ROY
Roy walked into his house quietly, relieved that the day was finally over. The house was dark, so he turned on a small light in the entrance. He hung his jacket in the closet and proceeded to remove his boots. As he was undoing the laces, he heard the light clicking sound of Hayate's nails on the hardwood floor. Indeed, when he looked up, he saw the dog staring at him with his tail wagging happily.
"Hey boy, did you have a good day?" He patted his head and allowed his to lick his cheek. "Where's your mistress? Is she alright?" he asked Hayate. If it had been any other dog, he probably wouldn't have asked, but since this one was specially trained by Hawkeye, he was much smarter than a normal dog.
Hayate turned around and stared at Roy until he followed him.
"Is she sleeping?" Roy asked in a whisper. It was just a little past six in the evening, but since Riza had been through a lot that day, he assumed she would be asleep.
Curiously, Hayate didn't lead him upstairs to her room, but through the hallways heading toward the kitchen. Does he just want me to feed him? As he got closer, he began to smell something good. Food? Roy didn't have any cooks working for him since he decided Riza would be staying with him for a while and he didn't want her to be uncomfortable in the house. He also didn't want to risk hiring an enemy.
When they arrived in the kitchen, he saw Riza, wearing his apron, standing in front of the stove stirring something. Her back was facing him and she didn't seem to have noticed his presence yet. Hayate walked up to her and gave a small bark to get her attention. She looked down at him and followed his gaze to the entrance of the kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she quickly put down her wooden spoon.
"Roy, I didn't know you were back. I'm sorry I didn't come to greet you at the door," she apologized quickly.
Roy blinked and shook his head to snap out of his surprise. "No, no, it's alright. I just thought you might be resting... not cooking."
After he had said that, a look of panic came across her face as she looked away from him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use your kitchen without your permission. I just thought I could cook something for supper since you're letting me stay over. But-"
"No, that's not what I mean. You're free to do whatever you want in this house. I just don't want you to overexert yourself." They were staring into each other's eyes. He knew she knew what he meant. "Are you feeling alright?"
She nodded, but he wasn't all too convinced. She hadn't look so well when Havoc had driven her back home. She had been emotionally shaken and had retreated into her own closed-off world. He knew her well enough to know that she always busied herself with house chores whenever she was upset about something.
Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, he changed the subject. "So what are you making?" he closed his eyes and smelled the air. His eyes snapped back open with a gasp. "Is it what I think it is?"
He walked closer until he stood beside her in front of the stove. "Is that your beef stew?" he asked excitedly. Her beef stew had been his favorite dish when he had been an apprentice at her house. He had always longed to eat it again, but had never had the courage to ask her to make it for him again. Roy could feel his mouth watering as he stared at the steaming pot.
"I'm glad you still like it. I saw that you had the ingredients in the fridge so I decided to make it for you," she said in a small voice.
"This is my favorite. Thank you for making it," he smiled at her. She looked down quickly and started to stir the pot again, but he was sure he had seen the corners of her lips twitch up.
He helped her find the plates and utensils. While she plated the food, he got them water and went to set up the table. The first bite he took made him feel nostalgic. The way they were eating in a comfortable silence also made him remember the past. It had always been the two of them at the dining table alone, eating either in silence or making small conversations. In either case, it had always been comforting.
"Do you remember when we used to eat like this?" he asked in between two bites. She nodded her head ever so slightly. Roy chuckled and said, "I never thought we'd be doing this again."
A few seconds passed by and Roy hadn't expected her to say anything, but a few moments later she said, "I'm glad we got to eat together again." Roy looked up in surprise and saw that she was looking at him with a hint of nervousness.
"Me too." Roy broke out in a smile. He finished his last bite and asked, "can I get seconds?"
"Of course," she said and was about to get up but he stopped her.
"No, I can get it myself." He quickly went into the kitchen before she could object. His main reason for going into the kitchen alone was to get himself a second serving, but it was also to give himself a break. During the meal, he had already been feeling giddy and happy, but her last comment had made him soar and it had become difficult for him to maintain his cool. He also wasn't sure if she wanted to know what had happened during the day, but he decided not to bring anything up if she didn't ask him.
He took a deep breath and went back to the dinning table. She only had a little bit left, but she was eating slower now so she wouldn't finish too soon before him. Roy had always been a fast eater, so by the time he finished, she too was done.
"Are you tired?" Roy asked her as they were cleaning up together.
"A little bit," she said quietly. Roy knew she was exhausted and wasn't able to sleep properly. He had not missed the dark circles under her eyes. With the events that had happened in the morning, he doubted she would have a better sleep tonight. He knew she was doing everything to ignore and evade that topic so he didn't bring it up.
