"You sure you're alright, Hawkeye? This is a nasty wound on your head." Hughes placed gauze on the lieutenant's forehead, wrapping it tightly before stepping back to examine his work. It was nearing midnight, and the three officers were still up, alert and awake.
Riza nodded, "I've gotten worse. Its fine, it only stings." She turned to Roy, who was standing far back in the large loft. "What about you, sir? Are you injured anywhere?"
Mustang nodded, his jaw clenched and a tight expression straining in his tinted-red eyes. Thirsty. "I'm fine, but you should be worrying about yourself lieutenant. If I wasn't there on time, you would've been killed."
She narrowed her eyes, brushing her long hair away, "But you were, and now I'm safe."
"That's the problem; you're never safe, now that this blood sucker is out here!" He snapped.
Riza and Hughes looked taken back. The father stood between them, holding his arms out, "C'mon you guys! This is hardly the time to be arguing!" He stopped as he caught the sharp glares from the other two officers. He sighed, "Well, I tried. I'm going to bed; try not to be so loud." He slinked away, grumbling under his breathe.
They resumed, not bothering to notice the father go upstairs.
"If I recall," Riza ground out, "He's not the only vampire in this town!"
"So now I guess you're scared of me?"
"Of course not! That vampire is a monster, but you're still Roy Mustang! I trust you more than that leech!"
Roy gritted his teeth and scoffed, "We're practically alike, him and me, Hawkeye. Our new talents, enhanced abilities, and our craving for blood, blood, and more blood! The only thing different is our perspectives of this!"
"Since when did this argument ever get from my safety to how you two are alike?" Riza snapped back, standing up from her chair she occupied.
He ignored the question, "You don't understand Riza! I could kill you in an instant! What will happen, when I take another drink, and then I accidentally kill you?!"
"I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"
"From about an hour ago, I seemed to notice that!"
Anger rose in the young blonde, "So, what do you expect me to do then?!"
"You should just stay out of this! You're in the way of this mission!" He roared.
Riza stopped, eyes widened with hurt and strands of hair swinging by her face as his outburst hung in the air. His words stung, badly. She heard things like this, but it was only when he drunk. Being with him for so long, and then him telling her to leave was…unbearable.
Roy also stopped, his eyes, too, widening from his outburst. He didn't realize what he said; it came out the wrong way, "Riza, I didn't-." His arms stretched out to reach her, but she looked away, her hair covering her face.
The blonde shook her head. "I understand…but as your lieutenant and personal aide, I cannot leave you alone on this mission. "She looked down at her clenched fists. "I will stay out of your way, but will continue to follow you through the end of this mission…Colonel Mustang."
Ouch.
"W-." Roy was cut off as the blonde stepped back.
"Goodnight sir." She whispered, walking hastily away to the upstairs, not sparing a glance at his awed and shocked expression.
A few moments passed as he thought of what happened.
They argued about her safety.
He wanted her to be safe.
He said it wrong; telling her he didn't need her.
She misunderstood.
That clears it up.
Mustang gritted his teeth in frustration, anger, irritation, sadness, and most of all, guilt, and pulled his arm back. He snapped it forwards, not caring about the loud boom and the hole in the wall. Vampire strength; go figure.
He wanted her safe, which was his priority. Although, his mission was his top priority at the moment, he couldn't concentrate when his beloved-…his close lieutenant was in danger. He thought himself selfish. He wanted to lock her away in a safe until she was safe, but as long as he is the Flame Alchemist and the story of him killing in the Ishbal war continued, she would never be safe.
As he thought and thought, the more he wanted her to be safe…in his own arms.
Mustang straitened up. He came to a conclusion.
Would it be too late to tell your true love your real feelings for them after this danger was over? Or will you succumb to the time and watch helplessly as your love falls cold in a monster's arms.
OOOOO
"You've really screwed up, haven't you Roy?" Hughes said, quickening his stride to match Roy's. It was nine in the morning, the chilly atmosphere shaking through the wind.
Roy gritted his teeth and walked faster, attempting to loose the skeptical father. They were roaming the town, searching for any more clues and obtain any news from the townsfolk, "Shut up Hughes. I didn't mean it that way; I just want her to be safe."
