Oh, Izumi, how you crush our souls…and could very literally crush our bodies to smithereens. Oh well, Chapter 7 starts now.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and this is the last time I'll be saying so. It's pretty much obvious by now.

Chapter 7

"So, you're a detective, Mr. Mustang?"

"Erm, yes…" Roy answered and Edward's father, no, Hohenheim smiled at him kindly. He wasn't entirely sure how he found himself in this situation. One moment, the two of them were entering the house and the next thing the detective could remember was answering the man's questions next to a very miffed and surly Edward. Although, he couldn't exactly see why the young man hated Hohenheim so much. For all intents and purposes, Hohenheim seemed to be a nice man, though his voice suggested he might not have been all there.

"What are you doing here, old man?" Edward snapped out and Roy just sat there, unsure what to make of the boiling anger next to him.

"Edward, is that any way to speak to your father?" Hohenheim said with a slight frown, bringing his cup of tea to his lips. Edward's eyes glared daggers at the man.

"You're not my father!" he yelled, but Hohenheim seemed entirely unfazed by his own son's reaction. "You were never around! You have no right to call yourself our father!"

"Is this normal?" Roy whispered to the older woman behind him and Izumi only gave a mirthless laugh. He wasn't sure he'd get a straight answer out of anyone here until Izumi ceased her chuckling.

"Can't say I've ever heard or seen it firsthand, despite the years I've known both of them," Izumi told him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Although, rumor at South University had it that whenever the President would visit his son, the rooms would shake."

"I, honestly, have no idea why you're so angry. You have long hours. You should understand."

"That's not the point!" Edward argued and Hohenheim merely surveyed him with a pensive look on his face. "The point was we needed you around, but you were never there. Still aren't." Edward seemed to have said that last part under his breath, but Roy was close enough that he heard it. Hohenheim didn't react to Edward's outburst and instead turned to Izumi.

"The tea is quite delicious, thank you," he told Izumi and Edward gave another cry of frustration.

"See what I mean? Even arguing with you is like trying to tell a brick wall to move!"

"So, how's life?" Hohenheim asked, completely ignoring Edward's tirade. The sudden question caused Edward to cease his vehement insults, but the anger on his face didn't go away. "How's…oh, what's her name-I forget-Sara's daughter?"

"Winry?" he seethed and the older man laughed good-naturedly, as if remembering something that was so silly of him to forget.

"Yes, her, how is she?"

"Just like you, isn't it? You can't even remember the name of your own daughter-in-law."

"Well, forgive me, but-"

"It's bad enough she doesn't even have her own parents, but she can't even rely on my side of the family."

"Now, that's unfair," Hohenheim pouted. "As I recall, I didn't even receive an invitation to your wedding. If Izumi here hadn't mentioned it in passing I would've never even known my eldest son had gotten married."

"Gee, don't you think there's a good reason for that?" Edward snickered at him sarcastically, causing his father to sigh heavily.

"Honestly, I have no idea where Trisha and I went wrong with you…" That seemed to be the last straw, Edward standing up furiously.

"Don't you dare bring mom into this!" he roared fiercely. "She's got nothing to do with the problems between you and me. Don't insult her like that!"

"I would never insult my late wife or her memory," he responded coldly and even Roy could sense that Edward's anger seemed to diminish in the face of Hohenheim's frigid fury. "And you would do well to be more like Alphonse in these situations."

"He's talking with you?" Edward drawled, the incredulity in his voice betraying more of his anger.

"Quite often. Unlike yourself, he seems to have no problems in having a relationship with his father."

"I'm sure it helps that you hold the purse strings for his research project, though."

"Just because Alphonse made a different career choice from yourself does not give you the right to criticize his decisions in doing so, or in associating with me. Truth be told, I always thought you would go into the same field together."

"Al had his reasons, and I had mine." Roy's brow furrowed at Edward's words. It was true that just about every cop had a reason to join the force, but he had never really questioned what exactly it was that compelled the young man to follow his path.

"I know," Hohenheim breathed quietly before chuckling. "Love's quite a powerful thing, isn't it?"

