A/N- This was originally a oneshot entitled 'Complications' I added it to my collection of drabbles because I thought it fit the mood. (Thank you, Cles, for reminding me)

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Promise

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Riza Hawkeye leaned back in the bed, contently sighing as the pillow framed her face and allowed her to comfortably relax. She always had looked forward to sleeping when she returned home from whatever hectic happenings had been going on in the office. Now things were harder, and she anticipated more and more when the scratching pens would stop and she could get up from her desk and return to her small apartment and feed the puppy. Everything had become so much more complicated. There was so much work to be done, ever since Scar had disappeared, their group had received much more paper work than they were used too as they had been witnesses. Havoc especially had been working hard, and often he would be out on the field rather than in the office, thereby giving more paperwork to the rest of the group. She endured it all quietly, letting some stress build up inside of her and anxiously awaiting the end of the day. She had always preferred to deal with her own problems on her own, and most all of the people she worked with respected that.

The bed rocked slightly as Black Hayate leapt onto the bed beside her. She shifted and rubbed a hand over his ears, to tired to scold him for jumping up onto her bed without permission. The black pup sat down and wagged his tail across the bed contentedly, effectively bunching up the covers. She smiled at her dog, and he licked her nose. She blinked as he did so and stretched out a hand to pull the puppy closer against her as she began to sleep.

Her mind didn't seem to be in the mood for it though. She kept mulling over the fact there was still so much to do, not to mention the fact that they still hadn't heard back from the Elric brothers. It wasn't unusual, Ed especially preferred to avoid the office, and Riza couldn't say she blamed him. The colonel did tend to be a bit out of hand when it came to the elder of the Elric siblings. For what she assumed was mostly for these reasons, Edward would usually share his findings with Maes Hughes, who would in turn tell what he deemed important to the colonel, as well as shoving a few pictures in his face or ranting over the phone about the newest development in his family life, whether it be Elycia's new dress or her new favorite word.

Hayate must have sensed his master's uneasiness, because he began to wiggle in her warm grip and pressed his cold nose under her chin, causing her to open her eyes once more. She began to rub his neck under his collar and his tail began to wag again. She closed her eyes and pulled the blankets closer around her.

Sleep must have had something againsther, she decided, because at the very moment she felt her self losing consciousness the phone rang. She closed her eyes shut as tight a humanly possible and willed the annoying sound to disappear. The ringing seemed tot drag on forever, and eventually Black Hayate began to whine at the annoying sound. Grumbling in exasperation, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, picking up the annoying device and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?" She said groggily, leaning against the wall. Who ever was on the other had better have a damn good reason to give her a phone call this late at night. There was silence on the other line, and Riza massaged her forehead in annoyance. "Hello?" She repeated, louder this time.

"Hawkeye?" It took her sleep-deprived mind a moment to recognize the voice. She heard it everyday, but for some reason there was something different in his tone, it sounded like something had been broken. "T-taisa?" She yawned into the phone. "Is something wrong?" There was no response. She waited a minute before speaking again. "Taisa?" She spoke a little longer, sleepiness wearing slowly off. There was a sound of a deep breath on the other end before Roy spoke. 'I'm sorry to call you this late, but I need you to come to the office." That's right, She remembered. He had been staying late tonight, not a rare occurrence since the group had been so bogged down with work. "Did something happen, sir?" She asked. There was a small sound, almost as if he was preparing to speak, but then nothing. "I'll explain everything when you get there."

"Sir, can this possibly wait until tomorrow?" She said, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. She really wanted to go to sleep right now. "I-" He began. She could hear his heavy breathing as he composed himself. "Please. I need-" He broke off. "I need someone here right now."

She sighed and rubbed a hand through her hair. "Ok. I'm on my way."

"Hawkeye?"

"Hmm?"

"… Be careful, ok?"

She didn't know what to make of his remark. "Sir, I'm just driving down to the office-"

"Just, be careful, ok?" He repeated. She sighed. "Alright, sir."

"Good. I'll see you when you get here."

She hung up the phone and turned back to her room. Looking at the puppy asleep on her bed, she sighed longingly before reaching for her brush. She combed her hair, threw on her uniform and pinned her hair up like always. Glancing once more at her bed, she picked up her keys and walked out the door of her apartment, being careful to turn and lock it.

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She walked into the building at about 12:15 AM, although by now she was completely awake. Her keys clinked softly in her pocket as she strode down the white corridors to the office she shared with her colonel and the other subordinates. She had often stayed late into the night helping the colonel finish his paperwork, and truth be told, she enjoyed it more than the bustling working hours of the day. Everything was bathed in a peaceful silence, and she found it easier to concentrate.

Her mind wandered back to wondering what the colonel had called her here for. It wasn't the first time he had called her back to the office, most of the time it was to ask for help with the paperwork, but something about this time was different. His voice had sounded almost desperate over the phone, and so she knew there was something possibly wrong.

