Living on Borrowed Time

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Chapter 12 – Funeral

Monday was beautiful…despite everyone's desolate attitudes due to the funeral. Roy dressed neatly in his military dress uniform and stood by silently as his subordinate's body was lowered into a newly dug grave. A few coworkers showed up and one or two cried, but for the most part it was a quiet ceremony. Havoc was there, as was the rest of their unit. Havoc looked strangely nervous for some reason, as if he were sitting on a bomb that was about to go off. Roy couldn't quite figure out his reasons for such a show of anxiety, but Hawkeye couldn't help but suspect his reasons for being jumpy. 'What kind of person murders someone and then goes to their funeral?' she thought with disgust. General Grumman was there as well. Mustang's heart fell as he watched a few tears rolling down the man's face and off the edges of his mustache. Roy knew that if it weren't for Hawkeye's spirit standing next to him at the moment, he would have been worse off than her grandfather.

The priest didn't really have much to say, just the usual charade: "Your loved one will be missed, she was a good person, loved everyone, she's in a better place now…" too bad the words fell on deaf ears.

General Grumman was called to say a few words next. The man's heart seemed to break with every word that fell from his lips. "I won't lie to you, my granddaughter wasn't the easiest woman to get close to, but she loved you all. She was a good person, she may not have stood out in the crowd, but she stood by what she thought was right. She was all I had left, and I hope when I leave this world I'll see her again…the only thing I could possibly wish for was that I had died in her place. She was so full of life—" his voice cracked abruptly and he was seized by a fit of tears. The priest sensing that General Grumman had said all he was able to, took the audience's attention once more. "Mr. Mustang, I believe you had also wanted to say a few words?"

Mustang made his way around the mourners to the head of the grave, Hawkeye's spirit being tugged silently behind him. "Apart from General Grumman here, I suppose I knew Hawkeye best. She was a perfect soldier, but most importantly, she was an irreplaceable friend. Her elusive smiles lit up the office, and her attitude was often what kept me in line." It was then Mustang looked away from the crowd and stared deep into Riza's translucent eyes and said, "I would do anything to get her back." The power of the statement almost made Riza gasp for breath…that is if she'd needed breath.

The rest of the service went by quickly, just a little of the "ashes to ashes…" speech and people were heading to their cars. Only a few remained on the hill, Eli Reigns was one of the few. Roy narrowed his eyes at the officer, 'Some friend you were, you're the reason she was killed…if only it had been you.'

Riza stood sadly next to her former commanding officer. "Its strange." she said to him.

"What is?" he asked quietly under his breath.

"Standing next to my own grave…it's not really something you plan out in your future." She replied. Just as she said it she caught sight of Eli occupying a chair a few feet away, his body hunched like a beggar, a few tears falling to the ground in front of him. Her heart fell. 'Poor Eli, I'm not surprised you're taking this hard.' "Colonel?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you do me a favor?" she asked tentatively, never taking her eyes from Eli. "Could you tell Eli something for me?"

"No." Roy said simply. His answer surprised Hawkeye, to tell the truth it surprised Mustang. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Hawkeye, it's that he didn't want to help Reigns. Maybe he blamed Reigns for Riza's demise, or maybe in some strange way it was jealousy, but either way, he wasn't willing to talk to that man. Roy couldn't help but feel that Reigns deserved everything he got.

"Please Roy." She stated. There it was again, his name. He wasn't sure what it was, but every time she said it, it made his heart melt…he just couldn't say no to her. "All right…" Uncomfortably, Roy made his way over to where Reigns was sitting. The man, so engrossed in his own grief he didn't even notice Roy at first. Mustang looked at Hawkeye, 'What am I supposed to say?' he thought in her direction. His expression was easy enough to read.

"Tell him you're sorry." She urged him. He narrowed his eyes at her. 'I couldn't be sorry if I tried.' Mustang thought annoyed. Riza gave him a mournful look and he sighed heavily, apparently this meant a lot to her. Mustang cleared his throat to catch Reigns' attention. Eli lifted his tearstained face to look up at Roy. Seeing it was him, he quickly wiped his face. "I'm sorry, Reigns." Mustang mumbled.

"Tell him it wasn't his fault." Hawkeye said, never taking her eyes from Eli.

Mustang glared at Hawkeye's translucent form, but repeated the words anyway, "It wasn't your fault."

"You don't understand." Eli replied. "Riza was everything to me. She was so kind, so sweet. I can't believe she's really gone." Another tear slid down his face but he didn't wipe it away, he only hung his head in complete exhaustion. Mustang threw Hawkeye a questioning look, but Hawkeye had long since stopped paying attention to him. She knelt down next to Eli's chair and attempted to console him. Her nonexistent fingers glided over his forehead and down his face, trying to wipe away his tears. "What do you want me to say?" Mustang whispered to her soul, his annoyance growing every moment. He couldn't stand how she was doting over him.

"Tell him I cared about him…that I wish I could have told him 'yes'." She said, studying Eli's face.

Mustang threw her a puzzling look, "Yes to what?"

"Never mind, just tell him I cared about him. He's a good man."

Mustang pushed her strange comment out of his head and repeated her words to the broken man before him. "She cared about you, she said that you were a good man." Slowly Roy turned to go, but Eli's voice stopped him.

"She always said that you were a good man too."

Resolutely, Roy continued walking down the hill toward the car. About halfway down the hill near a tree, he happened upon Havoc, still looking jumpy. As soon as he noticed Mustang he made a beeline toward him. "Colonel, can I have a word with you?" Mustang nodded. This was a strange time to have a conference. "Sir I was instructed to clean out Hawkeye's desk." He started.

Riza's eyes widened and she would have done anything just then to shut him up just then. Havoc pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it over to Mustang. "I found this in her desk…I wanted to know if you knew she was planning on resigning."

Roy's eyes rushed over the note, taking in its message. This couldn't be, why would she quit? It was ridiculous, she promised she'd follow him to the top. How could she? Roy turned to face Hawkeye, "Why?" he asked, nearly frantic. As Havoc watched his commanding officer ask the tree standing next to him a question, he wondered if Mustang had lost his mind.

"Sir? Why are you talking to a tree?"

"Leave us!" Mustang shouted at him, completely ignoring the words in Havoc's statement. More than a little unnerved by the whole display Havoc walked back over to the car to wait.

"Explain yourself!" Mustang shouted at her.

Hawkeye avoided his gaze as long as possible. "I'm sorry, you were never supposed to see that."

"Then why did you write it? What were you thinking? Why were you going to quit!"

"It was something personal, Sir. I dealt with it myself." She responded.

"What could have been so dire that you were going to quit? What couldn't you tell me? I could have helped you, I could have—." Roy started but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Why are you talking to a tree?" Mustang knew who it was before he turned around. Upon turning around (and looking down) his eyes confirmed his fear. Edward Elric stared up at him with one eyebrow cocked. "Are you okay?" he asked.