Crossing A Fine Line
Summary: When Riza's mission leads to her disappearance, what will Roy do to get her back? Will he even make it in time?
Chapter Four: You Can Run…
Hey! Wow, I updated fast. But I can't let you people down, so I have to update. Thanks for sticking with my fic. I was afraid that nobody would like it because it is serious and doesn't have a whole lot of humor. I'm glad you like it though. Please continue to read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters.
RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER.
Mustang is seen getting off the train. He turned to look for his companions and smiled when he saw Armstrong and Amy getting off. They walked right up to him, both appearing to be rather tired.
Mustang looked at his watch, "It's ten minutes to midnight," he informed them before closing his watch and shoving it into his pocket, "Let's go find Hawkeye," he ordered before turning around and heading in the other direction.
Sweat drops formed on both Armstrong and Amy's heads as confusion filled their faces. Mustang stopped when he got the funny feeling that nobody was following him. He slowly turned around and faced his companions, wonder in his eyes.
"Sir, I don't mean to disrespect you, but it's nearly midnight and we're tired," Amy said slowly. Her voice was shaky with the fear she felt as she eyeballed Mustang's gloves. She had an image of him burning her for her insubordination in her head. She shook the image out as she spoke again, "Requesting permission to go to the hotel sir," she said weakly.
Roy gave her an irritated look, "No, the sooner we start looking, the sooner we find Hawkeye," he argued, a little irritated by the woman's suggestion.
Armstrong looked at the young woman with his eyes, but didn't move his head an inch. He watched as she sighed and hung her head. She was probably more tired than anyone, considering he and Mustang had her running all over the train in an attempt to find Havoc and Ross. He felt a little guilty and decided to speak up.
"Sir, I think Lieutenant Forest is right. We should retire to the hotel," Armstrong agreed with the young girl as his eyes shot in the colonel's direction.
"Uh?" Amy asked confused before looking up at Armstrong.
"Even if we were to find Hawkeye tonight, we wouldn't be strong enough to fight to get her back," Armstrong informed him, his voice stern.
Roy was a little surprised by Armstrong's behavior, so was Armstrong, but deep down he knew the tall man was right. Unfortunately, Roy is a stubborn man and wouldn't give up.
"Fine," he said irritably as he crossed his arms, "You know what my luggage looks like. Pick it up and wait for Havoc and Ross. When they get here you may retire to the hotel," he ordered before turning around and heading in the other direction once again.
"Sir," Amy called out to him, "Where are you going?" she asked, a little worried.
"To find Hawkeye," Roy answered simply, without turning around.
Armstrong and Amy looked at each other, but didn't say a word. Amy shrugged before the two headed for the luggage that was being unloaded from the train.
Riza is seen standing by the window of her dark room. She sighed as she looked down at the alley below. She really wanted to get out of there, but she wasn't sure how. There was a noise heard from atop the building next to her.
"What?" she asked confused, and a bit startled. Her eyes shot up to the top of the next building as she search for its creator. She didn't find the noise, but she did find something useful. There was an old-fashioned clothesline that went from above her window and attached to the side of the next building. It was the kind that you could hang the clothes on and push it to move them further out on the line, or pull it to bring them back to you. A smile spread across her face as an idea came to mind. She frantically looked around the room, but stopped when her eyes fell on the bed. She tilted her head slightly as she tried to size the blanket in her mind. Then she turned and looked out the window once more. They were on the top floor and it was a long way down. "I think…hmm," she said to herself. She kept looking between the bed and the window, "It'll be a little short. But it's better to jump from that far down than this high up," she told herself.
Her head snapped in the direction of the door when she heard the doorknob jiggle. She didn't want them to know what she was doing so she ran over to the bed and jumped in. She laid on her side on top of the covers and tried to look as if she had been there the whole time. The door slowly creaked open and Haddon stuck his grubby head in. He had a look on his face as if he wasn't supposed to be there. He nervously looked over his shoulder then back at Riza. A sadistic smile spread across his face. He slowly entered the room and gently closed the door behind him. He wanted to make as little noise as possible.
"Just 'cause da boss won't let us touch er, doesn't mean I won't anyway," Haddon said as he rubbed his hands together and made his way to Hawkeye's bed. He slowly climbed up on the end of it and crawled up to her. "Wake up pretty woman," he said wickedly. He kept crawling until he was over top of Riza, "I said wake up!" he yelled in a whisper before smacking her in the back of the head.
