Chapter 3:
"WHAT?!"General Mustang roared.
"You didn't know Hawkeye went to Briggs...?"the Strong Arm Alchemist, Alex Louis Armstrong asked, face sympathetic. "Almost everyone but your team knew she got permission from the Fuhrer to go so she could get you credit."
Roy's voice sounds small this time as he says, "Damnit Hawkeye. You're supposed to be by my side, guarding me."
Boots click audibly, announcing the person's arrival before Mustang and Armstrong could even see him. Fuhrer Grumman signals for the guards to wait for him outside the doors and walks in with Black Hayate in his arms, closing the doors behind him as he asks, "So you expect the Lieutenant General to always follow you around like a guard dog protecting a frightened boy?"
Armstrong and Mustang snap into a salute, chorusing, "Fuhrer Grumman!"
Grumman waves them off. "At ease."
"No, sir. Of course not. I can protect myself,"Mustang answered.
The Fuhrer turns to Armstrong, "I need to talk to Mustang alone."
"Yes, sir!"Armstrong bellows with a twinkle, snapping into a salute and retreating out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Bringing his voice down in the case of easedroppers, Grumman sits down in the chair across from Mustang's waving for Mustang to sit too. Without regard for the papers on the desk, Grumman places Black Hayate on it and commands for the dog to sit. It obeys.
Well if I were Black Hayate I'd obey too after getting trained by Riza... who used guns to discipline.
"Lieutenant General Hawkeye asked me the favor of placing Black Hayate under your care when she asked me to sign the transfer approval documents,"Grumman said, saying nothing else and raising an eyebrow as if waiting for Mustang to say something else.
"Thank you for dumping Black Hayate with me, Fuhrer,"Mustang said in a bitter tone.
Grumman sighed and shook his head. He hadn't expected Mustang to break down, but being angry and resentful?
"Mustang... I can't deny you're a great leader. You treat your subordinates well. But that's the point. You always treat everyone as your subordinate. I'm going to be honest, and forget I'm your Fuhrer for five seconds, and just be Elizabeth Hawkeye's Grandfather. You treated her as a comrade, a subordinate. So she acted like a subordinate. She gave her everything to help you get to where you wanted. Maybe the military life makes it hard. But I approved the transfer because I wanted to teach you a lesson of taking what you want,"Grumman finally says to him.
Then without a word, Fuhrer Grumman gets up and leaves, leaving Mustang looking down into his lap, hair covering his face and Black Hayate giving a small whimper as the dog cocks its head to look at its new owner.
"Riza..."General says after a while. Then he gets up to the white board in his room for planning, flipping it over.
A checklist of all his plans. Becoming Fuhrer. Making Riza Reischfuhrer so she wouldn't have to leave his side. All their life Riza had follow him. Never had she ever told him her dreams. Always his dreams had dominated completely. Riza was the one who had given him his abilities as an alchemist, the ability to climb up the ranks.
Riza, come back. Come back to my side, please.
