The Principles of Humanity

by ATPD

Vampire AU: The law is very clear: ALL vampires are to be killed on sight. Ed is turned into the thing he hates most of all, just as a strange soldier comes up to him and Ed is more than willing to die in order to retain his humanity. Roy Mustang, however, has other plans despite being the son of the most famous hunters in Amestris. Parental Roy/Ed/Al, T for swears and violence.

27. Chapter 27

...Sooo, this chapter turned out a lot longer than planned, but I really hope you people will enjoy it!

And please leave a review, but, as always, please no flames ;)

---

Chapter twenty-seven

Riza was more than a little reminded of her first day at the Academy as she made her way to the women's lavatories, leaving Roy to speak with one of the colonels who had found Roy a very interesting man to talk to with everything that was going on.

She knew that Roy had wanted her to do just that so that she would be able to not live in his shadow even more than she already was, and so it was all a very complicated situation.

...And her mind kept drifting back to what Richard had told them during dinner. What he had told them about her father.

Richard Mustang was a very odd man whose top priority appeared to be to keep those around him alive, whilst leaving others to be sentimental. Because he had always acted on his belief that he had a duty to not be emotional as somebody needed to be keeping a cool head and be practical about things. Which also explained why the man had such a short temper. He was denying himself his basic human needs in terms of closeness to those around him, meaning that his own instincts were angry with him, not unlike how Roy was at times.

...And it was also why he obviously truly loved his wife enough for them to accidentally have a child so late in life without even being able to place just when it would have been conceived.

That particular fact made her more than a little awkward. For someone so dignified as the two eldest Mustangs to be so...

Active.

...Was slightly surprising.

She was abruptly brought out of her musings as a pair of soldiers suddenly walked out of the corridor to her left about a metre in front of her. And whilst she had foreseen it by having heard them coming, they had not been expecting her. Meaning that they were both unnecessarily startled by her to the point that one of them stumbled and dropped his glass of water.

Riza, thankfully, had been able to tell just what had been about to happen, and so she was now finding herself straightening up with the glass still very much intact after she had caught it when it had had about fifteen centimetres left before it would have hit the floor. "Here, sir."

The two soldiers, a couple of redheads that looked like they were brother and sister, just stared at her. "Uh, thank you..." the soldier looked at her shoulders, the man himself a captain. "...First Lieutenant... You have some really sharp reflexes... You wouldn't happen to be one of the group of hunters that will be taking the exam later today?"

Riza shook her head. "No, sir, b-"

She was interrupted by the still awestruck officer in front of her. Awestruck and disappointed in her answer, meaning that he obviously felt a strong need to give her the pep talk to really get her going. Also because he seemed to be thinking the world of her throughhaving picked up his glass and appeared to be more than a little smitten already, as well as him being a State Hunter fan. "Well, you really should, you've obviously got a lot of talent and you'd be a great asset and could save a lot more lives and you'd earn more money and you could probably go into the history books as one of the greatest hunters in this country! And if you took the exam, then I am sure that Lieutenant General Mustang would see your potential straight away and you could become one of his most trusted subordinates!" he proclaimed, which made it clear that he had a lot of faith in the State Hunters and what they did. And so she had a strong feeling that the soldier before him had once been saved from a vampire raid by a State Hunter, probably by Richard himself, judging by the way that he spoke. Which in turn had most likely been the reason why the two siblings had joined the military. The girl had a look in her eyes that Riza had seen many times before in soldiers that had been orphaned by some sort of criminal act, this time obviously one by vampires. "You have the power to do what many can not, and so I believe that if you find Lieutenant General Mustang to be intimidating, then you have the perfect opportunity by seeking out his son! He's a bit of a mystery, but I would say that someone who would take in a couple of raid victims like that must be very willing to answer your questions about it a-!" He froze, eyes widening, but not in a way that suggested that it was Roy, but more of some sort of State Hunter all the same.

She turned around to find it to be the one that she had really not wanted to meet.

After all, Lewis Kimblee was obviously very capable of recognising her. "My my, Lieutenant Hawkeye, it's been a while since the last time we met."

Riza saluted him immediately, speaking as professionally as possible. "Yes, sir, it has. I hope that you and your wife are doing as well as your son is?"

"Yes, though it seems that your companions are a bit confused as to the nature of our acquaintance." He immediately focused his gaze upon the two soldiers that she had been talking to. "This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, she is Roy Mustang's assistant, just so as to clear up any confusion as to what her reasons for not being a State Hunter are. Now, if you would please excuse me, I would very much like to speak with her as it has been a few years now and she will soon be one of the most important officers at the State Hunter office.

And so Riza found herself following the man down the corridor for about ten metres, before following him down another. General Kimblee was almost as tall as Richard, and, just like his son, he didn't wear a uniform, but was instead dressed in a ridiculously expensive three-piece suit. Said three-piece suit was similar to Solf's, save the way that his had small, light blue stripes on top of the white fabric, and his shirt was a matching light blue, paired with a slightly darker blue tie. The fedora matched his suit, and all in all, Riza really wished that she didn't have a full thirteen minutes on her hands before she needed to leave for the Führer's office.

"So, I hear that there's a lot going on in the Mustang household, must be rather like trying to navigate oneself through a whirlwind, or so I would guess," Kimblee said conversationally, leading her down yet another corridor.

"Well, yes, I suppose so, sir, but things will settle down somewhat once the move is done," Riza answered, very nervous about how far she was being taken from Roy. Almost as if the General knew, and especially as they reached the end of the corridor, one which didn't lead anywhere.

"I suspect that you're the one who will be looking after the Elrics the most, then, what with you being an outsider as well." Then he tutted innocently. "Three orphaned blonde freeloaders, in other words."

Riza was starting to feel the beginnings of panic spreading through her. She needed to get away from here, and to do so quickly. She hadn't ever met Lewis Kimblee on her own, but the man was a sadistic bastard who thought very little of her and he outranked her by six whole ranks.

She was trapped until she had to leave for the Führer's office. And the man wouldn't have any trouble with not accepting her need for relieving her bladder. He knew just as well as she did that she had done so less than an hour ago and that it was only as a security measure so that she knew for certain that she wouldn't need to relieve herself mid-meeting. "If that is how you wish to view us, sir, then that is up to you."

"Though I hear that you've suddenly got a lot more money than you really need... That should serve as encouraging, you know, should someone wish to take part in that fortune. You'd best beware of anyone who might want to have a piece of that for themselves, what with your age, sudden wealth, hunting skills and you possess many of the features required for you to be considered attractive... And especially when you're about to get very lonely again, now that your dear big brother is getting a new biological little sibling, as well as a pair of kids of his own. Maybe you ought to go find a family of your own. One that doesn't mean that you're a charity case. After all, even upon your transfer to Central Command, nothing has changed. You are living in the shadow of your big brother, and now you're about to become even more invisible. After all, you're only going to be an assistant to your supposed family."

He spoke calmly and collectedly, his tone almost as if he was commenting on the weather out of boredom. "If you ask me, you're denying yourself any form of respect. You're just Roy Mustang's assistant or unofficial little sister. Always being introduced as a Mustang's something. Never recognised for your own talent. You are wasting your abilities, beauty and intelligence on a misplaced sense loyalty to those that have no problem swapping you out at a second's notice over a pair of insignificant yokels, just because of their status as the wards of Roy Mustang. The Elrics have earned more notoriety and recognition without even trying, than you ever have for being the ward of the great Richard Mustang and his wife... You ought to swap them out while you still have some pride left and make a name for yourself. Let yourself be in the spotlight by stopping to follow those that have had no trouble leaving you behind without even batting an eyelid... You are still of perfect child-bearing age, you ought to try and use it and earn some respect of your own, rather than just once again thanking the Mustangs for letting you be their pet, rather than their equal."

Riza froze, her stomach clenching violently. "Sir, are you saying-?" she began, only to be cut off by the disgusting general.

"Solf has always had a problem with attracting anyone, and the symbolic value seems almost destiny-like if you ask me. A Mustang eight years older than myself stole the blonde whom I was supposed to marry, had Richard Mustang not intervened so soon. Solf is eight years older than yourself. And as an heiress from the Mustang family, even if a modest one, you're just about enough of a loophole for it to work. My daughters have already found men of their own, your marriage to my son would be purely symbolic. In a way, I would say just. After all, my family is owed something for what your guardians did, what with the way that Richard made it clear just how much he despised me. Now that they are all stowing you away and swapping you out, marrying my son would be an excellent way to not get completely pushed away by your dear big brother as he chooses his new sibling over yourself. Three new additions to the family, all of them above yourself, just because of your parents only having been a pair of insignificant staff members. You're a liability, and have always been so. Imagine just how much recognition you could earn for giving the Mustangs their just deserts for discarding you like this. You are the same age as Augusta was when she gave birth to the big brother who pushed you away in favour of the two unknown orphans. The Mustangs have three cute, new puppies... You're the old one whose value is based on the litter that you were part of. But the thing is, your litter was a useless one, but one of the prize puppies of another litter made his way over and told his owners that they should keep you."