"Love's got nothing to do with it!" All Edward's words did was confirm the truth of Hohenheim's.

"Or everything," he remarked and Edward seemed to be seething. "You'd be surprised: me and Trisha, you and Winry, Al and that research assistant of his-"

"What?" Now Edward was beyond fury, and his entire being was shaking.

"Love-"

"No, what about Al?"

"He and that girl, Mei," Hohenheim mentioned, staring at his son perplexedly.

"What about them?"

"Didn't he tell you? I thought he might have mentioned…" Edward's fists clenched and Roy found his vision flitting between the two men. "He and Mei are in a relationship. You didn't know?"

"No…I guess Al felt he trusted you more," Ed suggested, his face pulled into taut lines as he stared at something beyond his father, his eyes looking dead and blank.

"Did I say something I shouldn't have?" No one was able to answer him before Ed flew from the room. All that followed was a slamming of the front door. "Oh dear…I'm afraid I've never been good at dealing with Edward and his tantrums. That was always Trisha's field of expertise."

"I-I'm sure…" Roy said belatedly, wondering just why he had had to view the events which had just transpired. Hohenheim brushed it off and clapped his hands together.

"But enough about me. It's not every often I hear about my son's work. Do you know him very well?" Roy couldn't help it; he scoffed at the question.

"Actually, I just met him about a week ago, roughly. We're only here because we're…working on a case together," Roy told him and the man seemed to nod in understanding. "Though you can imagine my surprise at finding out that the president of the University of Amestris was his father."

"Ah, well, Edward and Alphonse both have great love for their mother," Hohenheim admitted with another chuckle. "Even though Alphonse does have a relationship with me, he and his older brother both decided to take their mother's name. I'm not sure if it was out of Edward's spite or because having the same last name as me would get them unwanted attention."

"Knowing Al, it was probably just because he wanted to follow in his brother's footsteps," Izumi said, reminding the young detective of her presence in the room. "The two are very close, after all."

"Did you attend the University, Detective Mustang?" the older man asked him.

"Only two years. I got an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice before I joined the Academy. I attended over at East University."

"Ah, yes, East. We're known more for our Economics majors over there than Criminal Justice, but I guess it's all the same." Hohenheim pulled back the sleeve of his coat. "Oh my, I really should be going. I have a meeting with the Board in Central tonight. Are you sure you won't be able to attend the Awards Ceremony, Izumi?"

"Not all the way in Central. My body's just not up to all that excitement at once," Izumi answered him with a very light laugh.

"Hmm…all right, I suppose. We could always reschedule, though I doubt that will change your mind. Well, good day to you, then. Nice to meet you, Detective Mustang."

"Likewise." The two men shook hands and Hohenheim left through the same exit that Edward had stormed out of. Izumi stood to clear off Hohenheim's cup as Roy sat there, still slightly dazed and confused from everything that had just happened. A sigh reached his lips and he ruffled his own hair, earning a laugh from Izumi.

"Ed certainly is a problem child, isn't he?" Izumi mentioned, striding back in the room with a smirk. "I thought I had beaten more sense into him than that, but I guess not." He didn't doubt that she actually could beat it into him, judging by her performance at the Devil's Nest. "Sorry, what with all the ruckus, I forgot to properly introduce myself. I'm Izumi Curtis. The man who let you in was my husband, Sig."

"Detective Roy Mustang."

"So I've gathered," Izumi said with a smile as she turned towards what Roy presumed was the kitchen. He quickly stood and began to follow her. "If you're here, you must be working a case. Though I would think the South City police would be the ones to take care of it."

"Uh, case was in our jurisdiction, but we were hoping to get some leads here," Roy confessed and Izumi snorted loudly.

"Though I doubt that snake Greed told you anything." Roy didn't bother asking how she knew they had visited Greed. For one thing, he didn't want to say anything he shouldn't. The second, and most prominent, point was that he truly felt there was no point to it. Izumi seemed like an intelligent woman who could figure things out very well on her own. After all, from what he had gleaned, she had taught Edward. Even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, Edward was pretty smart, which could only mean his teacher was smarter. "Oh, look at what that brat did. You'll be staying for dinner, right?"

