It was the morning of the final exams at the academy and my best friend, Roy Mustang, was yet to wake up. I snuck up to his room and silently and opened the door (in senior year each cadet gets their own room, or has to share a room with one other person), when I peered in I saw him asleep in his bed, a wicked smirk appeared across my face, I took a deep breath. When I was sure I was calm I ran in and jumped on him "WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP" the rest of my yells were muffled as Roy shoved his pillow in my face.
"Shut up, Lara, I'm awake" he groaned as he sat up, still holding the pillow to my face and pushing me down onto the bed. I tried to tell him to get off but I was laughing too hard and couldn't talk through the pillow. After a few more seconds I stopped moving and the pillow was removed from my face to see a very concerned looking Roy, I laughed and jumped on him.
"Come on Roy, you gotta get ready it's our final exams today"
He groaned "Why can't you go wake your sister up?" I crossed my arms and looked at him with a pout.
"She's already awake and on the firing range as usual" I said, then I smiled and went to the other bed in his room and jumped on Maes, "you too, lazy ass, get up" after he was up and rubbing his eyes, I went to their wardrobes and pulled out there cadet uniforms and threw it at them, "get changed" and with that I left the room. After they came out, we headed off to the first of the tests that would determine whether or not we made it into the military.
After a long day we finally came to the last exam everyone but me has gone through this, my little sister, who is currently 16, had come to watch this final test.
"Alright last cadet, Hawkeye. Lara" the examiner called and I stepped up and saluted, "remember cadet you all graduate as a company so if you fail everyone fails" he said trying to freak me out, just like he did for everyone else. I nodded and waited at the start line, as soon as the whistle went I ran straight onto the course. The first of the obstacles were easy but they just kept getting harder, after a few minutes I was starting to feel very tired and was slowing down, that was until I heard Roy and Maes.
"Come on Lara you can do it!" they shouted, I briefly looked to the side and saw Riza looking like she wanted to jump in and help. After the boys little outburst everyone started cheering, just like we all did for each other, I started off at my original pace and it wasn't long until I reached the finish line. I doubled over trying to catch my breath as everyone came up, the examiner put a hand on my shoulder and looked at me with sad eyes, he can only mean one thing by that.
"I'm sorry, cadet…" he started and a few boys started yelling about how he couldn't fail me "but you're not the first girl to pass this exam" he said with a smile. I squealed and jumped up and hugged Roy and Maes, then Riza came over.
"You did amazing, Lara" she said hugging me.
I smiled "Thanks Riza, I couldn't have done it without your support" I said then turned to the rest of the cadets in my squad "and I couldn't have finished without you guys as well, but don't just cheer for me, you guys got through this death trap as well" I said and they all cheered.
After everyone had a shower we all got changed into our formal uniforms and went out into our line formation. The Fuhrer himself was present for the graduation, "Gentlemen today you are no longer-"he was cut off by an assistant who whispered something to him, then he smiled "my apologise, lady and gentlemen, today you are no longer boys, or in some cases girls, you are men and women, prepared to serve your country" he said and I couldn't help snickering when he corrected himself. "Now some of you may not be stationed with the friends you have made, but you will always be comrades in arms, some of you may be posted in east, west, south, some of you may even be placed in central with me and some of you may even be placed in Ishval but-"
"Wait, forgive me for the interruption sir" I said and all eyes turned to me stunned, the Fuhrer motioned me forward.
"What are you doing Lara?" Maes whispered to me, I waved him off and stepped forward, saluting as I did so.
"What's your name?" the Fuhrer asked.
"Lara Hawkeye, sir, and I apologise if I am speaking out of term here but Ishval used to be its own country right?" I asked.
He nodded, "Yes, what's your point Ms Hawkeye"
"Well if they used to be their own country and they were working well like that then why should our military be involved?" I asked and there was a collective gasp, the Fuhrer however was just staring at me with a hard gaze. I gulped but then he started laughing.
"What a fine young soldier, you'll make a brilliant General one day, I can see why you're the only girl that graduated this year" he laughed but then came up to me and said in a very low voice "but little children should learn when to keep their mouths shut" I gulped and no one else seemed to hear what he said, I nodded and saluted.
"Yes sir" and I stepped back into line. After the torture that is the graduation we all went back to our rooms and packed, at the train station I ran into Roy again, who decided he was going to spend some time at my house, apparently he's worried about me being in a house by myself.
"So, now that you're out of the academy what do you plan on doing?" he asked as he took our bags and loaded them above our heads.
"I'm shooting for the top"
"You're going into space?"
I chuckled, "No, I'm going to become Fuhrer, that is my goal and I won't stop until I get there" I said looking out the window and up to the sky.
He looked at me puzzled, "Why would you want to do that?"
"Well remember what I said last year? When I become Fuhrer there will be changes" I started, deadly serious but nice and calm, "the first thing I'm going to change is the relations this country has with our neighbours, you know like Creta and Drachma, then I'm going to give the people of Ishval back their land, I want to make this world a more peaceful place and if I can succeed with that then the world may just become a better place" I explained, looking out the window and smiling, this whole time he just stared at me.
"If I became Fuhrer I'd just make all the women wear miniskirts" he said with a shrug, I turned around and gasped, my mouth hanging open.
I elbowed him in the stomach, "Roy, I'm being serious" I laughed, but then I became serious again and once again looking out the window "you know it's impossible to get to the top by yourself" I said and then turned to face the man that has become my friend over the years with a dead serious look, "will you help me get to the top?"
He sat there and stared for a minuted before he nodded "Of course, I'll always be by your side, right to the end" he said with a smile. I turned to face him and hugged him really tightly, "thank you".