"Will you come somewhere with me before retiring for the night?" he asked tentatively.
Riza paused and looked at him curiously. "Where?" she asked.
"Somewhere that will take your mind off things. It's one of your favorite places," he told her reassuringly.
She stayed quiet for a while, thinking. In the end, she agreed to follow him. Both of them went to change their clothes to prepare to go out. Riza found a pair of jeans that fitted and wore a simple light blue blouse. Roy had already been waiting for her at the entrance, wearing a pair of black pants and a fitted white dress shirt. When he saw her come down, he smiled and held out her coat for her. She already knew he would be insistent, so she didn't bother to refuse his help anymore.
After they were both ready, he ushered her out of the door and went to the garage. He drove out his personal car from the garage and got out to open the door for her.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they started driving. There were two other black cars following behind them, but Roy had told her that they were his bodyguards and not to mind them.
"Central HQ," Roy said casually. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her head turn toward him. Roy chuckled at her surprise. Well, it is one of her favorite places. "Don't worry, we're not going to work. There won't be many people either since it's after hours."
Riza stayed quiet for the rest of the short drive to HQ. Roy parked the car right in front of the main entrance. He tried to rush to her side to open the door for her, but she had already gotten out and was looking at the stairs leading to the doors.
He stood beside her and waited. She seemed to be deep in her thoughts and he didn't want to disturb her if she was in the process of remembering something.
"Are these stairs new?" she asked suddenly, not taking her eyes off the big building.
"Most of what you see is new actually. The stairs, the doors, most parts of the walls have recently been renovated. Does it seem familiar to you?" he asked curiously. He had purposefully left out the reason they had to rebuild the whole place, not wanting to confuse her even more. The stories of the Promised Day would have to wait for another time.
She stared for a bit longer, her eyes darting back and forth, observing every little detail. "I think so," she finally said hesitantly.
"Would you like to go inside?" Only then did she take her eyes off the building and look at him.
She nodded and waited for him to go first before she moved. She went up the stairs behind him. The bodyguards were already all around them. Two of them opened the doors for them and they entered into a high-ceilinged lobby.
"Follow me," he said as he looked back to check if she was still there. He paused and looked at her, making her stop too. Roy chuckled and said, "come walk beside me. Don't walk behind me."
Riza hesitated and looked around. The bodyguards had blank looks on their faces, but Roy had sensed and had seen them looking at her almost too curiously. He knew she was hesitating about his reputation again, so he put a hand on her back and guided her forward until she was at his side. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw her look around curiously. When he chuckled, she looked at him.
"It's nothing," he said quickly. "This way."
He opened a set of doors and flipped a few switches. When the shooting range lit up, he saw a change in her expression. I'd say she's delighted to be here. Roy smirked and gave himself an imaginary pat on the back.
"So? What do you think? Am I right to say that this is one of your favorite places?" he asked hopefully.
Riza scanned the whole area before answering in her usual timid voice. "I used to come to the range every time I had to get my mind off things," she said in a nostalgic way.
Roy walked to Patrick's office and unlocked it. He searched around for a bit before coming out with a long case. He went to a table and put it on top. She had followed him there and looked at the case curiously.
"This here," he said as he opened the cover, "is your rifle." Riza stared at it with marvel. Roy chuckled lightly.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing, it's just that you have the exact same expression as the first time. It's just funny."
Roy was all smiles until she faced him with an inquisitive look. Wh- what now?
"If this is mine, then how did you get it out from my locker?" she questioned him. Roy gulped, but before he could defend himself, he realized something.
"How did you know it was in your locker?" he asked. Both of them stared at each other in silence.
"I guess... I remembered that," she said slowly, breaking the silence. She was just as surprised as he was.
"Well, all the lockers here have registered lock numbers that we assign, so we just looked through the database for the combination. We sent Catalina in to get your rifle out, just in case you're wondering who it was. Nothing else was touched," Roy explained, just in case.
"Rebecca?" Riza asked immediately. "You mean Rebecca Catalina?"
Roy smiled when he saw her excitement. Maybe I should call her over so they can meet. Yeah, I'll do that tomorrow.
"Yes, that's right. She's still in the military and you two are good friends." Much to his delight, he saw her lips turn upwards. "How about a little one on one competition?"
She looked at him dubiously. "I don't mean to offend you, but are you any good?"
Roy's jaw dropped. How could she... be so blunt! "Yes, as a matter of fact! I'm pretty good! Who knows, maybe you'll even lose to me."
"I highly doubt that," he heard her say under her breath. Roy narrowed his eyes and went to the rifle rack, unlocked one and prepared himself.
