DISCLAIMER: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist. All credit goes to Hiromu Arakawa.

A/N: I am so sorry for the lack of update. I have been utterly and completely busy for the past...forever. I apologize a thousand times. I hope my next update will be quicker. Please enjoy.

Chapter 11: Unwanted Questions

"Hawkeye's not returning?"

"You mean she stayed behind?"

"Is she ever coming back?"

Falman, Breda and Fuery stood around the Colonel's desk, jaws dropped at the news that he had so bluntly dropped on them. He, however, seemed unfazed by their reactions, nor did he answer them.

"Did she say why she wasn't coming back?" Fuery asked, looking concerned.

"She probably met a guy," Breda said, smirking a bit.

"Hawkeye?" Falman shook his head. "No, she wouldn't get this worked up over a guy."

Roy stared at the wall as though he could no longer hear the conversations going on in front of him. Without warning, there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Come in," Roy said abruptly, causing the other men to jump.

A young officer appeared in the doorway, looking as professional as possible. "Colonel Mustang?" she asked. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Führer would like to speak with you, sir."

Roy nodded shortly and rose from his chair. He exited quietly, leaving the others behind, looking confused and vaguely curious. The walk to the Führer's office was the longest it had ever been before. He was dreading what the Führer wanted to talk about, for he was certain of the subject.

"Ah, Mustang..." Bradley said as Roy entered the office. "Just who I wanted to see."

"Sir," Roy said shortly, saluting the Führer.

"There are a few matters I wish to discuss with you, Mustang..." he continued. "If you are willing to speak with me."

"Yes, sir..." Roy answered, feeling as though his sentences could be no longer than two words.

Bradley turned to face him, leaning his elbows gently on his desk. "The first matter, is the Homunculi you faced up North. How many did you report there to be?"

"I'm not sure, sir," Roy answered honestly. "There was reported to be two of them, but I am certain we only faced one."

"Do you remember what they looked like?" Bradley asked, his good eye sparkling.

"He was a young kid," Roy told him. "He looked no older than Fullmetal. He was gone before we could get a good look at him, sir."

Bradley nodded. "That will do for now," he said. "I'll have the officers up there keeping their eyes peeled for mischief dealing with a young boy."

Roy had the urge to mention that any mischief dealing with a young boy, could be simply mischief and not always the work of a homunculus, though he kept his mouth shut. Taking a deep breath, the Führer continued.

"The second matter, is the lack of secrecy that was used in the North," he stared at Roy seriously. "You were discovered on many occasions. Luckily, this did not have a negative impact on yourselves, but could prove dangerous in the long run. I want to know that I can trust you, Mustang. I want to know that I can depend on you with these kinds of missions."

"Of course, sir," he replied. "I apologize for that. Sometimes the boy got out of ha-"

"It was not the boy who was discovered," Bradley said, looking even more serious than before. "It was you and Lieutenant Hawkeye. Many reported loud outbursts from the two of you while staying at the hotel. Sometimes even in public areas." He leaned back in his chair. "Which brings me to my next topic. Why the sudden change in Lieutenant Hawkeye? Do you know why she decided to stay behind?"

Roy stared at him, a large lump forming in his throat. He could be completely honest and tell the Führer about everything that had happened between them, but that would be risking both of their jobs and he wondered whether it was worth it.

Instead, he cleared his throat and shook his head. "I couldn't tell you, sir," he answered. "She just decided one morning that she wasn't going back. She didn't explain why."

"Did something happen between the two of you while you were up there?" Bradley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, sir," he lied.

"Nothing that would make her feel like this?" Bradley pressed on. "Nothing that would changer her mind about coming back?"

"Not that I can think of," Roy said, avoiding the Führer's gaze.

"Hmm..." Bradley rocked gently in his chair. "How strange. Then why all these reported outbursts? Did you two get into a fight?"

There was no way around this one. There had been witnesses and the Führer had connections to all. "We had our...disagreements," Roy explained. "Nothing out of the ordinary. It's actually quite common for us to-." With a look from Bradley, he fell silent.

Frowning, Bradley rose to his feet and moved toward the wide window behind his desk. "It's a shame, really. To lose such a fine officer. I would hate to think that you had anything to do with this, Mustang."

Roy wasn't sure if the Führer was merely trying to guilt-trip him into telling him the truth, or if he truly meant what he said. Either way, Roy had no intention of endangering his dreams or the career of his Lieutenant, whether or not she decided to return.

"Have you anything else to say, Mustang?" Bradley asked, still staring out the window.

"No, sir." Roy muttered.

"Then you are excused," he said.

Roy saluted once more and left the room, closing the door behind him quietly. At the other end of the hall, he heard several voices and a door open. Glancing down, he spotted Ed escorting Winry into a nearby room. Before he closed the door, Ed looked up to see the Colonel staring at him.

For the rest of the day, Roy could not erase the look of loathing he had received from Ed at that very moment from his mind.

-----

"Can I help you?" a young female officer asked as Riza entered the Northern Headquarters.

"I'm looking for Lieutenant Colonel Ricker," she said shortly.

"Is he expecting you?" the officer asked.