Riza suddenly heard a set of familiar footsteps and felt a wave of relief at the fact that Roy would be there to let General Kimblee hear just what he had to say about his little sister.

Kimblee smirked at her. "There you go again. You rely on big brother Roy to help his little pet out. And you trust him to do so," he told her as Roy walked up behind her and she rested her back against his chest in the warm and safe way that she had always done.

She felt her breathing quickening with fear at the realisation of just what was going on, and she stood there, completely frozen, as Roy rested his cheek against hers. It was warm and comforting and his voice was soft. "And you're too naïve to deny the truth until it's too late, Little Sis..." he told her, and she could feel the warm smile that caused his cheek to move against hers.

Then he slid the knife back out, his voice still so calm and caring. "Because you're so dependent on me to even think about how it gives me free reign to stab you in the back."

Riza just gasped, tears beginning to sting in her eyes as Roy let go and she dropped to the floor, smelling the iron of her own blood as she looked up at her big brother. He was still smiling warmly with his eyes. Just like he usually would, except for the bloody flick knife in his hand that was dripping red down on to her face. "Because in the end, you were always a consolation prize and nothing more. Dogs are man's best friend, and you have always been happy to be nothing more than that. But now that you're old and boring and in pain, it's my duty as your owner to put you down so as to spare you from suffering more than necessary.

Which was when he knelt down and slammed the flick knife straight into her neck. "But at least this way, your kindness extends to my new blonde orphans as your last act in my life, is to help nurture my new family."

Then Ed stepped out suddenly, and Roy smiled warmly. "There, Ed, take all that you want, she's not important to anyone," he said, stroking the top of her head soothingly. "You'll be getting her money too, soon enough."

Riza screamed as she sat up in her bed, drenched in cold sweat and panting, the dark room that had been hers whenever she had been here for the past thirteen years looking so comforting and yet also frightening.

And with her scream, she also knew what she had to do to avoid a complete panic, and so she got out of bed and unlocked the bedroom door and stood there, hugging herself in her light yellow pyjamas.

...She just shook her head at the three Mustangs that were approaching her. "Just a nightmare... D-don't worry... I'm all right."

All three of them just nodded and left her.

Because she was alone and she had no one and she was truly nothing without her big brother.

---

"Hey, Roy!" Hughes said, waving at him slightly to catch his attention as soon as they reached the front stairs of HQ.

Roy could instantly tell just what it was all about, and appreciated the concern that the man was showing.

It was an odd thing, this, because he was actually making his first genuine friend who wasn't his sister. Maes Hughes wasn't his subordinate and he didn't act like it either. They were colleagues instead of teammates.

And so Roy felt almost stupid about the excitement that it was giving him. The atmosphere back at the house had been very different this morning. Mostly because of the way that the staff wasn't supposed to know anything about anything, meaning that everyone were acting like normal. Except for the fact that Mother would be informing them all about what was happening with the abrupt changes that had been brought on by her pregnancy, once she came back home at noon as she would be meeting with her peers about the exact same thing.

And so he strode up the stairs towards Hughes, Riza right next to him. "Is it actually true what Major Armstrong told me?"

Roy sighed and nodded, though he could tell from Hughes's look that he was more than a little worried about Roy's stiff manner. "Yes, it is, Hughes. I'm taking the written exam at noon, and I'll be doing the practical one with Father tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock out on the parade grounds so that there's enough room for an audience, followed by the psychological evaluation. I'll be receiving my State licence in four days, in other words," he told him calmly.

Hughes frowned at him even more, obviously not exactly finding his statement to be cause for less concern. In fact, he was looking almost apprehensive at the way that he was using the word 'Father,' rather than his usual show of blatant disrespect. "You know that if you need to talk, then I'm more than happy to, right? I don't mind finding a few hedgehogs later today if you want to."

"Thank you for offering, but I'm rather busy at the moment, what with me moving back here and having a pair of young boys whose lives were just turned upside down."

Hughes only frowned even more. "Roy, is your father ordering you to behave like this?"

"No, Hughes," Roy began, still keeping his voice calm and his manner and expression dignified and professional. "This is what being a Mustang means. I'm an on-duty officer, and I have a lot of people who think that I'm partially a delinquent with far too little experience in the ways of hunting because I'm just a major, rather than a colonel at my age, considering my family name. I have a lot to prove, and you are my superior officer. Back in East City, I had a lot of freedom to do as I pleased because I had moved out and was being the family's black sheep. Now I'm moving back here, and you would be surprised had you seen me at work back in East City too, for that part. I may be rebellious, but not in public, because I have a lot of enemies and I can't afford to let them get a false impression of me being weak just because I'm not acting as dignified as I am actually more than capable of. Everyone does it, it's only part of being human, but unlike you, I have a lot more weight on my shoulders because of my heritage, and it is also as a way to keep those close to me safe."

"I see..." Hughes said, sadness finding its way to his entire manner. "I'm sorry. But does that mean that I shouldn't call you Roy while we're at work?"

"No, because you're my superior officer, but I can't call you by your first name, and you calling me 'Roy' means that I can at least have enough familiarity with you to not call you 'sir' when answering you. In fact, I was already pushing it by not saluting you, had it not been for that fact."

"Well, in that case, I'm ordering you to call me when you want a chat."

Roy gave him a small nod, a wave of gratitude sinking into him. "Will do, Hughes."

"Good. Now do you think that you four will be able to come over for dinner any time soon?"

"I'll have to hear with the boys. There's a lot going on everywhere, and right now, they're at danger of feeling neglected when they need me the most if I don't spend my time alone with them when I have the chance to do so."

"Yeah, of course." Hughes seemed almost scared of him now. It was something that Roy definitely didn't want, but which couldn't really be avoided either. "Am I right in guessing from your slightly annoyed manner that you also got some more money on your account by returning to Central?" he suddenly asked, obviously good at reading people and at reading Roy's exasperation correctly.

Roy sighed again. "I would have received it regardless of my move here, because I get, per family traditions that I hadn't been aware of before I was told yesterday, a 'vast financial gift' upon getting children. I got two, and so now I'm feeling like a spoiled and pompous brat because I'm annoyed and frustrated about my parents and grandfather making me aware of said family traditions out of the blue in the form of giving me fifteen billion cens."

Hughes's eyes widened in shocked surprise. "I'm not really sure just what I'm supposed to say to that at all," he told him after spending a few seconds to simply try to let his words sink in.

"Said traditions were also extended to Riza because of her status as their ward for eight years and the way that she's both raising the children with the real heir, as well as it meaning that she's sort of getting kids of her own that way. Which all adds up to the fact that she's been given five billion cens herself... I'm sorry, but we have to get going now, we have a meeting with Führer Bradley in twenty minutes."

Hughes frowned upon his statement, obviously not entirely sure as to how he was supposed to react to Riza's suddenly highly increased fortune either. And he almost looked hurt at Roy's cold manner and obvious want to not mingle with him. "You're planning on spending twenty minutes on a three minutes' walk?" he asked.

Roy felt like a bastard for the way that he was acting. The way that he was so blatantly denying almost all of the actual camaraderie that was building between them. "Yes, we are, and it is for the same reason that I do not want you to join us for said walk, Hughes. There are a lot of things that follow the fact that I am transferring to Central. I have never worked here before, I have never been anything but a regular soldier, meaning that barely anyone knows what I am actually doing here. I am currently the most curious soldier at Central Command Centre because everyone knows that I moved away to go to the Academy in East City rather than here. It has been clear for the entirety of my military career that I have obviously not been planning on following in my family's footsteps before now."

He saw Hughes's continued frown and sighed again. "Which makes me an oddity and a mystery, but most of all, a Mustang who chose to be a bumpkin and only moved back here in order to protect my wards, who are so anti-Mustang family tradition as they can get. Basically, I am a recluse who is obviously new to what being a grownup in the big city really means when I think that it's easy to just show up and become a true Mustang out of the blue. I'm clearly a novice who decided to be cocky enough to expect to know everything about everything involved with transferring here... And especially as I am also obviously relying on my father's guidance."

