OK, here's 21. I'm oh so very sorry that I haven't updated lately, I haven't had time! In fact, I've been getting out a lot more often than I had expected to this summer, although I still don't have a job. So I haven't had too much time to write, but I have been getting started again. This section here is really different, for me anyways. When I wrote this part, it came to me at a time when there was a lot of stress in my life and I couldn't deal with it and my friend was like 'put it in writing, stupid!' So I did. I tried to fit it so that it makes sense. Hope it does! Anyways, enjoy!

When Roy Mustang woke up, it was still dark. He shifted his head a little and discovered he was laying upon a couch. Next to his head, leaning against the arm of the couch, he could faintly make out Maes' figure. Turning his attention to the ceiling, Roy tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his abdomen protested, and he gave up the effort. A quiet realization of what had occurred came to him, and his mind filled with the images of the event. He tried lifting his arm to his head, but there was a weight on it that prevented him from doing so. He looked to his arm and found Riza's head laying upon it, her right hand pressing a towel to his stomach.

"I'm in Riza's house?" Roy whispered to himself.

Roy's question was answered with a yip from Hayate, who magically appeared on Roy's legs.

"Hey there, Hayate," Roy said with a weak smile.

He felt the urge to pet the dog, but thought otherwise, as calling him within reach would force the pup to walk upon his wounded abdomen, and the pain was already unbearable. He struggled not to scream and took deep breaths. Next to him, a Riza let out a moan, and she lifted her head to gaze at Roy. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes. She must've been taking care of him for a very long time, and the stress of his being injured seemed to have worn her out.

"Roy?" she whispered, careful not to wake Maes. "You're awake? How're you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a train," Roy said with a weak laugh.

She laughed a bit as well, but it was a nervous, and even frightened laugh. How could Roy sound so carefree? Why was there humor in his voice? Didn't he have any idea how close to death he'd been? He'd lost a lot of blood in the interval from when he was stabbed to when he arrived at Riza's house. Yet here he was, laughing, which of course didn't help him any, as the contractions of his diaphragm were too strong, and sent a wave of pain washing over him. As soon as his laugh began, it ceased and was replaced by a sharp intake of breath. He grabbed his wounded abdomen, upon which Riza's hand was still clasped, and groaned.

"Roy--" Riza said fearfully. Her face turned slightly red when she felt his hand grip hers, but right now, her expression, seen very faintly in the dark living room, was that of pure concern.

For a while, Roy didn't respond. The pain was almost unbearable, and he felt as though he might slip into unconsciousness again. He tightly clutched her hand, willing himself to remain alert. He was surprised, however, that when he tightened his grasp upon her graceful hand, she didn't recoil, gasp, or attempt to loosen the death grip. She just twisted her hand around ever so slightly so that she could hold his hand just as strongly.

"It's ok, Roy. I'm here for you. No matter what," she whispered.

Slowly, he nodded. He wasn't sure if she could see it, but he nodded anyways. It was more to assure himself that he believed her and trusted her than to assure her. He lifted his head slightly to look at her. He had to struggle to do so however, as his head felt like a lead weight. When he finally had his head raised, his heart sank; Riza's face was staring at his hand, hair disheveled and tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. He felt horrible. He was the cause of her pain. If he had just seen the attack from Envy coming, been able to dodge it, this wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have had to be dragged by his already injured friend. He wouldn't have bled all over Riza's couch, and she wouldn't be crying. It was all his fault that she felt this way. Slowly, he lifted the hand Riza had been sleeping on and rested it on her cheek. She blinked and looked at him.

"It's ok, Riza," he said quietly. "Don't cry, I'll be fine."

"I-I know you wi-will, R-R--" she said, and finally unable to hold it in any longer, gave in to her sobs, resting her head upon his chest.

With this, Roy became deeply saddened. Now he had made her cry like this. What kind of person was he? He slowly moved his hand to her hair and stroked it, whispering to her to quiet down, that it was ok. She merely clutched the flesh of his chest, which he finally realized was bare, and sobbed harder. He felt hot tears drip onto and down his chest, and felt her shuddering breaths collide with his skin. The feeling was so strange, and it made him shiver, but he didn't want her to stop merely because it made him slightly uncomfortable. So he continued to stroke her hair and whispering to her in an attempt to calm her down.