It took Roy a moment to realize she was talking to him. "I suppose so, I don't think Edward's up for driving back at the moment."

"Naturally. I know you don't know Dublith very well, but could you find the little brat and drag him back here to help with dinner."

"Uh, sure…" After all, what else was he supposed to say to such a request? To that end, he quickly turned away and left the house. The streets seemed to be bustling with children playing ball or otherwise goofing around, and Roy know that would likely make it all the harder to find Edward. Still, Roy Mustang wasn't a detective for nothing. Even if he was in an unfamiliar town with all its unfamiliar streets, Roy still had the power of deduction on his side.

Deduction screamed that there had to be a park area around. Somewhere in Dublith there was bound to be a location that could leave an individual with just their thoughts. Of course, the issue with that then became the matter of where said park was located. Biting back a groan he waded into the sea of scurrying children as he attempted to find what he was looking for. He was forced to pause a moment as his phone vibrated in his pocket. With a grunt, he extricated his phone and looked to see that Havoc was calling him. The "ignore" button became his best friend in that moment. The only reasons Havoc ever called was to badger him into helping them with a completely solvable case or annoy him; although both could have been considered the same thing. A light tap on his arm alerted him to the presence of someone next to him.

"Hey, mister, you were here with Ed earlier, right?" Roy noticed the young teenage girl looking at him with a soft smirk that seemed as though it had been learned from the master of smirks, Edward, himself. "You look lost."

"I feel lost." Deduction be damned if fourteen year olds were taking pity on him. He'd rather finish his task than wander aimlessly through the city. "I'm looking for the park."

"Which one?" Roy drew a look of utmost horror on his face and she giggled. "I'm kidding. Just follow the main road, second left and then a right. Easy-peasy." Roy chuckled as he thanked the girl and set off in the directions she had given. Sure enough, a grassy inlet in the dry town soon appeared, small children in the distance scrambling over what looked like a swing set. A small group of children ran past him and Roy noticed the three eight year old girls with a pang in his heart. Of course, those girls also let his sight lock onto Edward, who was pacing back and forth in front of a bench, yelling into the phone next to his ear.

"Just…call me when you get this message, Al!" Roy finished approaching the man as he snapped his phone shut angrily and plopped onto the bench, the detective joining him. Neither one said a word.

"Some show you gave us there."

"What's it matter to you?" Edward shoved his hands in his pockets and blew his bangs up. "Not like I intended for you to see any of that."

"People rarely do. Although, I can't really understand your anger: he seemed like a perfectly reasonable man." Edward snorted loudly but didn't say anything to refute his claim. "I think you could stand to respect him more."

"Yeah, 'cause being Head Detective means that you know everything. My family, my problems."

"You're right, my status in the department is barely worth the cenz I'm given," Roy assented as his gaze became sharper and fixated on the man next to him. "I would say it's growing up without any parents that gives me the knowledge. You're lucky to even know your father. I was raised my whole life by my aunt."

"Difference," he grunted in response.

"True, but maybe if you tried to have a relationship with him-"

"It would just end badly."

"Fine, sorry for saying anything," Roy sighed out, casting his mind around for another subject. "How do you know Greed?"

"Long story, short," Edward began with a grin, "Al and I used to play in these streets all the time over winter and spring break. One day, Al got something stolen from him and the guy ran into the Devil's Nest. Naturally, we couldn't get in so I used the waterways underneath the city to come up to Greed's secret lair. He was so impressed with it that we hit it off. Ever since then, we've had a pretty solid working relationship. He gives me information on the criminal underworld and eventually, his competition is locked away." Roy was about to say something when Edward pre-empted him.

"But I never joined him or helped him in any illegal activities." Roy only nodded, his question answered. The cries of children playing assaulted their ears and the sight of mothers grabbing their children for dinner only reminded him what he was doing here.

