RoyAi Collection

Chapter 3

You're Always Leaving


Riza looked over at Roy finally sleeping soundly in his own hospital bed. It was over, the Promised Day had come and gone and….it was over. Their quest to save the world had come and gone and along with it, his dreams of changing it. Gone. His dreams, his plans gone with with his vision, his last piece of paperwork he would sign as Colonel Mustang would be his honorable discharge.

It was how their relationship had been from the beginning. He was always leaving.

It began when he came to study with her Father, how she couldn't help but fall for this sweet city boy who adored her for who she was. She finally had a friend and what she considered a boyfriend. Then he left.

It broke her heart, but she kept going in her mundane life. At least she had the experience. Better to have loved and lost, right? However he came back….in uniform. Her father died and he stayed with her, more treasured days with Roy only to see him ready to leave after the funeral. Before he left she offered him something he couldn't resist, the secret to Flame Alchemy. It was the right decision, he was the one.

Then he cursed himself for leaving. Leaving her father to burn this into her back. The tears of shame and fury, and words of an idealist who wanted to protect everyone. He'd do it too. He now had something to protect people with. She watched him leave again, his head held high and his determination set. He left.

Time passed and she had already decided it was time for her to leave. Leave this old house and her memories. Leave that little girl behind that cried for the mother that died and the love she never asked to stay. She left that weak girl behind and became a confident woman. Confident in her skill, confident that she would protect people too. They met again and she found out that he also left that young boy he was behind, to be replaced by someone who questioned everything and hated himself.

The war ended and he announced that once again, he was leaving. This time he was going to aim his sites for the top and change things. She finally couldn't allow him to leave this time, she wasn't liking the trend. He always came back worse, the only way to make sure he didn't go where she couldn't follow was to be beside him.

It was a blessing and a curse. She told him to burn her back, leave the secrets that were eating them both alive to die with them. No more flame alchemists. All those burns did was leave behind a scar, something to wounded them both so deeply they still hadn't recovered. She saw her failings and he saw her disappointment. He saw his betrayal and her pain, pain he caused. So he left, to make things right. To atone for his sins. Once she was healed, she made the decision to never let him leave again. She would follow him into hell, though he saw it as devotion and not a threat then.

They left behind the tired dance of friendship and embraced the role of lovers. He finally asked if she wanted to get married and all she could do was picture him leaving every day. Walking out the door into the unknown and she told him no. She loved him but she was not going to leave his side. She didn't need a certificate to tell them what they were.

It was the best decision she ever made. Roy was excellent at walking himself into stupid situations. He almost walked into Scar's hand, almost ended up a splatter of deconstructed mass in the middle of the city. Then he almost died by Lust's hand and she thought he left her for good. Then he almost was eaten by Gluttony. He was an absolute idiot. Then he tried to leave himself behind in order to satisfy his anger with Envy. So she turned the tables on him. I'll leave with you. It was enough to stop him and make her thankful she never left him by himself.

However the threat of her leaving him became a reality….when she was bleeding on the floor and watching her life leak out as he stared at her helpless. She saw his desperation, his fear. He'd never survive her leaving. It took every ounce of her being to tell him No. She wasn't going to leave. She was ordered not to die and so help me God if you try to perform human transmutation....

That was the past and now they were sitting in their beds in the hospital. He left her side and came back blind, but this time it was not his choice. She looked at him and wondered if he could leave it all behind; The job and his goals.

"What's wrong?" Roy sat up and turned. He looked in her direction, frustrated with the darkness. "Riza?"

She raised her eyebrows and didn't realize she had started to cry until he sat up and looked at her. His eyes blank orbs. "I'm here, I'll never leave."

"Then come over here and tell me why you're upset. Don't worry about me."

She got up and sat on his bed. Her hand caressing his face and his eyes searching for something even though they both knew it was pointless.

"I'll leave it to you to be my eyes." He said and nuzzled into her caress. "We'll make it through this."

"I'm actually hoping your common sense will improve with the other heightened senses. " She said softy.

He smiled. "I think that's a little optimistic don't you? Just look…I don't have enough sense to not kiss my Lieutenant when anyone could walk in here."

She held her breathe as he landed a kiss on her chin, then dragged his lips up to the corner of her mouth and finally found her lips. She had to smile. "Don't you ever try to leave me again."

"When the hell did I ever want to leave you?"