December 28, 1904

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Sergeant Major Roy Mustang: 19 years old
Sergeant Elizabeth Hawkeye: 18 years old
Private Maro Otori: 17 years old
Corporal Edwin Hawkeye: Died 18 years old, 1904

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Two weeks later –with little attention paid to the Christmas holiday- the last of Corporal Edwin Hawkeye's affairs had been set in order and Riza was standing by his grave at the end of a long, miserable concession in a formal black funeral dress and veil of a sort she had worn far too many times. This one, however, was new and hardly a funeral dress at all. It was a black maternity dress and only served to remind her of the fatherless child in her womb- the child she had no hopes of being able to either care for or support.

"Are you ready to go home yet, Rize?" asked Maro gently as the rest of the crowd began to disperse.

"No… not just yet…"

"I'll wait with you then, shall I?"

"Don't let me keep you from your work, Maro. My brother can drive me home," she nodded over at the black-clad blonde man standing a little ways off, head down in silent suffering. A small frown passed over her face as she remembered what good friends the two of them had been.

"Please," said Maro, "I want to stay with you."

"No… thank you, but no."

Maro gave her friend a quick hug and left obligingly, not before reminding her that she could call at any time…

"Ms Hawkeye, I came as soon as I heard."

The voice was soft and choked with emotion but Riza recognised it immediately. "Sergeant Major…?"

"Your brother called me," Roy explained. "Why did you never tell me that you were married- why, even when you lost him, didn't you feel you could trust me with that? I would have tried to help."

"I'm sorry," Riza whispered, a hand straying to her swollen belly.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, sir, there is not."

"May I stay with you?"

Riza looked up in surprise.

"Misery loves company," was his only explanation.

"Thank you, sir."

-

"She met Hawkeye in the military academy," Erich Grumman later explained to Roy, over a cup of coffee that had long since turned cold. "They married a few months after graduation, when it became apparent that she was pregnant."

"It was only two months, but I feel like I've missed out on so much of her life," Roy admitted.

"You're not the only one," said Erich. "No one could ever keep up with my little sister… Hawkeye tried… he went on that mission as an expendable- he didn't need to go but he wanted to- to prove his worth to the military… and he wanted the promotion that would make him her equal."

"She blames herself?"

"Of course," said Erich, taking a sip of his coffee absently and wincing at the cold and bitter taste.

"Poor fool…"

"Don't I know it."

"Do you know what she plans to do about her child?"

"All I know is that she means to return home to live with father- maybe start school again. A proper academic school, I mean- not the academy. I don't think she wants anything to do with it."

"With the possible uprising in Ishbal, that is probably safest for her anyway," said Roy, outwardly thoughtful, but secretly relieved.

"What about you?" asked Erich. "You aren't going to die on her, are you?"

"I don't care much for guns and swords… I want to continue my past alchemic studies with her father."

"You just want to be nearby," said Erich in a sort of half-hearted teasing way.

Roy didn't bother to deny it, just bowed his head sadly, "I don't want anyone to hurt her like that again."

"You're a good man, Sergeant Major."

"And you're a good brother," said Roy, standing and placing a couple of cenz on the table for his drink. "I hope we meet again some day."

"I'm sure we will," said Erich, also standing and holding out his hand to the military man, who shook it firmly. "Take care of my sister."

"Always."