"Okay, best out of ten. How's that? We'll shoot from the intermediate level ranges and there is no time limit," Roy announced.
"Sounds fair to me," she agreed and proceeded to position herself in front of a target.
Roy positioned himself beside her and they both put on earmuffs. Riza was the first to start shooting and Roy saw that her aim hadn't indeed diminished. I guess she instinctively remembers how to shoot. He didn't waste any time himself, but it didn't take him long to realize how terrible he was at it. Damn it! I'm so rusty! She's never gonna let this one go. Although he never was the kind of man to challenge someone without any confidence or chance in winning, he knew that this time he had no chance in hell of winning against her. He smiled at his sloppy shots. If it makes her feel any better, then I'll lose a hundred times over.
He looked over at her target and she had already gotten five shots in the bullseye. Him, on the other hand, had four shots nowhere near the center. He continued shooting and at the sixth one, his bullet grazed the red circle. Yes! He grinned and looked over at her.
He frowned when he saw the light sheet of sweat on her forehead and the unusual look she had on her face. When he peered over at her target, he had seen that two of them were off the center. That's weird. At her ninth bullet, he saw her eyebrow twitched and she seemed to be struggling to keep her stance. He put down his rifle on the little countertop in front of him, took off his earmuff and went over to her side.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he laid his hand on her shoulder. The moment he touched her, she gasped and her body tensed. She dropped her rifle on the counter and cradled her shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you hurt? What's wrong?" Roy asked worriedly, hovering around her, trying to see what he could do. He stopped when she held up her hand.
"I'm fine," she said in a shaky voice. "I just... don't think my body is ready to start shooting again."
"I'm sorry. This is my fault. I shouldn't have brought you here. I should've known better about your condition," Roy said, genuinely ashamed of himself.
"No, I really enjoyed myself. I really really like this rifle," she said quickly. "I just have to get better quickly."
He knew she was just trying to make him feel better, but he didn't miss the sad and forlorn look in her eyes. Shit, way to make things worst Roy.
"Where are you hurting?" he asked. She didn't respond and just seemed to avoid his gaze, but she was still holding her left shoulder. "Is it only your shoulder? How bad is it?"
She sighed and said, "it's fine. It's just that the aftershock was a bit too much to take."
"Are you sure-"
"It's fine Roy." She cut him off. She turned to her rifle and started analyzing it. Roy knew not to insist anymore when she changed subjects like that.
He stood beside her in the little shooting aisle, just watching her. Her fingers traced she fire-winged bird on the side of the rifle, the one he had asked to imprint.
"Do you know what it means?" he asked. Riza stared at it for a long time before shaking her head side to side. "It means that we're partners."
She looked at him blankly, then asked tentatively, "did you...", Roy smiled, knowing what she wanted to ask, "get this for me?" He nodded proudly. She continued staring at him expressionless.
After unintentionally making him sweat for a few seconds, she looked back down. "Why?" was all she asked.
Roy didn't know how he was going to explain any of this. If she had some of her memories back, then it would be bit easier.
"I've already told you this, but I wouldn't have gotten here if it wasn't for you. I think I'd already be dead more than once. I didn't know what to give you back in return for your all your help and I knew if I had probably given you anything else but this, then you would've refused it. I needed to thank you in some way for all that you've done." Roy could feel his heartbeat quickening. For some reason, there was a tension in the air. Is this the time? Riza was still staring down at her hands.
"And I've been meaning to tell you something for a long time now, but I never got the chance to say it." How lame Roy! He scolded himself, but it was too late to turn back now. He felt the heat in his face and the sweat on his palms. "What I wanted to say was that I lo-"
"Were you..." Riza said suddenly, cutting him off mid-sentence and looking up at him. "Were you the one who burned my back?" Her eyes were hard and showing no expression.
Roy's voice caught in his throat and the blood drained from his face. Burning her was something he had never forgiven himself for. It had been hard for him, but he knew it had been harder for her. He had wanted so badly to ask her how her back was multiple times in the past, but he had never dared start the conversation on that topic and she had never talked about it since either. The subject was taboo and they both knew it was better left alone.
However, now she stood before him asking what had happened and he didn't know what to say. He stared at her with wide eyes and a clenched jaw, thinking about the best way to approach the subject. When he tried to speak however, no words came out.
Seeing his response, Riza looked away. "So it was true."
"N- no!" Roy finally retorted. "I mean, yes it was me, but I never did it to hurt you!" She didn't move an inch and he took it as a sign to continue. "I did it because... you begged me to. I didn't want to do it, but you kept insisting. I- I couldn't refuse you. I owed you that favor. Please trust me," Roy said desperately.
