Confessions

Ed had just given his report to Colonel Mustang. When Mustang finished, he smiled back at Ed in pleasure. "Well, Full Metal, it looks like you did a good job. We caught the crook and we can finally rest." He opened the file and read Rai's record. "Rai, actually spelt R-a-i, not R-a-y. Age is fifteen. Blonde hair, Caucasian, red eyes, five foot five, looks like she is taller than you. She has stolen over ten thousand dollars in State Treasures and Funds over the past month. It appears that she's a very skilled alchemist. She doesn't even need a transmutation circle, just like you. All she has to do is pound her fists together and, BOOM, instant lightning at her hands."

"She's pretty powerful," Ed remarked. "The only thing is why she was stealing from us. I want to interrogate her."

"Someone already beat you to it, Ed. We have her over in prison two. Major Connell is questioning her as we speak." That was when Ed got angry.

"Are you insane? She was nearly buried alive and you have her in a prison already? She should be in a hospital!"

"I assure you that she is alive and kicking. She tried to punch out Major Armstrong. She almost had him, too. It took all his strength to strap her down in the truck. If you want, you can go visit her. Hawkeye is going over there if you want a ride." Ed tried to calm down as he walked to Hawkeye's car. He didn't even tell Al where he was going. Al looked at him with a worried look. "Don't worry, Al." Al turned around to see Mustang standing at his side. "Ed will be alright. They have a good hold on the girl." Al nodded as he watched his brother drive off.

Ed got out of the car at the prison. He asked Hawkeye where Rai was, but she just signaled him to follow her. Ed had a strange feeling about Hawkeye, like she wasn't telling him something. Today, she looked even paler than before. Could this Rai be the murderer of her parents? He thought.

When they got to the room, they saw that Connell had given up. "She's a brick wall," he said to Ed. "She's not talking at all. I wish we could go back to the days of torturing. Then we could get everything we want out of her." Ed shrugged at him and opened the door. Rai was sitting in a chair with her hands handcuffed behind it. She was wearing green slacks and a white shirt with a maroon vest that matched her hooded cloak. She gave them a confident smile as they walked towards her. Ed was the first to talk.

"Listen, Rai. I have some questions to ask you and I want a good answer. Do you know anything about the philosopher's stone?" Rai didn't say anything. She just stared at Ed with those red eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be an Ishbalan, would you?"

"Phh, yeah right. Ishbalans don't have blonde hair. I thought you would have figured it out by now. You know, red eyes?" Ed was completely confused. What was she talking about?

"Edward, would you step out for a couple minutes?" Ed turned to Hawkeye. "I have a feeling I can make her talk."

"Alright." Ed left the room and watched through the two-way mirror. He wouldn't leave Hawkeye by herself. Then Hawkeye said something that surprised him.

"If I take off your cuffs, do you promise to be good?" Rai stared at her, but this time her eyes were filled with anger. She nodded and Hawkeye unlocked her handcuffs. As Rai massaged her wrists, Hawkeye pulled up a chair next to her. "I didn't think I would see you again…little sister." Ed was shocked. Did she just say sister? He could see it though. The blonde hair, their facial features, their stubbornness, but what gave it away was their identical eyes. Unfortunately, Rai wasn't as happy to see her sister as Hawkeye was. She slapped Riza across the face when she said little sister.

"Don't you ever say that," Rai said in anger. "You lost that right when you left us."

"Rai, I had to go. I needed to leave so I could protect our country."

"Don't give me that bullshit! Everyone says they go to war so they can protect their country. Well, what about mom and dad, Riza? What about me? Mom and dad felt that they had to go to war so they could save people. They went to be doctors, but they never came back. They were reported missing five years ago. I had no one to protect me. I had to protect myself. I had to fend for myself. I was only ten, Riza." Riza was speechless. She didn't know what to say to her younger sister. "I've been wondering around the country looking for you, mom, and dad. I had no one except myself." Riza sighed and tried to hug Rai, but the fifteen year old just pushed her away.

"I'm so sorry, Rai," Riza finally said. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you." Rai winced in pain and fell to the ground. Riza ran to her and knelt down. She noticed that Rai had a new wound on her side.

"It's a little late for that. That interrogator thought he could get more info out me by beating me some more." Riza sighed again and looked at the two-way mirror. Ed knew what she wanted. He turned away and walked to the main office.

The phone rang in Mustang's office and he quickly picked it up. "Mustang. Hello, Edward. What do you need? What? You want me to transfer Rai's custody to Hawkeye? Why would I make her take care of a criminal?" Mustang's eyes widened when he heard the whole story. "Alright, I'll send the papers over with Armstrong as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Mustang," Ed said as he hung up the phone. Hawkeye spent a half-hour with Rai. When Armstrong handed the papers to the warden, Hawkeye took Rai home with her. Ed made sure that they had gotten home safely. After Hawkeye got Rai into bed, she went to talk to Ed.

"I'm sorry, Ed. I should have told you earlier. I had no idea that she was still alive. I thought that some maniac killed her in the war. She's been missing for five years."

"Right after your parents went missing." Hawkeye twitched when Ed mentioned her parents. She didn't want to talk about, so Ed left it alone. "She's lucky to have someone to take care of her. She must really love you." Hawkeye smiled as she felt the cheek that Rai slapped.

"Yeah, right. Was the window you were looking through dirty or weren't you paying attention? She must hate my guts, but she's always acted like that. She's always tried to be strong." Ed looked at the tired lieutenant. He wanted to know the whole story, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. Luckily, he didn't have to. "It must have been so hard for her to find a way to live at that age. I blame myself for the way she has turned out. I was supposed to take care of her. I went back home two months after my parents disappeared. I should have gone right away, because Rai was already gone. I couldn't stand myself. I felt like I was falling apart. I took it so hard. I lost everything dear to me. I wanted all the pain to go away. I told myself that I didn't deserve to live.

"I never told anyone this, Ed, but I tried to commit suicide once, after I found out that Rai was gone. I had the noose around my neck. I even tipped the chair over. I felt the rope squeezing the life out of me. I would finally pay for my sin, my sin of leaving my sister all alone. As I was blacking out, I heard a gunshot and I fell to the ground. When I woke up, I saw Roy holding me. He saved me and told me I should go on with life. He said that people make mistakes, but they have to forgive themselves. He knew that more than anyone.

"I hoped that I would find my family soon. I'm just glad that Rai is alive. She's pretty mature for her age. She was actually five years ahead in her studies. She wanted to be a lawyer more than anything. But now that she has a criminal record, I doubt anyone will teach her. One thing is for certain. I won't let anyone hurt her ever again. I lost her once. I won't make the same mistake again. I will always protect her." Ed smiled at her. He thought that Riza Hawkeye was a heartless dog of the state. She was more than that. She loved her sister dearly, and she wouldn't let her go.

After Ed left, Hawkeye walked to Rai's bedside and changed all of her bandages. She would take care of her. Rai would never be alone again, she promised herself. Hawkeye spent the whole night at her sister's bedside, smiling at Rai, and hoping that for once in her life that she was sleeping soundly.