Royai Week 2022 Day 2: Betrayal
Word Count: 654
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: T
Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Rebecca Catalina
Warning: NA
Summary: Cadet Hawkeye hears of what is happening in Ishval. She wonders if Roy Mustang feels the same as she does.
Notes:
Betrayal
Riza looked at the report that had been handed around the cadets with a carefully neutral expression. The rest of the cadets were chattering animatedly about it, excited about Order 3066 and the work that the state alchemists were doing. Someone was managing to regularly snag reports about the front, and the talk for the past month or so had been about how much better and quicker the war was advancing now that the state alchemists were in the fight.
It had been the talk of the dormitories. In the shared common area between the male and female dormitories, someone had set up a board that listed each state alchemist, and the estimated kills made. Not far below it was a betting pool on who would make the most kills, who would advance the most, what rank who would have at the end of the war, and various other things. Technically, this wasn't allowed, but their drill sergeants and instructors turned a blind eye to it, as it did improve morale, and as long as no problems arose from it.
It made Riza sick to her stomach.
"Whoa, girl, careful, you're gonna crush that report, and others still want a look at it."
Rebecca Catalina's voice broke through her thoughts, and Riza looked down to realize that she was slowly crumpling up the report in her hand. She loosened her grip and handed it off to the other cadet.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"It's alright," Rebecca said, although she looked at Riza a bit strangely. "You okay there, Riza?"
No. She wasn't. There was a deep feeling stirring, burning deep inside of her. It had been growing, but it hadn't felt this strong until now. It was welling up, twisting inside of her, and she didn't know what to do with it. So, she did like she always did with strong emotions. She buried them deep inside of her, pulling up a mask to keep whatever she was feeling to herself.
Her eyes drifted over to the board where a cadet was updating the number of kills. She watched as he added one more place value to the number next to a name she was achingly familiar with. The cadets whooped and hollered as Roy Mustang was catapulted to the top of the rankings, and money exchanged hands.
"Yeah," she said. "Just tired." She looked back at Rebecca. "I think I'm going to call it a night. I'll leave the door unlocked for you."
Rebecca looked at her a little uncertainly. "If you're sure…" she said.
Riza gave her a small smile she didn't feel. "I am. I'm fine. See you later, Rebecca."
Riza turned to leave the smile dropping from her face as soon as she was positive no one was looking at her. The feeling inside of her grew as she walked to the room that she and Rebecca shared, twisting and working at her heart and her gut. It was only after she had showered and laid down that she was able to properly identify it.
Betrayal.
Idly, she wondered if Roy Mustang could feel it. She wondered if he could feel the betrayal that he was committing against her. She wondered if he knew that he was betraying her trust, or if he, like so many other alchemists, didn't care, as long as he had the alchemy he treasured so much.
She feared it was the latter.
Months later, on the battlefield, after making her choice not to stop the source of her betrayal when she had the chance, Riza Hawkeye looked Roy Mustang in the face, prepared to see scorn, arrogance, disregard. She was not prepared to look him in the face and see the same thing she felt.
Betrayal.
And as she walked with him and his friend Hughes back to came, Riza reflected: perhaps they were both traitors that had betrayed the dreams that they had once held dear.