I updated! It didn't take as long as the other ones, but it wasn't exactly a fast update either. Hey, at least I updated, right? Thanks to my reviewers. Without you guys, I never would've updated, which would be a bummer for you.

Replies to my reviewers:

Kentucky Fly Chick: Thankies for the compliments! I don't think that they will be doing pottery, but thanks for the idea anyway. That sounds like a really funny story! I've heard similar plots, but if it's Royai, I'll definitely read it…

Kitsunesensei: HECK YES! Homework DOES suck! Glad you could understand. Thanks for reviewing, too!

The Mr. Clean Alchemist: No! Don't hurt me! Jk jk. Thanks! I'm very happy that you think that!

Gundams forever: How did you know? Lol. Anyways I updated so don't die! I don't want anyone dying on my account! XD

Skye: Thanks for all those compliments! I'm very grateful for that. It makes me feel special! Lol.

Hakkai-sama: I'm glad I can be of some help! Thanks for the compliment!

Shadow Dreamer 27: Thanks for the advice! Actually, I didn't know it was even disabled until you mentioned it. Yay! Now I can get more reviews! Lol.

Blonde Hurricane: Yeah. I didn't think there was such a thing. But thanks for the info, anyways. Just wondering, have you ever done any meditation? You seem to know some info on the subject, so I was curious. :shrugs:

Nekomo: Yeah. I didn't feel too great about the chapter, either. But, hey, at least I updated. At first I was gonna make them go to a Jacuzzi/spa type of thing. But to me, it didn't seem logical to make them have a tense mind and a relaxed body. I mean, you're not fully relaxed until your mind is relaxed and cleared, right? So I made them do the meditation and yoga thingy. Anyways, do you do yoga? 'cause you know a lot about it.

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed! I never expected to get so many reviews in such a short time. Thanks a whole bunch!

>>>> On to the story >>>>

Chapter 12

Roy turned to Riza, holding the paper in his hands, and smirked. He turned back to the paper and reread it, his smirk getting bigger. Riza began to get suspicious.

"What? What is it? What does it say?"

Roy paid no attention to her. "Roy…" Again, he heard nothing, and continued to stare at the paper, with glazed eyes, obviously daydreaming. "Roy!" His head snapped up and Riza grabbed the paper from his hands.

"Hey! I was still soaking in what it said."

"Now let's see what you have here that's got you more interested than regular paperwork." As Riza read, her eyes grew wide and a frown was placed on her face. Roy saw this and smirked again.

"What? You don't like it?" She glared at him.

"No. I don't want to do it."

"Aw, Riza. Must you be such a spoilsport? Honestly, I think it's a good idea."

"I don't care if you think it's a good idea. I'm still not doing it."

"It warms and relaxes your body."

"No."

"It feels really good."

"No."

"I know you'll like it."

"No." She was getting a little irritated.

"Please, Riza?"

"No, Roy! I am not going to a spa/hot spring/Jacuzzi type of thing so that you can stare at me in a bikini! This activity was only made so that perverts like you can drool over girls in bathing suits."

Roy placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "I'm hurt, Riza. Is that what you really think of me?" She looked at him and then shook her head, as if saying, "I don't know why I put up with you," to which Roy smirked at. They started walking back to their room.

"C'mon, Riza. I did something you wanted to do, even if I didn't like it."

"And…?"

"Well, it's your turn."

Riza laughed. "What do you mean 'my turn'?"

"I did something you wanted to do, now you do the same for me."

"I'll just find something else to do to make it up to you. Just not this one."

"But I really want to do this!" Roy whined, sounding like a three-year-old begging for ice cream. "Please, Riza? It's equivalent exchange."

"That's just for alchemy."

"No it's not." Roy said with a little seriousness in his voice. Riza took a side-glance at him, and raised an eyebrow. "Equivalent exchange is all around us. That's what keeps us going…keeps life going. I get this and you get that. And vice versa. If it weren't for equivalent exchange we would all be indebted to something or someone and our world will be unbalanced. One person has to suffer, while the other one lives luxuriously. One person has to be happy, while the other is sad. And then in some way, whether it's an afterlife or a sudden turn of events, they'd switch roles. The happy person is now sad, and the sad person is happy. The suffering will live a happy, contented life, while the other is now living a hard life."

"Now you're just beginning to sound like Edward, which isn't helping to convince me."

"Aw, come on Riza." As they stopped in front of their room, Roy stepped in front of her, got down on his knees, grabbed her hands, and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

Riza laughed. "Are you that desperate to see me in a bikini?" She laughed again, seeing those puppy eyes. "You know, those eyes don't work on me. I have a dog, remember?"

"Aw, man. That always works."

"Not this time."

Roy sighed. He turned toward the door, took out his key, and unlocked it. But before he opened it he turned around and asked, no pleaded, again. "Please? For me? Just this once?"

"Argh!" Riza, who was already irritated and annoyed at his constant begging, put her hands up in defeat. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine! I give up. I'll go." Roy put on a triumphant and somewhat mischievous smirk, to which Riza glared at. She walked past him to the door, opening it and storming into the bedroom while muttering under her breath. "Stupid…perverted bastard…just wants to see me in a bikini…that jerk…" But then an idea struck her, and she let out a sly smirk…

15 minutes later…at the hot springs/spa thing…

Riza sat at the edge of the spa wearing a robe over her bikini, dangling her feet in the hot water. Roy sat in the water looking longingly at her.

