-- Eyes Open, Mouth Shut --
- A Full Metal Alchemist FanFiction -
Part One - Mouth Shut
"YOU LIAR!" Riza shouted painfully at Roy as he took off in that hot air balloon. It hadn't been more than a few hours since he'd returned. She had smiled for him. Riza couldn't believe she'd smiled for him. Sitting as she did now, at a table in Central Head-quarter's mess hall, cleaning one of her pistols, Riza thought about the past three years. Black Hyate had grown. He was a good strong dog now.
Riza on the other hand hadn't changed at all. She had clung to the last days of Furher Bradley's regime, to the few weeks after when she'd forced her care on Roy after he'd been shot. Roy had seemed so happy to have her around. She'd thought that her feelings had been made obvious, and that she understood his.
And then one day everything changed. Roy quit the military, reenlisted, and took a post far in the north. For three years, Riza had forced herself to live with a crushed spirit and without the Flame Alchemist. She had remained working with Havoc, Furey, Breda, and Fallman, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to work with Roy. there had been opportunities to go see him, but she refused. Seeing him would only make it hurt more.
The day finally came when her one desire was granted. Roy came back to them, to her. The gate to the other side had been opened, and the other world began attacking Amestris. When all hope had seemed lost, there he was, the Flame Alchemist to save the day. All of her doubts, her pain, her regret was gone. She had smiled for him...
There it was again! That smile! Riza hated it, hated herself for it. She clicked the clip back into the gun, completing it's reassembly and she stood, tucking it into her belt. She wandered through the halls distantly, only giving Maria Ross a half hearted wave as they passed in the hall. Maria looked back at her with worry, but simply moved on as she had work she needed to do.
As Riza opened the door and shut it, she made eye contact with no one, especially not Roy Mustang, who sat behind his old desk, filing through paperwork. He had been promoted once again to Colonel at the insistence of several military men and the grace of the country's new parliament. He looked up at the sound of the door opening and shutting and frowned. Roy knew Riza was angry with him, and knew for a fact that she was one to hold quite the grudge.
"Lieutenant..." Roy started.
"Save it, sir." She hissed, grabbing a stack of completed reports off his desk to file away. Roy sighed and shook his head and grew quiet. He didn't want to upset her further. The other four men of the office watched the brief exchange with pity for their leader. They all knew Roy hadn't mean to hurt Riza, he had only been doing what he'd had to do to protect the Elric's. Of course, none of them would say anything, lest they also have to incur her wrath.
Roy continued sorting through paperwork, and Riza continued filing. The monotonous work gave both time to think. Roy wanted to apologize, make thing sup to his Lieutenant. Over then entire time they had known each other, Riza had been more than he could ever have hoped to have in his life. She protected him, kept him in his place, and was willing to do anything if it was for his benefit. He had grown to love her, but had never acted on it because of military protocol. If he had, both of them would have lost their jobs. Even now, he still did, and was still under the same restrictions. Roy shook his head, he didn't have a choice. He had to tell her. He had to explain everything.
Riza was not nearly as optimistic as her superior officer. She knew all of the things she'd done for him, and all of the things he'd done for her, but that was no longer enough. Roy had abandoned her, not just once but twice! When he'd left during that battle he hadn't said a word. He just went away, and Riza had no idea if he would come back to her again. That was her point of no return. She ran through scenarios in her head, ways to get out. She could resign... No that would cost her her job. She had nothing else but the military. Guns were her talent, where else could she put them to use? Then it hit her. She would do exactly what Roy had done to her. She would leave, transfer to a different headquarters.
Riza turned to speak to Roy, as he stood from his desk to speak with her. The two stood eye to eye, and in perfect unison, "I need to speak with you." The colonel and the lieutenant frowned at each other, as the other four members of the office looked on in fear.