In the few minutes that he had as a break, Roy Mustang's mind began to think of the Ishbal war. So much, of what had happened recently with Furuh Bradley, and meeting Lust, somehow reminded him of the war. He just couldn't place how, or why. He wished that he could talk to Lieutenant Hawkeye about this, but he didn't want to upset her, by reminding her of Ishbal.
Roy did not need to see the dead bodies of the Ishvalan people to know the effect of war. He had seen enough of them, when he was there. The effect of the war could be seen in the living, in their hollow dark eyes. He saw it in himself when he looked in the mirror. He saw it in Maes Hughes, even in his precious Lieutenant. They all had the eyes of a killer. They had all been so innocent to conflict, before the war, like little boys with playing with sticks, but they soon learnt to sharpen them, along with their instincts.
Roy found it the hardest, seeing it in Riza, he only wanted the best for her and hated the way that the darkness sometimes constrained her. He saw the pain the pain in her perfect eyes, but he didn't know how to heal her. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. Roy knew that people had moved on, his best friend was married now with a beautiful daughter. He was so happy for Maes; it was nice seeing him smile like that again.
There are some people who would never know the truth of the war; they would never see the reality of what it was like. They only heard the stories. Roy wanted to protect people but he knew that the war wasn't over yet. Everyone had committed atrocities, even him. He saw the ghost of his victims' in his sleep, he knew what he'd done. And he knew that Hawkeye sometimes still had nightmares about the war. He knew that the war wouldn't be over until everyone knew the truth about it, even if it meant that he himself risked death. Maybe then his nightmares would go away.
On the day he returned after Ishbal, he made a promise to himself that when he became furuh, he would open an investigation into the war. Everyone who committed atrocities would be put on full military trial, even him. He knew the consequences of his actions.
Roy would always choose what was right over, what was easy. He wasn't here to mess around, he wanted to make a brighter future for people like the Elric Brothers' and Winry Rockbell. He wanted them to have a future worth living.
He wanted Riza to have a future with him. Roy wanted to see her smile again, like she had before Ishbal. Roy wanted to see her walk down the aisle in a white dress and smile at him with her eyes. Roy was so lost in these thoughts that he hadn't noticed her appearing in the doorway.
"Colonel Mustang sir." She said. Roy looked up startled, the image of her in white gone. He looked at her; there were dark rings under her eyes. She hadn't slept well last night.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" Roy asked.
"A new report from Furuh Bradley, sir." Riza said. She handed the report to Roy and lingered while he looked at it. "Do you need any help with the report sir?" she asked when he had finished skimming the important document. Riza hoped that he would say yes. He looked up at her and smirked. "Sir?" she asked. She gave Roy a sharp look and he went back to his neutral expression.
"Yes I think that I could use your assistance with this Lieutenant." Roy said. The two sat in silence, working for the rest of the day. They loved it when they got to spend time alone together.
