Title: So You've Forgotten?

Author: Tressa

Rating: K+

Summery: Riza takes a trip out to Risembool to confirm the rumors circulating Alphonse Elric and to inquire on the location of Ed.

Spoilers: Slight spoilers for the series

When she first had received the call, she herself wasn't sure whether or not she would respond to it. After all, Brigadier General Roy Mustang was still healing, and she didn't want to leave him for long periods of time.

However, Riza Hawkeye knew that once she heard the name, she needed to respond immediately.

Although having seen him before, she would now be able to talk to him and find out as much information as possible. But most importantly, she would be able to see with her own eyes as to whether or not he was okay.

So, after leaving very detailed instructions with Lieutenant Jean Havoc as to caring for the Brigadier General, she packed a small bag and boarded a train for the small town of Risenbool. The last time she had been there, they were tracking down the wanted Elric brothers, only for their group to do an about face and lie about the whereabouts of the famous Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother. She smiled to herself as the landscape passed by swiftly and not for the first time wondered what it would be like to settle down and live in one of these small farming communities. Compared to the hustle and bustle and continuous troubles of Central, it was a pleasant thought and not one she minded entertaining.

The train continued on, stopping every now and then for passengers to disembark. Finally, after the long travel, she arrived at the small station in Risenbool. As soon as she exited the train and it had departed, she inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air. As soon as she finished, however, she realized that in her eagerness to get to Risenbool, she had failed to set up some sort of transportation to arrive at her destined location.

She stood for a moment on the open platform, before approaching the lone telephone booth off the side. One quick phone call and a short wait later, she found herself in a bumpy carriage, headed toward the outer regions of the town.

"So," the owner of the carriage said. "You know the Rockbells?"

She nodded, not sure of how much she should reveal. "Yes, I've met the young girl a few times."

"Amazing things have been happening here, miss," the driver said, his chuckle almost forced. "Amazing and weird."

This piqued Hawkeye's interest, though she had a funny feeling as to what the old gentleman was referring too. "Oh?"

"Yeah." The carriage turned a bit as they took the right side of a fork in the road. All around was green grass, the scent of flowers wafting in the air, and a cool breeze, all things she hadn't noticed before. She looked at the older man, the sounds of the horses' hooves clomping lightly on the cobblestone road. "Rumor has it those kids, the ones that were friends with the Rockbell girl, got mixed up with something bad. Only one of them returned." He shook his head sadly. "No one knows what happened to the older one. The younger? He's back. Though, he doesn't look his age."

Second Lieutenant Maria Ross had relayed some strange reports to her just after the incident. It looks as though her reports had been substantiated. Not that she doubted the validity of Ross's report- the second lieutenant was a very reliable. However, the results of said report were a little difficult for her to follow, despite all the oddities she had seen during her military career. The older gentleman's words confirmed everything, however. She was anxious to see the younger of the two brothers now.

Finally, around dusk, the carriage stopped by a sturdy looking house. The hand painted outside read Rockbell Automail, indicating they were, in fact, in the right place. She hopped out of the buggy, then took the offered luggage that was handed down to her. Digging in her purse, she pulled out a generous amount of cens and offered it to her driver.

He shook his head. "It's not necessary," he answered, settling himself down in his seat. "I've known the Rockbells for a long time now." He pulled up his pant leg, exposing the glistening metal of his automail leg. "They saved my life, my leg, and my business. They've passed through some tough times lately, so I'm happy to help when I can."

Nodding, she replaced her money. "Thank you again for the ride. I appreciate it." With a wave and a smile, the old gentleman guided the horse around and back down the pathway.

Gripping the handles on her bag, she slowly made her way up the stairs and rapped on the front door. For some odd reason, she had a mental image of a mass group rush to the door, then another image of her being run over in the melee.

The outcome was the complete opposite. The door opened, light streaming from inside, and a set of bright blue eyes peered out.

"Yes?"

"Winry Rockbell?" She hoped the young automail mechanic would remember she was coming.

The door opened widely, exposing a very dirty Winry Rockbell. "Miss Riza!"

For a minute, Riza thought she was going to embrace her. To her relief, Winry simply motioned for her to come in. "Thank you for notifying me of these recent developments," she said, not noticing the table in the middle of the front room. "The Brigadier General will be happy to hear some verification of these rumors."

