Young Lovers: A Royai FanFic

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA… It is annoying to constantly write that… .

And now time for some response to reviewers (Sorry if I missed you, I try my darn hardest not to forget anyone.):

charriXD: Haha, Hurray! Everybody dislikes her!

Beastmaster2003: Thanks, I'm glad you've enjoyed it.

flOofymikO: Don't worry the Royai is getting stronger, trust me! X3

BGwildRose: Sorry for this long delay for an update again.

InuTachi lover: I have been writing. XD Though it has been taking some time. Crystal will soon get punishment…

Rizahawkeye21: Riza's picking up little by little and that's is all in this chapter. You guessed right on something that happens in this chapter so read on to find out!

Tsuiraku Nami: Trust me, sometimes I feel like slapping the computer screen when I mention her X3

Chapter 16: Being Put Down

Riza was starting to perk up despite the troubles she had been facing. Roy's face lit up further into the day. The most important thing for him was that she would be able to smile again. It turned out that she really did do a lot of smiling. They walked towards the central square where Roy had absent mindedly tripped and fell into a fountain. He was embarrassed beyond all known words but seeing Riza smile and help him made him feel like doing it a thousand times more. Even Hayate tried to help by licking off some of the water.

After the fountain incident, they both walked hand in hand towards some nice cafés and antique stores. They didn't buy anything but kept commenting on how strange an item was if they ever came by it.

This is turning out so well. I should've brought that necklace with me. It could've been the best thing to cheer her up. They sat on a bench on the sidewalk and took a few minutes to rest up. Roy kept trying to focus on a way to make Riza feel even better about herself since she already has to face being alone at home everyday. Just as he was starting to run out of ideas, he noticed a group of familiar girls approaching them from the right. "Dammit…" He muttered quietly.

Riza noticed his soft grumble and asked him if anything was the matter. He only shrugged her off with the excuse that there was a gift he had for her but he left it at his house. "A gift for me? Roy you don't need to give me anything…" She took his hand in hers and smiled. "C'mon, how about we spend the rest of the day just playing with Hayate?" By now the group of girls was getting close enough for them to be recognized by them so he agreed quickly. Roy stood and was about to drag her away until a voice called out from behind them.

"Roy? Is that you hanging out with that outcast?"

Riza rose to stand next to Roy and they were both facing Crystal and her two friends from the previous incident. Roy noticed that Riza tensed up almost instantly and, to be honest, he didn't really blame her for it. Even if it was just one prank, Roy was sick of what Crystal was trying to do. It was obvious from the moment their relationship was going down the drain. No matter what Roy would do he had the feeling that Crystal would try to sabotage it. So he stepped in front of Riza and prepared to take to her defense. "You've got some nerve trying to talk to us Crystal. After all you've done you should be hiding out in your house."

"Oh c'mon now, Roy. I didn't think to even the score for at least two weeks after we broke up. However, you just had to find somebody else and I couldn't hold it in. Whose fault do you think that is?"

Mentally, he cursed himself for letting her say anything. He turned around to see Riza looked at him in a strange way. That was it. It was the one thing he didn't want her to figure out about himself. "Roy…? She… did those things because of that?" He couldn't think of anything to say so he simply nodded. Riza sighed, which was something he wasn't expecting. "I was afraid it would be something even worse than that. Though I must say Crystal…" Riza felt like she got her strength back a bit. "…that's a rather low thing to do, no matter how angry you feel. I was unaware and we weren't even together at the time."

Crystal frowned. "'At the time'? So wait, Roy, you two are now going out?" There was a pause. "I cant believe you feel for whatever lame charm he placed on you, little girl." It was Riza's turn to frown. "Let me guess, he tried saying that your beauty far exceeds any known star right? What's another cheesy line? Oh! Did he say that he's forever tied to you leash? Or how about that he…"

"…loves her?" Crystal placed her attention back to Roy, who had cut her off. "I admit I've said some stupid things but I would never try to do that to her. Everything I've told Riza has meant something strong in my heart. I love her and that's more than I can say about how I felt about you." He took a big step towards her. "Now you promise to leave us alone or I won't hesitate to throw a few unfortunate events your way." Crystal and her friends scoffed and turned heel in the opposite direction. Roy finally took a deep breath and turned back to face Riza. She stood baffled by his big confession. Her cheeks were tinted a faint pink and a small smile spread on her lips. This didn't turn out as bad as I thought…

They started walking back home, but making a quick stop at the park. As hayate jumped around after some butterflies, Roy took the time to apologize to Riza about the things he hadn't told her. She was a bit angry at first but after a while she calmed down and said she understood why he hadn't confessed. They stayed for a few hours and finally decided to turn in when street lights began to turn on.

Before taking her home they stopped in front of Roy's house, which Riza finally had the chance to identify now. He didn't come out with anything, or at least anything she noticed other than his uniform. They came to her gate and they both walked back into the house. The butler sighed relief once Riza was back. He kept going on about how he was concerned about where they had gone. They both apologized and claimed that they didn't keep track of time as well as they should have. Riza invited Roy to stay for dinner which was convenient considering that Roy's father just stopped by to check on Riza himself.