"Well, Riza looked pretty mad…and sad. She didn't even glance at you at breakfast!" True, it was…an uncomfortable morning to all three of them. The atmosphere was tense, with all of the silence and fidgeting. As soon as they were done, the blonde walked out, mumbling something about investigations.
"…I know what I'm going to do, Hughes. Once I'm cured, and if I'm not too late, I will make it up to her." Mustang's eyes narrowed, "It's nearly impossible to tell her now with all of this going on. There's too many things going on at once, and she wouldn't take me seriously."
Hughes sighed, patting his friend on the back, "It'll work out; Gracia and I had some arguments too, before we had Elysia. They were practically the same as the fight you guys are having now." He paused, "Is it really safe for her to be out alone anyways?"
"Its fine…yeah it's fine. Reine doesn't come out during the day and – what the hell?" They both stopped walking, finding themselves at the square of the town. A mass of people were surrounding the area, yellow boundary tapes standing out of the crowd. Murmurs were heard, and confused and worried glances flitting around.
Roy and Hughes walked up to the center of the square. The father spotted an officer and walked up to him along with Roy. "Excuse me officer, what happened here?"
The man turned around, his stubby chin making him look ghastly, "Sorry sir, I'm not allowed to say to commoners."
Roy held up his state alchemist watch and watched the officer's eyes widen in surprise, "So what happened her, cadet?"
The man shook his head and walked to the scene, gesturing them to follow. They ducked under the yellow tape and found Riza standing at the crime scene, a worried look on her face.
"Hawkeye?"
She saluted when she saw the others. "Sir, Hughes." Roy cringed. There was blankness in the depth of her eyes, sadness too.
The cadet cleared his throat, "A man was found here, dead. From the injuries he received, we assume that he was attacked from the front and a large…hole in his chest. We found no weapon." A white sheet was covering what most likely would be the man's corpse. Riza stepped forwards, protruding a handkerchief, and crouched by the sheet. "May I?"
The other three nodded and watched as she pulled the sheet away. Roy, Riza, and Maes sucked in a harsh gasp.
The brown color of his hair stood out from the paleness of his skin. His blue eyes were now blank and dull, but were wide as if he were frightened. Riza only pulled the sheet from Eric's face, not wanting to see the inflicted wound.
Hughes crouched down as well, moving his glasses in place and rubbing his chin. Strange, why would anyone kill in this peaceful town? And Eric of all people, we only met him yesterday." He pulled the sheet down, earning a disgusted sound from the crowd and themselves. The hole was can sized. The blood would be still damp…if there was trace of it. Not a drop of blood was on him, only a dry wound in the young man's chest.
Riza suddenly stood up, her face looking pale as she looked at the cadet. "When was he found?"
"We found him just this morning ma'am. A civilian found him here and reported it to the police station. There were no suspects nearby."
"Do you have any idea of when this happened?"
The cadet shook his head. "No ma'am, he was in the current state he is now when we found him. Since there wasn't any blood, it seemed as if it was a clean injury; the suspect must've cleaned him up before disappearing. If there was at least a drop of blood, we could tell by seeing how dry it is and concluding the time of death."
Riza nodded, bending down again. Hughes examined the body, using the handkerchief to move the coat Eric was wearing.
Roy looked up. "Is he the only one in this town?"
"Yes sir."
They stayed there for a bit longer, examining the body before standing up and thanking the cadet and walking away. Hughes suddenly jerked their sleeves, pulling them into a nearby market.
"Hughes?"
He looked around before speaking, "Don't you find it weird that there was no blood found? Not a single drop?"
Roy nodded, "And then that wound. I don't think that a person with any kind of weapon could have done that. No blood at all…"
Riza blinked, "As if he were drained…"
The three grimaced, "Reine" They said altogether.
"But why Eric?"
Roy looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"
"If Reine were to kill someone, he would just bite them, draining them of their blood. But Eric, he was attacked, and then drained. It seems out of pattern."
Hughes shrugged before shifting, hand digging though his coat pocket, "Here," he took out a folded, bloody note, "I found this in Eric's coat." He gave it to Roy who unfolded it carefully.