Twirling a strand of long blond hair, Winry said nothing else, stepping aside instead. That's when she noticed him. It was easy to not recognize him immediately, after all, she had met him when he was but a soul attached to a suit of armor. The boy's caramel-blond hair was site to see, and she felt a surge of joy for the young boy finally realizing his and his brother's shared goal. The joy was short lived, though, when she remembered the exact words that both Winry and Lt. Ross had relayed to her.

He doesn't remember a thing. His memory's gone. And Edward? He just disappeared.

Which meant, he wasn't going to remember her. Nor would he know where his brother was. She frowned. Which also meant her original reason for coming would be for naught. She glanced back at Winry, seeing the girl's eyes begin to water. Gently laying a hand on her shoulder, she offered a smile, hoping to calm her down. It worked.

"Care to introduce me?" she asked.

Winry let out a shuddering breath as she composed herself before nodding. "Yes. Maybe seeing you will jog his memory. He always was fond of you and Mr. Mustang."

Coming around the other side of the table, she could see the boy's face, a cookie in his hand, a glass of milk to the side, and an alchemy text opened on the table. His eyes and attention were focused on the book, and he was, surprisingly, unaware of the two visitors.

"Al?"

At the sound of his name, he looked up and gave them what Riza had to describe as the sweetest smile she had ever seen. "Hi Winry! Were you standing there long?" He pushed the book closed and pushed it to the side.

"No, we weren't." Winry motioned for Riza to sit down, who did so, still gripping the strap of her purse tightly. Here was the moment of truth. Maybe she should've waited. Maybe she should've brought the Brigadier General, or Lieutenant Havoc, or one of the other's. Someone else in the military who would remember the boys would've been sufficient. But, as it were, the Brigadier General was still laid up; Havoc had the responsibility of caring for him. The others, Breda, Falman, and Fuery, were running the office back in Central while he recuperated.

"Alphonse?"

The boy looked at her and smiled again. "Hello. Are you a friend of Winry's?"

The only thing she could do was bite her lip and nod. "My name is Riza Hawkeye. Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Does that sound familiar?"

The young boy's smile slowly morphed into a frown and the sparkle in his eyes faded a bit. Riza herself could feel his frustration and wondered if she should've stated her question as she did. She didn't prod him; instead waiting for him to answer her.

There was a small moment of silence before he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly, his head hanging low. His eyes were hidden behind his hair, but she could see the disappointment and frustration on his face. "I . . . don't remember."

It didn't hurt; she didn't suspect that it would. What did hurt, though, was the absence of his sweet and cheerful demener. This was not the Alphonse she was familiar with. While it was understandable that he would be frustrated; the sense of loss that radiated from him was not common.

"It's alright," she assured him. "I don't understand completely, but I'm not here to pressure you to try and remember." She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile. The boy looked as though he was upset at himself. His brows furrowed and he had folded his arms across his chest. Definitely an Edward trait more so then an Alphonse trait. "I just . . ." she paused, trying to word her statement just right. She didn't want to frustrate him further. "I came to see how you were doing."

"Other then the memory gap," he answered, "I'm fine." His eyes flickered toward her. "You're the only person other then Winry and Granny to ask how I'm doing. Everyone else just gawks."

That wasn't good. The boy was confused; he needed support, not for everyone to treat him like a science experiment. Her mind went back to her original reason for coming. She shouldn't use him to pump for information. This wasn't the Alphonse she knew. He was a scared little boy. Which made her next question difficult.

"Alphonse," she started hesitantly, before looking for Winry. But the teenager had disappeared, no doubt disturbed by their results of their conversation. Taking a mental breath, she turned back to the young boy and forced a comforting smile on her face. "I have something to ask you," she stated softly. Before she could continue with her question, he interrupted her.

"You want to know where nii-san is," he offered, glancing down at his book. His hands came up to grip the sides and even from where she was, Riza could see his hands shake. "I don't know where he is," he answered. "I can't even remember what he looks like. Winry told me he has automail. I don't remember him even having it." He let go of the book and dropped his hands by his side. "Granny and Winry showed me pictures. Pictures of him when he was older. His face is the only thing's that familiar."

