This was written for Theme 4; Embrace. Enjoy! I also disclaim ownership of Fullmetal Alchemist.

The Ishbal War was not something Roy Mustang often wanted to remember. It was something that he tried to suppress from surfacing, that he avoided talking about unless it was vital. But, on the odd occasion he found himself looking back and trying to remember the few good times he had shared with his comrades in Ishbal; the moments that he had grappled at and reached for in the darkest of times, the last slivers of light before the sun was swallowed by the horizon.

The easiest scene for him to picture in his mind's eye was his best friend, Maes Hughes ecstatically waving the newest photo of his girlfriend Gracia about in the air and kissing it affectionately a few times, much to the utter disinterest of all the soldiers around him. Of course, this was probably the first thing that jumped to mind because Roy himself had witnessed the act one too many times for his own liking. Regardless of Maes's slightly tiring obsession with his wife and daughter, he had done what Roy had requested of him; kept his ear to the ground, reporting back to him with any information he may have found valuable.

On the other hand, Maes was his best friend. They both knew it was certainly going to be more difficult to win the trust and respect of personnel that had never known him as anything more than a higher-ranking officer; a power-hungry State Alchemist, apparently hell-bent on obtaining total military power, almost to the point of fixation and corruption. He thought it would be difficult to find anyone to follow him, to risk their personal career to aid someone with his reputation.

This was one of the few matters where he would willingly admit that he had been wrong.

When he had first met Riza Hawkeye and Jean Havoc, they had seemed an almost stereotypical picture on the battleground; Hawkeye, the rough-around-the-edges female soldier, whom he had immediately underestimated and thought that her apparent strong will was nothing that his charms couldn't handle. Oh, how wrong he was. Not only could he not work his superior charms on her as easily as he had thought, she seemed almost amused by the idea that he was trying. Havoc, on the other hand, was the one that amused him personally; his constant miserable failures with women (including Lieutenant Hawkeye, who had given Havoc the same withering look she had given her commanding officer) gave Roy a sick sense of satisfaction as women were generally drawn to him like moths to the flame.

All three of them; Maes, Riza and Jean; had been through the Ishbal War with him, talking when he wanted to talk, and keeping a silence vigil when he had returned from the battlefield, a broken man. All of the days and nights of violence seemed to meld into one after the first week... however, there would be an afternoon he knew he would always remember.

They had been told the War was over; that they could pack up and return to Central. Despite the fact that they were the ones that had caused the genocide, they were happy to be taken away from the stain blood, the smell of ash and the taste of food so hideous it could barely be ingested. Many people around him were desperately happy; cheering, hugging others and pulling random people into embraces. Hughes ran up, slapped him on the back so hard it knocked him onto his knees, which were shaking with relief, and had dashed back into the rabble just as quickly. Havoc seemed to be eying off the surrounding female officers, obviously trying to decide which one to try his luck on. And Hawkeye was standing next to him, awkwardly clutching at her left elbow with her right hand. The dying sunlight hit her face and she blinked, adjusting her eyes. Roy smiled, and placed his hand on her shoulder to catch her attention. Her head snapped around and he drew his hand away sharply, eliciting a slight confused frown to her face. And then he smiled at her; he reflected that it was probably the first true smile he had given anyone since he'd first been sent to war. When she smiled back, albeit inelegantly, they held eye contact for the briefest moment before turning back to the amber glow of the sunset.

This chapter of his life had finally felt its end, but he knew he would carry the memories, good and bad, upon his shoulders for the rest of his life. And of course, he would never forget or undervalue the people who had carried him.

END

Notes: The other people were snogging; the pair don't actually have to be the people doing the kissing. I thought it would bea little OOC for them at this point, to be kissing madly, plus I enjoyed including Hughes and Havoc. Anyway, thanks for reading. The next one shall be fluffy!