Hughes sighed at that, looking slightly like HQ was suddenly giving him a headache. "All of which is completely untrue and so you need to prove that you're able to stand on your own two feet... But that won't stop the way that you're still being an easy target for condescension for your rank."

"Which is why my father has been granted his request for me to be heading the State Hunter office with him once I obtain my licence. With Riza as my assistant, both of us are going to be a lot more intimidating than most of the other officers, seeing as how I am going to be allowed to give orders to any State Hunter below the rank of lieutenant general. But please don't let that become common knowledge as I would rather not start my transfer here to become nothing more than me relying on my father's position."

Hughes sighed. "Basically, you want me to keep myself out of the line of fire because every soldier above the rank of major are now at complete liberty of ordering Roy Mustang himself about and they all know that you're not the type to run off to ask your father to discipline them. And with me only a rank above you, I barely have any immunity myself."

Roy just nodded at him. "Yes, that's basically it. So please wait until I've at least finished my practical exam tomorrow so that people can see that I'm not a novice. There are too many factors at the moment that point towards me, and especially Riza, being completely out of our league because we're softies who don't even want to be here and clearly don't have what it takes."

Then a thought struck him. "Though, I think that Riza would love it if you had some time to keep her company at the shooting range while I do my written exam."

"Yeah, sure! I've got very little on my schedule for the day, sounds fun."

"Thanks, Hughes. Our meeting with Führer Bradley should give us about ten minutes before my exam, so how about we meet you outside your office?"

"Sounds good, I'll be seeing you two then. Good luck in the corridors in the meantime."

And so Roy found himself walking inside the entrance hall soon enough, and with people practically descending upon him.

"I think I'll take a trip to the lavatories, Roy, I'll be back in ten," Riza told him right before the nearest colonel decided that Roy was the one that he thought he was.

He had a bad feeling after only about a minute, and excused himself through the same explanation as Riza.

Because he had enough of hunter instincts to know when to listen to that gut feeling. The subconscious human mind picked up on details that the conscious one didn't necessarily do.

And that subconscious gut feeling was telling him that a Power-Wielder had found its way inside the building and was after his little sister.

He started pushing his way through the crowds, not wanting to cause a panic, but Roy had a really bad feeling after what had happened with Ed that there might be Power-Wielders that didn't have telekinesis, but simple telepathy. And if a Power-Wielder could use the same amount of power on affecting the human mind...

He spotted Major Armstrong and mouthed at him. "Lavatories, now!"

Armstrong caught on to what he was meaning immediately.

It was only half a minute later that they met a soldier who told them that the lavatories were out of order because the completely open corridor was closed for maintenance.

Roy began running.

...Then dread hit him at the sight of the smiling soldier who seemed to not have a care in the world as he stood next to the corridor where a very large group of soldiers were lying with their throats ripped out.

Roy ran even faster, only to feel like his world had fallen apart at the sight that met him.

Because Riza was lying on the floor, looking terrified and heartbroken and with another version of Roy standing up with a soft smile on his lips, revealing the flick knife and the way that he was petting her hair.

And Riza was dying, believing that he had betrayed her. That he would kill her.

She was dying and there was nothing that he could do about it, and he couldn't even walk forwards. His body wouldn't move and he couldn't speak and he couldn't tell her that it wasn't actually him that had done this to her and that he loved her.

His little sister was dying and she was spending her last moments alone and with a broken heart.

In the end, it turned out to be Roy who was the one that woke up with a yell as he instinctively panicked at the two bodies that were pinning him down. And so he moved to shove them away, only for the one to his left to press him down and pin him to the mattress.

...Revealing a pair of frightened golden eyes, joined by another pair to his right. "Roy? What's...?" Then Ed paused. "You just had one hell of a nightmare, didn't you?" he asked and released him.

Roy nodded, still shaken to the core by the things that may or may not be tormenting his little sister's mind. Tormenting her, and yet not something that she would want to talk about while the Elrics could hear her.

Which was probably why it was a good thing that Ed shot up out of bed and unlocked the door just as Roy sat up right before Mother reached it, holding a sword that belonged to the scabbard on the belt of her deep green dressing gown.

...His life was funny that way.

Roy just sighed and shook his head at her unasked question, only now noticing the tears that had run down his cheeks. "Just a nightmare..." Then he moved to the side of the bed that Ed had previously occupied. "But if you wouldn't mind, I would really like you to keep an eye on the boys while I talk to Riza," he said as he swung his legs over the edge and got to his feet, right after grabbing his wallet on the nightstand.

"Yes, of course, Roy... And before you ask, hot flushes," Mother said, her voice a bit softer than usual. Like she knew what he had been dreaming when it came to the way that Riza would feel abandoned and insignificant.

...Which would make sense as she was a highly intelligent and intuitive woman who could have made a great detective should she decide to try it out. After all, she had got her PhD in vampirology at age sixteen.

But the hot flushes still made him awkward.

Once again, she held her hand on his bicep as he passed her. "Take your time, I'm not exactly going to bed at the moment."

Roy just nodded and walked down the hallway, before he knocked on Riza's door and she opened it soon after, obviously having heard the shout while also having seen Mother enter the bedroom. And so she had just waited for him in case he had wanted to talk. She had probably used the time to replace her sword.

The first thing he did as she opened the door only about an inch, was to shove it open immediately and pull her into a strong hug, tears in his eyes.

She felt just like she had always done. Soft, warm, her hair soft and smelling of his little sister as she hugged him back. "Could we go down to the lounge and talk, Little Sis?" He just needed to call her that, without the knife. Without the calm and soft manner.

Just Riza.

His Riza.

And he could never ever lose her.

Never.

Just...

Never.

"Do you want to change first? You're still only in your boxers, you know." Roy hadn't worn anything else because he had been playing pillow for a kid on each shoulder, which had trapped him in between two warm bodies.

He contemplated it, but then had a thought strike him. "Blanket cape. Mother's looking after the boys for me and Ed can hear us from here so they won't worry."

"Just like in the old days, then," she said kindly and gave him another squeeze before walking over to the chest in front of the footboard and pulled out a chequered deep blue and green bedspread. "Here, then, Big Bro."

Roy grabbed it as Riza retrieved her black dressing gown from the peg by the door and slid her feet inside her matching, black slippers, before fastening a sword to the belt.

"I had what was undoubtedly the worst nightmare known to man..." Roy began as he wrapped the bedspread about him and they headed out of the door, taking quick strides. He could tell her about the beginning of it, at least. Just to give her a quick overview and to sort of mentally prepare her for how messed up it had been when that was how it had started. "Let's just say that Lewis Kimblee cornered you while you were alone at Central Command and suggested that as a sort of symbolic compensation for Father taking Mother for himself in that way, that you should marry Solf."

Riza's eyes widened in horror, looking like she found it just as much of an unspeakable and nauseating thought that Roy did.

And Roy, in the meantime, could suddenly understand why Pops had done what he had done thirty-three years ago.

Hell, no matter how much she was his sister, if Riza were to find herself in such a situation, then Roy would have proposed himself and then just kept it like it was right now. Just in order to keep her safe.

It was so wrong to think about, and he wouldn't like to have it that way at all, but it would have been the best alternative.

And so Roy had an idea strike him. "Riza, as your superior officer and current CO, I am ordering you not to leave the military."

Riza looked up at him at that, a small smile on her lips, even though she was still looking mildly sickened at his words. "Basically, Solf J. Kimblee is now unable to marry me as it would mean him resigning because of the anti-fraternisation laws?"

Roy smiled back with a warm sigh. "Glad to hear that you find me a satisfactory CO."

His stomach clenched at the thought of having his father as his CO in just a few days. And, by special permission by the Führer, said father had also explained to him how Roy would also assume a position that had only been given to a handful of officers throughout Amestrian history.

...And which was also the vaguest rank that the military had ever offered and it was an obscure one at that, one which most people had never heard about because it had only happened about once in a century.

Because Roy would now not only get his licence, but also be appointed to the prestigious rank of 'vice-head of office,' which in turn meant that Roy would actually lose his newly acquired status as a major. Come four days from now, Roy would be addressed as 'VHO Mustang'.