She stepped into the office and her eyes swept the room before landing on his desk. He was the only one in the room; all of the rest of the subordinates seemed to have left earlier. She felt her pace quicken when she saw him. He had his elbows on the desk, his head buried in his hands. His hair was messier than usual, and the piles of paperwork had been hastily shoved into the far reaches of the desk. The only thing there that remained untouched was an old photograph.

She took a few cautious steps towards him. "Sir?" She began softly, thinking that maybe he had fallen asleep. "Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

"Hughes is dead."

The words made her take a few steps back and she almost ran into a desk behind her. "What?" She breathed, not daring to believe she had heard what Roy had just said. He raised his head to look at her. His face was pale ad his eyes seemed to have shrunk. He appeared almost… dead. "He called me…" Roy said softly. "They found him in a phone booth up in Central. Gun shot wound, they said. Someone killed him." Her eyes had widened as she spoke, breath coming faster. "Oh, god…" She said, putting a hand over her mouth. "When…?"

"Only an hour ago." Roy continued. His expression never changed. "He was alive an hour ago…" His voice was breaking. "Sir, please-" He slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it!" He cried out. His voice rang with desperation and fear. "Damn it, Hawkeye, why can't I…" He choked on his words. "Why the hell did he die? He can't be dead…" He dropped his head back into his hands.

Riza dropped her eyes to the floor. "You can't blame yourself. There's nothing-"

"Exactly." He said, voice muffled by his hands. "There was nothing I could have done. I should have been able to… damn it! I should have been able to do something!" He reached out his hand and wrapped it around the photo on his desk. "This was taken just two weeks ago." He muttered, looking it over with sunken eyes. "We were at the bar, he, Havoc and I were at the bar… god damn it." A sadistic smile crept onto his features. "He was shoving pictures at me, that's why I look so pissed off." He held the picture more firmly in his hand. "Why the hell did he leave?" He asked desperately, eyes not moving. "What the hell made him think I would just… let him go? He swore he would see me to the top, Hawkeye. Damn it…" He dropped his head into his other hand. "Why can't I…" he began, and then trailed off. "Why is there nothing I could have done? It wasn't even raining."

"Taisa…" She began, not knowing what to say. She was standing still in front of his desk, eyes locked onto his figure. His breathing was shallow, one hand supporting his forehead, the other gripped around the photo so hard his knuckles were beginning to turn white. She hated to see him like this. She had memories of only ever seen him so torn in Ishbal, and she decided then that she would never let him be broken again. Reaching out slowly, she eased his hand off of the photograph and clasped it in her own. Something in her small action tore all the rest of his barriers down completely, pain welling up inside of him. His body shook and he held her had tighter, holding desperately onto her as tears fell silently across his face.

She knelt down next to his desk, still holding his hand warmly between her own. "Please," She said quietly. "You can't blame yourself for not being able to do anything." He tightened his grip on her hand. "I can't." He said softly. "I can't help but imagine that it would have been different if I had been there. If I had come to the phone sooner…" She shook her head. "No. Don't dwell on the 'what if's and the 'I should have's. If we could change those we all would have done so long ago." He shook his head. "If it had been me, he would have done something, he would have tried-"

"Do you think he blames you, sir?"

He stopped, shaken by the utter truth in the simplicity of those words. "Do you think that he blames you for his death? If you died, would you blame him? Would you blame anyone?" He shook his head, not raising it to meet her face. "Don't take the world on your shoulders." She said. "That's why you have these people around you. They want to help you carry this, taisa. They don't want you to have to carry all the problems of the world on your own." He shook his head. "I can't ask for that…"

"You don't have to ask." Riza took a deep breath, putting one hand under his chin and forcing him to look at her. His eyes were red and his face was pale, and it hurt her more than anything to see him look like this. "When Hughes became your friend, did he expect anything? He only gave everything, sir. He took what he could from you and carried it. He pushed you harder than anyone; he gave his all to help you. Do you think that you can just reject that? For god's sake, sir, do you think he wanted you to reject it? Don't be so selfish as to blame yourself for all your problems."

"Lieutenant…" He mumbled, unsure of how to respond to her. "Do you think I want to see you like this?" She pleaded. "Do you think that when I promised to protect you that I wasn't going to take anything either? Do you think I did it for my own benefit? Sir, if you blame yourself, I have to blame myself." He turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze. She looked at him tenderly, pulling gently on the hand she held. "Come on, sir. I'll take you home."

Roy stood up from the desk and turned to face her. She smiled weakly, and turned to walk out the door, but his hand caught her wrist, and he pulled her back to him. She turned, a small look of surprise written across her face. He pulled her in against him, holding her in a warm embrace. "Thank you, lieutenant."

She smiled against the warmth of his uniform and wrapped her hands around him as well.

"You're welcome."

-Owari-