holy shit, this is long. XD i knew it was long, but because im using wordpad i wasnt sure just HOW long it was. chances are good its gonna be the longest chapter, because right now, i plan to just leave it as a trio, unless i come up with another pairing i wanna do some Intervention with. XD
more spoilers in this, too, but as i already warned you people, theres gonna be spoilers for everyone unless youve finished the series. actually, its only a brief mention of some things, but im warning you now, just in case you dont wanna see. :P
anyway, enjoy!

Brigader General Roy Mustang was a very busy man, particularly now that he'd been promoted from Colonel, and with all the reconstruction of Amestris to deal with, he hardly ever had time to just relax and push off paperwork the way he used to. Even so, he'd still be having problems if not for 2nd Lt. Hawkeye.

Riza Hawkeye. God, what an amazing woman. She'd been through so much strain in the time she'd been with him, and yet she never faltered or hesitated in her line of duty. Because of that, he owed her his life many times over, and he was greatful for each and every time.

She was also the one woman who had resisted his charms, and in doing so, made her a prize to be coveted beyond all others. Over time, however, his feelings began to change. No longer was she a prize to be won or some sort of trophy to be gained. She was a woman, a beautiful, kind woman with an outer shell of steel and an aim like the bird whose name she shared. And he was in love with her, and every inch, every particle of his being wanted her to be his.

But there was no chance. He could only be formal with her, and now that he had been promoted, there was no way he could ever speak to her privately.

Damn that paperwork. If only there was a way he could disappear, with her at his side. Just one day is all he asked for. One day, and he could show her what she was to him.

Azeala played a little silver trumpet as they poofed into the office. The brassy sounds of a battle call floated invisibly on the air, and Haku rolled his eyes and shook his head at the strangeness of the woman with him.

"Alrighty!" Azeala said, throwing the trumpet behind her, where it magically poofed away with a small cloud of smoke. "I've assessed the situation with the utmost care, and I've decided that the best way to help these two..." she paused f or dramatic effect. "...is to give them a break."

Haku hit his forehead into his little dragony palm. "Well, duh," he said, waving a paw at the two, busily engaged in their daily affairs of Mustang mutttering under his breath about the paperwork he was signing, and Riza simply watching over him, silently taking in his protests and making sure he got his work done. "Those two are worked like slaves. The question is, what do we do after that?"

"Nothing," Azeala responded simply. Haku stared at her blankly, and she sighed.

"Do you never pay attention to these things?" she asked, turning her eyes to the sky as though to find the answers to her questions about the attentiveness of her partner. "If you had been watching them these past few days, you'd notice that the two are actually quite close, a bond no doubt formed from the many battles fought together. But then, if you looked ever closer, you would see the expression in Riza's eyes when she looks at Roy when she thinks he isn't paying attention, or the way that Roy is constantly 'accidentally' brushing against her." Azeala nodded at the two. "Look, there's your proof right there."

True to form, Riza was currently watching the brigader general as usual, but the expression in her eyes was not one of attentive watchfulness, but rather something softer, sweeter. At the same time, Mustang kept darting glances at the woman, a small smile fixed on his face as he shoved one stack of papers aside and grabbed a new stack.

"See?" Azeala said, gesturing at the two. "They can do that part themselves. It's our job to give them the opportunity to do it."

Haku nodded slowly. "What do you have in mind?" he asked. Azeala grinned wickedly, and Haku groaned.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked," he muttered.

As Roy was finishing up yet another abominably large stack of papers, there came a knock at the dooor. Frowning and exchangng a glance with Riza, he got up from his desk and opened the door slightly.

Immediately he was pushed aside as a bustling woman dressed in pink pushed her way inside the room. Looking around, she threw her hat on the hatstand and paused to bend down and coo at the little dog that had accompanied her into the room on a pink leash studded with rhinestones.

"He's such a good boy, isn't he, Mr. Puggles?" she babytalked to the dog, patting his little head and getting sloppy dog kisses from the animal.

Riza and Roy watched this spectacle with beamused looks on their faces, and finally the woman seemed to remember the reason she had come to the office.

"Oh, goodness!" she exclaimed, straightening up and taking her glasses off her face to wipe the dog slobber off of them. "My apologies, Mr. Brigader General, I had to take a moment to praise Mr. Puggles- he's a Pug, you see, that's why I named him that- for not peeing on the floor as we came down here. But anyway," she said briskly, returning the glasses to her face and peering through them at the two still-confused soldiers. "I've been sent by Fuhrer Grumman-"

"The Fuhrer?" Roy gasped, but the woman bowled right over his interruption.

