Sicktember Day 24: Sneezing
Word Count: 936
Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl
Rating: T
Characters: Rebecca Catalina
Warning:
Summary: Rebecca goes looking for Riza in the aftermath of the Promised Day, even through all of the debris around.
Notes:

Sneezing

Rebecca's nose itched, and she sneezed.

She had little time to worry about it, though. There was too much to do. She was on a mission, and not an easy one at that. She needed to get downtown, to where the emergency tents and field hospital had been set up, or maybe even to the hospital itself. That was the first part of her mission: Find out where the objective is located.

It was easier said than done. There was chaos and people everywhere. The news had broken that Fuhrer Bradley was dead. People had seen the massive energy blast that had taken out half of Central Command. Everyone had been through… whatever that was. She still wasn't sure. She'd have to go ask someone about that. There were buildings damaged and blown apart, dead individuals, stories of monsters. There was too much happening, and Rebecca was about to put herself right in the thick of it.

She sneezed again.

"Ugh," she reached into her pocket, only to find that she didn't have her handkerchief with her anymore. She had almost forgotten that she had used it earlier, giving it to Brosh to mop up his flood of tears. Well. It wasn't much more than a simple sneeze, so she would be fine. She just liked the feeling of wiping her nose after sneezing. She'd manage.

Even though her nose kept itching.

She made her way through the barricades leading downtown and around the blockades that had been put up. Her name got her in some places. Riza and Mustang's got her in more. Her own gumption and guile got her in most of them. By the time she managed to make it downtown, her nose was in an almost constant state of itch. She ignored that, however, as she got her first glimpse of downtown and HQ. It was in worse shape than she had thought.

There were big chunks of buildings laying around, crews already trying to shore them up or block off the area. She sneezed and coughed as a building corner a crew was trying to prop up collapsed, sending out a wave of dust. She kept going, coughing, sneezing, and her eyes watering for at least a block afterward. She passed areas where people were sweeping up debris, the dust tickling her nose and causing her to sneeze again. The closer she got to the epicenter of everything the more her eyes watered and her nose itched.

She finally found the area she was looking for, the medical tents, and set about looking for her particular goal. She dodged in and out of people moving around carrying supplies, tending to wounded. She grimaced as she looked at some of them. Some were soldiers who had just been on the ground outside of the citadel. Most of them had minor injuries, it seemed. Others were in horrible shape, with wounds that almost looked as if they had been bitten or been partially eaten. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what happened there. (She would definitely find out what had happened there).

She sneezed more when she ran into soldiers who must have been near the area that was destroyed, covered in dust, and shedding it like a second skin.

Her eyes watered.

Her nose itched.

"Ah…ah…AHCOO!"

"Becca?"

Rebecca recognized that voice, and she turned and ducked into the area it came from.

"Riza!"

"Rebecca!"

Rebecca ignored the nurse that told her to be quiet, instead looking over her friend. It must have been bad, as Riza was just in her pants and sports bra, which, if she wasn't on her back, would leave her back exposed. Riza was always so careful about that. Whatever happened must have been bad.

More alarming was how pale and sweating Riza was, with dark circles under her eyes. The doctor was pressing down onto her neck, several bloody pieces of gauze about, and the nurse who had admonished her was setting up what looked to be a blood transfusion with a sense of urgency. Riza made no effort to move. She just kept her eyes locked on Rebecca.

"What happened?" She asked, and her voice was weak, thready.

Rebecca bit her lip, wanting to ask her what had happened, but she knew that Riza wouldn't be satisfied until she had her answer. So, instead, she gave Riza a rundown of the day and its results. Riza took it in and then traded her information in turn, leaving Rebecca was stunned. She didn't even notice herself sneezing as Riza talked. When Riza finally finished, she sat back on a stool someone had stuck under her

"…I don't even have words for that." She said. "I—I—ah…ah…AHCHOO!" She grabbed some nearby tissues and blew her nose. "Ugh."

"You've been doing that the whole time," Riza said. "Are you okay?"

"Ugh, fine. I think I'm allergic to something in all this debris." She saw Riza frown and waved it off. "But it's worth it to see you. Not like I could have gotten away from it anyway."

"True," Riza said, and Rebecca could see the tiredness creeping up in her eyes.

Rebecca stood up. "Rest, Riza. I'll go check on things, okay? I'll get answers, even if I have to sneeze my way through it—including checking on that Colonel of yours!"

Riza laughed breathily. "I'll count on it."

Rebecca grinned at her, and then ducked out, leaving her friend to rest. She sneezed again but didn't let it slow her down. She had a new mission. And for Riza Hawkeye, she'd do it—sneezing or not!