"You're mean."

"It's your fault you didn't specify that you wanted me in there. You just said wanted me to go there, but you didn't say that you wanted me to actually soak myself in the spa."

"That's not fair."

"For you."

"Yeah, I know. I paid for you so that you can have a good time and relax. Well, wouldn't that be a waste of money if you couldn't relax?"

Riza looked down, feeling a little guilty. "But how can I relax if I know you're staring at me?"

"You just will. Trust me." Riza looked at the water. It looked very tempting to just sit there and loosen up. She sighed.

"Fine."

She stood up and shrugged off her robe. Roy just about died and went to heaven. He pinched his nose trying hard not to have a nosebleed. His eyes went immediately to her legs. Oh, wow. That has got to be the sexiest pair of legs I have ever seen. His gaze slowly rose up from her slim waist to her breasts, to which Roy gaped at. No words could explain how he felt. He felt like the luckiest man in the world, getting to see the Riza Hawkeye in a bikini.

Riza felt Roy's eyes on her sizing her up, looking her body up and down. She suddenly wished she had her gun with her. She blushed furiously as she eased down into the spa. "This is why I never wanted to go here in the first place," she muttered, loud enough that Roy heard it.

"Oh, come on, Riza. What's wrong? You have an amazing body, not to mention you've got such nice legs. You know, that miniskirt policy would do you good." This earned him a whack on the head. He rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"You know what." Riza slouched back, resting her back on the wall and closing her eyes. She had to admit, Roy was right. It did feel good.

Roy stared at her lying there, examining her body. Not only did she have a beautiful set of legs and nice breasts, but he also noticed how amazingly fit she was. Her arms and legs were toned and her stomach was flat. She had a slender figure, but she actually had some flesh and muscle, unlike those other girls who were just skin and bone. In other words, she had a perfect body. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Probably because I've never seen her wear anything but her uniform. Another thought struck him. Why did she join the military when she could have gotten a different job? She's smart enough to get one, and she's definitely pretty enough, too. "Riza?"

Riza opened her eyes, her mahogany eyes met with his black ones. "Yes?"

"Why did you join the military?"

Riza widened her eyes a little, surprised that he asked that question. Her eyes turned cloudy, and she cast her gaze downwards. Roy saw this reaction and regretted asking her.

"Never mind. Just forget I asked." An uncomfortable silence set between them, and after a few minutes, Riza spoke.

"It was because of my parents." Roy looked up, a little startled that she answered. "They were both in the military, so they broke the rule of fraternization. But, by the time they got caught I was already four years old. They were court-martialed and were put to a lockup, where they were later killed." She paused, reminiscing the suffering she felt of losing her parents. Roy just stared at her, dumbfounded that she had such a painful past.

"My grandfather raised me after that. Then, when I was sixteen, I went to the military academy and trained to be a sharpshooter like my mother. My father was an alchemist, but I was never really that interested in alchemy to pursue it. At first I thought of just taking all the knowledge of the military and using it against them as revenge for the death of my parents. But I realized that it's not going to change the fact that my parents are dead. So I stayed in the military to somehow find a way to affect change so that other kids won't have to suffer the way I did."

"Wow, Riza. I never knew…I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you."

"It was."

"So, you're still aiming for that dream."

"Yeah."

"Look, Riza. I'll do whatever I can to help you. And when I'm Fuhrer, I'll eliminate that stupid fraternization rule."

Riza smiled at him. "Thanks, Roy. That means a lot. Now why don't we just sit and relax and stop worrying about my past or the future, okay?" She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Alright." He tried to do the same, but found that he could not. He was surprised that he didn't notice how little he knew her. At work, she always kept a barrier around her, not letting unnecessary feelings or thoughts escape her, so he never really found out about her family and past. He felt a little guilty and awkward, not knowing anything about her, and having her spill everything out to him now.

Riza, having noticed this tension in him, stirred. Her eyes held a soft gaze on his and she gave him a small, warm smile. "Don't worry, Roy. The past is the past. What happened has happened. It's my problem, anyways, not yours, and I've already overcome it, so there's not reason for you to worry about me." Again she smiled.

Roy looked at her for a while, and then returned her smile. "You're right. We should enjoy this, and not worry about anything."

"Good boy."

Roy scowled. "I'm not a dog," he grumbled.

Riza laughed at him, and Roy couldn't help but feel happy that she was enjoying herself. He was slowly becoming addicted to that smile. He stared at her as she lay back, again with her eyes closed. Again, he marveled at her body and whispered to himself, "I've really got to change the uniform policy."

Did you expect that Riza's parents were fraternizing military officers? Huh? You didn't see that coming, did you? Anyways, I wanted to make this a lighthearted kind of chapter, but it took in a serious turn with her past and everything. Even I wasn't expecting it to be serious. But I wanted them to talk about something, not just sit there soaking... I mean, that's boooriiing!

Anyways I hope you enjoyed it! I especially like and appreciate reviews.

Be thou for the people who write the stories.