Mistake
Riza Hawkeye screamed once before clamping her hand over her mouth. She could not let her emotions show even now, when they mattered the most. She watched in horror as her commander Roy Mustang screamed a battle cry so full of fury and rage it scared her. She watched as, like many times before, he let his passion take control. He destroyed everything in sight with a clap of his hands.
The men coming for them turned to ash, the building crumbled to rubble, and Roy Mustang quickly changed into the Flame Alchemist. Flames licked everything and barely left Riza alone. The fire did not come near that one person. She tried to sit up, but her body was still in shock and her wounds nauseatingly painful.
The jet black eyes she hated turned to look at her haughtily. These were not his deeply compassionate eyes she could trust. They were cold and loveless. Empty black orbs that shone with the anger and frustration of denied emotions. "What's wrong?" He asked, but his voice was so full of his inner darkness that she shivered and kept quiet. His eyes somehow grew even darker.
Self-satisfied striding steps closed the gap between them. "Hawkeye! Answer me!" He snapped in a growl.
"I'm fine Sir, but what did you just do?" She asked back her anger with him seeping into her voice.
"Saved your life" his voice smooth as glass. He sat next to her and surveyed his destruction. "Clapping alchemy is actually pretty handy sometimes!" His arrogant voice began to grate on her nerves. He sat in a vain and princely pose showing no remorse for his recent actions.
"Dam it!" She shouted as she looked away from him. "You just killed five people!" Her voice shrill and reprimanding.
"To save you!" He screamed back. His face contorted in an ugly sneer.
"Don't do me any favors!" She sat up and turned her back to him.
He stood his fists shaking. He stomped away to look around. She listened to his receding footsteps until they grew silent. She then quickly tore her own uniform into bandages to stop the bleeding of the gash in her side. She felt lightheaded and swore aloud before standing to follow the fool.
She walked around the perimeter of the damage he had inflicted searching for his familiar figure. She spotted him sitting atop a cement wall in another cocky pose. He was looking up at the stars one leg down the other bent so that he was sitting more on his hip than his butt. His arm draped over his bent knee the other on the wall. He ignored her approach.
She stopped a few feet short disgusted by him. She knew he was a powder keg ready to go off at any moment. She was always striving to keep him from exploding like he just had. No one else knew about his dual personalities, or the fact that he was capable of such inhumanity. That is why Roy trusted her; she knew how to handle the Flame Alchemist better than anyone else did. Edward and Scar believed it was just his anger for Envy that had caused him to go insane that day, but they didn't know Roy like Riza did.
Her fingers gently pressed against her wound feeling the bandage. It was rapidly becoming saturated with her blood and she could almost smell it. She gritted her teeth and leaned against a broken pillar for support. She wanted to scream at him, but held her tongue. In this state, he was even more dangerous than usual.
She tried not to think of the first time she had seen him get like this. Her memory wanted to come back, but she had no time for it. "Sir, we need to get out of here" her voice strained.
"Are you afraid of something Lt.?" He asked coyly. She glared at him. Condescendingly smug bastard! She thought to herself.
"No but we both require medical attention and will have to write a report on this incident" Riza's reply was calm and collected. She did not intend to provoke his anger.
"Then let's get going!" His voice raised an octave.
"Yes Sir!" She replied and he jumped down to give her the creepiest grin she had ever seen on his lips.
"But if we go to the hospital we can't be alone together" his voice was suddenly like silk. She stiffened praying he would come to his senses soon. "Is something wrong?" His question and smile pushing her further away.
"Yes. You and I both know that we are bound by the rules of our military. Fraternization between soldiers is not acceptable"
"Always the good one!" He jibed. "Who do you think you are my conscience?" He asked in a growl.
"That's what you asked me to be! And right now you're in need of a major reality check!" She yelled back leaning against the pillar to fight the pain and weakness. "Look at what you did! You killed people not for the good of the country, but to protect me! That is against your promise to me!"