"-to give you two a break," she finished, looking at them expectantly.

Roy twitched. "The Fuhrer sent you here?"

The woman sighed impatiently. "Didn't I already go over that? Anyway, I'm a master at completing paperwork, so you can just relax and take it easy for today, mmkay? Now shoo," she said, ushering them out of the room while ignoring their further protests. "Go, go, and take your little girlfriend with you. Have fun on your day off!"

The door was slammed in their faces, and Mustang simply blinked at the door a few times, an utterly bewildered look on his face.

"Should I break back in, sir?" Riza asked, one hand already on her gun. Roy waved her down, however.

"No, no," he said, loooking at the door thoughtfully. "She's definitely not from the Fuhrer, that's for sure." Riza tensed at this, but Roy continued. "And though she isn't, I'm inclined to believe that she's not all she appeared to be. For starters, she threw her hat on the stand from halfway across the room without even looking, and she certainly didn't appear to be the kind of person able to do such a thing. Secondly, I could swear to you that little dog she came with was glaring at me the whole time it was there," he said, shaking his head.

Riza smiled to herself, but said, "So, we're just going to let a potential intruder take up residence in your office?"

Roy stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at his door for a moment longer before turning and heading down the passageway. "Yup," he answered, flashing a sudden grin at the woman. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Alright, that was fun," Azeala said the moment the two were gone. With a poof of smoke, she was back to her normal self again, and she grinned at Haku. "Ya know, you kiss pretty well as a dog."

Haku rolled his eyes and shook himself, as if to be rid of the memory of being a dog. "I hate those little runts," he said, wrinkling his snout. "Their faces are all smashed in and they snort and slobber all over the place."

Azeala had turned to looking over the paperwork, but she turned an offended look on the dragon at this. "Aww, but Pugs are so adorable! They're all happy and cute!" she defended, stacking all of the paperwork in one large pile. With a snap of her fingers, everything was finished and signed, and she grinned at her handiwork.

"C'mon, lets get outta here before we lose them," she said, walking through the wall. Floating after her, Haku frowned.

"But I thought you said that all they needed was a day off?" he asked. "Why are we following them now?"

"Because, I wanna see the moment happen!" she exclaimed, skipping off down the hall, where the two had just disappeared. "Besides, if things don't go as planned, we'll be there to fix things up! I never leave a moment like that unattended," she said proudly.

Haku sighed and shook his head. "Looks like they've split up," he said suddenly. Azeala blinked at him for a moment, then suddenly rushed ahead around the corner to see Mustang heading out alone. Whirling around, Azeala pointed in the direction Mustang had gone, and commanded, "Follow him." Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed off down the opposite hallway, in the direction Riza had gone. "Flipping Mustang, trying to throw your plans into action without waiting for the one who allowed it to happen," she grumbled to herself as she went. Haku, left alone in the hallway, sighed to himself and shook his head.

"The things I do for that woman," he said to himself, before shooting off down through the walls to catch up with Mustang.

Before long, Riza had signed herself out at the front desk and was making her way down the street to her apartment home nearby. Azeala walked next to her unseen, her hands clasped behind her as she took in the scene.

It was a lovely summer day, hot, but beautiful. The sky was a bright shade of blue, and cloudless, and a gentle summer breeze temporarily relieved the heat of the day. The trees lining the streets of Central cast speckled shadows on the ground, and birdsong floated through the air. Riza found herself smiling as she walked, and decided on a plan of action for the rest of the day. She would take Black Hayate out for a walk around Central, and when she returned home, perhaps get a little reading done, and clean her guns.

Azeala watched the woman's face carefully, and, appearing satisfied with what she found, she leapt into the air and landed on a rooftop, pausing a moment to look back down on Riza before running across the rooftops toward the residence of one Roy Mustang.

Haku was floating along at Mustang's side, lying on his back with his eyes closed, when Azeala caught up to them. SHe snuck up behind Haku and swept him up in her arms, careful not to accidentally brush against Mustang himself.

