Love Through Flame and Gunfire

2: Conviction

"I said, get off." Roy scanned the man a little more, being the observative person that he was. The man was a bit tall, tallish, about as tall as himself, a little narrower of shoulder, and all in all a bit thinner and smaller, like Riza. The thing that drew his eyes again, however, were his hands.

He was lame in his right hand. The left held the rifle with dead steadiness and supported it on the right, and Roy didn't doubt that the man could shoot him square between the eyes if Roy made him wait much longer. Riza gave him a miniscule nudge and Roy got off of her. Riza's father sighed and the gun lowered, but not enough to get Roy away without repercussion. If he bolted now, her father would most likely put a bullet in his leg.

Riza sat up on the floor. "Dad..." He crossed around to stand between Roy and Riza and looked down on Roy, a severe expression on his face. "Get up." Roy glared up at him, unwilling to let him intimidate, but got up slowly from the floor. Riza's father nodded towards the couch and Roy sat down slowly.

He sat down on the couch opposite and laid down the rifle, propping his chin on his one good hand. "Now tell me... what did you think you were doing?"

Roy bristled. What the hell did it look like? He refused to answer, setting his jaw firmly.

"I see... Can you tell me why you're here in the first place?"

"I was attacked. I was trying to head back to HQ but I passed by here first."

"Mm-hmm... and what prompted you to get on top of my daughter?" His voice was dangerously quiet.

"That's my business... sir."

"But my daughter happens to be my business as well, Mustang."

Roy jumped out of his seat, mind working into overdrive. "H-How, what?"

"It's obvious isn't it? More than obvious that you're a Mustang. I was acquainted with your father."

"Really." Roy shoulder twinged and he gritted his teeth. This was getting more irritating than it was worth. "Anything else you need to know, or already know, about me?" he hissed.

"Nothing, really, except there is one piece of information that you may want."

"Which is?"

"The military is right outside our door. You are wanted, Roy Mustang, for the murder of Major General Maes Hughes."

Roy jumped out of his seat, his hands clenched. "I-I! I couldn't, I didn't! Maes was my best friend, dammit!"

"I am only relaying what the Fuhrer has told me; the house is surrounded and it would be best if you went quietly. If you don't... they will open fire on the house," he seemed strained and Roy's face settled. So this is how it was going to be,eh? Framing him for the death of his best friend, perfect. "I'll go quietly..." he couldn't risk testing if they were serious about opening fire on the house. If he did, that test bullet might go straight through Riza's head for all he knew. He got up, legs shaking, supporting himself on the couch.

Her father put his hand on his shoulder. "My name is Jackory, by the way. Don't worry, I'll break you out as soon as I can; just don't incriminate yourself so badly that they slam you in the highest security."

"But why are you-"

"I owe your father a favor... a large favor, that and the fact that I don't believe a word the military says. It's done more wrong than right, I assure you."

Roy glanced over his shoulder at Riza, who looked like she wanted to run to him, but didn't. He nodded at her wearily and smiled, before turning, head down, and trudging outside. He was seized by the arms almost immediately and lifted off his feet, thrown into the back of a car, handcuffed, and driven away.

RRRRRRRRXRRRRRRRR

Days later he was convicted for the murder of Major General Maes Hughes, and he couldn't help but violently scream that he didn't do it, that he couldn't do it, that he would never murder his best friend, but all the evidence was against him. How could he deny that it was his gun that put the bullet in Maes's head? Sure it was his, but it was military standard issue, he had never used it since he had joined. He couldn't hit the broad side of a wall with a gun, guns just unnerved him too much, Maes knew that, Riza knew that, Jean knew that, Fuery, Breda, Falman, they all knew that... Even the dog, Black Hayate knew it, but none of them were deemed fit to testify for him, and he could only cry that he didn't do it, over and over and over again.

In front of his best friend's wife and child, who thought he was a murderer, he could only plea that he didn't do it. When Gracia Hughes finally looked him in the eyes, it was full of anguish and hatred, pain. He stopped struggling against the men who were taking him away, and said one last time, "Gracia, I didn't do it."

Then he was thrown straight into a cell to await execution in six months. Half a year, and he would be dead, just like Maes.

A month passed, one month in jail, five left to live, and he was once again staring at the picture in his pocketwatch, his State Alchemist pocketwatch, of a picture of Maes and himself as young children. Those had been the best days of his life, when there was nothing to worry about, no bills to pay, no worries. There had been no such thing as being wanted for the murder of your best friend back then. Sometimes he wished he were a child again. What the hell was growing up worth? Being thrown in jail for something you didn't do?

The wooden door outside of his cell door rattled; sounded like he had a visitor. He didn't look up; he didn't care anymore. He didn't bother to read mail anymore, most of them were hate-filled anyway, except for the ones from Riza. He got one every day from Riza, they were what kept his sanity with him, just a glimmer of hope that he might be out of this place and back with her. He looked back at the picture, flipped it over to look at another. Maes again, both of them, on their sixteenth birthday, well, Roy's sixteenth birthday. Maes's birthday had been three days before.

Footsteps stopped in front of his cell and he looked towards the bottom. A woman's shoe, and a little one. It must be Gracia and Elysia; he decided that he didn't want to talk. It would probably be much less painful for him that way. He slumped a little against the block of stone that was supposedly his bed and risked a glance upwards, then looked away. He didn't even have a window, he refused to eat nowadays, Gracia could tell because there was still a tray of food near the cell door. It hadn't been touched.

"I wish I'd just die of a heart attack or something; then maybe people could spit on my grave instead of on me," Roy said, staring adamantly at the wall. "Did you come to spit on me as well?" he asked, still staring at the spot on the wall. In truth, no one had come to spit on him, no one was allowed inside to spit on him. His subordinates had come to visit, once every week, sometimes Havoc would come twice or three times a week. Riza came whenever the guard would let her in, usually bringing food and a kiss or two. God that was awkward, kissing a woman through bars.

Gracia didn't say anything, just looked at the pocketwatch in his hand. "Is that..."

"It's Maes. Maes and I... on our sixteenth birthday." He flipped. "Maes and I when we entered the military, when we got so drunk together we threw up for hours the day afterwards, Maes trying to set me up on a date, Maes on his wedding day," Tears clouded his eyes as he spoke and he let them roll down his cheeks before scrubbing them away quickly. "Maes's funeral... and in five months, I'll be dead just like him, I'll get to see Maes again, maybe. I have five months to live, and I wanted to do so much more with my life..." his thoughts went to Riza.

"I wanted to have a family... that's out the window, no chance of that happening now, I can't even... I can't even... I can never propose to Riza now, never show her how much I love her... not now, not ever, because I'll be dead in five months." he looked up at Gracia. "Are you happy now? At least... at least Maes died having done everything he wanted in life, I... I don't get that kind of mercy... I'm a failure! I couldn't protect Maes, I can't have a family, I can't do anything, nothing but rot away in this cell waiting to die." Gracia said nothing throughout his whole heart-pouring speech.

"They won't let Riza in anymore... if you see her... tell herI love her... that... I'd propose if I could, but there's no way now. Tell her I'm sorry..." He wasn't willing to say any more and he looked away as Gracia's footsteps faded away. He covered his face with one hand and gritted his teeth, trying to will himself not to cry, but he gave up in the end.

There was no one to see him break down anyway and his watch lay open on the floor, opened to a picture of himself and Maes, onearm around each other's shoulders, grinning into the camera.