She was startled but didn't show it when he roughly pushed the book to the side, causing the class of milk to spill on the table. The cookie when tumbling and fell off the table. "I can't even remember our travels."

"But you knew there were travels," Riza broke in, hoping that he remembered that much.

Alphonse shook his head. "No. Winry told me. She showed me pictures. Of nii-san." He looked at her again. "I miss my brother," he said, his voice cracking. "I miss him. I want him back. He belongs here with me! But how am I going to get him back if I don't even know what happened to him?! I don't know if he died, or if he's lost, or if he got kidnapped or what!" His voice mellowed some. "The last thing I remember was mom dying and us studying with teacher. I remember nii-san talking about human transmutation. I remember us drawing out the circle. I'm almost positive we tried it . . ." He stopped mid comment. "The next thing I remember was waking up and this dark haired lady was holding me."

She nodded. The last bit corresponded with what Lt. Ross had reported.

"I looked for nii-san. . ." He paused. "And nii-san wasn't there." His eyes began to water and he sniffed. "He wasn't there. And nobody else knew." Another sniffle. "And I can't remember what happened."

The last bit of his emotions had been tugged. He cried freely. Sliding out from table, Riza hurried to the boy's side and hugged him fiercely against her body. The tighter she held him, the louder he cried. Her heart went out to him- he was terrified, lost, confused. He wanted the comfort that he couldn't receive. And the only person who could give it to him could not be found. She glanced to the staircase and saw Winry; the younger woman not bothering to hold her tears back.

Nothing was easy for any of them. It seemed as though that those who sacrificed the most were the ones who ended up suffering the most. She held him; not speaking, allowing him to cry. Time was non-existent; she didn't know for how long they were like that. It was only when the sobbing ceased, the hiccups stopped, and he was reduced only to sniffling did she deem it alright to let go.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to . . ."

She shook her head. "It's alright," she assured him. Standing up, she wiped a stray tear away and brushed his hair from his eyes. "Don't worry about it."

Through out her military career, she rarely had a conversation that didn't revolve around her job. But there she sat, with a boy that she had come to respect and admire. They talked of Edward and the Brigadier General. They talked of the small moments that only she and he knew of, though it was obvious that he remembered none of it.

By the time the older Rockbell woman entered, Riza was all talked out and ready to head back to central. She didn't find the information she had come to retrieve. But seeing the boy and seeing him slightly more centered then before made her visit worth it. Her thoughts drifted back to the Brigadier General and she chuckled. It was a time of healing, both the physical and emotional wounds. As Al was on the phone speaking with someone who Riza was not familiar with, she stood at the foot of the staircase with Winry, having a small talk with her.

"Thanking you for talking with him," Winry said, a small smile on her face. She had since gathered herself together and wasn't crying like she was earlier. "It seem as though each time we speak with him about Ed, something inside him clears up. His memory is still gone, but . . ." Riza watched as the young automail mechanic's gaze traveled over to Al. "At least he's getting to know a little about his brother."

"Well, I'd better get going." Walking to the table, she grabbed her purse from the table. "I need to get back to Central. There's still a lot of work to do."

"I'm sorry you couldn't get anything from him. I knew he didn't know where Edward was."

She shook her head. "No. Even if I didn't get any information about Edward's whereabouts, I did confirm some of the information regarding the Elric brothers." She paused. "Thank you for your help."

"It's late," Winry said suddenly. "Do you want to stay? We have a guest room. Kind of. I can stay in Ed and Al's room with Al. He still gets nightmares, so I'm usually having to go in there anyway."

She shook her head again. "I need to get back as soon as possible. Central is still recovering." As well as the Brigadier General. "But thank you for your offer."

She bid farewell to the Rockbells and managed to find a way to the train station. As she sat in her seat and watched as the landscape went by. The scene with Alphonse was a bit disturbing. It was unnerving seeing him in the body of a ten year old. It was unnerving that he couldn't remember a thing. But at least she'd be able to inform the Brigadier General that physically, the boy was okay- in a sense.

Settling in her seat again, her mind drifted from the problem at hand and turned toward the setting sun in the distance. She was going back to Roy. She would tell him about Al. And then maybe, they, and the rest of Amestris, would be able to start the healing process.

A/N- That ending was weird. But I didn't know what else to do or how else to write it. I apologize.