DISCLAMER: I own nothing other than the fanfiction itself

A/N: I am sorry this chapter has taken so long for me to write. In between finals and projects, my next few chapters will be a bit sporadic. Just bear with me – I promise it will be worth it.

Chapter Six: Warped Perspectives

The Ishbalan capitol had put up a strong resistance, but even it had to fall when faced with the overwhelming oppression of the Amestrian military. Under orders from the Fuhrer, relentless genocide had once more been carried out, turning a city full of life into a ghost town whose streets were littered with blood and bodies. Evidently, someone saw this as a grand success, and permission was given throughout the camps for soldiers to take the night to celebrate if they so chose. While it remained unspoken, it was clear that the higher-ups would be turning a blind eye to whatever might transpire that evening. Understandably, most of the soldiers were thrilled about the privilege of indulging in things normally forbidden by the strict military rules.

Riza, however, was not so excited.

"Come on, Riza. Have a little fun for once in your life. All you've done for weeks is sit around and mope. You're going to freeze that way if you don't get up and move. Now, come on; there's a party going on outside, and you're coming with me, whether you want to or not." Rebecca implored as she looked down at her friend, both her lip and her right hip jutting out slightly out of habit from trying to get what she wanted. "Half the guys in camp are total creeps, and there's no way I'm going out there alone."

Riza sighed, looking up at her friend from her spot on her pallet. "I already told you I don't want to go. Celebrating like this is sick and twisted."

"Just because everyone else doesn't want to sit around and mope, that makes them twisted? Gee, thanks, Riza." Rebecca rolled her eyes and scoffed indignantly as she crossed her arms.

Riza couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for Rebecca. She, like so many others in camp, was trying to live in a perpetual state of denial. It was clear to Riza that this celebration was to simply reinforce the idea that killing thousands of innocent people was actually a good thing; however, it seemed as though she was the only one who could see this fact. "You know I didn't mean it like that." She frowned, knowing that Rebecca would hold it over her head for ages unless she complied. "Fine, I'll go with you, but I'm not staying any longer than an hour."

Rebecca beamed as she reached down, grabbing Riza's hands and helping her to her feet. "Great – an hour it is, then!" She hardly gave Riza enough time to pull on her boots before leading her out of the tent.

Apparently, some of the soldiers had taken the time to loot a few of the homes within the capitol, and there was an ample supply of alcohol circulating around the center of camp where everyone had gathered. It made Riza sick to think that people could have the gall to steal from those they murdered in cold blood, and she turned down everything that was offered to her. It seemed that the other soldiers were more willing to accept her now that they were in good spirits, even if it was only temporary.

As she took a seat on one of the makeshift chairs, her eyes scanned the group of people in search of a familiar face. Eventually, she was able to catch a glimpse of Maes, but Roy was nowhere to be found. Rebecca, who had taken a seat next to her, tried to follow her gaze but couldn't see who or what Riza was looking for. It wasn't long before Rebecca saw someone approach Riza from the side, and she automatically assumed that was who Riza had been looking for.

"Do either of you ladies want a drink?"

Riza looked up at Kimblee's smiling face with undisguised disdain. "I don't drink." She stated flatly, a frown upon her lips.

"I'll take one." Rebecca returned Kimblee's smile as she took the bottle he offered her. "I don't think we've met."

"I'm State Alchemist Solf J. Kimbee. And you are?" Kimblee inquired as he helped himself to a nearby seat.

"Cadet Rebecca Catalina."

Riza stifled a groan, thoroughly annoyed. It wasn't as though she could blatantly tell Rebecca what type of man Kimblee was while he was sitting right there. She supposed it was partially her fault for not telling Rebecca about him earlier.

"Riza?" Rebecca's voice interrupted her train of thought, and Riza realized she had been gazing off into space.

Riza blinked her eyes and lifted her chin out of her hand. "What?"

"Major Kimblee was just asking you about how your side has been feeling."

Resisting the urge to scowl, Riza looked over at Kimblee, a frown upon her lips. "Just fine." Her voice was sharp, bordering on a snap.

Taking her attitude in stride, Kimblee only smiled. "That's good to hear. I saw your work on the battlefield today; it seems not to have affected your aim." The left corner of his mouth curled upwards slightly – an imperceptible change to anyone not looking for it.