Riza rolled over and laid on her back as she looked up at him, "Get off you pervert," she said quietly, her eyes narrowing on him.
Haddon shook his head, "Not till I'm done," he said as he grabbed her wrists and pinned them down.
Fire raged in the young woman's eyes as Haddon leaned in to kiss her, "You're done," she said bitterly before kicking him in the groin.
"Ahhhh!" Haddon yelled as he let go of Riza and pulled back, "That hurt," he squeaked as he grabbed himself.
Footsteps were heard outside the door, but neither of them let it interrupt what was going on.
"I said…get…off," Riza said as she placed a foot on the man's chest and pushed with all her might.
"What's going on?" Dallas asked as he ran into the room, at the most inopportune time. Just as he ran in, Haddon flew into him, "Oww!" he yelled as he fell backward.
Riza saw her opportunity and darted out of the room. She looked behind her once and saw Haddon on top of Dallas as the two struggled to get up. She smiled a bit before turning for the door.
"Ah!" she screamed a little when she found Yates standing right in front of her.
Her eyes stared as she moved them up his masculine body to his face. He blinked down at her for a second. She knew she was caught; there was no way she could get out of this. Yates looked up and saw Haddon and Dallas fighting.
"Sorry, but I can't let ya escape," he said solemnly. He looked back down at Riza and watched as she hung her head, "But I kin give ya a head start," he smiled.
Riza's eyes widened with surprise as she snapped her head up in his direction. She wanted to ask him why, but decided not to push her luck.
"Thank you," she whispered before walking around him for the door.
She was startled when she felt the man's hand wrap around her arm. She knew that it was too good to be true. She slowly turned her head back and looked up at him.
"If I find ya, I have ta capture ya," Yates warned her, "So when ya leave, go left. Run as fast as ya kin ta da bakery. They'll be closed, but pound on da door until the owner comes out. Tell him what is happening and he'll let ya hide in there. When morning comes, go through da center of town…not da alleys…and head ta da train station. Get on da first train and go back home. Ef ya follow those instructions, you'll make et back ok. Got et?" he ordered, but didn't look at her.
Riza nodded, "Yeah, I got it," she assured the tall man.
Without another word, Yates let go of her arm and she ran out of the apartment.
"Yates!" Dallas yelled from where he was on the floor. Yates look over and saw that the two were still fighting each other to get up, "Yates! Where are you?" he continued to yell.
"Here boss," Yates said as he walked up to the two of them. "What happened," he asked, as if he didn't already know.
"Don't worry about us, go stop the woman before she gets out!" Dallas ordered.
Yates looked to the open door, "Sorry, she's already gone. I musta missed er," he lied, hoping that Riza was at least out of the building.
Haddon and Dallas finally got to their feet, "Well, no time to waist," Dallas said as he brushed himself off, "Let's go," he said as the three ran for the door.
Riza ran out of the building and doubled over as she tried to catch her breath. She looked to the left and then to the right. She wondered if she could believe him or if this was a trap. She figured that it wasn't a trap, if he wanted to catch her, he would have already.
She shook her head, "Well, here goes nothing," she said to herself before running to the left.
The three men ran out of the building shortly after that. They looked around, but they couldn't see anything in the black of the night.
"Which way should we go?" Haddon asked, as if Dallas would know.
"I think we should go right," Yates suggested.
Dallas and Haddon gave him an odd look, but they didn't have time to argue, "Let's go then," Dallas instructed as he and Haddon headed in that direction.
Yates stood for a moment and looked the other way, "I hope you listened to me," he whispered, wondering if she had followed his orders.
"Yates, come on!" Dallas yelled as he stopped and looked at him, "She's military personnel, you know she's gotta be fast!" he screamed.
"Coming," Yates assured him as he tore his eyes from where he was staring and ran after Dallas.
Riza looked frantically at the passing stores, hoping that she would find the bakery. Her ribs began to ache from the running, but she pushed herself to keep going. Thoughts of what Yates had said echoed in her mind. She still didn't know if she should believe him, but it was a little late now. She slowed her running to a jog in an attempt to keep some of her remaining energy. She longed to go back and make a right out of that building, but if they were following her, she would just run into them.
