Author's Note: Writing this chapter was an emotional rollercoaster. I may have said there would be less Royai in this chapter ... I lied. There is another OC, but I think you'll like her. A lot of major things happen, so prepare yourself. I have multiple ways I could go from here, so if you want to see something, send me a message.

Kaliq

Toby barked incessantly as the general and his lieutenant colonel entered my house. It had been a long day: we'd started on the third market house in Kanda. Once we'd opened up the main trading center in Ishval, for the exchange route between Xing and Amestris, we'd been swamped with people from both countries who were eager to travel to the other country. Our economy had already felt the benefits of this trade agreement.

Mustang sat on the mats like he always did, Hawkeye right beside him. Toby came over to sniff her hand, tail wagging. He'd grown quite a bit since I adopted him eight months ago. It was when Hawkeye pushed him away that I knew something was different.

Mustang sighed, his eyes closed. "We heard from the Fuhrer this afternoon." he began. Obviously, it wasn't good news. Whatever it was, it seemed to give Mustang some difficulty, and he didn't say anything for a while. Looking at his subordinate, I could see that it was troubling her as well. She seemed more concerned with the news than with how the general was reacting to the news, which was a first.

"He's retiring." I must admit I was a little surprised. Grumman had implied, several times, that he had no intention of retiring. He didn't seem like the sort of man who could sit in a rocking chair all day. But with his recent health issues, I remembered that Mustang had said he was being pressured into it. I waited for Mustang to continue.

It seemed he was waiting for me to say something, searching my face for a reaction. As usual, he was disappointed. Finally, he sighed. "The official announcement will be tomorrow, at the same time as the announcement of his successor."

His voice was restless. "Do you know who that will be?" I asked. Surely, he knew already, if the announcement was being made tomorrow.

He shook his head and Hawkeye looked to the ground. "Not yet." Hawkeye turned her head slightly toward him. I'd been around the two of them long enough to understand that look.

"What about you, Lt. Colonel?" I asked. Hawkeye gave me a look that convinced me. She knew. I couldn't read her well enough to know who, though. If she didn't want something known, it wouldn't be known.'

"I know as much as General Mustang knows." she answered. I knew she was lying, but I was not going to push her. It wasn't as if I wouldn't hear the news tomorrow. What I was more interested in learning was how she knew.

"What will happen if it's you?" For the time being, I pushed aside my questions for the lt. colonel and turned back to Mustang.

Mustang smiled. "I'll leave for Central after making temporary arrangements. Once I get there, Ishval is my number one priority. I might promote Miles and send him back down here, if I can convince him to leave Briggs. Or ..." He trailed off.

I hated when he did this. He obviously had the whole idea in his head, and he was just waiting for me to get pulled in and ask him to continue. He always did this. I had not given in to this tactic yet. No need for his head to get any bigger.

"I could try to get an Ishvallan government set up. Let Ishval be run by Ishvallans."

I smiled at the brightness in his eyes. "How long have you had that idea?"

He smiled sheepishly. "About a minute. That is the end goal, but I thought it would be a long ways off."

I chuckled softly. He always had these spur of the minute ideas, and he usually burnt out on them after about a week, just in time for the new one. And if he was going to be the new Fuhrer, he'd have a lot more on his plate to be thinking about. Ishval probably wouldn't be run by Ishvallans for a while.

Toby started barking toward the entrance to my house. It seemed someone had stopped by to join us. I stood up to invite them in, and I was surprised to see Mida standing outside. She usually avoided my discussions with Mustang. She trusted the Amestrians, but she seemed afraid of him for some reason.

"Good evening, Kaliq." she said. She seemed reluctant to be there.

"Good to see you, Mida. Come in." I stepped back to let her in. She nodded in the general's direction as she sat on the mat to the left of where I usually sat. Her eyes remained riveted on the floor as I sat back down.

"Your name is Mida?" Mustang asked, using the friendliest tone he had. "I've seen you before, but I haven't heard your name."

She glanced up at him briefly, smiling politely. "Yes. I'm a friend of Kaliq's." I was taken aback. We'd spoken on multiple occasions, and I enjoyed her company, but I'd never really considered her a friend. I thought about the people I might consider friends. There wasn't anyone, really. Cemal was friendly toward me, Kammani was more like an aunt, ... there were the men I worked with, but none of them were what I would consider a friend. And Mida, I saw more of her than most anyone else, but that isn't enough to be friends.

"Nice to meet you. Did you have something you wanted to ask?" Mustang still had his charm turned all the way up. Most of the other Ishvallans who came to listen to Mustang usually had questions for him, about the country, about Ishval, about upcoming projects, about particular soldiers, etc. I wondered if maybe Mida was like that. I was worried that she might have come to get angry at Mustang for what he had done.

