This is finally on track now and we're starting from the beginning. As I said in the first chapter, watch 500 days of Summer, it will make so much more sense :D
Dislcaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist.
Day 1
Roy didn't look up as the hospital door was opened. It had opened too many times that day for him to care who it was. The red stone in his hand glinted and for a moment Roy was lost in its shine. The fact he could even see it at all was the greatest gift.
The person that had entered had not yet spoken and it was because of this Roy looked up. The woman merely smiled softly and shook her head. Roy's lips cracked into a wide smile and he took in the blonde hair dancing around his subordinates shoulder. He winced as he caught sight of a bandage around her neck but apart from that she looked fine. Neither of them spoke for a while but they didn't need to.
"I can see," Roy said finally but he knew Riza would have already noticed. In silence she walked briskly towards him and scrambled onto the bed to throw her arms around his neck. He smiled widely and buried his face into her hair, while he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. For them this was such an out of character gesture that for a moment the other considered recoiling in panic but that didn't matter anymore. Everything was going to be okay. The embrace of a lover is both warm and peaceful as if everything in the world doesn't matter except that person.
The embrace of a friend is strong and loyal, in their arms you feel protected. The embrace they were feeling ran deeper than both of those. Every worry seemed to disappear, the pains subside, and the anger of the past decade totally vanish. They were in the arms of their guardian. The person that no matter what would stay by their side, egging them on and telling them when enough was enough.
The blonde woman was the first to pull back and look into his dark eyes. The man smiled back before adjusting his body to lie against the pillows again. With worried eyes, the blonde pushed herself back off the bed and subconsciously brought her hand up to brush against the bandage. Roy sighed, noticing the action as soon as she did it. Something had changed between them. As he looked up at her now he did not see his subordinate, trustworthy and loyal, he saw a best friend through the iron exterior. She quirked an eyebrow as she saw his gaze on her, clouded slightly through a stare.
"Colonel," She whispered softly, a quiet laugh escaping her chapped lips. He jumped slightly, caught off guard by her voice. He rose his gaze to look at her, auburn orbs meeting charcoal ones. In a way it felt as if he'd missed a bit of his life while he had been blind, he hadn't been able to see the battle with father, see her as she worried over his injury. The first thing he had seen was the dazzling smile on Havoc's face as Rebecca Catalina helped him to stand, trembling and wobbly like a foal standing for the first time.
Now he was beholding a far better sight, a smile on his First Lieutenant's face, clear and genuine. The door opened once again and the expecting faces of Kain Fuery, Vato Falman and Heymans Breda appeared. Roy smiled widely and gave them an acknowledging nod. Riza laughed as they walked forward and began to pat his shoulder, speaking incoherent words. Riza saw him raise his head and give her a smile. She gave a single nod then turned and departed. Her hair blew about her shoulders as she made her way down the corridor, her footsteps clear and sure upon the concrete. The events of the past few days flickered through her mind like a bad horror movie, jumbled and unsure.
She recalled the few moments she had feared for her life, and the ever larger amount she had feared for his. She remembered peering into the dark hole into the ground, shaking in anger...and fear. Fear for his life. Her head rose slowly as she heard he name being called. Any faster and her wound would of re-opened. It was Rebecca Catalina, smiling at her broadly from the end of the corridor, laughing softly as he hand rose in a silent wave. Riza gave her a brief nod as she drew closer. The two women looked at each other for a while before cracking simultaneous smiles.
"I'm glad he's okay," Rebecca said softly, seeing that something had changed in Riza's auburn eyes. There had been pain there before, but now no longer.
"Me too," The blonde whispered. "How is Jean?"
"He's alright, a bit shaky but then you can't blame him," Rebecca spoke tenderly and Riza quirked an eyebrow knowingly.
"I guess..." Riza laughed gently and looked down. "We can't,"
"What will you do now?" Rebecca tilted her head, folding her arms across her chest.
"That is what I don't know, I shall return and visit Roy later, perhaps he will have thought of something,"
"Riza you can't really expect him to be thinking of that right now, the man can only just see," She exclaimed. Riza fixed her with a iron glare. "Okay, maybe you can," She laughed. Riza smiled and took in a deep breath.
"There is a lot of work to done and the scars run deep, not just physically," Riza rose a hand to brush a strand of hair away from her neck.
"Promise you'll stay in touch, whatever it is you do?" Rebecca inquired. Although the relationship between the two would appear to be more of a love/hate one, it was clear the two women loved each other dearly.
"With you Rebecca, I don't think I have a choice," Riza chuckled and rolled her eyes as Rebecca gaped at her.
"I'm not that bad," Rebecca stated defensively. Riza merely rose her hand to rest on her friends shoulder and gave her a smile. Rebecca was left to find the own retort to her statement as the blonde gave her a fleeting nod then
disappeared down the corridor. Slowly, Rebecca turned, watching her best friend disappear.
"Maybe its been there all along," Rebecca whispered. "Or maybe its been there forever and they've just missed it,"
Thanks for reading. Please drop a review if you have a moment for my story.
-Amie