On the side, when Riza left to set up the table, Roy told his father that he was thinking of staying just to look after her. He mentioned the situation with Crystal so his father agreed and said that it would be best. The three sat to dinner and talked peacefully for a few minutes. Roy was honestly starving so the bulk of the conversation was filled in by his father and Riza. He would ask innocent little questions such as her views on future careers. Every time she would smile politely and respond that she's thought about it in depth and that she already had a good idea about was sort of things she'd be doing. When it finally reached eight, Roy's father dismissed himself and asked again that Riza be careful. She bowed and thanked him, adding that she understood what good qualities her father saw in him.

It was after he left that it dawned on her. Why didn't Roy leave with his father? She looked back at him and asked why. He told her that he wanted to make sure that she was adjusting okay. Before either one of them knew it, they both sat on Riza's bed just talking about how they both dreaded the return to school the next day. Riza was the one who fell asleep first and Roy helped her slip into the covers. When she was tucked in, he then crawled in beside and rested his head on her shoulder. He didn't think to do anything other than enjoying the feel of her skin as they both slipped off into sleep.

They woke up with their faces placed so close together that one centimeter made the difference between a smile and a kiss. Riza got up first and walked into her room to take a shower. As Roy waited, he pulled out the necklace he had kept hidden in his pocket. Right now was the moment he was going to give the necklace to her. It seemed like the utmost perfect moment. When he heard her shut off the water, he moved to stand in front of her bathroom door. The necklace was the first thing in Riza's face when she opened the door. Instantly she remembered where it was from. It was the one she saw in that jewelry store. Roy moved her in front of the long mirror and helped her put it on. The snowflake was positioned perfectly on her neck. She hugged Roy and muttered a thank you in his ear. However, he was losing his balance and they both crashed to the floor. They laughed for a few minutes before he left the room so that Riza could get dressed for school.

Later, far away, at the military's Central Headquarters…

Alex furiously scribbled a note onto a thin piece of paper and slammed it on the desk. His chair turned so he could stare out the window. Some time had passed since he was put back to work in an office, away from his family. Mustang had written him a letter a few days back talking about all that had been going on back home. Alex payed even more attention to the notes regarding Roy and Riza. It seemed as though the two were truly acting like a couple who were desperately in love. Mustang noticed how every minute they had been spending together was never occupied by an argument, unlike his previous relationship with Crystal whom had kept her distance away from the both of them. Any tiny spat they had was trivial and only lasted hours not days or weeks. It made Alex smile to read that Riza had found a man who has become very dear to her. Yet, it also made him feel a sting of sadness. It also meant that reading about her love life meant that he was nowhere near to take in the happiness with her. It was soon becoming too much to handle. Grumman had made trips to see him as often as he could. It was painfully obvious how much Alex had been suffering and he only hoped that he wouldn't do anything drastic. Unfortunately, his suspicions were confirmed.

It was that night that Alex starting packing things at his house. Now the suitcase was placed next to his desk. The note on his desk said: "I think I'll take a vacation to the west." He made no hesitation except for lingering in his office until it was close to midnight. His train would leave at 0100. Although he wrote "west" he was really going to the east. A part of him knew that they wouldn't be so easily convinced of it so he had been purposely chatting on and on about taking a trip to the west, since it was such a quiet part of the nation. He would make the claim that he needed to stop worrying about his daughter and that he knew she was in good hands. It was enough to make most of the soldiers convinced.

When his subordinates walked in the next day and noticed the note, they instantly rushed out of the office…

Back to Roy and Riza…

It was another bright clear day in the park as Roy, Riza, and Maes were having a picnic. Hayate was off to the side running about. Roy was laying down with his head in Riza's lap while Maes was stretching out in every direction of the grass. It was enough to make Riza giggle. "Not comfortable, Maes?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "That's not it. Just having a little fun. You better not move too much cause it looks like Roy feel asleep."

She looked down to see that Maes was right. Roy was lying peacefully and breathing steadily. She reached down and parted his black bangs from his face. It looked like nothing in the world would wake him up and that suited her just fine. However, his peaceful slumber was cut short by a certain little puppy bouncing onto his stomach. "Ooof!" Roy suddenly jumped up, causing Hayate to tumble back onto the grass. "Hayate! Why did you go and do that? I was having a nice nap!"

Riza started giggling and Maes followed suit. Roy glared at Maes but was soon found laughing himself. He reached over and grabbed a sandwich from a basket that lay next to Riza and took a big bite. Riza commented on his eating habits and he responded with a kiss on her cheek. Maes rolled his eyes and smiled. He grabbed a chuck of grass, along with the dirt, and threw in Roy's face. Immediately, Maes broke out laughing at his victory. Roy demanded why he did it and the answer was simply that he felt bored. Hayate barked and once again jumped onto Roy. He picked up the little pup and laid it on it's back and scratched it's belly. Hayate kept squirming around until he noticed someone else approaching the group. Riza gasped, Roy sneered and finally Maes yawned. Crystal stood in front of them and she didn't look too happy.

Author's Notes: I would like to apologize for that long wiat that I made everybody go through. Chapter 16 was held back so many reasons but tonight I worked so hard to write the whole thing. Well Time has passed and Roy is very happy with his Riza. But Crystal once again spells trouble. Trust me folks, Chapter 17 will spell her undoing. So I hope those who hate Crystal look forward to that. And what about Alex? Things are happening. Review as always please!

BloodAura