"Hey there, my favoritest partner-in-love-blooming!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on Haku's snout. The dragon wriggled out of her arms and shook his head, snorting.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" he complained, wrinkling his snout and sticking out his tongue at Azeala. She giggled and made a lunge for him again, but Haku slipped through her arms and hid behind Mustang, who continued to walk along without realizing he was being used as a shield.

"Alright, alright, I'm done," Azeala said finally, flopping onto the ground in front of Mustang's home. Haku flopped down next to her after a moment's hesitation, and Mustang, totally oblivious, continued into his home and shut the door firmly behind him.

"So, what's the situation with Mustang?" Azeala asked the dragon. Haku flopped over onto his back and lay with his six feet in the air, playing dead.

"Aw, c'mon, Hak, I didn't mean to scare you," Azeala said, laying on her stomach and sticking her nose into Haku's face. The dragon stared up at her for a moment before coming back to himself and blinking at her.

"Mustang doesn't seem to have any motovation to go anywhere besides home," he said. "Though, he did mutter out loud to himself about Riza quite a bit."

Azeala grinned and cracked her fingers. "Alright, cool," she said."If you can give Mustang a little motovation to get going, I'm sure we can get the two to have a run-in with each other."

Haku nodded and heaved himself onto his feet. Trotting up the stairs, he paused and looked back at Azeala. "Meet you in the park?" he said.

She nodded and waved. "See you there!" she called, and leapt up onto the rooftops. Haku shook his head at the woman's antics, and trotted through the door into Mustang's home.

The house was small, as the man lived alone, and not filled with much more than the necessities. A fridge, a chair or two, a bed in the other room, and a single shelf upon which he laid his alchemy gloves were mostly the things that occupied the little house. Haku glanced around and found the man himself stretched out on his couch, snoring.

"He certainly knows how to get things done," Haku muttered to himself, leaping up on the back of the couch and settled himself along it, stretched out like a cat. Looking down at the still snoring brigader general, he cleared his throat, and spoke in Riza's voice.

"Colonel," he whispered. Mustang stopped snoring immediately, but didn't respond. Haku repeated the former title again, and Mustang muttered in his sleep.

"Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Colonel," Haku responded. Mustang smiled in his sleep.

"What're you doing?" he muttered.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what, Lieutenant?"

"Call me Riza," Haku said, and Mustang paused.

"Call me Roy," he responded. Haku chuckled in his own voice, then cleared his throat again and spoke in Riza's voice once more.

"Come find me, Roy," he whispered. Mustang frowned.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Come find me..." Haku trailed off and poked the brigader general with his tail.

Frowning and sitting up, Mustang shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "Odd dream..." he said to himself. Haku waited expectantly.

Mustang sighed and heaved himself up off the couch, heading toward his bedroom. "So much for staying home today," he sighed to himself, rubbing the back of his neck and closing the door.

Haku waved his tail in victory before he realized what he was doing, and ducked his head in embarassment until remembering he was alone. Sighing to himself, he shook his head. "That woman..." he muttered.

"That woman" was currently walking next to Riza and Black Hayate, whistling to herself cheerfully and keeping an eye on where they were walking. As Riza began to turn away from the park in Central, Azeala crouched down to Black Hayate's level and said to the dog, "Hayate, the park."

The dog, being terribly well-trained under Riza's stern eye, merely stopped as Riza attempted to tug him in the other direction. Hayate turned his face toward the park and whined, and Riza raised an eyebrow.

"Want to visit the park today, eh, Hayate?" she asked the dog, who merely barked in response and looked back at his master, panting. Riza smiled and nodded. "Alright then," she said. "Guess we're going to the park today."

Azeala cheered happily and planted a kiss on Hayate's snout. "Good boy, Hayate!" she praised the animal. Hayate sneezed in response, and Azeala giggled and patted the dog's head. "Our plans are in motion!" she crowed triumphantly. "Soon, the moment shall arrive, and we'll be just a little closer to the world peace Haku goes on about so much!"

Soon, they were walking through a gassy area on a cobblestone path, with tall oaks and skinny birch trees well spaced on either side of them. Benches were frequently placed alongside the path, and Hayate sniffed around them happily. Riza was content to let him stop whenever he felt like it, seeing no need to rush.

In the distance, Azeala suddenly spotted a dark figure walking with his hands in his pockets, and alongside a bright turquoise dragon with orange whiskers.