...Which meant that Roy would become even more of an oddity. But having that odd rank, also granted him a much less confusing description because 'a major who works as a semi-CO for everyone below the rank of lieutenant general, and so he is allowed to give orders to officers four ranks above him within that specific office, but is not actually able to pull rank on anyone above his own original rank, unless they are involved with a hunt without being a State Hunter, because then he has free reign unless the head of office, in this case his father, Lieutenant General Mustang, opposes his decisions, in which said semi-CO major with the aforementioned power over his subordinates's orders are rendered void,' was a very long way to state his rank.

Also, it meant that everyone up to and including the rank of major general, as the head of the State Hunter office would always outrank him by being one rank above him no matter what, were to treat him with the same level of respect as if he was a major general himself, although they were still allowed to give him orders as long as they were above the rank of major and did not belong to the State Hunter office or participated in a hunt.

Which also meant that Roy would be receiving yet another new uniform jacket, this one with the same star and stripes of a major, but they would be silver, and he would also have a silver emblem on the left side of his chest, which would consist of a silver line of about fifteen centimetres and the crest of the State Hunters, namely the two small swords crossing on top of said line.

Basically: Roy would become the metaphorical 'elephant in the room' of the entire military until his father retired, and Roy would then be taking over for him when that day came.

The previous cases of VHOs had been of soldiers that had been related to other heads of offices, but whose ranks did not justify their talents and it would thereby cause a lot of lives to be lost if the officer in question were to be considered insubordinate by refusing unwise orders. It had rarely happened, though, because the head of office would have to be the one to request it and provide sufficient reasoning for it to be more beneficial to the military, as well as the Amestrian population at large, if said officer were to obtain said position. Said officer would also be required to have served for five years minimum and have distinguished themselves as an officer worthy of said obscure rank. After all, it basically meant that the Führer was recognising the officer in question so as to grant them power to be insubordinate to the extreme.

However, the only people who had been promoted to the rank of VHO had also been from highly influential families, like the Mustangs, where it had also granted the officer in question immunity from superior officers who had otherwise been very likely to have abused their higher rank, and in a way that would also have forced the soldier to have become semi-disloyal to the military by not having fulfilled their duties as officers.

...So it was basically a sort of witness protection that was beneficial to the military and avoided scandals and headaches over hushed up court-martials. And it had always been due to similar situations like the one that Roy was in.

The black sheep of the family was returning and now they had basically no authority and it was putting a lot of people in danger if they didn't get some power right now.

...Because they had not done as expected and didn't have the necessary respect because they hadn't been promoted at the same rate as their relative or relatives.

Because, as a Mustang, there was no way to deny it that Roy should have risen to the rank of colonel by this time.

But nope.

And so it would furthermore have been putting Riza at a serious disadvantage, what with the way that she would otherwise have become the assistant to a State Hunter who had only reached the rank of major and was thereby one of the lowest-ranking State Hunters. And with her only being a first lieutenant, then that would only have made it worse.

...So Riza would be getting her own uniform as well with silver stripes and stars equivalent to her current rank, but without the emblem of the State Hunter office like Roy, because she wasn't allowed to give orders herself, but deserved the same amount of respect from all officers, everywhere from generals to enlisted men. And she would also be allowed to be present at any meetings that Roy would be attending.

Basically: one would be accused of insubordination if one were of the rank of major general or below, if one were to insult her or do anything that wouldn't be approved of by Lieutenant General Mustang.

Which meant that Riza would be allowed to report Lewis Kimblee if he were to corner her or mock her.

But that wouldn't happen until Roy got his licence. And so Roy wouldn't be letting Riza out of his sight until then, and if he needed to do so, like with when he would be taking the exams, then Roy would be leaving Riza in the care of the Investigations office, just so as to give her some practical experience in being the assistant of a State Hunter by following Major Armstrong around.

Basically: they wouldn't be receiving their special recognition by the Führer before Roy was officially a State Hunter.

However, Major Armstrong was still receiving a lot of respect without anyone pulling rank on him in the same way that they would do with Riza and Roy, just because of his size and demeanour. And the reason why he was still just a major, it was a very simple matter: he and Millicent had both been planning on a military career at the time that they had been introduced to each other. And because Millicent had basically been the only candidate to marry Alex, what with size and personality, they had both pursued their respective careers until they had decided on which one would have been resigning due to the anti-fraternisation laws. And what with Millicent being seven years older than Alex, she had technically been the one with first dibs on staying in the military.

...And the odd thing was that they had only stayed friends for over a decade, but without engaging in a romantic relationship, no matter how head over heels in love they had been with each other since they had first met when Alex had been eighteen. And it had simply been because they had both been too polite to have told the other to have resigned. Which meant that Alex hadn't wanted to receive any promotions after he had obtained his licence so that he hadn't been putting any pressure on his beloved.

But then, one day six years ago, according to Pops, Millicent had stormed into the State Alchemist office and had waved her hands in the air, before she had shouted something highly disturbing at Alex: "I HAVE RESIGNED, MY DARLING! NOW LET'S GO TO CITY HALL AND GET MARRIED ONCE YOU ARE DONE FOR THE DAY AND MAKE A BABY WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME!" Then the two of them had engaged in a very passionate display of kissing.

...They had ended up with quintuplets less than a year later.

And currently appeared to be on a very steady road to living happily ever after.

Roy sighed heavily as they kept walking in silence, both of them knowing that whatever Roy needed to talk to her about wasn't something that should be discussed while walking through the house where they could potentially be overheard by staff members. And so he simply lifted the bedspread towards Riza at the same time as she moved towards his side, the two of them having thought of the exact same thing at the exact same time. Because they knew each other really well and had been hunting partners for over a decade. Which made them very good at reading each other.

Which meant that they might as well discuss something that the staff wouldn't consider as anything but natural. "You know, we're gonna have to creep the boys out really soon... It's better to give them a heads-up about what it means to be hunting partners as soon as possible so that they can also get used to the idea," he told her heavily. He was sort of dreading to tell the Elrics about how Riza and him were tightly knit siblings who found the prospect of any sort of romantic pursuits to be sickening and wrong to the core.

...And who would very often be sitting stark naked in a bath as the other helped wash them with a sponge. Because they couldn't get injured on a hunt and then have Ed heal the cuts because that would make it clear just what Ed was, and then it would be very suspicious for any sort of vampire to find that one of their own kind had healed up a Mustang. And so Ed and Al would quickly be found out, even when Ed was currently protected by his pheromones.

Because none of them knew, of course, that Bradley was an Alpha.

Nope.

He was just the Führer who wanted to help the country in defeating the Alphas themselves.

Just a good leader who want to stop the vampires from killing even more humans. Who wanted to protect the citizens of Amestris from the big bad vampires.

Nothing more.

...Because he wasn't of course in league with the bastards that had tortured Ed.

Nope, not at all.

He felt his anger boiling at the thought. About how they would be talking with one of the bastards that had attacked Ed like that, and act like they didn't know.

...And so it probably helped that Roy would be both jumpy and threatening because he was such a reckless brat who had taken in a pair of half-Alphas because one of them had been turned, and had then kept them secret from the military itself. Which meant that Roy was technically one of the biggest traitors to the country that Amestris had ever seen.

Fun times.

And so he just hugged his right arm around Riza's waist as she did the same thing with his waist with her left arm, and they used their free hands to hold the bedspread in place.

Riza sighed in answer to his statement. "Yes, I think so too."

A small scoff escaped Roy's lips. "Here we are, wandering through the house that makes my body sting with loathing and memories of a completely messed up childhood..." His voice softened a bit. "...And with a bedspread around us just like in the old days..." He stopped walking and turned towards her, his stomach clenching violently at the images still plaguing his mind. "Riza, you know I love you, right?" He felt some sort of hard-to-place dull ache throughout his body. Because his nightmare had not only made him afraid of Riza feeling like she was being swapped out or be reduced to simply living in Roy's sister.

He was terrified of losing her.

And he was getting an odd sense of jealousy towards himself for not getting to spend so much time with Riza as he had been used to.

Although they would be spending most of their nine-hour workdays together as she was his assistant, even though it would involve being around his father for a lot of that time.

Roy halfway hated that fact because no matter how much he was beginning to like Pops, fact still remained that Roy would probably find himself head of the State Hunter office in less than a decade, unless his father or the Führer decided that they wanted another State Hunter to fill that position. After all, Roy was still young and would possibly have been promoted to the point that he would be a colonel by that time.

...That really wasn't a particularly high rank in between all the hunter families. Because as soon as Roy stopped being a VHO, then he would be at whatever rank that he had earned by that time. Roy could still be promoted, but in the terms of his semi-existent rank outside the State Hunter office. And so it would mean adding silver stars to his uniform.

