Thank you all for the lovely comments and reviews! I'm so excited to keep writing this! Just a note on this story and the rest, I've begun studying for the GRE (omg i know) for grad school, so updates may slow as I fill time I would use for writing with studying. But I have not given up any of my FMA stories nor have I stopped my Voltron one. Okay, here's the fic!

Roy's head was pounding. Then he felt his arms aching and his legs felt like lead. For a brief moment, he wondered if setting himself on fire would be less painful. It took a while to figure out where he was and what he was doing lying down in all this pain. For a few minutes, he was conscious with no reason for existence. And then, slowly, memories began creeping back to him. He remembered going to work. He remembered talking to Hughes. There was a vacation... maybe? And an explosion for sure. He and Hawk were running, then shooting and attacking, then defending. And then falling? He briefly remembered the sensation of falling from a very high point, but he didn't remember hitting the ground. It was like the world had swallowed him up and now, he ended up here. Wherever 'here' was.

And then he remembered Hawk had fallen too and his eyes shot open, something he quickly regretted as light filled his pupils. He groaned and pressed himself into the matt he was lying on, wishing it would swallow him up. He wanted to put a hand up to soothe his aching head, but his arm ached something terrible and he thought it would only aggravate his injuries further. But still, he had to find his bodyguard, his second in command.

As he tried to sit up, the door opened and he heard a high-pitched, "No, no, no!" from the young girl who had come into the room. Her voice was grating on his sensitive ears as he was nursing a headache and he found himself tensing his back defensively. But, it was such a silly thing to do, as the girl who had entered the room looked no older than eight and was as short as could be. Her lock black hair was tied up in multiple braids that sprawled down her back and her large black eyes were narrowed as she scolded him for trying to get him.

"What are you doing sitting up?" she asked while Roy struggled to get used to such a high-pitched voice. "You're hurt so badly! I can't even believe it! You're so lucky I found you!" she said. "You fell off a cliff! A cliff! It's a good thing I'm a healer, otherwise, you would be dead! So don't make my job harder by getting up like that!"

The man didn't quite know how to respond to all of this. He felt a strange twinge of guilt for trying to get up but quickly brushed it off. She was just a little girl, after all, he had nothing to feel guilty for. "Oh, I'm lucky am I?" Roy smirked. "You healed me?" The idea that such a small girl knew enough magick to heal was laughable. Healing Magery was one of the hardest to learn. "Where is the Mage? I must give my thanks."

The child glared. "I am the Mage."

"Please, kid, I need to talk to the person who healed me."

"I am! I am! I am!" She pouted and stomped her feet, so desperate to prove that she was, in fact, the healer that she was proving the exact opposite. Roy just watched her, unused to children, and didn't know how to stop her tantrum. The girl could tell she was not believed, so she grabbed his hand and a nearby knife and gave him a cut.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" Roy asked, forgetting his language in front of the child. But, as he was about to lay into her for hurting him, he saw his arm glow in a strange blue light. Where there had once been a cut was not just normal skin and where the girl had been yelling, she was now smugly looking at him.

"I found you," she said. "And I healed you. I'm a healer. Got it?"

"Yeah, okay, I got it." Roy rubbed his arm, checking to be sure healing was all she did. "And who are you?"

"Mei! I'm a Mage from Xing," she smiled brightly.

"And you just live out here in the woods? By yourself?" Roy asked and the girl nodded, as though that was perfectly normal. He thought to ask her where her parents were, but he had other matters to attend to. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," she said. "You really just hit your head hard. You're lucky, your friend shielded you from the brunt of it."

"Hawk," Roy said and moved to try and get up, but the girl pushed him down. "I need to see him now. Is he alright?"

"She's in rough shape," Mei reported. "I think she'll be okay, but it's taking all the skill I have. I think the trees broke your fall, but she's got some sprains and bruising and quite a lot of bleeding."

Roy's eyebrows furrowed at the pronouns Mei used to describe Hawk, his right hand… man. But, he was also so worried for his friend, that he figured he wouldn't say anything yet. He might have misheard the child anyway. Unbeknownst to him, Mei was also confused at the words Roy was using the describe the woman she had found.

"Can I see him?"

Mei stared at him and Roy stared back. "Um… Mister, are we talking about the same person? Was there another guy with you?" Mei asked, worried she had missed someone who needed help. She had found the two of them just by a river at the bottom of the cliff. The woman was tightly wrapped around Roy, and Mei could tell that she had landed on her back to prevent her companion from taking the brunt of the fall. But, if there was someone else with them, they must have been out of the way of trees and there was no chance they would survive the fall without the greenery breaking their fall.