Roy scanned the paper, turning it over and then back, "48th Arkwood Street? What's this mean?" He handed the paper to Riza who carefully and thoughtfully looked at the paper.
Hughes scratched his head, "An address, maybe. But where's that?"
Riza snapped her head up, eyes widening in realization. "It's around the corner. I used to run errands there…for my father when I was young."
Roy nodded, realizing this too, "You're right, I remember." He turned to the other two, "Shall we go then?" They agreed, and started walking.
As they walked, Roy couldn't help feeling that this mission would only get worst, and something much more horrid would happen soon.
OOOOOOOOOO
It was noon, and the town was even busier than usual because of the incident this morning. The three arrived at their destination, and their jaws literally dropped. In front of them was a butcher shop. A painting of a large, masculine, detailed, and…disturbing fat pig was on the sign.
Hughes' eye twitched, "…Your father made you go to the BUTCHER shop for errands?"
Riza coughed, "If it helps, this place was shut down after a while because of a health inspection."
"It…doesn't."
Roy suddenly started snickering. The mere thought of an innocent, child going to a slaughter house for an errand for her father was too funny. (A/N: That actually happened to me once. I never noticed that the man had a giant knife with him until I walked out.)
Riza shot him a glare, silencing him immediately. No progress at all, he'd try to talk to her tonight, "Let's get this over with." He pushed the door open, the small ringing noise sounded like a soft bell, only to be ruined with the loud 'thuds' of the butcher knife.
A tall, muscular, burly man was at the desk, thwacking away at a chunk of meat. The look he gave the three made them involuntary wince. It was a small shack, dim lights, backdoor, and another door probably leading down to the basement. No one noticed the small specks of blood leading to the door."
Roy leaned over to Hughes and Riza, "Who would be best to talk to him? I doubt he wants to talk to people who…are similar…" The men both looked at Riza, who shot them deathly glares. They flinched. Roy pulled at his collar, "Well, since I'm the commander of this mission…" He shoved Hughes up front, "I order Hughes to do it."
The father's jaw dropped and he glared at Roy, "You're getting a fistful of pictures later ROY." He stomped to the man, but then stopping several feet away from the burly butcher.
"What do you want?" His deep gruff voice startled the father.
"Err well, do you know a man named Eric…" He turned back to the other two, signaling help. Riza mouthed something, and Hughes turned back to the butcher, "Do you know a man named Eric Meyer? Tall, short brown hair, blue eyes?"
The man snorted, "That twerp? Yeah, I know him. He came here last night. What about him?"
Roy stepped forwards and pulled out his state alchemist watch, "I'm Colonel Roy Mustang, and these are my subordinates; First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. We're here on a mission, and we'd like to ask you some questions."
THUD. The large knife stood upright on the countertop and the three looked startled.
The man folded his arms across his large chest, "So military dogs, huh? Damn mutts are always so nosy." He leaned back onto the wall, "What can I do you for?"
"You said that Mr. Meyer came here last night, we'd like to know any information of what he was doing here. He was found dead this morning at the town square."
"Let's see…well, Meyer works here for part time job, when I'm taking a day off. He handles the shop 'till closing time. Twice a week he comes here to work."
Hughes piped up, "Did you notice anything strange about Meyer last night?"
"He looked sickly thin, and nervous too. Wild eyes glancing 'round everywhere as if he were being watched."
"Did he want anything?"
The burly man thought for a moment, "Nope, just the usual. I left after he came to work."
The three looked at each other before Roy spoke up, "Alright, that's all we need, Thanks for the help Mr..?"
"Steve, call me Steve."
Roy nodded and shook his hand, "Thank you Steve." And they left.
Riza shook her head as they walked back to the mansion. "I am…confused. Why would Eric, who has been going to work there for a while, need an address in his pocket?" She thought to herself, 'Unless it's for someone else…'
"I have a few suggestions." Hughes said, "If Eric works at night when Steve goes home, some person could rendezvous there. Only question is who."
"We'll have to go there tonight, then." Roy said, "Something's not right about that place."
