9. Unknown Past/ Before We Knew Each Other

Manga spoilers chapter 57 on; "past" not plot.

Roy Mustang was an eager student. He was almost skipping down what should have been an imposing dark road to anyone his age. Today, he was going to meet the infamous Mr. Hawkeye—a famed alchemist in his own right—and try and convince the man to take him in as his student. Roy knew that Mr. Hawkeye had turned down quite a few young men begging for a chance to learn alchemy, but he was sure he'd be different.

From down the road a piece, the old dilapidated house looked far from frightening, really. But as the nine-year-old approached the looming oak doors…forget frightening. The house was downright menacing. He knocked sheepishly, almost hoping that nobody was home.

To his dismay, the door swung open and a tiny girl with long blonde hair appeared, staring up at him. Before he could even open his mouth to get a word in, she spoke, her voice timid and tired and strained. "Father told me to thank you for your kindness but to tell you that we're all right even though Mother just passed away." The whole sentence sounded rehearsed, a phrase that she had been taught to say. The child swallowed a hiccup, wiping her eyes. "P-please go home."

The door promptly slammed in his face.

Puzzled, he considered what had just happened, and then knocked again. The child appeared in the door, her face now streaked with tears. He didn't allow her time to speak. "Wait—don't close the door on me again." He steeled himself and the girl watched him, terrified, hands shaking as she took half a step backwards.

"I'm very sorry about your mother, but I'm not here to offer condolences." The statement sounded far worse out loud than he had thought it would. "I'm very interested in alchemy, actually, and I was hoping to speak to Mr. Hawkeye…"

Almost twenty years later, Roy Mustang watched his subordinate stare out the window of the train, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Something on your mind, Lieutenant?"

For just a moment, as she turned to meet his gaze, Riza Hawkeye resembled that timid, frightening little six-year-old who had answered the door at the Hawkeye house so many years ago. "It's been exactly twenty years today, sir."

"Since we met?"

She shook her head slowly, "No, not exactly."

"Twenty years since what, then?" he asked, puzzled. Roy had always prided himself on his ability to keep track of dates.

The blonde tiredly looked back out the window. "The night you came to the old house, asking about learning alchemy…I was planning to do something very…foolish."

Roy swallowed. The word 'foolish' did not belong in any sentence pertaining to First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye unless said sentence was stating that she was not.

"You didn't, though," he mumbled thickly.

"No, I didn't. Before I knew you, before you were coming to study under my father, I had no reason to live in that house with a man who would never be the same without his wife…the thought of doing so was frightening, and I had had a whole plan figured out on how to leave." There it was again, he saw—the look of a terrified six-year-old. He realized then that he had interrupted her that evening, and maybe had played a role in stopping her from what was most likely a dangerous plan.

He glanced around them, seeing that the train compartment was empty before resting his hand atop hers. "It doesn't matter what happened before now; what happened after is much more important."

Author's Notes: (1) Do not own FMA, sadness

(2) EEK! I posted part of this oneshot earlier today without the ending. I fix now!