DISCLAMER: I own nothing other than the fanfiction itself

WARNING: There's a good bit of swearing in this chapter – Knox has very colorful language :p

A/N: This is a continuation of the last chapter. Enjoy :)

Chapter Four: Assumptions

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Knox thundered as Roy stepped through the threshold of the abandoned house. "Are you kidding me?" The doctor gestured towards Riza, whom he had been preparing to bandage just before he called Roy in. Riza was sitting upon a wooden table, her torso covered only by a black sports bra. Already, her side had begun to turn a nasty shade of purple and blue just below the hem of the elastic. She gave Roy an apologetic look before turning back to Knox.

"I was trying to tell you -"

"Can it, Missy." Knox growled, glaring at Roy. "I want Mustang here to explain himself." Faced with such a high level of stress, Knox couldn't get his new cigarette lit fast enough. He inhaled the fumes, finding that even they didn't help. His eyes narrowed at Roy. "Now, would you kindly tell me why the fuck your transmutation circle is on her back?" He scoffed. "And you had the balls to call Kimblee a sicko." He said incredulously as he crossed his arms over his chest

"Now wait a second, Knox. You don't know what you're talking about." Roy began as he walked over to Riza.

"Oh, God, the rumors are true, aren't they?" Knox asked disgustedly, but seemed to think better of it. "No – I don't want to know." Taking another long drag from his cigarette, he frowned. "Just tell me one thing, Mustang. I want to know why."

"I didn't put it on her -"

"Bullshit."

"Damn it, Knox, would you just listen?" Roy snapped. He narrowed his obsidian eyes, determined to get his word in edgewise. Knox waved his hand dismissively, and Roy went on. "Cadet Hawkeye's father was my alchemy teacher." It was best to just tell him everything now instead of letting him infer false information. Besides, Knox was a man they could trust – if any other medic saw Riza's tattoo, things could turn bad for them very fast. Yes, it was best if he knew everything.

-x-x-x-

Knox leaned back against the wall, taking a long drag from his third cigarette. With his free hand, he reached up to rub his temples. "If I knew you were going to tell me your life story, I would have just told you to shut up when I had the chance."

"Does this mean you believe us?" Riza asked from her spot atop the wooden table.

"It doesn't matter if I believe you or not – I'd rather believe your story than anything else people might come up with." Knox pointed out.

"I don't think I need to tell you to keep quiet, do I, Knox?" Roy inquired, though his words seemed more like a threat.

"Relax, Mustang. I'm not going to tell anyone. There's no one here I like well enough to tell." Knox exhaled smoke into the air, a frown upon his lips. "But this isn't part of my job – I cut up corpses, not live people." He stood up, walking over to Riza. "I get why you don't want a medic as her doctor, but this isn't in my job description."

"You owe me." Roy hadn't wanted to pull this card, but it seemed like he didn't have a choice. He had saved Knox' life when an Ishbalan tried to ambush them; Roy would have simply let the matter go if it hadn't been necessary to bring it up now.

Knox scowled, dropping the butt of his cigarette to the floor and extinguishing it with his boot. After a moment's pause, he turned to Roy. "Fine – I'll do it; but this is the last time I ever want to hear you bring that up. We're even now, got it, Mustang?"

"Understood." Roy couldn't help but smirk at this small victory.

Knox scoffed before turning his attention to Riza. "You better not make a habit of getting hurt, you got that, Missy? Otherwise this asshole's going to end up owing me."

"You don't need to worry about that." Riza assured him, resisting the urge to wince as an acute pain shot up her side.

"I'm not worried." Knox stated flatly. "Mustang. You had better head back to camp soon – the brass is going to have your head for starting a fight with Kimblee. I'm sure he's already spread the word about it – both him and that Hughes friend of yours; that man gossips more than my wife."

Roy knew he was right. The upper ranks showed Kimblee unbridled favoritism – something that drove the other State Alchemists crazy. For him to have attacked Kimblee was a bold move and certainly not one that would go unpunished. He turned his eyes to Riza, looking hesitant to leave.

