DISCLAIMER - see chapter one
"Three weeks Havoc, tell me you have something!" Roy said as he entered the office that morning, Havoc just putting the receiver of the phone down as the door opened. Havoc was on his feet in an instant,
"They were in Farah just two days ago! They can't be far!" Havoc said as Roy closed the door, his face lighting up at the news,
"And Riza?" he demanded,
"Definitely with them Sir." Havoc replied, watching Roy head to his office with a new vigour that he hadn't had in days, smiling in relief as he put a cigarette in his mouth, chewing the butt as Roy returned with a map and a smirk, spreading the map on Havoc's unusually clear desk.
"Alright…there are five towns around Farah, Lior, Sojak, Milla, Kitka and Garrone. Send a party to each of these towns, have them search the surrounding areas and ask the townspeople if they have had visitors or seen a group of travellers passing by." Roy ordered as he pointed out the towns on the map, Havoc already dialling on the phone.
"What was that town we passed?" Riza asked, finding herself once again riding the cart beside Blaine, who held the reins of the horse securely. She had noticed she spent most of her time in Blaine's company, and the eyes of the others were always on her, especially Jinto. Selares and Marto were also making subtle hints about her settling down with them, forgetting about her former life, and their children had taken to calling her Auntie Riza as they referred to Blaine as Uncle.
"It was Lior." Blaine replied as their troupe continued on their way, their goal being to head into the mountains and find a path into Youswell. The old mining town always gave them a warm welcome and were more than happy to give what little they could for their entertainment. Lior…I know that name…she thought, Blaine giving her a wary look,
"Riza?" he asked as she closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead,
"I know that name…" She replied, Blaine's hand on her shoulder,
"Just forget about it okay?" He said. That was another thing he had been saying lately, instead of his comforting 'it will all come back to you' assurances he had started to tell her to forget about it when she began to remember something, but she didn't, she kept hold of every name and image she thought she knew, going over them at night when she was alone, often sneaking off with Hayate to sit in the fields or beneath a tree or on a rock away from the camp, looking up at the sky and trying to remember. She fell silent and looked away from Blaine, her patience with him growing thin. Ahead of their cart Jinto was steering another cart, often looking back at the pair behind him, his brow creasing as he noticed their positions, Riza sitting one end of the bench looking away from Blaine while Blaine steered from his place to her right. The weather was grey, they all wore cloaks over their cloths and there were sheets over the carts to keep everything dry, and as she felt a drop of rain Riza pulled her hood up, keeping herself facing away from Blaine.
"We'll make camp in those trees!" Jinto's voice called on the wind, Blaine shouting the message back as they slowed, pulling over beside Jinto, the other carts slowly making their way onto the damp grass, people quickly going about setting up their tents, "Riza, why don't you help Blaine with his family's tent?" Jinto suggested kindly as Riza headed over to Selares's family to help them set up their tent,
"I'd rather help Marto." She replied curtly as she turned and walked away, Selares and Marto sharing concerned glances as she approached and lifted Chicho down from the cart, Hayate at her heels all the time, though he took his eyes off her when Chicho and Avon began petting him affectionately, Blaine watching from the back of his cart, where his brother and his wife were climbing down to set up their tent,
"Brother, why don't you go and help Marto?" Claine, his older brother, suggested, Blaine shaking his head at his longhaired brother, who was larger in build than he was and a little taller too.
"I don't think that would be such a good idea at the moment." He replied as he pulled the sheet away. He knew his brother was eager for him to find a woman and get a tent of his own, it could be awkward living together sometimes, especially with Maya there, she was his wife, but Blaine had also been a prospective mate for her, and he did think she was beautiful, or he had before he met Riza. She was so different, her long blonde hair, her hazel eyes, her curvy figure, her soft skin…her unpredictable temper.
"Brother…Amestris to Blaine, come in please." Claine teased as Blaine stared at Riza with his eyes glazed over, a dopey smile on his face, which disappeared quickly as he came back to himself,
"What?" he asked absently as he continued unloading their tent, Claine sighing and shaking his head as Maya laughed.
