Roy Mustang had always loved dogs.
As a child, he had always begged for a puppy, even if his parents had always said no. Unfortunately for Mr. and Mrs. Mustang, he knew how to charm them, and they eventually allowed him to raise a pet. So sooner or later, he found himself adopting a dog from an old man who was too sick to care for her.
This puppy was very stern-looking, with short golden fur, white front paws, and cold brown eyes. "Why don't we name her Thereza?" his mother had asked. "That name means guardian, and she'll always watch your back. Roy agreed, and he finally found himself with a dog named Thereza...who didn't seem to care much for him at all.
Thereza was always an obedient puppy, doing as she was told without hesitation. In fact, she had passed obedience class with flying colors;she wasn't like other dogs. She never cared for treats or toys, nor did she show any signs of affection towards her master, like any dog should. No, that never happened. Not until that cat came along.
That cat was an evil one, with long, silky fur and claws longer than anyone else's. She was a stray, and longed for Thereza's house and master to be her own. So she attacked the golden puppy. Thereza was a strong fighter, but the cat seemed to be invincible, until, "STOP IT!" Roy shouted, throwing himself between Thereza and the cat. The cat ran away, and Roy tended to his pet's wounds.
After that incident, Thereza became a much warmer puppy. She was much more open (and willing to be petted by her master) and she went everywhere with Roy, even to school and back. Whenever someone tried to mess with him, she would always get in the attacker's way, barking and almost biting at them until they went away. Roy would always thank her, and they would often enjoy long walks together. But nobody saw the car on that day.
Thereza leapt in front of Roy, knocking him out of the way as the car hit her instead. Roy had tried to save her, but it was too late; Thereza had already left the world of the living. Her funeral, although small, was full of tears, laughter, and many memories. Roy was sure that he would never meet anybody like his loyal dog again.
Many years later, Roy nearly gasped as he saw the new officer walk into his office. Short blond hair, snow-white gloves, and clear amber eyes. Was he seeing double?
"Riza Hawkeye, reporting for duty, sir."
A/N: Goodness, it's been a while since I've posted anything, hasn't it? I'm really sorry about that- I've been working on summer homework as of late, and The Aeneid took a while to read. I still have to read The Illiad and The Odyssey, too...but that's what I get for deciding to take AP Latin. Meh.
So, anyways, um...yeah. Royai. Yup. I think this is my first actual attempt at it, and I think I did alright...I know that Roy was adopted and that he first met Riza in the Ishbal War, so you could say that this story is AU-ish. Interpret it as you like. :)
And, (sorry for this long author's note!) for anyone who happens to be reading A Rekord of Memories: Aah! I know! I haven't posted any new chapters in forever! Yikes! Eh, well, to be honest, I've already written chapters for up to volume 18...after recovering from a bit of writer's block at vol. 14. I'm very lazy at typing...forgive me.
Well, I hope you liked this story! The whole Thereza=Riza=Guardian thing came from the FMA Wikia if you're interested.