He himself felt so powerless. How was it that he could be so strong at work, and not have the strength to help the person he cared about most in the world? It's because that 'strength' you have at work is fake, and inside, you're screaming, a voice in his head told him. Yes, he supposed that was true. Of course he had to be strong and unfeeling at work; it's not like he could let his subordinates see him crying or emotionally unstable. So every day, he had to build a wall around his heart, one that couldn't be easily broken, so that no one would know how tormented he really was. But here, in Riza's living room, he felt so weak and powerless, unable to help her. Why couldn't he do anything to help her?

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, now shuddering himself.

She was quiet for a moment, then looked up at him ever so slightly.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"For what?"

"For... for doing this to you. For making you feel this way. For worrying you. Everything. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, Riza."

"No, don't blame yourself. It's not your fault you got hurt," she protested.

"No. It is my fault. I kept taunting him. I made him angry. Not only that, I couldn't help Maes. I've bled all over your couch, and I made you cry. That's not fair. I'm so sorry," Roy said, his words pouring out in a rush.

"Don't say that, Roy," Riza said, caressing his cheek with the hand that had previously gripped his chest. "Please don't. It's not your fault. Things happen, and you can't always stop them from happening. There's no reason to blame yourself. No one blames you. No one but yourself. And unless someone else blames you for what did or didn't do, there's no reason to feel guilty."

"But... there was nothing I could do for Maes. I let him get hurt."

"The homunculus had you by the neck! What could you have done?"

"I... I don't know. But something! Anything! But I didn't. I was too weak."

The immediate reaction of his care giver was a slap to his face. He gasped and looked at her with a look of fear, sadness, and confusion playing on his face.

"Don't you ever, ever, say that again," Riza threatened with a sad but deadly tone. Tears were streaming down her cheeks again and her voice was shaking. "Do you understand me? I never want to hear those words pass your lips again. Roy, you're not weak. You're the strongest person I know. You've dealt with the killing of those innocent people and all the sins you committed in Ishbal for so many years without a word to another person. It's tormented and eaten you alive, yet all you did was smirk and be confident. I don't know how you could've done that for so many years without falling apart sooner.

"Now you listen to me, Roy. You're not weak, and you never have been. Not ever. And there was nothing you could do to prevent the situation. It happened, and it's in the past. Move on with your life, and forget the guilt. Because there's nothing to feel guilty about. Do you hear anyone blaming you, saying how ashamed they are? No. There is nothing wrong with not being able to help all the time. Got it? And one more thing. Now, you don't have to keep this all hidden inside, ok? Because now, you're not alone, and you won't ever be alone again."

Slowly, Roy nodded, his obsidian eyes clouded with shame, fear, and guilt. Then his vision blurred, and hot tears escaped his eyelids. They cascaded down his cheeks in an unstoppable waterfall, streamed down his neck and gathered in a small pool where his collar bones came together. Reflexively, he moved his free hand to his face, covering his eyes. He shuddered fiercely, and heart-wrenching sobs ripped themselves from his throat. Realization washed over him as Riza's words really sank in, and his sobs were partially contributed to joy. Never had anyone told him these things, and for the person he loved to tell him that, he was grateful.

Suddenly, warm, graceful hands enveloped his cheeks, then moved up his face to massage his temples. Roy removed his hand from his face and blinked away tears, though it didn't help, as they kept coming, to see Riza gazing into his dark eyes with a warm, loving smile upon her face. He smiled at her through his tears as his vision became dark and clouded once more.

"Thank you, Riza," Roy said before slipping back under the veil of unconsciousness.

And there you have it. This section is kinda short, but it's longer than the last one, and for me, that's a good thing. Long chapters allow me to get really in depth and stuff, if that makes sense. But this part's kinda sad, ne? I think so, and it's actually part of a different conversation I once had. Which part? You'll never know! Ahahahaha! Anyways, I've started working on the next chapter, and I don't know how long it'll be or how long it'll take to write it, but it IS coming. I promise! Well, I hope I get a lot of reviews for this one, I wanna see how people feel about this chapter. Until next time, Ja ne!

Words of wisdom;

The eyebrows of Rock Lee and Master Gai (from Naruto) are so incredibly large that they can be used as floatation devices. Please use them to save your drowning children.