"Riza, what are you doing out here child? Blaine has been looking for you everywhere." Jinto said as he walked into the little private place she had found between a tree and a bush, where she sat leaning her back on the tree, Hayate sitting contentedly beside her as she stroked his fur,
"I came out here to be by myself." She replied as Jinto sat down and crossed his legs facing her, Hayate looking up briefly before settling down again. Jinto frowned as he examined Riza's face, she had obviously been thinking hard about something, and this wasn't the first time he had noticed her missing from the camp at night,
"What do you do out here?" he asked, Riza looking up at him and seeing his suspicious look,
"You already know what I do." She replied, Jinto looking disappointed as he sighed and nodded,
"I suspected. You think and try to remember…why Riza? Are you not happy with us? With Blaine?" he asked, Riza looked a little guilty, but still determined as she looked up at him, her hazel eyes almost angry,
"Living with you is nice, I could be very happy here, but I want to remember who I am and where I come from. I could have someone important waiting for me…" she replied as she looked away, in fact I feel…I feel I do…she added inwardly, "There is so much I need and want to know, like why my chest clenches whenever the Ishbal war is mentioned, why I think about the blue uniforms of the military more than anything else, why I walk past hunting shops and find my eyes stopped on guns! We both know I don't belong here…surely I should find where I belong and go home." She argued, Jinto sighing, for once sounding like a tired old man,
"You can call this your home, we would be more than happy to have you…you know our situation." He added, Riza nodding in reply,
"Yes…and if you want to stop it then perhaps it is time you found a town and settled down." She replied, Jinto seeming offended at the very suggestion,
"We are proud to be travellers! It is how we live! How we love to live!" he replied passionately, "We would not last in a town…it is not our way…you will understand one day." he added more calmly as he got to his feet, "I cannot force you to stop doing this…I just hope you will one day." he said as he headed back to camp,
"Not for as long as I live." She replied to herself as she clenched her fist.
"We missed them again." Roy observed as they walked around Lior, which is the town they were last seen passing by, heading into the mountains a day ago, but the mountains were too dangerous for people who didn't know them, the only fortune they had was knowing that the only place on the other side was Youswell, the mining town.
"Yeah, but we'll be in Youswell before them, it will take them a good two weeks to get through." Havoc estimated as he shielded his eyes and looked at the mountains, which he was glad were closer to the town than other mountainous areas, the town was mostly surrounded by desert, the clean up from the rebellion still being cleared up.
"Well, I want to get there as soon as possible." Roy said, Havoc leading the way back to the car, intending to drive to the railway station and take the train, looking over his shoulder as Roy climbed in the back seat of the car, his eyes fixed determinedly on the mountains, Riza…I hope you're alright…he thought.
Right, so, so far I remember everything up until I was fourteen, my mother died when I was young, my father had a student called Roy Mustang, who was a Zingese male…he was studying flame alchemy, and would need the array tattooed on my back, but he left…Ishbal…was I in the war? I don't remember! But I was good with guns when I was younger I went shooting all the time, that must be the link with guns…maybe I carried it on when I was older…Riza thought a week later as they camped half way through the mountains, but setting up the tents because it was quite warm and they would just have to pack them up again,
"Riza?" Blaine called as he came round the corner, Riza sighing in annoyance as he approached her. If there had been a good hiding place she may have attempted to hide, but on the route they were on there was nothing but a few fallen rocks and mountain wall on either side. "Are you still angry?" he asked as he stopped behind her,
"What do you think?" she asked, Hayate resting his head comfortingly in her lap as she sat on a large rock beside the rock face,
"I am sorry, I just thought if you forgot about your old life and stayed here you would be happy…I could make you happy." He said as he walked around to face her, crouching down to rest his hands on her knee, looking up into her hazel eyes, her features soft and sad in the starlight,
"You don't understand at all! Not that you could, it's not an everyday thing to lose your memory after all…not knowing who you are is the scariest thing in the world, it's not just a case of not knowing where you belong and who you know, it's what you've done…I don't know what I've done in the past…I could be a mass murderer for all I know, or a thief or anything! And it scares the hell out of me, so I could never be satisfied with just settling down with you, I have to know who I am to carry on living…do you understand now?" she asked, Blaine looking at her as if she had betrayed him somehow, but he nodded and got to his feet, walking back to the camp without another word.
"Riza! Come! We have had a change of plans!" Jinto called. Riza stood, Hayate staying close as she made her way back to the campfire, where Blaine and the others were sitting. Riza knelt beside Avon on the ground with his family,
"We are not going to Youswell. A passing trader told us the military is there, and they are looking for you." He warned, "I don't know why they are looking for you, but if it involves the military then it can't be good. We'll turn back to Lior and go through Hailo to the west, heading to the East City." He announced, the rest of the group nodding in agreement, none of them liking the fact that the military was after Riza, "We will move now! We cannot stop tonight…we will skirt around Lior to be safe, they may anticipate our move." He added, everyone getting to their feet and moving back to their carts, Riza walking to Marto's cart, intending to ride in the back,
"Riza, you ride with us." Claine said with a smile as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and steered her to their cart where Blaine was climbing up to drive, Maya looking out the back and waving to Claine,
"I really don't think it's a good idea for me to." She began,
"Here, I'll help you up." Claine interrupted, lifting her by her waist to the step, watching with a smile as she climbed to sit beside Blaine reluctantly before going to the back to join his wife.