OOOOOOOOO
Riza huffed, adjusting the barrette on her head, 'I can't believe I agreed to be the spy.' She gritted her teeth and moved the hard rimmed glasses on her nose; she'll have to thank Fuery later. It was dark, and the three were outside of the butcher shop. The shop cast a ghastly glow, the large boar on the sign looking even creepier. She turned to Roy and immediately noticed his red eyes, "Sir, are you alright? You haven't drunken for two days…"
Roy nodded, the large hat on his head tipping over slightly. His jaws were tense, "I've been better."
Riza set a grim face. "When we get back to the house you need to drink." She turned back to the store. No progress at all between them.
Roy sighed as well as Hughes.
The father picked at his fingers, "C'mon Roy; jimmy the lock so Riza can get in." Riza shot them a look. "We'll be right outside to patrol the area. Shout out if you need anything."
Not caring about the melted lock, Riza stepped inside quietly. She spotted another door and headed towards it; wrapping her coat tighter around herself. Suspicion started creeping into her mind as she saw a lock – unlocked- on the doorknob. Twisting it quietly, she opened the door to reveal a stairway leading to a basement. Riza narrowed her eyes and started stepping down.
The air was musty, swirling around her head making her light-headed. One dim lit lamp was hanging by the railing, but not enough to name the area light enough to see. She squinted into the darkness and then felt her feet on flat surface. Looking down, Riza saw sold ground, and some dark splotches spotting the floor. Taking a step further, the splotches continued on. She would have gone further, if only she wasn't stopped.
There was a footfall, becoming louder every step. How could she not have heard it before? The blonde turned, hands on the butt of her guns, only to see darkness. It was too dark…even darker than before?
A white hand shot out behind her, grasping her mouth and the other clutching her arms behind her back. She was forced down with a muffled yelp, hitting the hard ground. Instinct blew in as she struggled to fight. One of her legs was freed as she squirmed, so she brought it to get off the ground, throwing the suspect off of her. The lieutenant got up half-way, bringing her gun up and aiming before shooting. There was a loud bang and grunt, but the person kept moving.
The person launched, throwing Riza onto the ground again as his/her arm shot out and clutching her neck; one of her guns flying out of her hands. A sharp tearing noise and a jerk were brought onto her left arm. She gasped; feeling constricted and quickly jerked her knee up. It was all luck that the person was assumed as a man and froze in pain and shock. Riza got up again, ignoring the pain searing through her arm and shot with her gun before running up the stairs; not forgetting to reach for her other gun that flew away.
She wasn't fast enough.
The man's hand flew out and grasped her foot, tripping her. Riza stumbled, before huffing in irritation and aimed her gun. The man screamed in pain, as the bullet met its mark. She shook her leg free before collapsing in pain; the searing flame through her arm and the new flame through her side.
"Riza!"
She felt herself being jerked into the air, and wind rushing around her. Only a moment later she found herself in the arms of Roy Mustang with a concerned expression on his face outside of the butcher's shop. Hughes was right next to him, the same face on. "Are you alright, Riza? You're bleeding, what happened inside there?"
Riza blinked in surprise. Speedy vampire. "I'm fine-." She squeaked in pain and gritted her teeth. She felt Roy's arms tightening around her frame. The blonde looked up. "Mustang?"
Roy's eyes were blood red, and his teeth were clenched together; jaw tightened. A look of anger and concern were etched into his eyes.
Hughes answered for him. "He's fine, Hawkeye, it's the blood. Let's get you home." He looked at Roy who kept glancing back at the shop to the blonde in his arms. "Roy? Should I…?"
The Colonel's head turned back to them. "No, its fine Hughes, I can carry her."
"Sir, you don't have to."
"No." He said abruptly. "Besides," He paused. "We need to talk."
OOOOOOOO
Yay! Another chapter done! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but hopefully this chapter makes up for it!
I appreciate all of the reviews from everyone, so thank you readers.
By the way, I know this is annoying but yeah I only have 1 review from my other story, 'Your blood is singing to me'. I've gotten a lot of readers and alerts, but no reviews O.o; so if you have the time, check the story out and review if you can. Thanks!
Anyways, read and review!