Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the plot. All else belongs to Arakawa Hiromu-sensei.
A/N: EDIT- I realised I forgot to put a disclaimer... So here it is! Lol /whacked
Riza Hawkeye knocked on the door, slightly hesitant. "Come in." On command, she opened the door and walked into the office. The man seated behind the large polished wooden desk looked up from his paperwork. "Riza." he acknowledged her with a slight smile. She felt her heart beat a little faster. The way her name rolled off his tongue, she realized she quite liked it.
"Good day, General. Wha-" Before she could finish, he cut her off. "Uh-uh, Riza." He wagged his index finger in disapproval. "Didn't we agree to call each other by our first names if there isn't anyone else around?" She fidgeted. Roy Mustang. Even though she had known him for a long time now, she still couldn't call him by his name. To her, he was always "General Mustang". "R-Roy." He chuckled at her obvious uneasiness. She felt her face grow warm, out of embarrassment. She stared at the floor. Weren't they just colleagues, just friends?
"Anyway, here are some documents I need you to pass to Fullmetal." As she accepted the envelope, she noticed the scars on his hand. He had acquired quite a few scars from the war but it strangely did not affect his good looks. Rather, it made him look much more heroic, more... manly, in a sense. "Yes sir." She bowed and quickly took her leave.
The door shut behind her with a click. What had she been so embarrassed about? Unless... No. She shook her head. It can't be. She had vowed to herself that she would never harbour any feelings for a man. She had vowed to never rely on men. Wasn't that why she left her hometown to join the State Military? Wasn't that why she learnt how to use a gun? A person could not be trusted fully. Depending on someone completely only resulted in horrible consequences. She should know- her own mother was a prime example.
She was a housewife who stayed at home most of the time, and could do nothing but wait for her husband to come home. She would tell young Riza how admirable her father was and waited for him. And waited. And waited. But he never came. He was too obsessed in alchemy to. Even the most patient person had her limits. Gradually, the grief and doubts in her heart drove her to death, leaving a 12-year-old Riza to fend for herself. Honestly, Riza thought it was foolish, pinning your future and hopes on to one single person just to see him betray you in the end. And ever since that day, Riza was determined to never let love take the reins of her own life away from her. She needed to stand on her own two feet.
It wasn't that she thought lowly of her subordinates. Comradeship was different. She was not obliged to rely on anyone. It did not tie her down- she could still be in control of her life.
She put her hand on her chest. Her heart was still pounding.
No.
Roy Mustang. His jet-black hair. His sharp dark orbs. Riza swallowed hard. She was getting frustrated. The more she tried to block him out of her head, the more times he appeared. Why was it so annoying?
She needed to be self-reliant.
But the question now was, could she?