Riza just looked at him, frowning slightly, almost looking hurt. And then she just hugged him. "Roy, you do know that you fearing that in your nightmares doesn't mean that I am feeling like whatever your mind concocted... Because you are dangerously close to insulting my abilities as both your little sister, assistant and hunting partner... Now let's find the lounge and talk about this in full."

Roy found himself to only hug her tighter at her words, because she knew him well enough to be able to tell that it was completely unnecessary for her to tell her that she loved her big brother back. Because she could simply tell that he knew that full well, and had just wanted to tell her that he loved his little sister and had done so in order to have made completely sure that Riza had known about it. But he had to agree that she was right about him insulting her abilities when she believed in him so firmly.

And so the two of them walked in silence as they made their way to the lounge, locked the doors and sat themselves down on a ridiculously comfy sofa, the two of them doing things the old-fashioned way.

Namely to sit with their backs resting against an armrest each, a pillow each to support their backs, and with their knees bent and their toes pressed against the other's. Originally, they had been able to have done that with their legs fully stretched out and the entire soles of their feet touching. But then they had grown and their legs had grown with them and so their knees had required an increased amount of bending over the years.

They both looked at each other with a pair of synchronised heavy sighs. They hadn't actually done this in this couch for the past eight years after they had moved to East City.

And so it had a lot of symbolism to it. Because it truly meant that they were moving back here.

He looked at her and sighed once more.

...And then he told her about his nightmare.

All of it.

Every single detail. His words, her words, what he had done when he had seen it from her point of view. About the way that she had felt safe leaning her back against his chest, right before he had stabbed her.

Riza's eyes were slightly shiny with unshed tears. "You know that you telling me that that was the worst nightmare that you have ever had, means that I have nothing to worry about, right?" she said gently, her face filled with somewhere between sadness, horror, anger, disgust and gratitude.

...But there was also guilt.

Roy felt his entire body begin to ache at that. "Riza, I know you damned well, but even I can't actually figure out just why you'd feel guilty about my nightmare..." he told her quietly.

She unconsciously hugged herself in a way that Roy hadn't seen for the past eleven years. In the way that she had stopped doing ever since the day that she had killed her first vamp. It had always been a gesture of fear and insecurity. And Roy had seen it so many damn times after she had begun her training. There was the reluctance that and subservience that had always made Roy's stomach churn.

And it obviously had to do with what Father had told them about at dinner. They hadn't had the time to discuss it afterwards. The Elrics had been emotionally exhausted and Roy had needed to be their pillow. And they had all decided that talking about it tomorrow when they would be alone for a couple of hours before leaving for HQ would have been far better. "Ri-," Roy began, but she interrupted him.

"Roy, I-I should have talked to you about this long ago... But I didn't..." Even more tears were building in her eyes. "...I-I'm the reason that you couldn't defeat that Power-Wielder so that you never got the chance to try to save the remaining staff, including Dad... I was a liability and it almost got you killed... You gave Dad and I so much, and in the end, we couldn't even keep ourselves alive for you... We failed y-"

"Pardon the interruption, but I'd just like to point out that that is very much utter bullshit, Riza," came Pops's voice from over by the window as he pulled back one of the deep green curtains, looking at Roy with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Also, you really ought to make sure that the room is vacated before you start sharing such deeply disturbing nightmares, kid."

Roy froze as Riza gasped.

...Because there was just no way that Pops had kept being in his 'Father' role when telling Riza that what she had said had been utter bullshit.

Then he lightly knocked his knuckles twice on the window pane next to him. "And don't worry, Roy, it appears that this room is completely vampire-soundproof. We've been working on making some sort of new glass panes that are specifically made so that they reflect the sound in both directions, meaning that sound doesn't escape the room, and sound from the outside just bounces back... Olivier brought them from Briggs about half a year ago after they had worked hard on it in the research department there. There is a thin pane of it inside the walls, the doors, and the roof and floor. And it appears that not even Ed can hear it, or if so, only slightly because of the small and inevitable open line between panes, judging by the little experiment that I sat in motion before we returned. And with how much sound that there is bouncing on both sides, it muffles the original voices as all the sounds that are mixing together will confuse the vamp."

He didn't look at them as he spoke, but instead looked up at the tall arch at the top of the window. "After all, this room was well within hearing range for Ed, and yet he didn't really seem too aware of the way that one of the sons of one of our cleaners, Paula Watson to be exact, was throwing a birthday party inside here for her eleven-year-old son which was attended by a lot of the other older kids of the staff as well. I'd told her that what with you bringing the Elrics here, any parties outside the building were very likely to be targeted out of symbolism. And so we said to her that they could hold it here in this room instead, mostly so as to ask her for some advice on what aspects could be changed to fit a pair of bored kids of that age better, as we'll be making some adjustments to this room to make it into a leisure room instead. After all, you asked us to accommodate your kids, because even though the visit was originally scheduled to last a lot shorter, fact still remains that you're still required to come here during any visits of important guests as it is only polite, and so the Elrics could use somewhere to relax. And just in general, what with them needing some time to adjust, this is undoubtedly the most homely room in the house, plus it means that the vamps won't be able to listen in on them while the boys are here. Which is better security-wise as they are very much your weak spot. And anyways, we're about two hundred metres away from Ed, so the coast is clear no matter what. Though we should still be careful about the frequency of our going here to talk, seeing as how this place isn't smell-proof and it can easily become suspicious as a result, and the staff won't fail to notice it either. So using the basement training room is still the preferred and least suspicious way of having private conversations."

Pops then sighed and pointed at a particular spot on the window, and Roy could tell just how unnerved his little sister was. He had a feeling that Pops had reached his breaking point as a big brother, and didn't want to force Roy to keep Riza in the dark after hearing what Roy had just said. "You know, Riza, there used to be a scratch here in the window pane forty-seven years ago until they were changed the day after the scratch was made... Your father was only four at the time and had got a model train for his birthday two weeks prior to that, and he made that scratch by losing his balance and smashed it against the window in an attempt at steadying himself... He began sobbing, understandably enough, so I picked him up and placed him on my lap and held him like that until my parents came inside the room... They weren't exactly impressed by me sitting there with Bertie on my lap, but I also had no intentions of letting Deborah get reprimanded about something like that... So I explained that scratch as me losing my balance while playing with him, making me the one who had smashed it and would thereby be the one to replace it. It wasn't that hard to fool my parents at that time, I had got shot in my left shin just the day before..."

Then he shifted his attention to Riza. "The only reason that I was allowed to stay there and play with Bertie, was that Deborah was the best damn cook in the country and that had a lot of importance when we kept getting rather prominent political visitors. Serving them so high-quality meals had sealed a fair few deals because of how happy they were during their conversation during their meals... And she kept getting offer after offer after offer with higher and higher pay from all over the country and even from some of the visitors from other nations as well... Deborah was a national treasure beyond compare, and yet the thing that made her stay in this house until the very end, was simply because I was Bertie's Big Brother Richie. She never received a single pay cheque, because all she requested was a soft bed for her and her son, that they got the necessary clothes and medical attention and that Bertie was provided with education from years one through ten once he turned six..."

He swung his legs to the floor and sat there on the little padded platform below the widow, sighing heavily. "And I just can't keep you in the dark because I don't want to force Roy to lie to you, and especially not after that nightmare. Not when he can't even tell you in full about the reason why he's having nightmares like that in the first place. He needs to be able to talk to you, and you him, and I'm not going keep you in the dark in a way that will torture my son for the rest of his life... And, judging from what you said, you haven't exactly benefited from not having shared your thoughts with Roy for thirteen years." He sighed yet again. "This is eating at Roy and tearing him apart and he needs you to know, and I'll only feel like a selfish bastard as I would otherwise be demanding that my son only confides in Augusta and myself, when you are far more worthy of that." Then he refocused his attention to Roy as he stood up and pulled the curtain closed behind him. "And you were really pushing it today, Roy... We tell you the deep, dark family secret, and then you go and guilt-trip your mother into hugging you just the day afterwards, and then back me into a corner like that..." He actually chuckled slightly at Roy with a tiny smirk. "But then again, I always was a manipulative bastard who used your own emotions against me to get my will..." His voice softened with another sigh. "Sorry about slapping you like that and for causing Ed so much distress."

Roy was getting increasingly frustrated by all that was going on.

And was equally craving both to hug him and to punch him.

