Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.
A/N: Sorry it took so long guys. I did a lot of things in the past months. Personal especially. I'm going to Anime Expo and going to see Funimation's special screening of the FMA movie! Vic Mignogna and Lauren Bailey are going to host focus panels. The director of the movie is also hosting a focus panel. But the biggest victory is that Travis Willingham is going to show up! He's the voice of Roy! ROY! You might to check out the new fic I wrote called Mark of Ruin. It's a ScarEd and I swear it's going to get updated as soon as humanly possible.
Riza woke to the gentle pressure of a hand pushing at her left arm. She moaned softly. Slowly she began to open her eyes, groggy from the long nap. When her eyes finally focused, she cried out. Roy Mustang, complete with military uniform, was staring up at her face. She nearly fell off the bed; she was so dazed. "Riza," Roy softly inquired, "Are you alright?" Riza shoved at the harsh blue of his shoulders with all her might. "Stop fucking with my head!" Riza screamed violently. She was livid with hysteria. "Please stop. Please. Don't do this. Don't take this shape. I'll do anything. Just don't."
Roy flinched. He was taken aback by her response. He had woken up a few minutes ago on a foreign marble floor. He had watched Fullmetal be pulled violently from Riza's side. Roy's ears could still faintly hear the cries of, "Mommy!" After that, Envy had pulled Edward out of his range of vision. He had heard a loud thud and then silence.
Words could not describe how happy he was to see the interminable Riza Hawkeye still alive. But when he woke her, she had frightened him. Her skin was colorless. Deep bruises marred the usual porcelain of her skin. In her sleep, the hunter green toga had gracefully fallen off of her shoulders. He had longed for the day that he might have the chance to see his attractive subordinate naked. But now…he wished that he hadn't. Her breasts had bruises that looked suspiciously like handprints. He could see dark discolorations where Envy had thrust her legs apart. Her left leg hung limp against the bed. Her current condition was nothing short of hellish.
Riza was quivering under his stare. She didn't think her heart could handle any more abuse. "Riza, I'm not here to hurt you. It's me, Roy. I've come to rescue you." Riza shook her head violently, and the rest of her body followed suit. She started sobbing and forcefully rocking in all directions, trying to scramble away from him. "Riza!" Riza stopped. It was a knee-jerk reaction to her superior officer's voice. Roy grabbed her head with both hands and forced her to look up at his face. Riza struggled in the stranglehold, clawing and biting like a rabid animal. "Riza look at me!" Riza continued to moan, "No!" until Roy had forced her to stare straight into his eyes. Immediately she composed herself and stared back in awe.
"I'm sorry Sir. I apologize. It was irresponsible of me to act in such a way." The formality had returned. She had transitioned from a savage animal to a military lieutenant in a matter of seconds. He was frightened at how quickly she had recovered her military training. It would be easy to fall back into the old habits and to call her Lieutenant Hawkeye. He could pretend to overlook her current condition, take her home, and go back to the way things were. But he realized he didn't want to. She needed him now more than ever.
"Riza, you look horrible." She stared up at him, slowly processing his words. He looked her straight in the eye and cringed. She was startled looked down in shame, as if her eyes had somehow wronged him. He tilted her chin upwards with his hand, gently. "I'm sorry. It's just… the look in your eyes. It's as if your spirit has drained away. It's…chilling."
Riza analyzed the black marble that lay under he bare feet. The jet color was flawless. There was not a crack, stain, or puddle. Riza wondered how many people this flooring had wasted away. How many innocent people had lost their lives on it? How many had lost something infinitely more precious? She could feel Roy's eyes on her, searching for answers to questions he was too scared to ask.
Riza, for the first time in as long as she'd been conscious, smiled. But the smile didn't reach her eyes, and she knew that. The tender look on Roy's face hit her with such force that she began to cry. Her tears were silent. Roy silently begged his eyes to let him look away, to let her hold onto the last shred of the dignity that she built her life on. But something inside of him wouldn't let him look away. She looked deep into his eyes, and for the first time left her body and mind vulnerable in front of Roy. The self-imposed rigidness of her body deserted her entirely. "It's gone Roy. I used to love you, with all that I had. It held all it could take. Now it's empty." Roy stared at her, disbelieving that this intimate confession of her feelings was actually occurring. "What happened Riza?" The sound of her response ran his blood cold and would continue to swirl within his head for many nights after.
"There's an abyss, inside my heart."