Chap.3 Wow, this ended up begin worse off than I thought. Oh well I gave it a shot. I was trying to make some references to the movie but it didn't come out like I hoped, since I've never seen the movie. Duh. Ok, well, I tried. NO FLAMERS!

"I cried never gonna hold the hand of another guy too young for him they told her waitin' for the love of the travelin' soldier our love will never end waitin' for the soldier to come back again never more to be alone when the letter says a soldier's coming home…"

-Travelin' Soldier-The Dixie Chicks

The Elric Brothers had so abruptly become involved in military affairs. It wasn't their fault that what they sought was above their level. The Homunculi had come in the way. Maes's death, Havoc being paralyzed, political turmoil, and military corruption. Roy knew the truth. He knew about the Fuhrer. They devised a plan that had been virtually fool proof. They had been separated to prevent them from foiling the Homunculi's plans, but nothing could stop Roy from his mission. They came to the Fuhrer's mansion. Roy went inside to take care of 'Pride' and Riza was there to take care of Archer. It seemed like hours till Roy emerged from the flaming building, bleeding and carrying the Fuhrer's son. Archer stood there and shot. Riza was right behind him. She aimed and fired four times. Archer collapsed. She ran up the pathway and up the stairs.

"Colonel!" she yelled, collapsing next to his limp and bleeding body.

"Colonel! Roy! Roy Mustang!" she yelled shaking him. No answer. Her eyes watered and she bent over. She touched her forehead to his back and cried. She couldn't believe that she had come late.

Riza sat on a stool in her room, peeling an apple into a bowl resting in her lap.

"Don't look like that," he said, his handsome baritone voice sending shivers down her spine. She looked up.

"The plan was perfect," she said, looking down. He fingered her hair. She was surprised. Roy had never been so gentle before.

"The world isn't perfect. And that's what makes it beautiful," he said. She smiled, and stuck a piece of the apple in his mouth. He bit apiece off and ate it.

"Do you feel up to a walk?" she asked. He swallowed the apple.

"Yeah, I think I can manage," he said. They walked through the small street, peeking at the vendors. Riza went over to an apple cart and examined the apples. Roy loved apples. She looked over at Roy and smiled. He smiled back. She blushed. That smile, the look in his eye, why was he looking at her like THAT. She got chills.

He had been away for a long time. Some remote location in the north. She missed him. He had been demoted for 'planned military uprising against the Fuhrer President' as they so kindly put it at the trial. All his now former subordinates were angry, but not as much as she was. Riza saw Roy die that day as they stripped him of his Brigadier General title, and decommissioned him. He was no longer part of the military body system and could not retrieve further ranks, but Corporal. She looked away. The way his eyes lost their confident shine, and his usually high head, dropped, and his shoulders slumped, she felt sick. How could they do that to him? He had done no wrong. She wanted to fight them, but he just shook his head, brushed past her, and left. She didn't go back to her apartment right away, she went to the range and just kept firing away. When she got home, a pile of bags were packed and set near the door. She walked in and went to her room. He was packing.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I have new orders. I'm leaving tonight," he said.

"What? They can't do that!" she yelled.

"Yes they can. They're the government. Listen, Riza, uh, ma'am, I'm sorry," he said. She stared at him like he was crazy.

"Ma'am?" she questioned.

"You're a First Lieutenant. I'm a Corporal," he said. Riza just stared at him, watching him pack. She turned on her heel, went to the door, and left. She didn't say good-bye. She wouldn't. This wasn't the end.

She thought of him everyday since he left. Every time she ate an apple, every time she passed his old office, every time she curled up in bed. She didn't wash one of the pillow cases because it smelt like him and that was the only piece of him she had left because he wouldn't reply to her letters or return her calls even though she would specifically order the messenger on the other line to tell him she called. Nothing. She was angry with him, but in love with him all the same. Eventually when they did meet up again, he was sad and depressed. She couldn't look at him because it made her sick. He was dead inside. All his confidence had been stripped away with his rank. She wanted to slap him. Acting all sorry for himself. Who did he think he was? So, she did slap him, and yelled at him and shot at him and it was like they were back in the office and he wasn't doing his paperwork, except she never slapped him in the office. He just took it all in and sad nothing. But when it came time to stop Eckhart and her army from destroying Amestris, he took full control and was back to the egotistical, over-confident man she loved. Once again she was always two-steps behind watching him walk tall.

Riza had pulled a few strings in the military and was able to get Roy positioned in Central under her as her personal assistant. They had mutually decided that it would be better for their relationship anyway, because long-distance relationships never worked out. They moved in together with Black Hayate, and choose to keep their little affair hush-hush, except for the few people they knew they could trust, and those few people were quite excited about the whole thing. Especially Havoc who seemed to have won a large sum of money from a bet they made regarding the Flame Alchemist and his Lieutenant. Things seemed to then settle down after the whole Eckhart incident. She swore to never love anyone else but him and she kept her promise because he came back to her and life was pretty much perfect. They'd discussed eloping but then decided an engagement would be better and a small wedding was fine. Nothing was finalized yet but she wore his ring even at work. They'd only talked about kids once and would wait until they had a few years of married life under their belts. People didn't talk; life just went on as it usually did. They'd come home, shower, eat, watch some TV, or go for a walk, and talk. She was usually the first to fall asleep and he'd just watch her and wonder if he's life could be any more perfect.

Owari