"Yes, Hawk, my bowman," Roy replied irritably. "Can I see him?"

Mei just stared for another moment, finding herself utterly confused. But, the man wanted to see his friend and perhaps this was all because of the fall, so she figured she'd just let him go. "Only if you can stand," she said.

That was all the motivation Roy needed. He slowly got up, bracing himself against the wall because he was afraid leaning on the tiny girl would topple her over. With a groan of pain, he was standing, though not entirely comfortable. But, he was standing and he could walk, so Mei led him to another room right next to his.

This room was a little bigger and had more herbs and a few medical magick books scattered around. Unlike Roy's room, there was a window and sunlight shone in, indicating it was sometime during the day. In the center of the room was a bed with a figure lying still, and as Roy approached, he saw Hawk all bandaged up. His head was wrapped with gauze and both arms were as well. The parts of his body not covered with bandage were instead littered with scrapes, cuts, and bruises.

He looked terrible, and Roy was grateful for the chair Mei brought in because he didn't think he could stand through the shock of it all. He sat heavily and gently touched Hawk's exposed arm. Being tender was not his strong point, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing his best friend. And, he couldn't help but feel that this was partially his fault because he had been the target of the guards in the first place.

But then Roy glanced at Hawk's face, looking right at his friend for the first time. He was caught off guard by the redness, but that wasn't what ended up holding his attention. Hawk's golden hair was splayed out around the pillow, which was weird because his hair was supposed to be short. Roy touched a lock of hair and found himself touching metal. Upon closer inspection, he found a small yellow pin.

Mei was behind him and watched as the man explored his friend's hair, realizing that Roy was discovering something monumental about his friend. So, she came forward and brought the blankets down as though she was checking the bandages on Hawk's chest. Roy gazed down and his eyes widened as he saw the gentle curve of his friend's chest. He found himself quickly looking away out of respect, but the shock didn't wear off.

His eyes met Mei's and she smiled kindly. "I didn't want to be insensitive in case I was wrong," Mei said. "But, uh…"

"Hawk's a woman…"

At the end of a long day, sleep was something Riza usually craved. There was no better feeling to her than climbing into bed, curling up under the covers, and drifting off to peaceful nothingness. In turn, she dreaded the light invading her eyes in the morning and how she would have to pry herself out of bed to get ready for the day.

And now, for the past day or so-Riza couldn't tell-she had been stuck in that terrible in-between time while she struggled to wake. While she flirted with consciousness quite a few times, she couldn't break through the invisible barrier that prevented her from coming into the conscious world.

Sometimes she heard talking. A voice she recognized as Roy's was constant, though she often couldn't keep focus long enough to tell exactly what he was saying. Still, she knew he was awake and talking, and sometimes talking directly to her, and knowing he was okay made her feel so much better. Her memories had returned almost the moment she had found herself half-conscious, which made her even more desperate to return to the fully awakened world. Then there was a high-pitched, young voice she didn't recognize, but Roy spoke to her in friendly terms so Riza knew they were safe. What confused her, though, was that no one else ever seemed to be in the room. It was just Roy and a young girl speaking with words Riza could never fully make out. This left her with far more questions than answers.

And then, finally, after fighting for what felt like an eternity one rainy morning a week after Mei had taken them in, Riza slowly opened her eyes. It was a good thing it was cloudy because sunlight would have made it impossible for her to come to. Her eyes adjusted to see the wood ceiling and then she looked over at Roy, who was looking back at her with a face filled with happiness, relief, and worry.

"Hawk," he breathed out.

"Yes, sir?" she asked, her voice raspy and dry.

Roy didn't know what to say. He wanted to admonish her for being out for so long. He wanted answers to her newly revealed gender. He wanted to thank her for being so strong that she could live through something like falling off a cliff and then scold her again for using her own body to protect him. But, instead, he just gently grabbed a lock of her hair and let it run through his fingers. She watched him do it and, feeling a knot in the pit of her stomach, she looked worriedly back at him.

"Sir, I-"

"Let me get Mei," he said kindly. "Then we can talk." Riza studied his face, trying to figure out before that talk how he was feeling. From the look in his eyes, there was no doubt he knew her secret, and she hoped he wasn't mad. After running away from a country that wanted them dead, she didn't want him to cast her away, especially not with her in this condition. But, she couldn't read him, so she just nodded, and Roy left the room briefly to get the little girl.

