29. What Have You Done? (Within Temptation feat. Keith Caputo)

A/N: I wrote this between the time chapters 93 and 94 came out, honestly.

Riza Hawkeye never wavers from her duty.

Ever.

Even if that means honoring a promise she never should have made.

Her hands shake slightly as she raises the gun to take aim. She does not want to do this. Anything but this, anything at all, even if "anything" is turning the gun on herself.

"So it's come to this."

Her surprise at Roy acknowledging his fate so calmly makes her jump, and she almost pulls the trigger. She licks her lips, completely cotton-mouthed, and nods. "It has come to this."

"Well?" Roy holds out his hands, shedding his gloves. "I won't stop you. A promise is a promise."

This can't be happening!

"Why?" she asks, completely broken by what she is about to do. "Why did you do this? Why aren't you fighting back? What brought you to this?"

Roy just smiles sadly.

"Answer me!" Riza demands.

"Or what?" Roy asks quietly. She cannot threaten to shoot him if he does not answer, after all.

It takes every ounce of strength, effort, and willpower Riza has to keep from sinking to her knees. "This can't be true. I know you. You would never have…"

"Don't blame yourself, Riza. It's not your fault."

"You think I care about who started what at this point in the game?" Riza spits, venom imbued in every word. "I want to know what the hell possessed you do this, knowing that I would have to stop you!"

Roy shrugs. "I don't know."

"Liar!" Not good—her voice brakes.

Seeming almost impatient, Roy sigshs. "Just get on with it, Riza."

Every fiber in Riza's body is screaming for her to set the gun down. She does. "No."

Roy's eyebrows fly up. "No? Why?"

"This isn't you, Roy. I don't know why you…" Riza brakes off, unable even to contemplate what Roy has done. "That's beside the point. It seems like you want to leave it all behind. You're not going to. I don't care what I promised. I don't care that this is what you want. You're going to finish what you started."

"I already have," Roy answers evenly.

This is ridiculous, and Riza knows it, but she has to play the game. "Fine. If you can quit, so can I." She unbuttons her military jacket and tosses it to the floor. "I refuse to follow your orders."

Roy is clearly not expecting this. "You're just as stained as I am, then. But if you won't finish it—" He draws his own gun, bringing it up to his temple. "—then I will."

NO.

Riza takes off running. She has a split second and she knows it, but with their close proximity, that is all she needs. She knocks Roy to the ground just as the gun goes off, catching her shoulder. She bites back a yell but does not let Roy up, using her good hand to seize the gun and toss it away.

Her breath coming in quick gasps, Riza winces as each movement of her lungs sends a jolt of pain through her arm. "What will you do now?" she whispers.

Roy is absolutely shocked. "How could you?"

"I had to prove… you had someone left… who believes in you…" Riza breathes, flopping into a sitting position next to Roy.

Shaking his head, Roy begins to tear strips from his shirt for a tourniquet and bandages. "I still don't…"

"We have to get through this. Together." Riza is going ashen, but her voice is picking up strength. "Whatever made you think that you could get an out, through me, no less…" She bites her lip and tears—from the physical pain or from the pain of the situation, Roy can't tell—squeeze out. "Did you stop to think about what that would do to me? I'm not just some girl who will do whatever you tell me without question. I care about you, even if you don't care about yourself... or about me."

"Let's get you to a hospital," Roy orders.

Riza very nearly smiles. "You do care."

Roy nods. "Come on." He helps Riza to her feet, noticing her very light-headed sway. She has lost more blood than he thought. For him, no less. "You look pretty bad. Get on my back."

"Whatever happened to shooting you?" Riza mumbles as she finds a comfortable place to rest her head.

"Shooting you," admits Roy, "was far worse."

A/N: A second chance almost lost this time!

I don't know what Roy did, but, as Riza explains, Roy hasn't realized his dream yet, but he's gotten tired of it and has decided to get out of the game one way or another. Riza knows what's going on, and the game's up. Even if what he did was unforgivable, he has to live to make things right.

And the present tense—I decided to shake things up a bit this time. This one seemed to me like it would be a bit more intense in the present.