*bulletin board*
That's it, the last chapter. I suggest you (if you're interested) to read the other fic related to this one(whenever I'm posting it), if you'd like to see the big picture :)Anyway, it has been a pleasure, thanks for reading my words and read-you-soon.Yuki 08 EverlovingThe sky is clear and sunny, bright sun floods on the ground under Roy's feet, a gentle breeze caresses the earth and moves gently through the blades of grass.
A wall of officers silently stands along the path in the graveyard, on a flowered, pretty hill.
They wear the mourning uniform, a black band encircles their chest and a serious expression weight on their contrite faces .
Today, in fact, former Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes' funeral will be held.
What a lucky man, indeed, he had promoted to Brigadier General for the occasion...
When the internment takes place, his lovely daughter, Elicya, begins to cry .
Because - you see - if those men are pulling her Daddy down in the earth, how will he go to work tomorrow?
While her still mother softly sobs she keeps crying and crying, loudly.
All around her a bunch of big men can't gather up the courage to look up to her and play the "big-adults" charade in which they omnisciently and politely explain her that his father is dead and so, sadly, he will never return.
In a shady corner, far from being unnoticed, Major Armstrong cries uncontrollably, too.
The ceremony ends rather quickly, the group begin to dwindle as people offer the most sincere condolences to the poor hero's wife.
She is perfect, as usual, flawless and immobile, the right amount of grieving in her eyes above her shoulder so no one will feel guilty about being still alive.
Honestly, Roy has never really hated Glacier; in fact he respects her very much.
He even admires her, secretly, for an interesting number of screwed up reasons, including the absurd one in which, at least, she can grieve for the man she loved.
Roy Mustang, instead, immobile in front of the polished tombstone, can't do that.
He gazes absent-mindedly at the shiny letters of a name he used to care of and his lips are sewed in a tight, motionless grip.
In his mind a stream of spiteful words fill his grief but his throbbing heart can't seem to forget, even now…And suddenly Roy Mustang desires to die, too, not only because he can't hug his Maes anymore, but also because his friend has been erased from existence.
Behind him, Riza Hawkeye awaits, apprehensively watching the lonely figure of the Colonel while he silently let the tears pour down his cheeks.
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Roy realized he has to go on so that their years of sacrifices won't go wasted.
He wants to find out and punish who killed his precious subordinate, and he will.
Luckily, his revenge and his plan to overcome everything and gain power run on the same direction.
He'll go on, until the very end, with his shiny coldness and his self-confidence, for Maes, for the warmth they shared, for the family he left, for all the injustices they had to bear.
Maes got killed because of their master plan, because of his loyalty and his firmness, and Roy will betray his friends' sacrifice.
He's watching over his wife in the distance, fearing other aggressions: strange hands are moving in the shadows and the woman, with her child, is not in a safe position.
So Roy thinks, and at the same he feels sorry, guilty even.
He doesn't know if one day he will be able to tell her the truth openly, probably not, and he blames himself for being such an hypocrite. He took something away from her, long time ago, but now that everything is gone into pieces, the two of them stand in the same line, united, against all odds
Meanwhile, silently, Roy will take care of the much greater business he's been preparing himself for all these years. Now, the time has come and the culprits will pay.
Things got really complicated; however Roy's a clever man and he has already noticed that his faithful Armstrong is being watched.
The ingenious, noisy man, had him understand it by limiting abruptly his friendly manners and visits, glancing hard at him whenever he's not free to talk, cutting their dialogues suddenly in front of the big sharks, just to trick them.
Behind the scenes, supported by hidden followers and closest friends, Roy started to clear his mind over the situation.
Ishbar onslaught, laboratory no. 5, Maes' death…these are all effects of putrid tentacles operating in the dark, led by the will of the very upper levels of the Army: everything is connected in a framework that is undoubtedly clear, complex and scary .
Now, while they're waiting nervously in Roy's office, Hawkeye picks up the ringing phone.
She briefly nods and hums, then:
- The tiger moved.- she says to Roy under her breath .
Once in the Supreme Commander's office, Roy obtains to be sent to Reole along with Armstrong and the Archer, that fanatic bastard.
Armstrong glances at Roy sideways. This time they really have to operate smoothly.