"It's them!" she squealed with delight. Hayate flicked a glance at her, but continued his snuffling around the base of an oak. Riza, glancing up in the direction Hayate had looked, saw nothing but Brigader General Mustang approaching down the path, hands in his pockets, his gaze focused on the ground.

Riza unconsciously smoothed her skirt, and the girlish side of her was happy to have shaved and worn a shorter skirt today.

If Riza had been alone, she would have been able to lean against the tree and watch Mustang walk by without him noticing. However, Black Hayate, being a dog, didn't have that kind of discretion. Seeing- or perhaps scenting- someone familiar, he barked once joyfully and trotted over to sit at Mustang's feet, looking up at him expectantly.

Mustang chuckled and crouched down to scratch the dog's ears before looking up at his owner.

"He's as well-trained as ever," he commented. Riza nodded.

"If only you were as obedient," she responded, a small smile quirking the corner of her mouth. Mustang sighed and smiled sheepishly at her.

"They're so formal with each other," Azeala complained. "In a minute they'll be calling each other by title, as if they were in uniform still!"

Haku shook his head. "They're more intimate than you think," he said. "Look at their eyes. They say more with them than they do with their mouths."

Shooting the dragon a surprised look, Azeala did as Haku said, and blinked as the saw the expression in their eyes.

"Damn, those are marriage eyes," she said with surprise. "I'm talkin' heavy-duty after-the-honeymoon-spooning eyes here. This ain't no light shit."

Haku sighed. "I do wish you would use proper language," he admonished her. "It makes you sound like some sort of back-country half-wit."

Azeala grinned at Haku. "If I were human, that'd be the life I'd choose," she responded. Haku raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

Hayate suddenly decided at that moment that it was time to move on, and Mustang fell into step beside Riza.

A silence fell, and Azeala sighed impatiently. "Curse them for not being the type to speak out loud," she said. Haku rolled his eyes.

"Not everyone's as talkative as you are," he said. Azeala stuck her tongue out at Haku, but he just rolled slowly in the air as if to say, "It's the truth."

"So, uh, Ri-er, Lieutenant..." Mustang began suddenly, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground. Azeala grabbed at Haku in sudden excitement, and the dragon gasped as all of the air was forced out of his lungs.

"I was thinking, since we both seem to have nothing to do today, would you perhaps like to go for coffee with me?" Mustang asked, taking a moment to glance up at Riza's face. She smiled slightly and nodded.

"I'd like that, Brigader General," Riza answered, her smile widening slightly.

"Call me Roy," Mustang said, as if to himself.

Riza looked over at Mustang, surprised. "Pardon?" she asked.

Roy blinked, as if coming back to himself. "Ah, you can call me Roy," he said, looking a little sheepish.

Riza's eyes expressed her happiness more than the curve of her mouth did as she nodded and said, "Alright... Roy."

They walked along together for a while longer before Riza spoke again. "You can call me Riza," she said.

Roy smiled at her. "Alright...Riza," he said.

Azeala giggled and hugged Haku tighter to herself. "They're like dorky teenagers on their first date," she giggled, not realizing that she had cut off the air supply to the dragon's lungs. Haku coughed and spluttered, and Azeala let him go.

"Please stop attempting to choke me!" he demanded, rubbing his throat and glaring at her. Azeala looked sheepish.

"Sorry, Haku," she said, reaching out to the dragon. Haku slid away from her grasp, though, and Azeala looked hurt, turning away from the dragon to leap into the trees, following above the couple as they walked.

"Azeala!" Haku called, but he didn't get a response. Sighing, Haku looked up mournfully into the trees, but knew better than to chase after his partner. He suddenly felt guilty for sliding away, but it had been a natural reaction, not a desire to keep her form touching him. She had been strangling him half to death just a few moments ago...

Riza and Roy continued to walk together in relative silence, blissfully unaware of the conflict unfolding behind them. Haku drifted along behind them, suddenly saddened by the absense of one whom was currently hiding in the trees, peering down at the goings on below.

Haku drifted slowly lower as they approached the coffee shop, and by the time they walked through the doors, he was trotting along on the ground behind them, his tail dragging on the ground.

Suddenly, a pair of gentle hands reached down from behind and scooped the unsuspecting dragon into a brief but warm embrace, and Azeala placed him on her shoulder. His tail wrapped around her neck and hung down the other shoulder, and Azeala stroked Haku's belly scales as they followed the couple back outside to their table. This elicited a soft hum from the dragon, and almost immediately everyone in the vicinity seemed to relax and become more cheerful.