"You're expected back at the house to help make dinner." Edward cringed, quickly standing back up. No words were needed as the two briskly walked back to the Curtis' residence. It didn't surprise the detective when Izumi beat Edward multiple times before telling him to start helping with dinner. As a guest in the house, Roy wasn't asked to help in the making of dinner, and given his rash incidents of burning anything that wasn't a microwave meal, he considered that a blessing. All in all, though, he did look forward to a home-cooked meal. People usually gave up a lot by joining the force, cooked meals being one of them. Most nights it was take-out or nothing. But despite there being delicious warm food in front of him, the atmosphere was entirely chilly.

Izumi, Sig and a worker named Mason tried to entertain conversation but Ed was having none of it, stubbornly refusing to answer in anything more than grunts. And when it came to Roy, he just didn't really feel comfortable with the scrutinizing that was placed upon him, although he remained amiable until the plates were finally clear from the table. Sig and Mason left quickly in order to go and finish up business at the butcher's shop. Edward, meanwhile, decided to retire for the night, audibly slamming the guest bedroom door.

"Brat…" Izumi breathed, though to the detective's ears it sounded more like a growl. Still, the muttering made Roy laugh as he dried the dishes and put them away in the cupboard.

"He must be quite the handful."

"You've no idea," Izumi snarled, but somehow her eyes retained a glimmer or a spark of playfulness. "Ed's always had a temper. Once it would get started, you'd literally need to knock him unconscious to put it out. Seems he's learned a few tricks to keep it going since then."

"You didn't," Roy began, swallowing the slight lump of fear in his throat, "literally knock him unconscious, did you?"

"Sometimes, children need a firm hand," Izumi answered. "I've always been a firm believer in that. 'Spare the rod, spoil the child'? Hah! It should be 'spare the spoiling, hit the child till he learns from his mistakes'." Roy shuddered internally. Now he could see why Edward had so feared this woman back at the Devil's Nest. Still, he figured it would be best to play it off coolly.

"I wouldn't really know," Roy countered with a light hearted laugh. "I've never really had children myself…or been married for that matter.

"Yes, well, neither have I," Izumi confessed and Roy stowed away the dish he was drying with a confused look. All was silent in that moment but for the soft hiss of running water. A quick glance displayed the impressive woman with her eyes closed. He knew the look well enough: pain. "Edward and Alphonse are the closest I've ever had to children myself."

It took Roy a moment to realize she was speaking again, though this time her tone was far softer than the barking, biting one she had been using earlier. It was unmistakably a tone of affection. He had heard it all too many times from Hughes. "How did you meet them?"

"School." Roy's confusion doubled and Izumi appeared to take pity on the poor man. "When the Elrics came to South University they both wanted to major in Chemistry and were either brave or stupid enough to take my class."

"You were one of those teachers, huh?"

"They called me the Terror of the South. In the last decade, only two students have aced my classes at all levels and those two are Edward and his brother. I was so surprised, given Edward's ever petulant mouth in class, that I had to become their advisor. Couldn't have any other lousy professor like Lujon taking credit for the genius of those two boys." Roy laughed at that as he put the last dish in the cupboard and took a seat at the table while Izumi prepared some more tea.

"No small amount of rivalry in your department, is there?" he quipped and Izumi shrugged with a smirk stretching her face.

"You know how it is around co-workers." He nodded in agreement as he took his cup of tea and sipped from it. "Anyway, where did I leave off? So, the two of them were eager to accept me as advisor despite my reportedly harsh advising. In fact, first session I told Ed he sucked at scheduling classes. First thing he said to me was that I sucked at writing tests. I would've hit the cheeky brat then and there if it wasn't for the fact that doing so would break numerous laws. Of course, it was only after his brother came to South University a year later that I learned what had happened to their mother.

"I understood the pain of their loss and invited them to stay at my house here on most breaks and they gladly accepted." Izumi took a moment to drink her tea and gave a grin almost feral. "But I wasn't going to let them stay for free. All those months that they stayed here, I whipped their pathetic asses into shape. It gave them something to focus on and drove away the last vestiges of grief they still hung on to. Ed, in particular, was driven to master any art of fighting he could, especially since Al was always able to beat him for that first year."

"He knows hand-to-hand combat?"

"Extremely well."

"Why didn't he go into the army or the Special Forces, then? They're always looking for people with that kind of skill."

