He had run off like a young child throwing a temper tantrum. Never mind the reason why, he had, and he wasn't coming back.
"What do we do?" Havoc sighed. "Even I don't run off like this, and I get pissed off pretty badly sometimes."
"Hasn't he always been like this?" Falman asked. "I don't want to offend him, but he's always had a flaring temper."
"He's never done this before, though," reminded Fuery.
"I don't see what was wrong with this." Breda picked up the note.
Riza took it from him and scanned it with a critical eye. After a few moments, she told the group, "There's nothing wrong- that's what they're trying to convey. This is a normal occurrence, after all, but this was Maes…" she sighed. "They've known each other since Ishbal, and I've known Colonel Mustang since before Ishbal. Maes was probably one of the people who kept the Colonel alive during that time. Now that he can't do that, the Colonel is feeling lower than he's ever felt. He blames himself, and he wants others to see it that way, too."
"But they aren't," Havoc interrupted. "So, he needs to start from scratch. He needs a new reason."
Grabbing her raincoat, Riza announced, "I'm going to look for him. The rest of you try to do as much as you can."
"Hey-" Furey's voice made her turn. "If I get a break, I'm helping."
The chorus of, "Me, too," rose from the other men.
Riza smiled. "Thank you."
Tired, cold, and wet, Riza was about to give up until she realized that without a coat, Roy would be needing medical help by now.
She shivered and strode out from under the overhang of a café to once again prowl the cemetery.
Sure enough, her guess was right. She removed her coat and placed it around her superior's shoulders. "It's time to go back, sir."
"Leave me alone, Hawkeye."
"Sir-"
"I said go!" Roy whipped around, ready to actually strike his subordinate, but something in her eyes stopped him. "I know I'm being an idiot, Hawkeye, and frankly, I don't care. Just leave me here."
"No." Riza glared. "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, sir: You're not the only one who misses Maes. I want to see him alive and well again more than you'll ever know, but that won't happen."
Roy turned to face her, bangs dripping into his clouded eyes. "I believe that this is my life, and my problem, Lieutenant. Now go before I-"
"Report me for insubordination?" Riza snapped mockingly. "Do it, then, I dare you. This isn't you. This isn't just about you. This is all of us, in this together until the very end, and you can't do a damn thing to change it. Do I make myself clear?"
Letting out a sob of grief, Roy placed his head on his Lieutenant's sodden shoulder. "Riza, I never wanted this. I don't want this anymore."
Riza placed her arms around him. "Neither do I, sir, but we're in this until we give up or we achieve, and for me, giving up is not an option. You still have your choice to make, but I've made mine."
Noticing that Riza was shaking, Roy asked, "Are you cold?"
"Honestly, I'm freezing, sir," Riza admitted. "I didn't drag an extra coat with me though: it would've slowed me down."
"Here." Roy wrapped the jacket around the both of them as an umbrella. "I'm sorry, and if you feel at all ill tomorrow, call for the day off. You've earned it tenfold and more just today."
Riza shook her head, her wet hair gently smacking against her superior's shoulder. "Now why should I do that with what you did today?"
Roy smiled crookedly. "I doubt I'll lack the work to concentrate on things like that tomorrow. I've made my choice, too."
Let's just hope we've made the right one…
END
A/N: First submission. Ever. If something's wrong with formatting and whatnot, I don't know what it'll take to fix it. Here's to it working!
EDIT: 15 July 2008- There was no bar in between two scenes. I've been meaning to fix that for quite some time, but never really got around to it.