Azeala smiled at Haku. "Something about a dragon's hum improves the atmosphere of any place," she said softly, still scratching. Haku's hum became louder, and Hayate lifted his head from the floor and looked curiously in the direction of the two. Deciding they were no threat, he lay his head down again and wagged his tail as the two sat down at an empty chair a table away.

Roy and Riza appeared to be having a good time, finally losing some of their stiff formality, and relaxing into the idea of calling each other by name quite quickly. Soon they were laughing and talking quite closely, completely forgetting the time. Slowly, the little place began to empty, and when the owner of the coffee shop approached them and kindly reminded them of the hours they were allowed to sit there, dusk had already fallen. Standing and thanking the owner with a generous tip and a broad smile, Roy offered his arm to Riza.

"Please allow me to escort you back home, Miss Hawkeye," he asked courteously. A small smile tugging at her lips, Riza accepted the proferred arm with a little curtsey.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Mustang. It is most kind and generous of you to do so," she responded. Roy winked.

"Anything for a beautiful woman such as yourself," he said, linking his fingers with hers. Riza blinked at him, mildly startled, and Roy chuckled, but said nothing more.

They were almost to Riza's apartment when it started to rain. This was no light drizzle, either; this was a torrential downpour that soaked everything in seconds, including Roy and Riza.

They attempted to hurry, but Riza's high-heeled shoes prevented her from moving very quickly. Finally, fed up with the progress, Roy told her, "Take off your shoes."

Riza looked at him, startled. "What?"

"Just do it," Roy said impatiently. Hesitating only a moment longer, Riza did as she was told.

Roy swept her up into his arms and carried her bridal style through the streets, with Black Hayate trailing along behind. Riza, taken completely off guard, struggled in Roy's arms, but to no avail. "Mustang! Put me down!" she demanded.

Roy raised an eyebrow at her. "Why? With your shoes you'll only slow us down. And if I really am that repulsive to you that you cannot stand another second being in my arms, then I do sincerely apologize, but I would not want you to ruin your shoes any more or get your feet wet."

"What's wrong with getting your feet wet?" Azeala asked, splashing in puddles behind them. Haku was crouched as close to her neck as possible, hiding under her dark hair.

"What's wrong is the people who get wet when you hit them with the water!" he exclaimed, shaking his snout as water droplets hit it.

Azeala simply laughed and turned her face to the sky. "There's nothing wrong with a little rain, Haku," she said. "It's cleansing for the soul."

Haku decided now was not the time to debate Azeala's reasonings, so he kept his snout shut and buried his face into her hair. Chuckling, Azeala stood in the rain a moment longer before following the humans inside.

"Unless you want to catch hypothermia, I suggest you wait until the rain is finished before you leave," Riza suggested, placing a mug of hot chocolate in front of Mustang, who had thrown a towel around his shoulders, given to him by Riza.

Riza herself had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a camisole, and when she turned her back on him, Roy was able to see the top edge of the ornate tattoo on her back, now ruined by the flames that his hands had created.

Even though the burns were long healed, it still sent a dagger through Roy's heart to see the damage he had wrought to the woman he was in love with. He wanted to take her into his arms and apologize a thousand times over for ever agreeing to hurt her, but he knew he didn't yet have the right.

Riza was looking at him over the rim of her mug. "Something wrong, Roy?" she asked. The sound of his name coming off of her lips so sweetly sent shivers down his spine, but Roy kept himself in check and merely shook his head.

"Sorry. I was just thinking," he said. Riza continued to look at him for a moment longer before seeming to accept his reasoning, and settled back in her chair, closing her eyes.

This surprised Roy somewhat, as he could never truly remember Riza ever seeming so relaxed in his presence before. Of course, that was probably because they had never spent any time together other than on the job, and Riza took her work very seriously. It was a pleasant change, however, to see her so at ease. He wondered to himself if she was still afraid of the shadows that Pride had once haunted, but it had been at least a year since the incident, and Riza had shown no signs of fear, even to his sharp eyes. In an odd way he was disappointed; he could tell he was searching for an excuse to hold her in his arms.

Azeala sighed and made as if to stand up, but a shake of Haku's head stopped her.

"He's waiting for the right moment," the dragon whispered. "And if I were he, I'd make my move as she got up to wash off the mugs."