After a moment, she shook her head. "I have something to tell you." I could see Hawkeye tense up, expecting Mida to suddenly jump toward Mustang. But I knew Mida wouldn't attack him. She couldn't hurt anyone. The one other time I saw her angry, she seemed more sad than anything. She had yelled, certainly, but she remained very still, and when she finished yelling, she just stood there, her long hair draping over her face. And that had been after a long battle between her patience and the perceived wrong.

Mida raised her face to look directly into the lt. colonel's eyes. Both Amestrians' eyes widened. "During the war, you-" Mida abruptly stopped when her voice broke over the last word. Her fists were clenched, pressing hard into her knees. She closed her eyes, trying to control herself. Looking over at the others, Mustang's eyes were still wide, but Hawkeye's had softened. "You shot my sister. And her son."

No one moved. The only sounds in the house were Mida's short breaths as she tried to hold back her tears. We were all in a state of shock. Most of those who still held resentment toward soldiers because of the war had approached them early on in the reconstruction. I was shocked that Mida had held on to this for so long. I had listened to her convince other Ishvallans that the war was over, that the Amestrians were here to help, and I'd watched her help someone let go of their anger toward another soldier. It seemed unlike her to hold a grudge against Hawkeye for this long.

Mustang spoke, breaking the silence. "There's something else, isn't there?" His voice was gentle, not the usual way he spoke about the war. He was seeing something I wasn't. Mida nodded. She ran her hands through her hair so that it fell over one shoulder and clasped her hands in her lap.

"You buried them." It seemed there would be no end to the surprises tonight. "At the end of the day, after you shot them, you came back and buried them. I watched you." She sobbed openly, her shoulders fell, and she bowed her head. Hawkeye was staring at the floor, looking on the verge of tears herself, and Mustang's eyes were closed. I looked toward Mida, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, Mida looked up at Hawkeye, startling her. "Why?"

Mustang turned his head just enough to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. He looked mildly concerned, which meant he was greatly concerned. I didn't know about Hawkeye burying those she killed. I knew most Ishvallans had been buried, but in mass graves, done by soldiers assigned to that task. Burying people, after fighting all day, must have been exhausting. I wanted to know why she did it, as well.

Hawkeye looked down at her hands. "I needed to finish what I started." She said nothing else, and the room was silent again for a while. Mida was shocked and finally spoke.

"What do you mean?"

Hawkeye looked at the other woman. "My hands removed them from this world. Therefore, it was my job to make sure they left this world properly." Her voice was soft, softer than I had ever heard it. But she never wavered once.

Mida nodded and her tears came in a steady pace. "Thank you." she whispered. Her response surprised Hawkeye so much that she couldn't control the tears that spilled over her eyelids. Mida held out her hand, and Hawkeye took it.

Hawkeye

When Fuery first received the telegram, he'd rushed into the break room. Thank goodness the general wasn't there; Fuery couldn't keep a secret to save his life. Well, not from us. I had known for a while, since we'd visited the Fuhrer in the hospital, but it was nice to know for certain. The telegram also had instructions not to inform the general until the announcement, which proved somewhat difficult for the rest of the team. After days of awkward excuses to leave the room, we were finally standing on the stage for the announcement. A representative from Central had come down for the official announcement, as other representatives had gone to all large military bases in the country. In Ishval, it just so happened that the civilians outnumbered the soldiers in the area.

Colonel Dryden gave a speech about progress and the future and all that, while the general sat next to me, in his dress uniform, subtly picking at a thread which had not previously been loose on his coat. I was worried about how Col. Dryden's announcement would be received by the Ishvallans. The general was a part of Ishval, as much as it was a part of him. The news that he would be leaving would probably not rest well with many people. But it was necessary, as Dryden's speech said, to keep moving forward.

"Fuhrer Grumman has made it known that he wants his successor to be a person of the people, who will continue re-fashioning this country to make its government more representative of and accessible to its people. He has decided that the fate of Amestris lies best in the hands of General Roy Mustang."

The general froze and the muscles in his jaw relaxed from the intense position they'd been in. For a second, there was silence as Dryden's words echoed out. Then, the applause began. Some people yelled out in approval. Gen. Mustang stood up, his face still terrified, to acknowledge their applause. He smiled, obviously faking, still in shock. It was cruel of Grumman not to tell him about his decision. But that's who he was.

As Mustang waved his hand, and the people cheered, my heart felt as if it were growing too quickly for the confines of my ribs. I couldn't help but smile at him. Dryden turned around to salute him, and the rest of us stood to give him the same. He'd done it. He'd finally done it.

For the rest of the day, Mustang was congratulated, toasted, clapped on the back. And I was always there, still full of the warm pride in my commanding officer. I had heard it directly from Grumman himself, seen it on a telegram, but this. This was when it became real. The general wore his new authority well. He constantly smiled, laughing when people would joke about his slacking off, grasp hands warmly when they spoke sincerely, and he was every bit my general.