Riza stared back at the ceiling while he was gone, wondering how she had managed to get into a position like this. What was she thinking, launching herself and Roy off a cliff? They could have easily been killed. Then again, if she had done nothing, they would absolutely be dead. But, now Roy knew her secret, and while she supposed that was better than dying, she was anxious to know his feelings and reactions. Then again, it certainly wasn't the strangest nor the most impactful thing to happen this week.

"Hawk?" a familiar high-pitched voice pulled her back from her thoughts. "Maybe she's not awake."

"I know he-she's awake," Roy replied correcting himself. "I was just talking to her."

"I'm awake," Riza whispered out, turning her head slowly and opening her eyes again. She hadn't realized she'd closed them. She was still so exhausted.

"Oh good!" The child exclaimed. "My name is Mei! I'm a Healing Mage and I found you and your friend! You were so hurt, but I fixed you right up! But it's going to be quite a road to full recovery. I could only do so much."

"Thank you," Riza said and Mei helped her sit up against the headboard so she could drink some of the water that was brought to her. "You're a Mage?" She was just as surprised as Roy was, though she wasn't as overt about it.

"Yup!" Mei smiled brightly. "I already told Mister Mustang-I live here on my own, but I'm originally from Xing. I'm trying to find something special that I can bring back to the Emperor so my clan can be the top clan and I can be the Empress!"

Riza looked a little concerned for a moment and wondered how a child like herself could live out here all alone. But, if she was powerful enough to save her and Roy, then she was probably doing just fine. She looked healthy, anyway, and seemed happy. For all Riza knew, her parents were nearby anyway.

"I really can't thank you enough."

"Don't thank me! I haven't been able to practice my healing magick for a long time, but now I can!" She paused and looked between the two adults. "Why did you jump off a cliff anyway?"

Neither said anything for a long moment. There was no reason not to trust the girl, but they didn't want their status to be discovered. If anyone knew where they were, they would be killed immediately.

"We were chased," Roy finally said, deciding to be honest. "By the King's Royal Guard."

"But you guys were wearing Royal Armor. I recognized your cloak, you're a Mage too." Mei replied, even more confused than before.

"The King had criminalized all Mages in his Kingdom," Roy explained. "I don't know what he's doing with them if he's imprisoning them or killing them, but we escaped."

"Where is my bow?" Riza asked suddenly, a fire lighting in her eyes. She loved that bow, it was the most valuable thing she owned. If anything happened to it, she'd never forgive herself.

"I have it," Mei said. "It's snapped in half, but all the pieces are there. You can probably get it back together with rope and then try to find a proper Mage who can fix it. I would, but I'm not skilled in putting things back together. I'm just a healer." Riza was not thrilled with the condition of her bow, but knowing it was there relaxed her. At some point, they would find a Mage who could fix it and all would be well. She leaned back against the pillows tiredly and Mei pat her hand.

"You need a lot of rest," she said, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you!" Riza just nodded, hoping to get back to sleep soon and Mei left the room. Roy was left standing there as he looked at Riza warily. He wanted to ask so many questions, but also didn't want to push Riza too far.

"If you want to talk, talk," Riza said, her voice hard. Roy was a relatively easy person to read, at least to her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. "I'll only be able to stay awake a little longer."

So, awkwardly, Roy sat down in the chair by the bed. Riza looked at his eyes, but he refused to meet hers. He just stared at her bandaged arms. She was about to tell him to just leave, then, but he spoke.

"You're a woman."

"Yes."

"But why?"

Riza scrunched her nose at him in an incredulous look. There was no way on earth that she was going to explain biology to him, especially not in her condition.

Seeing her expression, he quickly corrected himself. "I mean, why do this? Why disguise yourself and join the Royal Army? Why go to all of these lengths to protect me?"

Riza just shrugged. "I've wanted to join the military since I was a child," she said. "Obviously women aren't allowed. I'd resigned myself to that, but when my father died and I was left alone, I had to find a way to take care of myself. I found his old bow and began practicing. Then I enlisted."

"Then why would you follow me out here?" Roy asked. "You're risking your own livelihood, your own dreams for me."

"Because you're my friend, sir," she replied evenly. "And I swore to protect you and follow you."

"I thought that promise only went as far as the military was concerned," Roy admitted.

"My promises have no conditions," Riza said.

"I'm guessing Hawk isn't your name then?"

"No." Riza paused. "Well, sort of." She glanced away from him. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to know that their relationship went back further than the military, and divulging her name would be a dead giveaway as to who she truly was.