"It is cold. Here." Blaine said without looking at her, throwing his own cloak over her shoulders as he lifted the reins and urged the horse into motion, Riza blushing and looking away as his scent filled her senses.
"I can't believe they got away! And we just sat here and let it happen!" Roy shouted as their car headed back to Central. They had waited three weeks and with no sign of the party they had sent troops into the mountains, where they found camps and many tracks, none of them going further forward then the campsite. They had turned back, someone had told them about the military presence and it had scared them away.
"We'll find them again Sir! Don't worry, we have men all over looking for them." Havoc assured as he drove, cigarette smoke sailing out the window of the car as he crossed the borders of Central,
"Send out orders, I want all military men searching in civilian clothes, no mention of rank or the military what so ever, just concerned people looking for a friend." Roy ordered, Havoc agreeing as they headed to the main building, Roy distracted as he looked out of the window it used to be at times like this that I'd go and speak to Maes…I wish he were still here, I could use a pick me up right now. He thought with a sigh. It's been months…two months since they got away and still no word! I don't like it at all! He thought, "Havoc, stop the car." Roy ordered, Havoc looking surprised but stopping.
"Chief?" Havoc asked as Roy headed towards a flower shop on the corner,
"You go on Havoc…I'm going to visit an old friend." Roy replied as he continued on his way, Havoc nodding in understanding as he drove on. Flowers in hand he headed to the graveyard, walking through the peaceful stones, all of them military or military relatives.
"Ah! Roy!" a tall lean man in a military uniform, short dark hair and glasses greeted as he sat on a stone, the name Maes Hughes engraved. Roy looked down at the grave and saw fresh flowers,
"Elysia and Gracia came by huh?" Roy murmured as he placed his white lilies on the ground beside the colourful wild flowers Elysia and Gracia had left, probably grown in their garden,
"Why yes they did, and my little angel is getting so big now I can hardly believe it! I wish I had pictures to show you!" Maes screeched enthusiastically as he danced around Roy, who looked solemnly down at the grave, "Oh right, I almost forgot, you can't hear a word I'm saying." He realised with a sigh as he sat back on the stone, "The only one who seems to see me at all now-a-days is Elysia…I wonder if she'll stop being able to as she gets older too…" he thought aloud, "Oh right, I'm glad you stopped by, you see I heard about Riza and it just so happens there was an article in the paper, well, an advert really." He continued as he looked down at the paper the wild flowers were wrapped in, a picture of Riza staring up at him,
"Maes, I know you're going to give me hell for not telling you earlier, but I lost her…I lost Riza, I don't know where she is Maes…I wish you were here to help." Roy cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, Maes always had been the only person he could cry in front of, except Riza. Maes cracked a smile and nodded,
"I know, I know, how have you coped without my investigation skills all this time? But never fear, I am still working, now just look down." He ordered, standing in front of Roy and pointing down at the wild flowers, "Come on, down boy, down." He continued, pointing, jumping and waving in front of Roy energetically, "Jeez you always make things hard for me." he sighed as he ran a hand through his hair,
"I guess I should probably get going…I know you'd tell me off for waiting like blubbering when I should be out there finding her." Roy said finally as he wiped his eyes with his white gloves,
"Oh great Roy, get your ignition gloves wet, idiot!" Maes scolded, "How do I get him to see? Come on Maes, think!" he urged as Roy looked down at the stone with a smile and made to leave, "That's it!" Maes cried as he leaned down and tugged on Roy's laces, Roy looking down at the tug and seeing his laces untied,
"How…I must be imagining things." Roy thought with a chuckle as he knelt down and started tying,
"Okay good Roy, now just look at the flowers, go on! Look!" Maes ordered, lifting the flowers slightly and pushing them towards him, "Just a little more…" he thought aloud as the stalks of the flowers touched his shoes, Roy looked at them in surprise, "Come on Roy, admire the flowers…" Maes urged as Roy made to replace them beside his own flowers, stopping as the picture caught his eye,
"Ishbalan group addition Riza makes her performance debut…Madra…20th October…that's today!" Roy realised as he got to his feet, "That's three hours from here by train!" he realised again as he made to leave, turning back to the grave, "I'll find her Maes, and I'll bring her home!" he swore, running from the graveyard as fast as his legs could carry him,
"Go get her Roy." Maes said with a grin as he looked up at the clear sky.