A Valentine Carol
Author: MoonStarDutchess
Chapter 4: Ghost of the Present
Disclaimer: Full Metal Alchemist and all its characters are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. No profit was made from this fanfiction. The only things that I do own are the OC's if any. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of original characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to the overall course of the plot. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
AN: I haven't done a detailed proofreading of this yet so there may be some typos etc. I am having a horribly busy week and my stress levels are at their height. I had this chapter written and I figured I'd post it. Hope you enjoy it.
Ghost of the Present
Roy sat up in bed with a startled expression. He looked around the room quickly, noting that nothing was out of the ordinary. Surely that wasn't just a dream? It was so damned vivid that only real life or an illusion would describe it.
Roy fell back and stared up at the canopy of his bed. His eyes followed the dark red designs etched into the fabric that draped atop the bed. He laughed when one of them looked like Maes. Suddenly, the face spun more and more until a head popped through the canopy, not creating a hole through it but actually going through it with no damage to the fabric.
"How'd it go Roy?" Maes questioned, quickly.
"Oh shit!" Roy said, falling out of bed due to the shock. He stood and growled as his toe started to throb.
"So I wasn't dreaming?" Roy questioned.
Maes floated down to sit on his bed. He bounced up and down. "Ooo comfy. I bet Riza would like it here too."
"Yeah, probab-what are you still doing here? Because in the book, the friend ghost, Marley I think was the name, didn't stick around."
"In the book? Roy, this is no book," Maes said, "and I don't recall there being a list of rules governing what I can do and not do."
"So does that mean you the present ghost thing too? As I recall, Master Hawkeye said it was a woman," Roy said.
"Nah, I'm just here to keep you company," Maes said, standing up and walking over to him. He placed a hand on Roy's shoulder. "Just calm down, this will be over soon and hopefully so will your stubbornness."
"Spirits? Stubbornness? What in the hell?"
"Yes spirits, you are being stubborn over admitting how you feel about Riza and what the hell is a question," Maes said, trying to goad Roy into something he could get a laugh about.
Roy groaned, walked over to his bed, and flopped down on his stomach.
"You should get dressed before she gets here. It's sort of rude to be in front of a woman in your boxers unless it's Riza of course. Then you should be…"
Roy shot up and turned to glare at Maes. "Enough! Go away!" he said. "And take your other spirit friend things with you."
"Let me think on it. I'll let you know tomorrow," he said.
"I thought these…visits…were just tonight."
"Exactly," Maes said with a chuckle.
"Argh," Roy replied and stood. He quickly slipped on some pajamas and house slippers and then sat back down on his bed. If he must go completely through this illusion he might as well be comfortable and just deal with it.
"So who is this past thing? Hawkeye Sensei said he was fond of her," he said.
"We all are very fond of her. It's hard not to be. You don't know her even though you do have a slight connection with her."
"How many of you are there?"
"In our little group or overall spirits?"
"Whatever," Roy replied.
"Well in our group, it's mainly those with common ties that bind together. It varies at different times. Right now the common tie is you and Riza so there's quite a few of us. Master Hawkeye and Eliza have a stronger tie with each other than any of us. This is understandable of course considering…"
"Eliza was Riza's mother," Roy said.
"Yes," Maes said.
"So Riza's mother is the present spirit?"
"Correct…"
"What I don't understand is that she doesn't have a direct connection with me. Wouldn't it make more sense to have someone that does?"
"She wanted to help her daughter and you find happiness together. That is why she decided to help out. When we decided to come to you, to get you to wise up, so to speak, she was all for it. She has an ability to make people look deeper beyond what they are seeing at the present."
"Okay, I'll play along here…So you don't have some higher power ordering you to do this? Like giving out file assignments."
Maes blinked. "We do have a higher power but he doesn't tell us who to help or whatever. He lets us have free reign pretty much. You are working to hard if you are picturing god behind a desk doing paperwork. Basically, we were watching, got tired of you being so stubborn and decided to come here and wise you up."
"Why don't you go to Riza? Get her to confess to me?"
"How do you expect her to confess after you said the things you did?"
"You knew it was going to happen. Why didn't you come and stop me before I said it?"
"Because we didn't think you'd be such an idiot," he said.
"Grrr, I don't remember you being this blunt in life," Roy commented.
Maes laughed and looked toward Roy's door as the clock chimed. "I was. It looks like your memory is failing you. Anyway, she should be here in a—"
"I was almost late," a very familiar sounding voice said, interrupting Maes.
Roy looked up at the door to see a beautiful woman walking toward them. She had long brown hair that stopped at her waist and gorgeous hazel eyes that glistened in the moonlight that was coming through the window. She was wearing a long white dress with sleeves that were so long that they hid her hands from view. The bottom of the dress swished across the floor as she walked, making it look like she was floating. If he hadn't heard footsteps as she moved he could almost believe that she was indeed levitating.
"So you are Roy Mustang, the man my daughter is in love with yes?" she questioned, turning her gaze to Roy. The woman's voice sounded almost identical to Riza's.
"I don't know about her being in love with me, but I am Roy Mustang," he said.
"Well we will get rid of those doubts you have about her feelings for you tonight," she said, extending her hand. He stood up and took it.
"Have fun," Maes said, as Roy and the woman faded away.
Roy was surprised when he appeared in Riza's apartment, more specifically, in her bedroom. He gazed at the clock to see that it was 2am. He was quite surprised that she wasn't asleep by now.
He looked toward the door when he heard talking coming from another room.