Riza frowned. "No, however, it's rather important that I speak with him. Could you-"

"No. I'm afraid the Lieutenant Colonel speaks with no one he is not expecting," she said, looking back at her papers. "You will have to come back."

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Riza turned to see who had spoken. Lt. Colonel Ricker stood in the doorway, staring at her. His eyes were wide with confusion.

"I thought you were leaving for Central," he pointed out. "Have you been assigned to stay longer."

"Something like that," she answered bluntly. "Look, is there somewhere we can talk in private."

"Certainly," he replied. "Follow me. I'll show you to my office."

She wasn't sure if it was wise to be alone with Ricker in his office, but decided she was safe, for she was properly armed. The officer at the desk gave Riza a look of disgust as she walked by and busied herself with a new file.

Ricker held the door open to a new room and allowed Riza to enter first. Once inside, he motioned toward a nearby chair.

"Please, have a seat," he offered.

"I'm all set," Riza said. "I don't plan on staying long. I am here, actually, to ask a favor of you."

"Oh really?" he smirked. "And what's that?"

Riza shot him a look and his smirk vanished. "I need a job here. Whether desk or not, I don't care. I just need-"

"Whoa," he held up his hand to silence her. "What happened to going back to Central?"

"I'm not going back," she glanced away.

"Why not?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "Did something happen?"

"That is none of your concern," she answered sharply.

Ricker was still quite curious, though he didn't push the matter. "Is Mustang staying with you, or are you all on your lonesome, here?"

Riza tried to keep her professional air. "Colonel Mustang has returned to Central with Fullmetal. He will be remaining there until further notice."

"Aren't you his First Lieutenant?" Ricker continued. "Shouldn't you be with him?"

Riza was starting to get irritated. "Look, are you going to help me or not?"

Ricker leaned casually on his desk. "What's in it for me?"

"Don't push it," Riza warned.

"No, but seriously, Riza," he stopped. "Can I call you Riza?"

"No, you may not," she said. "It's Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Riza, come on," he stepped toward her. "You want that job don't you?"

Riza breathed deeply, her nostrils flaring slightly. She'd certainly put up with worse. She could deal with something as simple as this. "What do you want, Ricker?"

"Just one date," he said, peering at her. "Just one date, that's all I'm asking."

Riza sighed and shook her head. "No. Anything else? I'll do anything else."

"Anything?" his smirk had returned.

"Fine," Riza agreed. "One date. And then you leave me alone."

"We'll see," he said haughtily. "It'll all depend on what happens."

"Don't expect much," Riza told him.

"Of course not," Ricker said innocently. "Not at all."

Riza wasn't sure if what she was doing was right, but the Military had become her life. She wasn't about to leave it so easily, and she was certain she would never be able to return to Central.

"So, what about my job?" Riza asked.

"Of course," he moved toward his desk. "A couple phone calls, a little bit of paperwork, a teeny tiny bit of sweet talking and you'll be back to work in no time." He flashed her a smile.

"Thank you," Riza said grudgingly.

"Don't mention it," he replied. "I expect you here first thing Monday morning. You'll be working right across the hall."

"How do you know?" Riza asked, turning only slightly toward the door.

"There was an opening not to long ago," he answered, his disposition suddenly serious. "There was an accident. It's still being looked into, but the position hasn't been filled. I'm sure I could pull a few strings and get you in there somehow. They'll be more than willing to accept such an upstanding officer." He flipped through a nearby file, making himself look busy.

Riza nodded, feeling slightly curious about the events regarding the officer who'd once occupied the room across the hall. Ricker cleared his throat, causing her thoughts to come back to reality with an unpleasant bump.

"I thought you said that you weren't planning on staying long," he said absently.

"I'm not," Riza said. "I wasn't sure if I was dismissed or not."

"You don't work for me yet," he said, glancing up at her. "You can leave whenever you wish."

Riza headed for the door. She'd merely touched the knob before he spoke again.

"Speaking of which, where are you going?" he asked. "Where are you staying? Certainly you're not going to live in a hotel for the rest of your life, are you? And I'm sure you have nowhere else to stay since you changed your mind so suddenly."

"I'm staying at the hotel for now," she answered. "Until I find a place of my own. I'll be fine. I'll have enough money to pay it off until then."

"And all your things?" he said. "Will they be sent in from Central?"

Riza frowned. She wasn't sure about that. She wouldn't be able to get her things from her apartment unless she had someone go and get them for her. And Black Hayate. Someone would have to take care of him, or bring him out to her.

"It's being taken care of," she told him.

He nodded and looked back down at his file. To avoid another probing question, Riza left the room, hurrying down the hall and out the front door of the building. She was in no particular rush to get back to the hotel, nor did she wish to speak with anyone else. Taking a new route, she started down several strange roads. Everything was unfamiliar to her. The places, the faces, every curve and corner.

Hugging herself tightly, she longed for a friendly face. She longed for Black Hayate to be by her side.

He was the only one she could trust anymore.

A/N: So, there it is. Not amazing, but I'm working on it. I still have to figure out what I want to have happen. My writer's block won't seem to go away. Anyways, please review. They're honestly the only thing that's keeping me going right now. I appreciate your support. Thanks a lot! Ciao!