And so he punched the sofa with a frustrated grunt. "You needed to get Ed to show Lucas just how harmless and kind Ed actually is and to get to see for yourself how Ed's powers work... And for me to partially yell you deaf about what had happened to Ed, just so that you could comfort him just a bit so that he won't be walking on eggshells wherever he goes when you're around him." Roy began counting on his fingers. "And so now he knows that you feel guilty about what happened, you really don't want to kill him, you too believe him to be harmless, you really do want to protect him out of your own free will and that you're grateful for what he's doing for you, and then make me explode with frustration at being so neglected that you'd have to explain about Riza so as to gain Ed and Al's trust in full by showing them that you're not one to go back on your word..." He gave him a soft glare of exasperation as he held up a total of six fingers. "Manipulative bastard just about sums it up."

Then he sighed and turned back towards a very pale Riza, who was sitting there completely frozen, tears going down her cheeks as she looked up at Pops in a form of confused apprehension and shock. Roy just pointed at his father. "Riza, say hello to Pops, I met him for the first time yesterday when he dragged me down to the basement training room and told me about the Führer's orders. His wife enjoys jumping on the bed while she waits for him to get done in the bathroom before bedtime, and apparently they love me unconditionally, which also counts for you too, and always have, and they also keep a will inside the safe in their bedroom that the lawyer will be retrieving upon their death so that nobody but my parents will know what it says so as to avoid any foul play."

"And said will has included you and Roy inheriting fifty per cent each ever since you became our ward, Riza," Pops said with a slightly softer tone. "When you were born, it was twenty per cent."

---

Riza felt her stomach clench violently at Richard's words. It was too unreal. For some reason, hearing this only made her feel threatened. Because this couldn't be Richard Mustang.

It wasn't possible.

It couldn't be.

And she was scared stiff by their words. Both Roy's and Richard's. She couldn't help but think that the Alpha that had possessed Ed, had now taken over Richard Mustang himself.

But then again, Ed had told them that it had been excruciating to have had the black hands latch on to his brain. And Roy was still acting like Roy. But the words were wrong and Richard just happening to be here of all places at two in the morning made no sense at all.

It made too little sense.

And yet Roy had no trouble believing this. He was even calling his father 'Pops'.

Part of her felt a very strong urge to get out of the couch and pull out her sword, her voice still choked by her own tears. "P-please give me proof that none of you are being possessed or are using my memories against me... None of this makes sense. Why would you even be right here at this time, sir? W-why would you sit there, hidden behind the curtains, at the exact same time as we walked inside here, General?"

She was terrified.

Completely terrified.

The General raised an eyebrow at her, seeming almost hurt at her addressing him like that. "That's a very easy question to answer, Riza. When people raise their kids, they often raise them based on their own childhood. Roy is very much like I was at his age, although Augusta and I gave him a lot more leniency than I ever received... But thing is, Bertie raised you like Deborah raised him, and, just like with how your father also raised Roy, your grandmother also raised me. And so Bertie intentionally raised the pair of you so that you and Roy could have a similar relationship that Bertie and I had ourselves... Which means that I know that Roy brought his wallet here with the drawing that you made for him on his seventh birthday, because I was the one who told Bertie to let you know that Roy would need a hug and a present on his birthday. And I know and read Roy well enough to know that he would have kept it in his wallet, because that was the exact same thing that I did when I got that very fun surprise trip to the Briggs Mountains where I had to live in a cave for a fortnight six months after I turned thirteen, per family tradition. I got attacked by a fair few grizzlies during that time, understandably enough, but the first day that I found somewhere to use as shelter and pulled out my supplies from my backpack, I discovered that Bertie had made me a little good luck card to keep me company, but I sadly had to store my card inside the bedroom safe myself... And so I could tell that Roy would obviously have brought his drawing with him after his nightmare in order to show it to you, just so as to make it really clear how he isn't ever going to replace you or leave you behind... Am I wrong, Roy?"

Roy had paused at that, and had obviously been caught completely off guard. "...No, you're not. Though I'm just a bit curious as to why I never heard about any grizzlies or met them in general, considering how the date didn't overlap with that night, because the party was three weeks later. It would have fitted perfectly."

"Riza had the flu and needed company, and I didn't really want to send you away like that in general. Not after what Bertie had told me it had been like to have waited here, worrying that I was freezing to death while he was drinking cocoa. And so we decided to explain it as us worrying that you'd start developing symptoms yourself whilst completely alone... Fighting bears with a fever and reduced lung capacity in that particular area wasn't really a favourable situation, especially when Riza was old enough to know that that could actually have happened. When it turned out that you had avoided catching said flu, it had been too close to the party, and then it was only logical to not do it at all, considering what happened to you... And the way that I didn't want Riza to be put through training without being able to talk to you afterwards..."

Pops then just sighed heavily once more. "As for why I'm in this room, it's because I used to sit here with Bertie until I wasn't allowed by my parents to be Big Brother Richie when I turned twenty, and Deborah agreed to it as I was only a couple of months away from proposing and my workload had grown with my promotion to lieutenant colonel, and I just couldn't fit it in in between training, work, hunting, and being with my fiancée... And so the conditions for her continued employment were instead that Bertie be trained as a butler and that he were to receive homeschooling in certain subjects equivalent to upper secondary school level, or years eleven through thirteen, leaving him able to go to university should he choose to pursue a different career. And if so, the Mustangs would be the ones financing his education. Basically, she wanted to make absolutely sure that her son would have a future no matter what happened to her... Which meant that after Theresa died and I refused to start searching for a new spouse before I turned thirty, I was given clear orders that I wasn't allowed to start being Big Brother Richie just because I was alone again, at the threat of them firing Bertie and Deborah if I didn't follow said orders... And as the manipulative bastards that they were, I was only informed of that having been an empty threat until both of my parents died and Bertie was finally able to let me in on that secret as Deborah herself died just a year after I got married to Augusta..."

He looked directly at Riza again, and her stomach clenched even harder. This wasn't the Richard Mustang that Riza had known and had feared for her entire life. He wasn't 'Richie.'

...Even though it would explain that longing look in Dad's eyes from time to time as he had seen her play with Roy during those first ten years. Riza had always assumed that it had been because he had wished for Mum to have still been alive. Or that he had been longing to not have had any duties to fulfil and to just have joined their playing.

And why he had never once said anything bad about Roy's parents, even when Roy had been sobbing with misery.

But the thought of Dr Mustang jumping on the bed of all things was completely ludicrous.

...But then again, Roy had actually gone as far as having begged his mother for a hug. And he had seemed unusually edgy ever since yesterday afternoon.

"And so, all in all, I was expecting my wife and was fairly surprised by hearing that it was you two instead, as she was supposed to be joining me here once she had changed into a lighter pair of pyjamas, because of the way that she found shedding her dressing gown and only wearing her nightie was a bit too risky when sitting in front of a window and just passing the staff in general. I'm not exactly incapable of noticing Augusta sneaking out of our bed in the middle of the night, and so I joined her instead... She and I are both worried about her being pregnant again, and going to a vampire-soundproof room to discuss said pregnancy-related worries seemed like a good idea. We used to sit here in this room when Augusta became pregnant the first time because my mother didn't trust us not to do anything that could cause harm to the new heir, seeing as how she was already worried enough as it was about how silly and irreverent we were about it all... And so she didn't want us to spend too much time behind the locked doors of our bedroom. In here, however, she felt safer that we wouldn't get up to something so irresponsible. So I suppose we were instinctively drawn to this room when Augusta wasn't able to keep sleeping, also because it gave us some time to make a plan for what to do when we'll be modifying this room."

He explained it all in such a conversational way, it somehow made her even more confused and scared. This just wasn't right. Everything was wrong and she didn't know what to think or say.

"THEN WHY DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO SCARE ME SO MUCH?!" she shouted before she even registered the words that were escaping her. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SCARE ME FOR TEN YEARS WHEN YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD BE TRAINING ME?!"

Then she froze, frightened tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Because being soft would be bad for our political significance. We couldn't have people questioning us as their protectors, and that meant that we left Roy to fight for you. To stand up for you..." There was a pained look in his eyes, one which made things both better and worse and it explained just why Roy had been so upset since yesterday afternoon. "...Because we weren't privileged enough to be able to do so ourselves. And for that I'm sorry, Riza. I truly am."

Riza didn't know what to do or say. Only that her whole body was hurting and that she felt far less safe than ever before.

Because for the first time in her life, she felt betrayed.

Betrayed by her guardians.

Betrayed by her father.

But most of all, betrayed by Roy.