"Ah!" she screamed a little as her foot hit something hard and she fell to the ground. She gasped for air as she laid there. She was a little relieved that she got to rest, but getting to her feet wasn't going to be easy. She looked down at her legs and saw the rock she tripped over lying at her feet. "Thanks a lot," she grumbled. She moaned as she attempted to push herself up with her arms, but whined when they gave way and she fell to the ground. She sighed irritably, stirring the loose dirt that was under her face, before hitting her head on the ground as a punishment for her own stupidity, "If the colonel was here, he'd laugh at me. Then he'd yell at me for listening to the enemy," she scolded herself. She turned her head to the side and laid it on the ground. "What now?" she asked herself, knowing that if she were to stay there, they'd catch her for sure. Just when she felt she was doomed, she spotted the sign above the store next to her, "The bakery," she said, a smile spreading across her face. Her excitement made her adrenaline rush just enough to give her the strength to get to her feet. She turned and faced the rock, "Thank you," she said with a smile before limping to the window. She looked inside and noticed that all the lights were off, "Yates was right, they're closed," she said bitterly, she had hoped he was wrong. She limped her way to the door and began pounding on it, "Help!" she screamed, and she didn't care who heard her just as long as the baker did, "Help me please," she continued to yell.
The lights in the store came on as the voice of an elder man was heard, "I'm coming, hold your apple sauce," the old man said, a little humor in his voice. Riza's eyes widen at the though that she was going to be saved. She heard the door being unlocked from the other side, "I'm old, so don't hurt me," the man laughed again. He opened the door and looked at Riza, "Oh my, you don't look too good darling," he said slowly.
"Please help me," she sighed.
Mustang can be seen walking through the city streets. His hands were in his pockets as he attempted to keep himself warm. He had no idea where to start looking, but he knew that there wouldn't be one place in that city left unturned.
"Ow," he moaned when he ran into something hard and fell back on the ground. He looked up and rubbed his head, curious to see what he ran into, "Watch where you're going," he ordered bitterly, his eyes narrowing on the other man.
"You watch where you're going," the other man scorned as his two friends pulled him to his feet.
Roy got up off the ground and cursed his sore butt, "What are you doing running around at night anyway? You could hurt someone," he said, wondering if he sounded too much like a father.
"We was looking for someone," a high-pitched voice squeaked, "And ya were gettin' in our way," it scolded.
Roy couldn't really make them out, but he could see that there were only three of them. One was about his height, one a little taller, and one that appeared to be a bit taller than Armstrong.
"Well, I'm looking for someone too. So get out of my way," Roy ordered as he rubbed his head.
"Or what?" the man about his height asked as he crossed his arms.
Roy wished that he could just burn the lot of them, but decided that death of an innocent would lead to a major demotion…or prison. He took a deep breath as he tried to control his anger.
"Just get out of my way," Roy said before pushing past them. His uniform became visible to the tallest man when Roy walked through the moonlight, but not to the other two. Roy could have sworn that he heard a gruff voice say bakery as he past that man, but shook it off.
"I have a feeling that they're not getting off the train," Amy whined as she looked to Armstrong.
The two were sitting outside of the closed train station.
"I have a feeling you're right," he agreed as he looked at his watch, "The sun will be coming up anytime now and the station's been closed for several hours."
Amy placed a hand on the major's arm, causing him to look down at her, "If it isn't too much to ask sir, I really would like to retire to the hotel. I'm getting awfully tired," she pleaded, hoping her charm would have an effect on the man.
Armstrong blinked as he looked into her large blue eyes, "I think you're right. They probably missed the train," he said as he looked away, "Which means they won't be here until midnight tomorrow," he said, thinking about how stupid the two of them are, but not saying it. "Come on then," he ordered as he got tried to get to his feet. He stopped when he felt a weight on his arm. "Huh?" he asked as he looked to the side. Amy had fallen asleep on his arm and probably didn't even hear what Armstrong had said. The tall man couldn't bring himself to wake her, so he gently removed her from his arm and laid her on the ground. He got up and brushed himself off, "Carrying women has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations," he said, though she obviously didn't hear him. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her off, "I wonder where all the luggage went?" he asked himself, but shrugged it off and kept walking.
Mustang can be still be seen walking through the city. Unfortunately, he had been looking all night and hadn't found anything. He sighed when he noticed the sun was beginning to come up.
"I wonder," he said to himself when he thought about what he heard, "Could she really be at the bakery?" he asked himself, though he wasn't sure if hearing things was evidence enough. He sighed a little, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check. But…uh…where is the bakery?" he asked as he scratched his head and looked around.
He picked a direction and began to walk that way.
"Excuse me sir," a little boy said as he pulled on Mustang's pant leg. Roy looked down at him, giving the boy an odd look, "I need to go to the bakery and get bread for Mommy, but I can't cross the street alone. Could you hold my hand and take me?" he asked sweetly.