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Edward made Roy angry again, maybe for the millionth time.
Hawkeye says that the Colonel tends to lose his coolness when it comes to the miniature-sized Alchimist…and probably she's right.
Well, Roy groans, it could be easier if only the dwarf wasn't so persistent in his disobedience.
The permanent-war state seems not to bother the boy and Roy doesn't want to restrain him but he's beginning to get out of control, acting only according to his will.
Roy really wants to preserve him and his brother from possible dangerous repercussions and outside Archer's office, meeting his subordinate, he looks at him furiously and thunders:
- I thought we had a deal. –
The boy chuckles and Roy feels his patience flowing away: he plans to do as he wishes, as always.
The thing is Edward didn't send any report in a long time and Roy was already figuring out the way to pass the boy some important information and updating.
Maybe Roy wanted to tell the boy that Maes died, maybe he wanted to show him the delicate framework he built with his racy mind.
But the boy has hostile eyes and looks at him with suspicion.
This annoys Roy.
This attitude is something bothersome.
Stubborn, proud, doubtful and probably thinking about Roy as an enemy to defeat.
But the worst part is that Fullmetal and his brother have no place in the current situation and a terrible sensation builds up in Roy.
And, again, that's the breaking point: how can Roy watch over the boys if they're so mistrusting and uncontrollable?
How can Roy shout to the Army that while projecting his own coupe d'état he's protecting two brothers, searching for the philosopher's stone to repair the damages of a failed human transmutation?
Clearly, the situation and its balances are ridiculously faint.
Damn, if only Edward Elric was a little more predictable!
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Roy awoke all at once, a confused mass of memories before his eyes .
Bradley…the skull…his flames everywhere…the sudden shot…Riza calling him in tears, distant and far, far away...
In the cool and pleasant shade of the room, finally some awareness climbed up to his conscience.
He…he had it made.
His impossible plan had come true.
He had overthrown the power of that hideous homunculus, he killed him and erased forever from this world.
Yes, he had it made, he had killed Maes's assassins.
Maes.
Escaping from the heavy network of its rationality, the memory of the dead man bitter-sweetly spread above him.
He had obtained his revenge…
Roy slowly raised an arm and discovered a bandage partially covering the left side of his face…a fairly low price for what he had achieved .
Suddenly, a dull feeling of inertia replaced the initial enthusiasm and the joy of the winner fell from his heart.
What was he meant to do, now, that he had his aims fulfilled?
What was he supposed to think if, honestly, he had hoped to die in the extent of reaching his goals?
A grotesque, surreal thought in which he had never lingered too much displayed in front of him.
And, unexpectedly, all the things together weighed on him unbearably.
The fact was – alas, truth is always too hard to bear – he had once accepted the iniquity of the Equivalent Exchange but he had never really thought about it.
Now that unfairness was crystal clear
He had accepted to be devoted to his own cause, his will never faltered, but he never really cared about the fact that one day he'd feel the price to pay on his skin.
For he had dared scarring his very soul, from the inside.
Now, he didn't know what to…be.
Roy laughed hysterically, thinking about all the sorrow and the pain, thinking about the sacrifices and the sacrificed ones, thinking about his own youth buried under a huge pile of events, people, lost and found…
In that moment, Riza came in, a tray in her hands, Black Hayate shuffling right behind her.
After a light lunch and some spare words, the faithful Riza started to update Roy and the incredulous man got to know about his new condition of General, about the fall of the government and the birth of the democracy, led by a righteous Parliament.
Meanwhile, Riza said, Alfonse Elric was back and safe, currently at home with a normal human body but, unfortunately, no one seemed to know where Edward had gone.
When Riza left the General, Roy remained in the bed wide-eyed for a lot of time.
After all, also Fullmetal had it made.
He had succeeded with a complete human transmutation.
The scientific objectivity of the Flame Alchemist flickered and rejoiced: the boy had been stunning, incredible, brilliant…and scary at the same time.
He was gone too, probably dead.
Roy felt sick. This was the umpteenth unrighteous debt life had to pay to death.
He sighed, slowly.
How was he meant to survive, now?
He had no idea and hoped hard, all night long, that all he had seen and felt up until now was only a treacherous, horrendous nightmare he was about to wake up from.
_the end