Riza had a confused frown. He was sure she was struggling with her memories, trying to figure out what was true. Roy slowly inched toward her until he stood beside her.
"Riza," he said quietly. "Please trust me. I would never do anything to harm you. That's the last thing I'd want to do."
When she looked up at him, she had an angry look.
"I don't know," she said fiercely and her expression turned to pity. "I don't know what to believe. It's all mixed up in my head."
"You don't have to rush it. It'll all come back one day, just take it slowly and don't stress about it." He paused before adding, "I'm here for you and so are the others. You can trust us."
She thought for a few seconds before she went to grab her rifle and turned around to put it back in its case. Roy also went to put back his rifle and locked it in. Riza was about to lift the heavy case before Roy offered to take it form her.
"I'll put it back in the office. If you ever want to practice with it again, you'll know where it is."
After locking up, he asked her if she wanted to see their office and she said yes. He led the way through the silent hallways to the double doors of their office. He unlocked the doors and entered, quickly turning on the lights.
Riza looked around slowly, before her eyes settled on a desk. Hers. Her nameplate was still on top of her clean desk. In fact, no one had touched it since she had left, except for a few times when the others had helped wipe off the dust on top. She took a few steps toward it and sat down gingerly, clearly unsure of herself. Even though there was nothing on top of her desk, she sat there and scrutinized it. Her hand reached for the handle of the drawer before she stopped and looked up at him.
"Can I?" she asked hesitantly.
"Of course. It's your desk after all. Feel free to do whatever you'd like," he said with a smile. He watched her with amusement as she sifted through her office supplies. She looks like a kid in wonder. He found her extremely cute at the moment but knew better than to express his thoughts.
He walked to another set of double doors right beside her desk and took out a key. "This is my office."
He opened the doors and let her in. It was very spacious and he knew she was impressed. However, what caught her attention the most was a picture that was hanging on the wall. She walked toward it to get a closer look. It was the picture of the team right after he had become the Fuhrer. Everyone in the picture was smiling brightly, including her.
"That's a pretty new picture. It was taken right after I became Fuhrer." He looked down at her and noticed the concentrated look she had. "Does it look familiar?"
She didn't answer immediately, but when she did, she said, "it does."
It took Roy by surprise and made him hope again. "Do you remember anything?" he asked, trying not to sound so eager.
"Maybe," she started, "I'm not sure. But I do remember this picture." That's a good start.
When she finally turned away from it, she asked, "when can I come back?"
Roy frowned tiredly. Work is all she ever thinks of. He sighed and said, "I got Fuery to prepare things for your return. Everything should be set, but I don't want you to come back if you're not ready."
"I'm ready. I'll start tomorrow afternoon," she said. There's no stopping her, is there?
"Okay, but at the same time you'll be undergoing a special training to get you back into shape. You'll be followed by a trained military physiotherapist to build up your muscles and to work on your endurance. I'll be getting the report on your progress," Roy said.
"Yes sir," she saluted. Roy scowled incredulously. I thought she'd be at least a little bit scared... I should've know she'd be up for anything. He sighed and said, "let's go home, it's late. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning," she suddenly said, "I have to go somewhere. I'll be back here in the afternoon though."
Roy frowned. "Where are you going? I'll have someone accompany you."
"No. I want to go alone. It's... something I have to do." She looked at him with determination and he knew no matter what he said, she wouldn't agree to it. I don't like this. He knew she wasn't vulnerable, but he was scared something would happen to her again. They didn't know if she was completely safe yet. However, if he didn't let her do this, she might never trust him and open up to him again. He had to trust her too.
"Alright, but be careful. If something happens you have to call here immediately," he said calmly, but the truth was, he was a wreck on the inside. He knew he was going to have a horrible morning tomorrow. "Let's go home."
She nodded and followed him all the way back to the car. They drove back in silence, but Roy didn't know if it was awkward or comfortable. He was too busy thinking about what he had almost said. His heart was pounding in his ears and his body felt hot with embarrassment. I can't believe I almost said it. He didn't know when his next chance would be, but it didn't seem like their relationship was improving. Whenever he thought it was getting better, there was a new problem that came up. Well, at least she didn't reject you yet.
A.N.: Sorry for the long ass wait everyone... As you've probably noticed, I'm not updating quickly. I don't really have time to write very much, but occasionally I'll try to write so I can post some chapters. There's still much to come in the storyline, hopefully I'll be able to complete it. That's my goal lol. If you really like this story, then stay tuned for the next chapter (I don't know when)! Thank you for waiting!
D