"Hmm, I can't claim to know anything about his motives, but I'd presume it has something to do with that wife of his. Of course, Edward's the only one who'd be able to give you the full answer." Roy thought back to the argument earlier in the day, and his detective skills lighted upon part of the conversations.

"Her parents are dead?" A sad smile danced on the older woman's face before she answered.

"Quite a while ago. The way I understood it from her grandmother, it was quite the violent way to go…bombing in the Ishval region."

"That's one volatile place."

"You know it." It was no question, and Roy remembered the rush of flame before his eyes as Izumi stared at him intensely.

"I know it." A clock chimed in the distance as Roy contemplated how to best move forward. As his finished compiling his thoughts he heard the door open and the television turn to a dull hum in the other room. "Any trained officer of the law who comes out of East Academy usually serves at least six months to a year at the Ishval PD. Not so much recently due to the bombings about eight years ago, but each one of us over at East knows it. Horrible place, really."

"The way I understand it, the crime rate is quite high there." Roy grunted as a way of confirmation.

"On top of that, a majority of the citizens don't trust the policemen to do their jobs and it only complicates things. I'm quite glad to be shot of the place." Izumi said nothing, merely sipping here tea and glancing at the clock on the far wall.

"It's getting late, and I'm afraid I need to rest; frail disposition and all." Roy allowed her to excuse herself before following the small hallway that lead to the spare room where he and Ed were staying. The soft, ambient glow of the lamp still permeated the room as he entered, showing a sleeping Edward Elric on top of the covers of the farthest bed. As he watched the boy's chest heave and fall with the breaths of sleep, he chuckled to himself.

"I think I'm starting to understand you a little better, Edward Elric," he said quietly. Even so, as he laid his head atop the pillow, he knew he had been heard.

That was the first night in awhile that Roy had been visited by nightmares of Ishval: of the shootings that permeated the city, and the cries of women as they were taken against their will. Most of all, his memory had been assaulted by the flames that had melted away nearly all his courage and nerves. It was to that he woke up in a cold sweat, early in the morning, where a still surly Edward looked over at him with a scowl. Neither spoke much to one another save for simple one-word answers, and after a hearty breakfast the two were off to East City once again.

Unlike the drive on the way there, the Head Detective felt absolutely no need to speak to the young forensics specialist, and instead dwelt on the various things swimming in his head, from Greed's words, to Edward's purported pain, and even of a bereaved little girl who would never again feel her father's beard tickle her face. It was with a heavy heart that he stepped out of the car and entered his apartment. He knew he had to go into work for the rest of the afternoon, but he was hungry and needed something in order to do his work.

"You have three new messages," came the cool, female voice and Roy grumbled as he prepared himself a ham sandwich.

"We got a problem, boss," yelled an agitated Havoc and Roy simply deleted the message. Havoc's problems could easily range from not being able to figure something out, to the latest girl turning him down. Roy began to eat as he listened to the next message.

"Hi, Roy. I was just wondering if you were still planning on coming by Friday, so I know how much food to make. I know Elicia really wants to see you. Just…call me back when you get this message. Oh, and you can bring Riza if you'd like." Roy tousled his hair as he listened to the reminder, but immediately stopped when he heard the next message.

"Me, again, boss. Look, I never call twice so you better know it's serious. I tried calling your cell, but-it doesn't matter. Just get over here; we have an extreme personnel issue." Mustang sighed as Havoc finished up the message, "-and by personnel I mean Hawkeye." No more convincing was needed as he shoved the remainder of his meal into his mouth and dashed out the door. A ten minute drive had never felt longer.

"What the hell is going on, Havoc?" Mustang demanded furiously. "I step out for a few days and my team falls apart? Why didn't anyone else call me? Speak already!" Havoc rolled away from his desk with a suppressed growl and looked Mustang pointedly in the eyes.

"It happened pretty damn fast, don't ask me," he groaned at his relatively imposing boss. "All I know is, Tuesday morning, Grumman calls her into the office. They have a conversation and she comes out and starts packing up all her stuff. Boss, she got transferred to Central." Mustang barely realized the torque of his body as he stormed towards the chief's office doors. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Transfer orders never went through that quickly. On top of that, it was Hawkeye, his most trusted subordinate. No, it was more than that. It wasn't the fact that he had lost Hawkeye the Detective; but rather he had lost Riza the woman.