Roy was a little surprised, "Actually, I was headed to the Bakery myself," he told the young boy, but received nothing but a laugh from the young kid, "What?" he asked confused.
"You're going to wrong way. You'll never get to the bakery that way," he said as he adjusted his square glasses.
Roy couldn't help but think that this child was a little familiar, but he shook it off. He couldn't care less if this child was the Leader of the New World, just as long as he was willing to take him to the bakery. Without another word, Mustang took the boy's hand and lead him across the street.
Riza can be seen sitting up in her makeshift bed on the floor. She stretched her arms high above her head as she yawned.
"Are you hungry?" the elder man asked as he entered her room with a tray of food. Riza smiled but she shook her head, "I think you should eat a little something before you go. It'll keep you strong," the old man insisted as he held the tray out to her.
Riza must admit, the food did look really good, "I guess I should, but I have to leave soon," she insisted, trying not to hurt the old man's feelings.
"I know, and I must open my store soon," he reminded her with a smile. After his wife past, he was lonely, but he knew he couldn't keep Riza there. Helping her hide from her enemies was reward enough for him. There was a small knock on the door, which caused Riza and the old man to look up nervously. "Tell me, what did you say your enemies look like?" the old man asked, his voice a little shaky but he tried hard to hide it.
"He's really tall, has short black hair, and black eyes. They're very gentle eyes, but don't let that fool you. If he's here than he tricked me," Riza said nervously.
"Got it," the old man said in a stern voice as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Riza was more nervous for him than herself, until a frightening thought filled her mind. What if the old man was in on it too? Could she trust him?
"I'm coming, hold your apple sauce," the man called as he laughed a bit, "That never gets old," he said as he shook his head.
He opened the door and his smile faded when he found himself face to face with a man, "I'm looking for someone," the man said hopefully, a young child clinging tightly to his hand, "She's got blonde hair, amber eyes, and the most beautiful smile. Please tell me you've seen her," the man pleaded.
"Who are you?" the old man asked bitterly as he looked at the man's black hair and gentle black eyes.
"Colonel Mustang," the man replied.
Sorry so short, but I wanted to end it there. So what did you think? I hope you enjoyed it. I know it went a little fast, sorry. I hope it didn't shoot between different scenes too often, but I wanted to show what everyone was doing…except poor Havoc and Ross who are still stuck at the train station.
saffiremoon21Yay! I love bunnies!
Flava Sava Whew, I was afraid that nobody would like the song thing. I'm glad you do though. I thought it kinda fit with the chapter.
KatieCat: No need to apologize, sometimes I need a slap in the face like that. I don't do it on purpose, it's just that I have a lot of fics and sometimes I can't remember when I updated last, you know? So I appreciate your reminders and will look forward to them if I slack off again.
Kwala: I'm glad you like it and don't worry about Riza, she'll be back to her normal self in no time. Which means bad news for the bad guys.
Pil-Z Yay! You were thinking the same thing I was. I created Dallas, but I don't like him. As far as Yates is concerned, I can't tell you. He's sort of a hard character to define though.
chibimacha7 I try to catch the spelling mistakes, but I don't ever get them all. I'll try to be more careful though. I'm glad you like it.
fireblazie You watch Samurai Champloo? I love that show. Anyway, you were right. I saw that guy and I think that's the reason I made Yates that way, but like I said to Pil-Z, he's a hard character to define. Did you get the inspiration…probably not; this wasn't the best chapter ever. The next will be better though. Yeah the scene will be yummy and fluffy, demented and wrong, weird and sinister, hey it's all the same. No, just kidding. The scene won't be coming for a very long time so I'm still planning it.
Tempest Kiro: She…died? (Sniffle sniffle), but she's so cool. I have to read that now. Thanks for the info, though I'm sad. Don't worry, she will be happy in this fic.
ninalee-chan:- I'm glad you like my fic and you define Roy and Riza's relationship perfectly. I'm glad that you caught what I was trying to do.
Apparition7 I know this chapter wasn't great. I'm glad you liked the flashback and music. I was afraid that nobody would.
waaa...: Hehehe, sorry, this fic has a long way to go. Don't worry, Roy and Riza's reunion will be worth the wait.
Briar Noir Yes, random acts of anger, but the driver deserved it. Hmm…a big puppy? Well, we'll see. He's awfully hard to define and I'm not even sure what he's going to do next.
ILoveMyGojyo.