"You would rather I let you die? You are so annoying sometimes! I know how badly you want me, and how much you fight that want. But we both know it is only a matter of time before you lose control. Try and learn something from me" his voice was quivering with anger, frustration, and hatred.
"But you didn't have to kill them! You could have injured them and then let the military police take care of the rest," she was pleading now. "Roy Mustang would never do such a thing" she whispered.
"I am Roy Mustang and I did!" He replied snarkily.
"No, you're the Flame Alchemist!" Her eyes were suddenly becoming moist and glassy.
"One and the same," he shrugged. "Oh now don't start the water works! You know how much I hate crying. Why don't you just let me make things better?" He strode towards her his arms extended to wrap her in a hug.
"Don't touch me!" She snarled. His hand moved suddenly. She heard and felt it collide with her face and she refused to show any pain in it.
"You denied me the right to avenge Hughes. You'd better not deny me you!" he turned away from her.
A single tear rolled down her cheek. She slowly pulled her revolver out and cocked it. She did not want to do this, but he was so out of control. She was afraid he would not contain his anger with anyone. "Going to try to kill me again?" He asked condescendingly. "Remember how badly you fought to keep from having to do me in? I honestly do not believe you can kill me. Even if I attacked you right now you wouldn't shoot me in the back" he was so sure he was right.
"I can and I will," she answered him. Her voice was like stone. She fired once and hit the ground right next to his foot. "My one and only warning" her eyes were dark and her lips a thin line.
He turned and saw her hard-set face. "Then go ahead and kill me," he challenged in a suave whisper.
She brought the gun up, aimed for his head and prepared to pull the trigger. Her eyes flashed with doubt for just a second and he laughed. "I knew you couldn't do it. How can anyone kill what they love?" He asked.
A shot rang out. Riza stared at her hands in bewilderment sure she hadn't fired. She looked up to see Roy slumping holding his stomach. Blood covered his fingers and his shocked eyes looked up at her, but she was just as confused.
Roy blinked and he coughed up his own blood. "I'm sorry Hawkeye," he whispered trying to hold onto his life. Riza looked behind her to see a man approaching a gun in his hands.
"You're both such a horrible mess. I was tired of hearing you squabble back and forth" he aimed at Riza. "You killed all my men in one shot, it's a shame you didn't notice me hiding outside the building. But I can always find new men who are willing" he was calm as he prepared to shoot her.
Clap! Flames erupted around the man and he dropped his gun. His cry continued as the flames died suddenly. Roy was too weak to keep them going. The man fell to the ground still alive but burned beyond repair. Riza dropped her gun.
She ran to Roy and looked into his onyx eyes. "I'm so sorry," he repeated.
"Ssh," she comforted. "I can hear sirens approaching can't you?" She asked. He shook his head grimacing. Riza forced his hands away from his wound, began to tear his jacket, and wrapped it tightly around him. He winced as she tied the bandage.
"See we'll be just fine, now don't worry about anything else" she was trying to remain calm. Her mind was racing and her eyes could not hide this fact.
"Don't worry about me," Roy whispered looking into her eyes. She shook her head and smiled.
"I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger back there. But you can't scare me like that!" She chided.
"I'm sorry, and I promise it will never happen again." He gasped in pain. "I'm slipping Hawkeye. But this time please don't follow me" he closed his eyes.
"Mustang?" Riza questioned suddenly afraid. He smiled barely and she sighed in relief.
"Sir they are almost here can't you hear the siren? Just hang on for a little while longer" Riza took his hand holding it tightly. It was still warm and his weak pulse beat against her fingers. The sirens grew blaringly loud and the car engines cut off. They were there.
"I told you we'd be fine! Just wait a few more minutes," he did not answer. She shook him and he did not respond. "He's just unconscious," she whispered to herself as the paramedics came running towards them. They lifted the two away and Riza looked at Roy's still form.
"I hope I haven't made a mistake".
