more than usual, Roy and I turned our attention back to the gang of boys in front of us.
"And I know him, Roy Mustang, he's a year below us" the one with black hair stated.
"There's no point to this just think about it, Ishval is a part of Amestris now so he's a citizen understand?" Roy tried to reason with them but I doubt it would work, "so he has the exact same right that anyone else has"
"You left out that they're inferiority, that's why they got taken over" the blonde butted in.
"Oh I swear to god if this guy doesn't shut up soon I'm gonna punch him" I whispered to Roy.
"Not if I punch him first" he whispered back and I held back a giggle. Roy was getting fed up with this so he walked over and the blonde took half a step back, which was the first good move he's ever made. "Don't accept this" he said to the Ishvalan boy kneeling down, then I walked up to join him, however the blonde stopped me.
"Not so fast, we only let one guy past, sweet cheeks" he said then he caught site of the chain around my neck and pulled it off, "this isn't part of the dress code" he taunted and threw it away somewhere, I didn't fight back knowing it would start a fight and that would be bad considering Roy was kneeling down and could get hurt, so I'd just have to find my sparrow necklace later. They turned their attention back to Roy and the white haired boy on the ground.
"You're gonna smell like and Ishvalan" the blonde had claimed.
"Damn he stinks" the brunette said holding his nose and waving his hand and they all laughed, come on Roy get up and punch these good for nothing assholes. It seemed that Roy had read my mind because he got and punch the blonde; meanwhile I took a step to the side so I didn't have to catch the idiot.
"Bastard, you don't even touch an upper class-man" the brunette yelled and grabbed Roy by his shirt and punch him. That's where I draw the line no one and I mean NO ONE punches my best friend and gets away with it, I went up to the guy and punched him square in the face, he stumbled back for a second shocked.
"What? You thought I was going to slap you? I am a soldier not a baby" I growled then looked over at Roy who was sitting on the ground, "you okay?" I asked softly and he nodded getting up again. Some guy charged at him and tried to tackle him but Roy just kneed him in the stomach, and then punched him in the face. Then some sucker ran at me and punched me in the stomach so I kicked him in the jaw. One of the guys grabbed Roy and the blonde tried to punch him, but Roy just kicked him in the stomach and I hit the guy holding Roy over the head, and hard.
"Alright Mustang, Hawkeye, back down" came a voice from the end of the alley, when we all looked we saw Hughes pointing a gun at us; let me tell you that was utterly perplexing, the cadets aren't supposed to have guns on them.
"Maes?" someone asked.
"Uh, what's with the gun Hughes?" one of the others asked very nervous, well I think we all were what with a guy pointing a gun at us.
"I'd like the seniors to keep quiet please, I'd prefer to handle this one on my own" he ordered, and man did he look scary, we all looked at him like he was crazy, it was different from the guy that was competing with Roy a few hours ago. As we were all just staring at him I looked directly in his eyes, there something in his eyes telling me he wasn't going to hurt us, as terrified as I was I started trusting that he wouldn't hurt us I just hope Roy has the same thoughts. "Alright Mustang, you, Hawkeye and the Ishvalan step this way" he commanded, I forced back a smile as I realised what he was doing, I knew he was a good guy, we all complied to his orders and put our hands up walking over to him remaining a few feet to his left and he kept the gun on us at all times. He stared us down for a minute before smirking and turning the gun to the seniors, understandably, they take a step back and gasp.
"Whoa, what are you doing Hughes? We're your friends" the blonde question and I sent him another glare, who the hell does he think he is making assumptions like that.
"You think so? You think I'd be friends with cruel bullies?" he started, I smiled I think we all knew what he was going to say next, "I HATE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" he yelled and all the seniors gasped in shock. Hughes turned to us and smiled again, this time Roy and I returned it, "the object is victory" he started, just like in class.
Roy smirked, "Focus on it" he finished, I smiled, Hughes put the gun away and we all charged into battle.
Okay, so the fight didn't go well and we got caught so now the seniors are running laps and Roy, Maes (yes I'm calling him by his first name now), the Ishvalan and I are 'digging our own graves' which basically means we have to dig a big hole. We're all pretty beat up, Maes has a pad on his cheek and so does Roy and I have a butterfly band aid on my forehead and multiple bruises.
"Hey this is yours isn't it?" the Ishvalan guy asked holding up my necklace, I gasped in surprise and took it off him.
"Thank you so much, I thought I'd never find this"
"It's Ishvalan you know?" he asked grimly, I smiled as I put it on.
"Yeah I know, that's why I wear it, silly" I told him and he looked a little shocked, "I don't care if it's Ishvalan or not, it's still beautiful and very important to me. You see my last name is Hawkeye so some of my friends had this joke saying I looked as strong as a hawk but I was as fragile as a sparrow and that's why they got me this" I told him and he nodded.
"You know in Ishval the sparrow signifies purity and kindness, it suits you" he told me, I grinned.
"Thanks!"
"You haven't told us your name yet" Roy asked the Ishvalan.
"It's Heathcliff, Heathcliff Arb" he said, I looked over and smiled at him.
"Yeah you kinda look like a Heathcliff" Maes said.
"Well anyway Heathy, I'm Lara, the moron over there is Roy and the one with glasses is Maes" I introduced pointing to each in turn, he looked at me funny.
"Heathy?"
"Don't worry about it, she gives people weird nicknames" Roy filled in for him and Heath nodded and I smiled again and went back to digging.
"So Heathcliff, what drove you to sign up for the academy anyway?" Roy asked changing the subject.
"For the sake of my fellow Ishvalan's" he said, I smiled caring for his people, now that's something I admire, "I hope to climb the ranks, and hope to abolish discrimination in the military" he finished.
"That's really noble of you, and a great cause" I told him and he smiled slightly.
"What about you, girly?" he asked me, I cringed slightly at the nickname but I guess that's pay back for you.
"Well, I want to do something like you, climb the ranks and abolish discrimination in the whole country, but I won't stop there I want to improve this countries relationships with all our neighbours and make the world a more peaceful place" I said with a smile.
"And you say I'm noble" I smiled again and threw some dirt at Roy gaining a glare.
"And what made you enrol golden boy?" Maes asked still focusing on his digging. Roy looked at him briefly before turning back to his digging.
"Look at Amestris, we're surrounded by other super powers, I intend on doing everything I can to defend this nation, even if that means dying by the way side to do it" he said and I rolled my eyes.
"Roy you're not gonna die I won't let you, if you die I will go up to wherever you are and drag you back down to earth, got it?" he nodded and Heath was looking rather stunned.
"Well that's where the two of us differ" Maes said looking over at Roy, "I can do without the dying part" I rolled my eyes, of course, "I'll live off of weeds if I have too"
"Oh yeah? Then why'd you even bother enrolling?"
"You've got dreams of protecting the country but I've got dreams of protecting the woman I love" he said leaning on his shovel.
"Ah, she must be one hell of a girl"
"Yeah she will be. I just haven't exactly met her yet" Maes said with a grin, Roy and I looked at him briefly before we started laughing Maes joining in a few seconds after. Heath looked at us oddly for a second before joining in the laugh too. This is how it should be, four friends digging a hole at sunset and laughing, I wish this moment never had to end.