The movement didn't escape Riza's trained eyes, and the message was all too clear: I'm not complimenting you; I'm making it clear that I've been watching you. Riza tried to ignore the chill that ran up her spine as her instincts told her to get as far away from Kimblee as humanly possible.

"You two fought together?" Rebecca asked, looking between the two of them.

"Oh, yes. Cadet Hawkeye here has made an excellent impression upon the senior staff. She's been placed on several elite squadrons along with me and several other State Alchemists. It's highly impressive." Kimblee commented, smiling at Riza in a manner she knew to be fake.

Rebecca, however, was falling for his act and blindly accepting his façade. She was oblivious to Riza's present discomfort, and Riza didn't quite know how to handle the situation at hand. She knew that ignoring Kimblee was getting her nowhere, and she was beginning to suspect that he wasn't just bothering her to get to Roy; if that were the case, he would have no reason to torment her now, when Roy was nowhere to be found. No, she suspected he was enjoying his ability to make her squirm, and Riza was now aware that she was a target at any time.

Riza could hear footsteps moving over the sand towards them, and she looked up to see Maes approaching them. By this time, one of the soldiers had taken out a guitar that Riza assumed had also been taken from a home in the capitol, and the clearing had begun to fill with music. When Maes reached them, he smiled down at Riza and offered her his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He inquired, looking down at her through his glasses.

While she normally would have turned him down – dancing wasn't her cup of tea – Riza was thrilled to have any excuse to get away from Kimblee. "Sure." She agreed, placing her hand in his and letting him help her to her feet. She knew Rebecca could handle herself, and she didn't regret her decision as they walked away from Kimblee. "Thank you." She said, looking up at Maes with sincere gratitude.

"No problem." Maes grinned. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you away from that creep sooner." He cast a glance back over his shoulder. "Will your friend be okay?"

"She's fine. Rebecca wouldn't think twice about messing someone up if she felt threatened." By the time Riza looked back, Kimblee was excusing himself from Rebecca's presence. She couldn't help but feel a little relieved that she wasn't leaving Rebecca alone with him, but she was aware that her best friend was going to be annoyed and would probably confront her later about all the (apparent) attention she was receiving.

"He really is out to get you." Maes muttered darkly as he began to dance with her, aware that Kimblee was probably still watching.

"Tell me about it." Riza said with a frown. "I always feel like he's watching me. I don't understand."

"It doesn't matter why he's doing it – just watch your back. I don't trust him as far as I could throw him." Maes looked down at her. "Roy told me what happened when you fell from that tower; I don't think it was an accident like Kimblee claims."

"I know it wasn't. He keeps feigning sympathy for me."

"I can't tell if he's trying to hurt you or if he's just toying with you."

"Does it matter?" Riza pointed out, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Good point." Maes took a moment to scan the crowd as he and Riza moved to the music. "I don't see him. It's freaky when I don't know where he is."

"Welcome to my life." Riza muttered as her eyes scanned the crowd for a different reason. "Do you know where Major Mustang is?"

Maes held back a chuckle. He should have known Riza would have preferred to spend time with his friend rather than himself. He didn't blame her – he would rather be dancing with Gracia than Riza, after all. "He's probably still in his tent. I tried to get him to leave, but he just wanted to mope around." There was no further sign of Kimblee, and Maes assumed it was safe to move away from Riza by the time the music ended.

"I think I'll go find him." Riza informed Maes, stepping back from him.

"Fine by me." Maes said with a shrug. "Just don't let your friend see you – I think she's jealous enough as it is." He let out a chuckle, shaking his head. He moved to walk away from her, but stopped as a thought occurred to him. "Oh, and Riza? Make sure Roy isn't drinking anything. He gets dark when he drinks." He seemed to be speaking from experience, and Riza wasn't about to question him.

"Right." Riza said with a nod, "And thanks again." With that, she turned and walked away from the center of camp, unsure whether or not an hour had passed since her arrival.

Maes shook his head, sticking his hands in his pockets as he walked off to take a seat by one of the fires. If there was one thing more warped than the perspectives of war, it was the people, and even he was no exception.

A/N: Yeah, I know Roy didn't show his face in this chapter, but he just needed to sit this one out for everything to work the way I wanted it to. Such is life. :p

Rate and review! :)

Up Next:

Chapter Seven: Promises