"This way. Don't worry, Riza and the others can't see you."
"Yes Ma'am," he said.
"You can call me Mrs. Hawkeye, or better yet, just called me Eliza," she said.
"Oh, all right," Roy said.
They walked into Riza's living room, and Roy was surprised to see, Riza, Rebecca, Scieszka, Winry, and Maria all sitting on blankets in front of Riza's fireplace.
"I say you move on and find someone better," Rebecca said. "There are plenty more fish in the sea."
"Yes but she wants a flame fish," Maria said.
Roy stared at Riza who was looking down at the small bowl of ice cream that she held in her hands. "He said I wasn't his type," Riza said. "I guess that's true. I'm not anything like the pinup girls he dates."
Roy frowned as he saw how depressed Riza looked. Once again, he'd hurt her. He thought back on the type comment. Riza, in all actuality, was exactly his type, if he had one that is. She was all that a man could want. She was loyal, beautiful, funny, sweet, kind, smart, smart, and smart…yes intelligence was something Roy was definitely attracted to. Most of the women he used to go out with would forget how to breathe if the body didn't do it automatically.
"Who cares if you aren't like them? Personally, I think Mustang things more highly of you than he could any of them. I think he thinks you are more beautiful as well. I've seen him out with those girls and he looks so bored. When he looks at you we all can see that he cares."
"I agree," Winry said. "He seems to be so much more relaxed around you. He looks at you like you are one of the most precious things on the planet. He is just too stubborn."
"I don't like the man," Rebecca said, scooping ice cream in her mouth.
Roy growled. "There's no love lost." Eliza laughed at him and continued watching the scene.
"But…" Rebecca continued, "I agree with the others, he loves you. So why don't you just confess to him since he doesn't have the balls to do it himself?"
"If you heard that you weren't Havoc's type would you confess?"
"Why are we talking about Havoc, I have no feelings for him whatsoever," she said.
"Denial isn't a river in Cretea," Maria said.
"Anyway, this isn't about me. This is about Riza and flamey," Rebecca said. "Just go to his house and tell him how you feel. If he breaks your heart then I will be standing by with an angry mob of women and we will burn him at the stake."
"Not funny," Riza said.
"The fact of the matter is that we all know he loves you and if you don't do something to tell him how you feel, then nothing will ever happen. Mustang will continue living in that state of denial for the rest of his life and yours."
"Maybe that would be for the best then," she said. "I can't just come up to him and say, "Roy Mustang I love you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm just not…I'm not good enough for him."
Scieszka suddenly burst out laughing. "Not good enough? You have got to be kidding? You are perfect for him. He'd be a lost cause without you. The secretary's at the paperwork office have a running bet on your relationship. Everyone can see it except the two of you."
"She…she really loves me?" Roy questioned, with shock.
"Yes," Eliza said. "Of course she does, you should already know that."
"It's unbelievable that someone like her could love me," Roy said.
"What do you mean someone like her?" Eliza questioned.
"She's just ... she's just perfect. I mean not exactly perfect but she's..."
"I understand," she said as a small smile graced her lips. "Now you need to make her see that. I think your problem isn't not being able to love or not loving. Your problem is that you don't realize exactly what love is. It's nothing that can be explained by science. It's just a human emotion, perhaps the greatest one."
Roy nodded. "I understand," he said.
"Then we should go," she said, turning around.
He started to turn around when a question from Rebecca made him freeze in his spot.
"So what is it about him that made you fall for him?"
Roy turned toward Riza and waited. He heard her mother chuckle lightly. She walked to stand beside him. "It's almost not fair to my daughter to let you stay but I shall. Just for a few moments more."
"It's hard to explain how or why. It just suddenly dawned on me one day that I loved him more than just in a friendly manner," Riza said.
"How about traits? Is there anything in particular about him that makes you weak in the knees? Besides looks of course," Scieszka questioned.
"His smell, the way he grins, and the way he tries to hide the pain he's feeling but I can see it in his eyes. If his hand just barely brushes mine my heart starts beating like crazy," she said, then blushed. "I sound so silly."
Roy grinned as Riza blushed. She looked so beautiful with that look on her face. It was so adorable and he wanted to see her act that way more often. He realized those were a few of the things he enjoyed about her. The one thing she could do that no one else could was read him. She knew his personality almost better than he did.
"That's not silly, that's lovely," Winry said. "It's a woman in love."
"Let's go," Eliza said.
"Can't we stay a bit longer? I like seeing Riza like this," he questioned.
Eliza took his hand. "If you wise up, which I think you are doing, then you will be able to see Riza like this for the rest of your life. Let us go, you still have one ghost to meet and he won't be happy if you aren't there when he gets there."
"One more?" he questioned.
"Yes," she said quietly. She didn't like the fact they were going to drill the point home with the ghost of the future but she'd been outvoted and Maes and her husband knew Roy better than she did. If they felt it was necessary then perhaps it was. She smiled softly as they appeared back in his bedroom.
She cupped his face and kissed his forehead as she would do a son. She pulled away and smiled at Roy. "I do wish I could have met you in life. You are good for my daughter. Please take care of her and protect her."
Roy smiled and nodded. "I can see where Riza gets her kindness from. I am glad I met you even if it is an illusion."
"It's not an illusion," she said. "But if you insist on it being such, then as long as you change your mind about your feelings for my daughter then our job will be done. Goodbye Roy."
"Goodbye, and thank you," he said.
She walked to the window and through it, fading away as she did so.