"Settle down, Mustang. She's fine – nothing serious. I'll get her fixed up and send her back to camp. Now go on." Knox' voice showed his impatience and Roy eventually complied. Sticking his gloveless hands in his pockets, he turned, heading out into the desert sun.

-x-x-x-

"Not only did you pull two officers from their duties in camp for your own personal crisis, you attacked and physically injured a comrade of equal rank? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"My apologies, General Hakuro. I wasn't thinking properly." Roy stood at attention, trying his hardest to portray himself as an ideal soldier.

"Clearly." Hakuro narrowed his eyes at Roy across his makeshift desk. He laced his fingers together as he placed his elbows upon the table. "You can't just run around doing whatever you want, Mustang. We have an order to keep here. If you get away with it, we'll lose what control we have here." He shook his head, clearly annoyed. "This isn't the first time I've had someone come here to complain about you. While looking out for your friends is a noble cause, I suggest you stop abusing your rank to do so. You wouldn't want to be demoted."

A frown crossed Roy's lips, and he knew exactly what Hakuro was talking about – it was clear that other soldiers had complained to Hakuro about Roy's shows of favoritism for Riza. The General's threat held not only what it seemed at face-value but also a more subtle threat beneath the surface. If Roy continued to favor Riza so blatantly, there could be cause to investigate on the grounds of a possible violation of the fraternization laws. While there was far less control and respect for the rules on the battlefield, if a higher-ranking officer directed a soldier back onto the more legal path, they had better abide.

"Yes, Sir, I understand." Roy said with a nod.

"Dismissed." Hakuro waved his hand, not even bothering to give Roy a salute.

Roy turned and walked out of the tent, heading out into the camp. A quick look around showed Riza sitting beside one of the campfires as she took her lunch from one of the officers who cooked that day. Roy walked over to her, sitting down beside her and declining the food that was offered to him. "How are you feeling?" Roy asked her, a slight frown upon his lips.

"I'm okay. Doctor Knox says I only cracked one of my ribs, so I should be fine in just a couple of days." Riza informed him as she ate her lunch. "He says I'm lucky. Apparently, he could have been a lot worse. He recommended that I don't make a habit out of jumping out of windows." She turned her head to look at him. "I saw you in General Hakuro's tent. What did he say?"

"He told me that, if I keep abusing my power, I'll be demoted." Roy frowned. "Apparently I'm not as well-liked here as I thought I was."

"None of us are. When you're in a war, you inevitably end up hating almost everyone around you."

"You're catching on." Kimblee's voice came from Riza's left, and both she and Roy turned their heads to see him approaching them. Roy scowled, but he resisted the urge to stand up and finish what he started earlier. Kimblee took a seat across from them, ignoring Roy as he turned his attention to Riza. "I'm glad to see you're alright. I never got a chance to see if you were okay before Doctor Marcoh called me back to camp. I didn't mean to hit the tower you were in – it was just a matter of circumstance. Had I known, I would have tried to aim somewhere else." The grin on his face and his concerned tone of voice were so fake that it was an insult to a genuine apology.

Riza, not wanting to stir the waters, simply nodded. "I'll be fine." She informed him, happy that Roy was nearby. Even if he had just been reprimanded and was incapable of doing anything at the present moment, it was better than being alone with Kimblee.

"Good." Kimblee smiled, and it looked unnatural on his lips. The man stood and walked across the circle, patting Riza lightly on the shoulder as he passed. "Be sure you rest up." He advised as he walked off, not bothering to look back at them.

Riza cringed at his touch, her eyes dropping to the ground for a brief moment. When she looked up, she saw Roy glaring after Kimblee's retreating form with undisguised hatred. "That bastard." He growled.

"He's just trying to get to you." Riza informed him.

"Yeah – through you. I would have kicked his ass for that if Hakuro didn't just yell at me for doing it in the first place." Roy turned back, looking at Riza. "He's screwing with you because he knows he can get to me, and it's putting you in a bad position."

"I can handle it. Really – don't worry about it." Riza tried to assure him, though she wasn't even capable of convincing herself of this fact.

"If this war doesn't kill him, I will as soon as the order to retreat is given." Roy swore, clenching his fist as he rested it on his knee.

A/N: Rate and review! :)

Up Next:

Chapter Five: Nightmares