And so she turned towards the big brother whom she had trusted with her back for all these years. "Why wouldn't you tell me, Roy? I-I..." She couldn't get herself to say it. She couldn't get herself to ask him if finally being shown some affection from his parents had been enough for him to keep the sister who had been there for him for over two decades from knowing about all this. Enough for him to choose not to free her from her fear and from her nightmares.

Because Roy wasn't the only one who didn't like this house. Who had been relieved as they had moved to a different city.

She had always been beneath those that had been supposed to have nourished her after her father had died. Yes, she owed the Mustangs everything...

...But that had also only been because she had never had any choice. She had never been able to have asked for something better because of those that she had been associated with.

And no matter how much she had loved her big brother, and how much she had trusted him, his nightmare may have been a bit too close to the truth this time. His inner struggle may have been the reason that he had been so afraid of stabbing her in the back.

...Because he had actually been afraid of her knowing that he was doing so? That he was pushing her away in favour of his family now that they were actually giving him something that he had needed and had craved and had substituted through his relationship with Riza?

She got up from the couch, not able to keep looking at Roy.

Not able to sit there like she had done for all these years. Because of the thought of sitting there when her heart was so close to breaking, and if it would, then she didn't want it to be on that couch.

Because there was no way for her to deny that she had put all of her trust into a single person and had trusted them with her back, and that he had always had connections to other people as his peers.

She had only had Roy after Dad had died.

And so she found herself with her back to the two Mustangs as she hugged herself, not sure what she wanted to do from here. She had five billion on her account, so she could practically do whatever she wanted if she chose to leave because she couldn't stay here with a broken heart.

Because based on what she had just been told, everyone important to her had also lied to her.

Even Dad.

Her whole life had been built on lies and manipulation, and now Roy had decided against having told her something so important about Dad.

...For the first time in her life, she felt completely alone, just like Roy had said that she had done in his nightmare.

She closed her eyes at the movement behind her, and suddenly found herself with Roy hugging her from behind as he pressed a kiss to her temple. She felt tears against her cheek, and they didn't belong to her. "Riza, please... This has nothing to do with added loyalty to my parents, far from it, I'm just giving them a chance based on one thing, namely what they told me about you... I'm calling him 'Pops' because it's ridiculously irreverent and I'm giving the actor behind the role of General Dick a chance because of what he told me about you... What Mother told me about she was proud of us for saving the Elrics... About how they have manipulated the both of us through the most bastardly way of reverse psychology that there has ever been... And because they have always valued us equally and that Pops showed me a picture yesterday of how I was sitting on Berthold's lap, sleeping, while Pops sat there with an infant version of you on his lap, smiling, as you sucked on his sleeve... I told him myself, I'm giving them a chance because I wanted to find out what your father saw in them..."

He spoke so gently. Gently, and yet with undeniable fear in his voice.

Riza felt her resolve shatter and she whipped around and pressed herself against him.

Those familiar warm arms closed themselves around her by instinct, and before she knew what was happening, she broke down into sobs.

It was all too much at once. And it was hurting so much that all these thoughts were going through her mind.

Because she didn't have anyone else. She had always chosen to be alone with her big brother in favour of the safety of not making people into liabilities like herself.

She had always wanted Roy, and had been happy that way.

...She should have realised that he had always had the choice not to have had his life revolve around her in turn.

And that she had no right to beg him to stay with her and push everything else away. She had no right to demand that he shouldn't accept it when his parents actually cared about him.

She had no right, because she owed them everything and they had accepted her into their lives despite her never having had a place there. They had indulged her.

...The only thing that she had given them, was a liability and a source for scorn because they had been indulging an insignificant non-employee who had contributed a lot in ending their reputation.

She had given Roy a loving sister, but while he had been a loving brother, he had always given her so much more.

She had no rights to demand anything if he wanted to be freed from her. If he wanted to expand his life beyond her.

---

Roy felt his guts twisting as she pressed her face into his shoulder and began sobbing against it. He just closed his eyes and held her tightly, scared out of his wits.

He couldn't lose her, and right now, everything was falling apart.

He needed to fix this.

He needed to keep her.

"I didn't tell you, because I needed to find out if I wanted you to stay innocent enough to not be in danger in a way that would mean that I would be at risk of losing you," Roy told her quietly, struggling to keep his voice steady. "If you didn't know, then you wouldn't be so much of a threat that you could hopefully be spared if the Alphas should find out about this..."

"Because I'm enough of a bastard to let Roy in on the most dangerous secret that this country has ever faced..." Pops suddenly said, his voice level, obviously trying to help him ut. "Because the only reason that I let Roy know yesterday was that when Ed hadn't noticed that anything was amiss, then that means that our country is being ruled by an Alpha."

Roy felt Riza freeze, and then she pulled away sharply, eyes wide in horror. "That can't be right..."

"I've suspected that Bradley was a vamp for about a year already, and we didn't want to risk you being targeted again like last time..."

Then Pops just sighed. "Because him being an Alpha means that he probably used that selfsame reconnaissance trick during the party as he did thirteen years ago. He made sure that Ed was alone and vulnerable in his room, and the night that the house was attacked he probably saw an opportunity with you staying in Roy's room with him to catch him off guard as the two of you were lured into that trap... For all we know, he ordered that nest to attack in that exact way so that it would end the way that it did... With Roy getting attacked like that in that exact room." He sighed heavily once again, sounding slightly tortured by his memories. "...And why Bertie was turned in a location so close to where Roy was so that he would be able to tell that Roy was severely injured and ask us to make it quick and to take care of his daughter."

Roy felt more tears going down his cheeks, now that everything was being revealed. And Riza had just paled completely.

Roy placed his hands on her shoulders, making eye contact with her. She was looking terrified, hurt, confused and something between guilty and betrayed. "I-I'm sorry Riza... I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't... Berthold died just so that I would keep hating my parents to the point that I would never want to uphold the family legacy... In the end... The last thing he did in life was to be a pawn f-"

Pops interrupted him. "Riza, the last thing that your dad did in life was to ask us silently that Augusta and I paved the way for Roy to become Führer," Then he sighed heavily. "And he also wanted me to tell you once I got the chance that he loves you and that he's sorry that he had to leave you this way. And that you have a good head as well as a good heart and he trusts you to know what you think is best for your happiness, come the time that I tell you this."

Riza just stared, and so did Roy, not having been told about that part at all, and he turned around to look at his father. "He didn't have time to say all that, did he?"

"Roy, I've known him literally from the day he was born. He always used to tell me that about the two of you. The look in his eyes, despite everything else that was going on, made it very clear that his opinion hadn't changed, which is why he wanted you to become Führer."

"Even so..." Riza began quietly. "Even so, I don't understand why neither of you would tell me what Dad had said aloud! The vampires would have known it, it wasn't something that was classified information!" Her eyes were shining with tears and Roy was terrified.

Terrified and hurt.

Terrified and hurt and guilty and just in desperate need of curling up on the sofa in a foetal position and hope for a hug.

But instead he took her right hand in his left and looked down. "Because I was too damned scared of telling you that after everything that you two have given me, the only thing that I gave you back was you getting reduced to pawns whose value was only based on your usefulness in controlling us... I didn't know what to do or say and I didn't want my little sister to grow up with eating dinner in the same room as the one who killed her dad... I didn't want to risk losing you because my stupid surname was worth more than your entire life in this twisted society... And I was ashamed of being related to the bastard who had killed the closest thing that I had to a dad... I hated them, and part of me always will no matter what... But I'll always love my little sister... Please believe me when I say that..."

Everything was going wrong here.

Everything.

He had thought that it would have been better and easier to let her know now.

...Because he had hoped that her doubts had only been nightmarish concoctions.

But he shouldn't have done it with Pops around. Roy had always been alone with Riza, and when he wasn't, then things went to hell when they were talking to each other.

Which was why Roy suddenly released her hand without thinking and took a couple of steps forwards with his back to her, looking straight ahead at the wall in front of him as he wiped away his tears. "Riza, I'm tired of this," he told her firmly, his voice suddenly devoid of any of his previous tears.

"..Roy?" Her voice was weak and shaky with tears. And hurt. She sounded so hurt.

