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Kain Fuery

The topic was delayed for another year and Riza started to act even stranger. Sometimes, the men wondered if she was ill or something because her facial features became even sharper and she looked like she would collapse any second … and she broke. One day, in the office, the strong warrior fainted and was brought to the hospital.

"Miss Hawkeye, you have to stay here!" the doctor sighed. "Believe me, you will feel even worse if you don't stay here…"

She looked down before her hands covered her eyes. "Alright," she muttered, "please, can I just speak with Master Sergeant Fuery? Alone? I want to give him my key and some instructions…"

The others stepped out. They knew that Kain was the one who Riza trusted enough to know that he wouldn't make a mess out of her flat. Riza and Kain were the youngest of them and since they had been together in the academy, they were closer than Riza and Jean or Riza and Breda.

Kain looked down at her. "You really look bad, First Lieutenant," he said worried. "Why didn't you say anything? You were working so hard … sometimes we really wonder why you never seem to relax. You will work yourself to death if you don't stop!"

She smiled a little bit. "You know were I live, right?" she asked. "I believe you dropped me off a week ago after the meeting. Well, you will get into the flat, get my stuff and … most importantly … you will speak with no one about anything you might see there. Pretend like it didn't exist. I will explain everything later … but I need to ask you for a favour…"

He nodded. "Everything for our queen," he said with a little bow.

"The problem is that you are the only one out of the squad who will tell neither the colonel nor anyone else about it," she said. "So … please stay at my flat until I am out of here, alright?"

He looked at her before he frowned slightly. "Do you have a dog, Hawkeye?"

If she wouldn't have lain in a hospital bed, she would have maybe laughed. "No," she said.

Ten minutes later, Kain knew why she had been acting strange. He opened the door and nearly tripped over a little girl who played right in front of the door with her dolls. She wore a neat blue dress and her golden hair was braided. She looked up at Kain and pouted. "You not mommy," she stated, disappointed. "I want mommy!"

He bent down and looked at her face. This had to be the lieutenant's daughter; there was no doubt about it. Alright, the eyes were green but that had nothing to mean even if Riza's eyes were dark brown like molten chocolate. But the golden hair and the facial features betrayed the relation between the sniper and the girl. "Hello," he said carefully.

"I don't speak with men in blue," she muttered.

"Listen, princess, your mommy is sick and asked me to take care of you…" he said. "Ehm … would you mind to show me where she keeps her clothes, little girl?"

Green eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "Laila," she said finally.

"Excuse me?"

"I … I am Laila…"

He smiled at her. "That's a beautiful name," he said. "My name is Kain. I work with your mommy and she told me to make sure that you are fine… are you all alone?"

"No-o-o," she exclaimed brightly. "My Nanny is here too!" She grabbed his hand as she got up and dragged him into Riza's bedroom. "Here does mommy keep her clothes," she smiled.

"I believe that I got it, Lieutenant," Kain said as he put down the little bag. "Laila says hello."

Riza frowned slightly at him before she grabbed the bag. "Give her my regards," she smiled.

"Did you went and got yourself a girl, Kain?" Jean, ever the gentleman, asked. "Is she hot?"

"I don't think that such a conversation should be held in front of our sick comrade," Roy said and sat down. "Soooooo, Hawkeye, mind to tell us why you worked that hard?"

She looked at him. "It's expensive to have a flat that close to headquarters," she stated. "And I don't want to hear anything about Laila from any of you, am I understood?"

"Yes, madam!" Havoc jumped and saluted. "I will never speak of it again!"

"I know that you and Fuery are close, Hawkeye, but … there is no need for you to worry that I could take this Laila away from him," Roy smirked. "I steal just Havoc's girlfriends – all the others are safe from me. Maybe you should tell Havoc that he has to stay away from Laila…"

Kain chuckled. "Believe me, Colonel, I am pretty sure that Hawkeye would kill both of you if you would try to flirt with Laila," he stated. "And I am sure that the girl would need a doctor afterwards because she would be horrified for the rest of her life…"

Riza laughed quietly before she blinked at him. He was right. Since she was really protective over her so-called daughter, she had vowed that she would chase any guy away.

"You know Laila too, yeah?" Jean asked. "Is she really that cute?"

For a second, she froze before a calculating smirk appeared on her face. It was very out of character for her but even if she had just end up in hospital again, she could have a little bit of fun, right? "Of course I know her," she said calmly. "A wonderful girl … very pretty … very smart … a bright smile … and stubborn like hell … but it's typical for her family I guess…"

"She looks like her mother," Kain sighed. "And those eyes … like emeralds…" He smirked. "I have to say, beauty seems to be part of her blood…"

Roy watched the two youngest of his team before he shrugged. "Fuery, you can stay and keep her company. Make sure that she follows her doctor's orders, alright?" he smiled at the young man. "I know that she outranks you, but … well … you are allowed to order her around a little bit since she is much too stubborn to accept that there are really people out there who know better than her what it good for her and what not…"

"Oh, excuse me, sir, but I have an appointment today," Kain muttered. "Maybe Jean would be the better option to keep her company. I … ehm … I promised someone that I would play with her and I would prefer to keep the promise…"

"Is your baby sister in town?" Vato asked. He and Kain were close and he knew about the family of the youngest member in the team. "If she is, tell her that I said hello."

Riza exhaled. Sometimes it was quite handy to know someone like Vato Falman who was maybe not the best soldier but a great man. She smiled weakly. "Give Esther my regards, Kain," she said.

Roy and Heymans left the room and the colonel looked a little bit angry. "Did you know that the Hawk's Eye and the guy who is afraid of guns are on first name basis?" he muttered darkly.

"Yes, I knew," his subordinate said. "They are friends from what I know and I believe that she was the one who visited him every day when he was in hospital last year. She cares for him."

"Stupid boy…" Roy said. "He should stay away from her … and I don't like it that they share some secret and that she doesn't tell me … I mean … we walked together trough the depths of hell…"

"I am sure that Hawkeye has a good reason for sharing her secret with him and not with you," Heymans said. "Maybe it is still about the mission that failed last year … they were stuck for more than an hour in this place before we got them out of it…"

With Kain as accomplice, things became easier for Riza.

She had someone to cover for her at work than Laila was ill and she couldn't leave. She had someone who was there the day she felt like everything around her was dying. And she pretended that she didn't notice that Roy was a little bit jealous. He had broken her heart and now he dared to be jealous just because of her new friendship with a fellow officer? It was ridiculous and she ignored it. And Laila adored Kain because he was always so friendly when he came over.