"What do you mean?" Roy pressed.

She paused. "My name is Riza. Riza Hawkeye."

Roy caught himself mid-nod as realization dawned on his face. His stomach dropped and he stared at the woman in front of him as if for the first time. "Wait. Hawkeye?" He asked, his voice cracking with shocked disbelief. She nodded. "You're Master Hawkeye's kid? Riza? But you died of The Sickness." His mind was reeling. An image of the stern-faced man flashed in his mind and he found himself feeling so stupid that he'd never made the connection before. But then an image of a funeral, the memory of being told the Hawkeyes were all dead surfaced. He was certain she was gone. Then again, a week ago he was certain she was a man.

"No, it will take much more than an illness, or a fall apparently, to kill me," Riza smiled, trying to breathe some humor into the room. It felt like the air had been sucked out of the home and she hated the anxiousness that still stirred in her stomach. She couldn't tell if Roy was upset with her.

"Apparently," Roy mumbled. "I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time in years. Your family… your dad… They gave me a lot." Memories filtered through his head of training with Berthold Hawkeye, the only other Fire Mage known in the land. He remembered Mrs. Hawkeye, Riza's kind mother who made them lunch after a hard day of work. And then there was Riza, the wide-eyed, timid daughter who watched from afar.

Riza smiled. "Father never showed it, but he was glad to have a student like you." Roy smiled back at her, grateful for the compliment on behalf of his old teacher.

"You're something else, Riza," Roy said. "I guess I'll have to mourn the loss of my friend Hawk, but I'm so glad to have Riza back." He paused and studied her face for a long moment, the weight of what was going on elsewhere in the world crashing into his mind. "Will you follow me still?"

"What?" Riza asked.

"Will you follow me?" he repeated. "If you want, you can go off and live a life free of running from the Royal Army and free of all my bullshit. And, there's a much lower chance of you being killed."

Riza just shrugged. "I have no intention of leaving, sir. Like I said, I made a promise. I don't know what's going on, but we'll figure it out together and find our way back to Central."

Roy nodded and placed a tender, but firm hand on her shoulder. "Great. I wouldn't want anyone else at my side." Riza just nodded, completely exhausted now and Roy knew that was all they would be able to discuss for now. "Get some sleep," he said. "Mei will kill me if I keep you up."

Gratefully, Riza sunk back into the sheets and quickly fell asleep. Still recovering and also exhausted, Roy went back to his small room and laid down. His head was swimming and he felt numb from all he had learned. As he closed his eyes, memories filled his vision and he drifted off to sleep in the comfort of the past.

"Father is happy to have you here," the young girl said one day as Roy sat in the small living room, waiting for Master Hawkeye to come home from the market. He turned to her with a small smile.

"You think?" He'd only been training for a week, and the older Mage was so cold. It was hard to read him.

Riza nodded as she knit. Her threads were sloppy, and she knew her mother would scold her later. But, she wasn't good working with her hands. She would rather be practicing with the beautiful bow that was hung above the fireplace.

"He's always wanted to pass along his knowledge," Riza told him as she fumbled with the knitting needles. "Father says Fire Magery is too dangerous to write down in a book, and that people are the best way to keep knowledge alive. He wanted a son, but he got me instead. He was less than thrilled when he found I had no Gift. But he's glad he can pass it all onto you."

Roy pondered this for a long moment, unsure if he should say thank you or address her self-depreciation. "Well, I'm grateful he's my teacher," he said. "And I'm sure he's glad to have you for a daughter."

Riza shrugged. "He pays me no mind. But that's alright. I just wish Mother would let me outside more often so I could practice my archery."

Roy arched an eyebrow. "You do archery?"

"Yes." Big brown eyes looked over at him and Roy saw a glint of light in them. He could tell the girl didn't like talking about her father, and she didn't enjoy knitting. But her eyes shone when she talked about archery. "I want to be an archer for the Royal Army," she said. "They won't let women in, but maybe in a few years."

"Well," Roy said, impressed, though he quickly dismissed the idea of a woman joining the King's guard. But, he liked talking to the usually quiet girl and found himself humoring her. "Hey, maybe if you get good enough, you can be my bodyguard. Your father keeps talking about how dangerous all this fire magick is. I'll need someone to protect me."

Riza laughed and returned to her knitting. "You haven't even really begun the training my father will put you through," she smirked. "If you manage to survive it, I'll follow you into hell, Mister Mustang."