Azeala paused and thought about that. "If I were she, I think I'd be surprised by that move," she answered softly. "But if the man was gentle enough, I'd be all right with it, I think."

Haku nestled closer to her neck, and Azeala stroked his scales, closing her eyes, feeling herself becoming drowsy, though technically she didn't need to sleep.

"Lemme know how it works out," she whispered, yawning widely and curling up into the couch she was sitting on. Haku nodded, and when it appeared she had fallen asleep, began to gently stroke her hair with his tail.

A comfortable silence fell amongst the gathering, and dispite Mustang's internal turmoil, it was relatively peaceful. The rain, showing no signs of letting up, drummed steadily on the roof, and the room was dimly lit by candles, as the power had been out when they had arrived. The relative dark allowed Mustang to observe Riza more closely than he usually felt comofrtable doing, and though Riza noticed, she said nothing, merely smiling to herself behind her mug as she drank the last of the hot chocolate.

Haku tensed, then, remembering Azeala was asleep, forced himself to relax again as Riza stood and cleared the mugs from the table, taking them over to the sink and beginning to wash them.

Roy felt his breath catch slightly. Here was his chance. It was possibly the only opportunity he would get to show the woman in front of him how he truly felt, how much he needed her by his side. She had said once that she could not live without him, and that when his corpse went out of the world, hers was going with it. He had always wondered afterward if that had been a hint at her true feelings instead of a declaration of loyalty, and now, he would finaly be able to find out.

Quietly, he rose from his chair, his shoeless feet making no noise on the padded carpet, and suddenly he was standing behind her.

Riza sensed him, and placed the mugs in the sink, but made no other move. She was waiting to see what he would do.

Gently, as though she were made of glass, Roy pushed Riza's hair over her shoulder, so he could see the top of the tattoo more clearly. The burns had done their job; there would never be another Flame Alchemist using this knowledge.

As he touched the burn scars, Riza tensed, but Roy simply traced them with his fingers, almost too overcome with emotion to speak.

"How could I ever have hurt you?" he murmured, horrified with himself because of what he had done. He leaned down and kissed along the edge of her camisole, on the tattoo and the burns. Riza turned suddenly, eyes wide.

"Don't go somewhere I don't want to," she said, looking panicked.

Roy was instantly ashamed. "I...I'm sorry," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I just can't do anything without hurting you somehow. Why do you put up with it?"

Riza stared at him in wonderment. "Hurting me?" she echoed. "Every hurt I have suffered has been under my own decision, my own willpower. I knew the risks, and I followed you anyway because it is my job to protect you, even at the cost of my life. I was the one who told you to burn the tattoo on my back. I wanted you to do it. You can't possibly blame yourself for all of the things I've been through, Roy."

Riza's eyes sparked with passion, and Roy found himself wondering how he had ever fallen in with such a perfect woman.

"I love you," he murmured, and took her face in his hands to kiss her.

Haku could almost feel the connection as their lips touched. It surprised him that by simply two people being together, they could help make the flow of the world a little better.

He nudged Azeala awake. "Come on, you," he said to her. "We should leave these two alone."

Azeala awoke slowly, and smiled at seeing the two together. She nodded sleepily, and Haku gently nudged her out the door and into the street.

Azeala held her arms out to Haku, and this time, the dragon flew right into them.

Azeala hugged him warmly, and whispered, "I'm sorry for trying to choke you today."

Haku flicked his tail in dismissal. "Think nothing of it," he said. "I'm a bit harder to kill than that, you know."

Azeala nodded and giggled. "I know," she said, setting off down the street, twirling slowly. "I just felt I had to apologize, because I overreacted, and I shouldn't have. So, I'm sorry."

Haku hummed deep in his throat. "Like I said, don't worry about it, dear."

Azeala blinked and shot a surprised look at Haku before smiling more widely. "Thanks, Haku," she said.

Together they jumped onto a rooftop and stared out across the land. The rain had let up, but Haku suspected that Roy Mustang wouldn't be leaving Riza for a while.

"Alrighty, we've got one more to go in this dimension," Azeala said, cracking her knuckles. "We've got some travelling to do, Hak."

The dragon cocked a quizzical eyebrow at her. "Why? Where are we going?" he asked.

"To the East!" Azeala answered, grinning. "We've got a date with the Emperor of Xing."