Roy just kept his back straight and his voice stern and unwavering. "I'm tired of you always living in my shadow and only being seen as my pet. I'm done. I'm done with you never being good enough on your own. That I'm merely indulging you. That you're beneath me and that nobody ever recognises you as anything but a piece of charity. I don't want you to be my dog any more who follows me everywhere because you don't have anything else. I don't want to live with you being someone who is seen as a liability and whose importance is based on you being my mindless pet. You've spent your entire life being defined as my 'unofficial' sibling. That you're 'more or less' my little sister. And I'm done with it. Completely done with it. Your value has always been defined by being the girl who's been under my wing for over two decades, and I don't want to keep things that way. You've become far too used to taking what you can get, rather than what you deserve. And I'm done with it, and that's my final decision. You're now a multibillionaire who could go anywhere you want to go and do whatever you like, and yet you've always chosen to follow me. Can you deny that you have never actually chosen your own path?"

Roy wasn't entirely sure about just what he was doing here, but his body was warming with the sense of this being one of the best decisions in his life, no matter what.

"...What are you saying, Roy?" she asked, fear still very present in her voice.

"Answer me honestly." There was a lot of tension in the room, but Roy really couldn't care less.

There was silence for a few seconds, before she spoke quietly, sounding heartbroken, and Roy could hear how she was hanging her head and hugging her arms around herself. "...I suppose not."

Roy's tone was merciless as he opened his mouth once more. "Then you have two options: either you stand up for yourself and earn some respect as my equal, or you take your money and get the hell out of my house."

She stayed silent for about half a minute, but then she spoke in a slightly firmer voice, even if it was still marred by her tears. "You're still my big brother and my CO, so I think it's only fair that you tell me what the first option entails, considering how you obviously have something specific in mind."

"There are three things that I want you to do in that case, all of which mean that you prove that you don't actually need me to guide you," Roy told her sternly. "I'm not going to continue being associated with my little sister being little else than my pet, and a stray one at that. You refuse either of those three conditions, and I will tell you to go pack your suitcase, got it?"

"Yes."

"First of all, I want you to adopt the Elrics with me."

"And the second condition?"

"I want you to take the State Hunter exam at the same time as myself."

"And the third one?"

"You'll always be connected to this family where your importance is based on your role in relation to us, no matter what you do. And while I still want you to be my assistant, I'm also going to have my father assign you to be my bodyguard so that people will recognise you for just how skilled you are on your own... Which means that I will be trusting you with my back."

"I see..." she said after a few seconds. Her voice was filled with both gratitude and sadness.

"Do you agree to my terms?"

Her answer was immediate. "Yes."

"I have a fourth term in that regard," Pops said before Roy could reply, his voice just as stern as Roy's own. "Especially as you're actually not the one who can demand that Riza leave this building as you haven't actually inherited it yet. Furthermore, Roy, if you were to have inherited it, you ought to remember that half of it belongs to Riza, so telling her to pack her suitcase and leave is a lot more complicated... Although I have a feeling that your words were thereby a challenge to have her stand up for her rights as an heiress."

"...I really can't tell if I want you to leave or stay right now," Roy said with a sort of annoyed gratitude.

"What are your terms?" Riza asked, sounding just a bit emboldened by Roy's speech.

"Roy's right in you needing to stand up for yourself and earn some respect as his equal, instead of your importance always being based on you belonging to a Mustang... So instead of you being a Mustang's 'something,' I want you to simply be one."

Roy paused and then spun on his heel to look at his father. "And you're telling me that I'm the one pushing it?!"

"Roy, you can't deny that there's a significant difference between Riza helping you with your wards, and she adopting your wards with you, making her the adoptive mother of our adoptive grandchildren. When she's already our ward, and she's now just as much of a permanent fixture in our lives and our home as yourself, there's no point in maintaining any semblance of tradition. In fact, the official reasoning is going to be the exact same one as the unofficial one... Because, first of all, it greatly helps reduce any claims of her being your mistress or similar, seeing as how both Augusta and I need to give our consent and sign the documents in question as she is taking the name of her guardians. That makes it fairly obvious that you won't exactly be having any sort of romantic relationship when I'm the one giving my consent."

"Thank you," Riza said softly before Roy could reply, gratitude practically pulsing from her.

"You know, that's the problem with you three... You're all too kind for your own good," Pops said, sounding slightly exasperated by them. Then he sighed again. "Also, there's the fact that it will look strange if we don't recognise her as one of our family members when we do so about the Elrics, especially as she is technically living far better up to our legacy than those boys, considering how she's going to become a State Hunter."

Roy just sighed himself and frowned. "And...?"

"And it will also help instil trust in my decision to make her your bodyguard when she's instantly recognisable as someone whom we have trained ourselves... Me keeping her at bay whilst making you a VHO will only make people doubt her abilities and most likely accuse me of showing favouritism towards my blood relative, especially as she is your hunting partner. Recognition's due where recognition's due, and she's highly capable of taking out about ninety-three per cent of HQ if she were to challenge the soldiers to a duel."

"...And?"

"And it means that she'll get to actually be more in the spotlight than yourself, Roy... You're the black sheep, she's a semi-Cinderella, and it should help her not to be underestimated or seen as insignificant and weak, when we find her talented enough to let her represent the family name." He looked back at Riza. "Though I would still like to request that you keep Hawkeye as part of your name, because I want you to still also be Bertie's. You're at complete liberty of choosing which name you want to come first or if you want to hyphenate them..." He sighed heavily once more. "And I want you to know that I am truly sorry that I had to keep you from knowing about what your father and yourself actually mean to us, and why I never told you about your father's final moments... And as for your earlier question about the reason why I had to scare you so much, the answer is dreadfully simple."

"And what is it?" Riza asked quietly, sounding far more at ease than before, though obviously still apprehensive and overwhelmed by all the emotions that she was going through.

"You, Riza Hawkeye, are the most terrifying person in existence."

Roy was struggling with taking in the information.

"In my experience, children who fear me and whom I push away have a much higher survival rate... If you think about it, the handful of people whom I've shown that I undeniably care for a great deal and whom I met as children, have consisted of Christine, Theresa, Bertie and Augusta. That night thirteen years ago, the two of you were almost killed, and it was only luck that Augusta survived the explosion that killed my fiancée and her mother, while Lucas lost his arm... Right before Augusta left for North City, I told her to get the hell away from me so that she didn't get killed for good this time. When she came back and I found myself wanting her in my life, I had her move in with me immediately and made her a Mustang... And that is why I fear you, because your role in my son's life is Bertie and Augusta at the same time, which means that he cannot lose you." There was a hint of the same desperation as when he had told Roy earlier today about how he couldn't lose his wife. And Riza obviously didn't fail to notice it either, judging from the sadness that filled her eyes. "Which means that during those five years that we trained you, the only thing that kept me going relentlessly was the need for Roy to not have to look at you lying frozen on the floor, rather than standing up with a sword of your own."

Then he just pointed sternly at the bedspread. "Now take that one with you and send my wife back down here. You've both got an important exam at noon. And you don't have to worry about the Elrics still being awake, Augusta has undoubtedly given them a very monotonous rendition of Northern art history. I'll be dropping by at the Presidential Estate at half past seven to deal with the necessary paperwork and be back in time for me to pick the boys up at half past eight and bring them to the tournament by nine."

Roy just looked at him in confusion, and so did Riza, and she spoke just as quietly as before. "Thank you... And for what you did for Dad from day one all the way through his last moments... At least he died at the hands of someone who valued his life as much as myself. To me, that is a great comfort, so thank you, Richard."

Pops sighed yet again, his eyes containing a hint of both pain, nostalgia and amusement. "It's funny, Riza, you're the one who has treated the role of a Mustang the most seriously out of the four of us."

"...I am?" she asked almost apprehensively.

"I used to play horsey in the forest outside the estate with the cook's son, and I go to visit the grave we made for a dead hedgehog that we found, rather than Bertie's actual grave, whenever I'm paying my respects to your father, where I keep bringing him frequent updates about the hedgehog rescue centre... The official reasoning behind Roy's name about how it's inspired by the French word for king is utter bullshit, because it's actually based on our first impression of Roy, namely that he was red and that it rhymes with boy... My wife finds it a very tempting thing to call the new child something that means 'Garlic Island' should it be a boy, which is why she has made it very clear that we need it to be a girl so that we can name her Harriet Rosaline, which means 'Home Ruler Gentle Horse', and Roy is adopting a pair of half-Alphas..."

Roy just stared, completely caught off guard by the information that he had just received. "...You've got a soft spot for hedgehogs?"

"Probably genetic," Pops said, a small and playful smile at the corner of his mouth, before he pointed towards the door, his eyes shining with amusement. "Now off you pop to bed."

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Lostinloveandbooks: Thank you! It made me so happy to read that! I hope the chapter lived up to your expectations :)