The day drew to a close and the lower-ranking soldiers went back to their barracks. A few Ishvallans stuck around longer, but by the time it was truly dark, our team was alone in the break room. The general stood, still in a state of shock, in front of the couch. The rest of us all had huge smiles on our faces.

"Do you think it's all right for the future leader of a country to fall over onto a sofa?" His voice was shaking a bit with disbelief. Havoc, Fuery and Breda threw back their heads and roared with laughter. The smile that had been hiding on my face all day completely overtook it. Mustang turned around and plopped down onto the couch, letting out a huge sigh as a smile covered his whole face.

Havoc pulled out a box from under the table where he was sitting. "I got you a little something, sir." He opened it up and pulled out three bottles of scotch.

"That's a quick turn around to get that kind of drink." Mustang said.

"Yeah, well, I had a little more time to prepare. Fuery got the news yesterday."

Mustang's smile faded a little. "Are you telling me that you all knew, BUT NO ONE TOLD ME?" He jumped back up, in his usual comic manner.

"Well, yeah, I mean, they can't just spring information like that on us. And I think Hawkeye knew for a lot longer." I narrowed my eyes at Fuery, who immediately got that look that Hayate gets when he wets the floor.

He turned around to me. "Is this true, Lt. Colonel Hawkeye?" His voice had lowered, but it still held the same amount of indignation.

"Yes, sir." No point in hiding it, now that Fuery had said something.

"I had thought as much." His anger dissipated, which shocked me.

"Sir?"

"Well, what else could Grumman have been talking to you about when we were in Central?" He put on his usual goofy grin and got a glass down from the cabinet. I knew he wasn't finished with me, but he was putting on a show for the guys, so I played along. I didn't drink any of the scotch, though; I can't stand it.

Finally, after one and half bottles had been finished, the rest of the team headed off to bed. Mustang had waved them off, saying he needed a minute alone in the break room. I stayed behind, afraid to leave him on his own. As it turns out, he didn't want to be by himself.

"You knew?" He was more than a little intoxicated, but his speech and intention were clear.

"Yes, sir."

"How long?"

"Grumman told me in Central, when he spoke to me alone." I didn't know how the general would react. He didn't seem particularly thrilled with my not telling him, but he didn't seem angry.

He stood up and walked toward me, smiling gently. "Thank you."

I was apprehensive about the way he was acting. He seemed too familiar right now. "For what, sir?"

His smile widened briefly. "At the moment? Not telling me." He stopped a few feet from me, surprisingly steady for how much alcohol he'd drunk. "If I had known, today wouldn't have been as wonderful as it has been. So thank you for that."

"You're welcome, sir." My eyes widened as he started reaching out to me, coming closer. Seeing my reaction, he quickly put his hand on his hair, as if that had been his intention all along.

"It's not just that, though. Thank you for everything. You are the reason I've gotten to this point. And really, it's more like ... we've gotten to this point." He dropped his hand back down his side and I could have sworn his face grew even more flushed than it already had been. He stared straight into my eyes as he stepped toward me, taking my hand. "Thank you."

I smiled back. "You'll always have my support."

He chuckled at that, his eyes crinkling with warmth. He pulled me closer into a hug, and I was terrified. I wasn't used to him being a happy drunk, or hugging me. His arms tightened around me as he whispered, "We did it, Riza."

For a second, I let myself relax. I put my arms around him, rested my head on his shoulder. "Yes, we did, sir." He let his cheek rest against my head and we just stood like that for a while.

Then, he said, "You smell nice."

I laughed and pulled away. "That's very kind of you, sir." His eyes had that look I was so used to ignoring, and I smiled. "It's time we went to bed. Long day tomorrow."

He gave me a sloppy salute. "Yes, sir!" I almost had to push him out of the room, but I did get him back to his door. I turned to go back to my room, and he grabbed my arm.

I sighed. This wasn't the first time I'd had to deal with him like this. "No, sir." He began stroking my palm. Thank God I was sober. "Good night, sir." I pulled my hand away and walked back down the hallway. I cursed myself as I felt my legs swinging more than necessary. I always did this when I knew he was watching me.

But soon he would be Fuhrer, and he'd be able to reshape the nation. The pressure would be intense. So maybe letting him watch me walk away wouldn't be so terrible.

Author's Note: That Royai scene just about got away from me. Kaliq's dog is named Toby because of Cap'nHoozits wonderful story, Sons of the Desert, which you should definitely read!

The next chapter probably won't come out for a while. It's just about time for finals, and I'm about to be swamped. But things are definitely about to change for them, so maybe it's a decent breaking point. Any and all comments are appreciated!