"Don't kid yourself. She wouldn't come. I doubt she would wanna see Mustang like this," the voice barely audible over through the howling of the typical blizzard in North Amtestris.
He sighed inwardly. They were right. Why would she come in weather like this? To see someone who's given up on his goals. It didn't matter anyway, he decided. Nothing did anymore.
He turned to go back in, what's the use in waiting for someone who will never come.
"General Mustang!" a female's voice called.
"Hawkeye?" Mustang whispered to himself as if to question his ears. He narrowed his good eye to look beyond the sheet of white and sure enough, as loyal as always, Hawkeye was trudging forward.
X-x-X
There was silence as they sat staring into the flames as they danced in the fireplace.
"Why did you give up, sir?" she asked solemnly.
"You don't understand," he sighed, "I killed a lot of people. I don't want anyone else to die because of my mistakes."
"That's not the Roy Mustang that Hughes and I promised to support and protect."
"You don't understand," he repeated and reached up with a shaky, white hand brushed the fabric of his eye patch with the tips of his fingers.
"No, sir, I do. You're going to allow Brigadier General Hughes's death to go in vain," she spat with bitterness.
He glanced up at her and saw an expression he had never seen. Hawkeye wasn't rolling her eyes in exasperation from him procrastinating to finish his papers, or from him putting Havoc in misery from stealing another one of his "soul mates". No, her amber eyes were narrowed, and her face morphed in disgust.
"I killed a lot of people to, Mustang. Don't forget that you weren't the only person in the Isballian Rebellion while you're soaking in your self pity." Hawkeye's words were like venom to his throat. Mustang was paralyzed as he grasped the remark she had just said. This was the first time Hawkeye spoke out so rash. "The snow is just like the rain- it makes you useless."
Useless? Is that how she truly thought now? Back when he was a Colonel, it was just a fact that he couldn't do alchemy in the rain, but now it was how she defined him. Mustang looked at the floor; it had to look better that whatever glare she was giving him. He swallowed the lump in his throat full of words he needed to say.
Finally he looked up to see his former Lieutenant leaving without another word. If it weren't for pride, perhaps he would've begged her to stay.
He has already broken his personal vow. He had lost someone else to his mistake. The one person in this world that supported him in every situation, no matter the consequences, was gone.
The wind howled preventing an empty and lonely silence. Mustang had lost his title, his rank, his respect, and … Riza. Now it was time to get it all back.