"Chief, what the hell-"

"Yes, of course. You'll be back tomorrow for the weekend. Wonderful!" Mustang reined himself in as Grumman slowly ended the call and put his phone down. "Ah, Roy, I take it you've heard about Riza."

"Only just. Transferred to Central? Tell me this is some kind of joke! They can't just take away my subordinates like that." Mustang was seething and Grumman eyed him a moment before signaling him to the chair. "I'd rather not."

"Sit." The command was short, but left no room for disobeying. As soon as he was seated, Grumman began to explain everything. "I got a call from Storch, you know, the new Chief over in Central who said that they were experiencing restructuring problems and were contacting the other departments. They requested Riza and in return we receive three other detectives."

"It didn't occur to you to challenge them on this…sir. They can't just-"

"Apparently, they can. The order was signed by Commissioner Bradley, himself. They requested Riza for her excellent performance in the field, and no doubt her experience as partner to the Head Detective here at East."

"So…Commissioner Bradley himself requested her transfer."

"No, not Bradley. Storch actually requested it upon seeing her file." Mustang breathed out in agitation until Greed's words came back to him. There was someone at the top of the police chain who was involved in this whole debacle. Now, Riza was getting a transfer to the very heart of the beast. Now, she would be in a prime position to collect whatever clues reared their ugly head. But now, Roy realized, that wasn't where he wanted her to be at all. He wanted her to be by his side, as she'd always been.

"You look like somebody's died, Roy," Grumman mused humorously. Roy didn't perk up, even at the old man's usual brand of odd humor. "Oh, come now, I know you love my granddaughter but there's no use acting like such a sad sack over it. She's coming home for the weekend; tomorrow night, actually."

"I thought she was permanently transferred to Central."

"Transfer doesn't officially go through until Monday. She's just over there getting acclimated." Suddenly, a large part of the burden was lifted from him. He could see her again. He would have the chance to talk to her about all this. A sigh from Grumman brought his mind back to the office. "Look, Roy, take the rest of the day off. I highly doubt your team will fall apart without you. Besides, you look exhausted."

"Yeah, I suppose," Roy mumbled unintelligibly, breathing slowly to steady his racing heart. "So, three detectives, huh? Do we know who they are?"

"Not a clue. We could get them from anywhere." Mustang nodded as he stood, his head somewhat clearing from the stupor it was in. "Now, I'm not telling you any more. Get some rest or I'll discipline you." Roy agreed and left the office.

Those twenty-four hours had been the longest, most agonizing stretch of time he had ever endured. What made it even worse was the fact that the two days he had been missing resulted in three cases, one accidental shooting at a steel mill, and a whole bunch of paperwork. Were it any other day, this would've sufficiently occupied his mind, but all it did was remind him that Riza wasn't there. At the same time, he kept dwelling on Greed's words that Central had been occupied by Homunculus Corp.

He really needed his team together.

The unfortunate problem with that was the fact that he couldn't contact any of them. Armstrong couldn't be found at the station, and it was with no small amount of trepidation that Mustang learned he had gone to Central as well, with the intention of visiting his family. Feury had avoided the livid Mustang all day after the man had growled enough that the others started mistaking him for a dog. To make matters worse, Edward wasn't answering his cell phone, and his home phone wasn't listed in the police directory. Anytime he had gone down to the lab, the kid wasn't there either, always working some kind of case. It made the detective grind his teeth. Havoc and Breda were no help either; both of them attempted to make him feel better, both failed spectacularly.

This gave him an immense sense of relief when he was able to pack up for the day and head home. As he got ready to drive to his apartment, he checked his messages to see if Riza had called, only to have a single message regarding tomorrow night. Not wanting to speak with her right now, he sent a text messaged saying that he'd be there. The sun was now sinking far beyond the horizon of the tall steel scrapers and the head detective took off.

Elation surged through him when he saw the lights on in Riza's apartment and he quickly parked the car and bounded up the steps into her building. He only had to knock twice before the door opened, and she invited him in with a smile. Her apartment was as clean as ever. What surprised Roy the most, however, was that nothing was packed up.

"Not packed yet?"

"I'm not moving, sir," she explained and he turned to her in question. "I'll be commuting to Central for the weekdays and coming home on the weekends."

"Where will you stay?"

"Alex's parents are allowing me to stay at their manor, free of charge." Roy gave a short, barking laugh. Now it made sense why Armstrong had been missing at the same time as Riza's transfer. "He…wanted me to speak to you."

"Is that implying that you didn't want to speak to me?" Roy asked her with a smirk and Riza chuckled, moving out of the foyer and into her bathroom. She started taking her earrings out and letting her hair down, and Roy figured she must have just gotten home.

"How was your trip with Edward?" she asked him as she continued with her business.

"Vaguely productive," he answered with an irritated breath. "Although, I think I learned more about Fullmetal than I did anything else. Why didn't you call me?" The sudden switch of topic seemed to knock Riza off balance for a moment but, like always, she quickly steadied herself again.

"There was no need to. I felt the matter didn't really concern you." Roy flared his nostrils, angry at her very plain assumption. "So, you'll be getting a new partner, I-"

"Damn it, Riza!" he cried and she turned on her heel slowly to look at him. "Why do you always have to be like this? I appreciate the industrious, hard-working partner you are, but can't you just tell me what you're really feeling for once?"

"There's nothing to explain, sir."

"See? 'Sir', that's all you ever call me. We're alone, just the two of us, and you're still calling me 'sir'!" he yelled, tossing his hands up in the air for emphasis. "Just be Riza, for once. Not Detective Hawkeye. Tell me how you're feeling. Are you angry? Sad?"

"Nothing good ever came from feeling for another person." Riza's entire body was shaking, and he knew the memory she always kept locked up was surfacing again.

"I never asked you to do this. I'm not asking you to do this," he asserted, taking a step closer to her. "I don't want to put you in harm's needless way."

"I promised to look after the man my father chose," she told him, her voice cracking slightly.

"Is that all I was to you? A duty?" he said to her darkly and she closed her eyes. "Your father's dead, Riza. Whatever he asked you to do doesn't matter. You don't owe anything to him. Just because we were supposed to be a team-"

"I'm not doing it for him!" she snapped, her eyes flickering open again. "I'm doing it for you, Roy." His entire body hitched and his mouth flapped open but no sounds issued forth. Riza seemed to calm herself down before clarifying. "I'm sick and tired of you sitting out in the rain."

Those words hit him like a freight train. They were true, all of them. He had been sitting out in the rain for two long years. The rain wasn't stopping for him, but it didn't mean that he needed to neglect every other person in his life. "That doesn't mean you have to fulfill your father's wishes." He had said it as a whisper but knew that she had heard it.

"Roy, you were the only good thing in my life that my father had invested his time into. It was never him that gave me anything. It was always you." She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what she was about to say. "I loved you, Roy. I still love you, and you know it. Despite the fact that the anti-fraternization law won't change any time soon, neither will my feelings for you. So that's why I keep it under lock and key."

He smiled wanly. She couldn't afford to show feelings because it would only get the both of them hurt. But perhaps, for one night, she could show those feelings. Perhaps, he could start by showing her his.

And as evening turned into night, he showed her as much as he could.

Author's Note: Finally, I finished this chapter. I know it's late but a lot of stuff happened in my life. Not to mention, I only got five reviews last chapter. Five! I felt sad that I didn't receive more, and I hope to do so this chapter. After all, only your reviews can prevent continental collapse. Obviously, this dealt with some more emotional stuff but did move the plot ahead (and backwards at the same time) and yes, before you ask, Roy and Riza did sleep together. Anyhoo, Chapter 8 is already in the works and it looks to be shorter so expect it sooner. Also, I have begun beta-reading for Skyward Princess of Time on her story Ascension. So, if you're a Zelda fan, hop on over to it and take a look. Now just remember, let's review, and Dare to Be Silly.