A/N: S'up sperm dogs *I really need to watch less fma pannels I have exams*, so today's theme was Heaven and Hell and I didn't really comply but nevermind. And sorry about the whole back thing I know it's cannon that he doesn't find out until its finished but I was prompted by EmpressOfBread about it and I am tired and need to upload. It's a fanfiction *please don't kill me*. Enjoy ~ChelenTheMelon
"Roy I'm so sorry I was just tidying up your books, see." Pointing to the bookshelf with all the books put in alphabetical order. "Mr Mu- I mean Roy- I can pick all those up it's fine." Hawkeye dropped onto her hands and knees scrabbling around, flinching at the sudden movement.
"Hey Riza, you okay, did one the books fall on you?" Roy worried about his friend, put his hand lightly on her back in comfort. Riza screamed at his touch, rapidly smothering her mouth with her hand to suppress the whimper that followed. Feeling a wet sensation coming from his palm he hesitantly lifted his shaking hand, a knot of dread knitting his stomach, fearing the worse. A deep red splayed out of the point of pressure that Roy had put his hand on. The red working through Riza's crisp white shirt, this was no injury made by a heavy hardback.
"Riza. What happened to your back?" Roy said in a harsh tone, instinctively tense, ready to defend the young women who had receded into a small curled up ball.
"Roy its nothing, forget about it, I just fell the other day." Riza slowly got up, careful that she didn't bump her back into the bookshelf. She slowly unbuttoned her shirt, Roy turned around in respect. As he put his back to her she slipped off her bloody shirt and grabbed a fresh one that she had just brought in from the washing line alongside other garments that had been drying outside in the warm sunshine and slight breeze. Every room in the house though, was cast by a shadow.
"Riza please, what happened? You can tell me, I'm your friend remember. Riza you can trust me." Roy, upon finishing his last word, turned around forgetting that the blonde haired girl was still changing. Riza was facing the wall, unaware of Roy's eyes on her bare back as she tried to stem the blood. The source of Riza's sudden discomfort revealed to him, a large red circle inked into her back and segments filled in by alchemic symbols and lettering. This was the unfinished project of Master Hawkeye. Without thought Roy covered the distance between them in large strides to firmly wrap his arms around Riza's waist making sure not to touch any of the red raw flesh. She didn't move away from Roy or move out of his grasp.
"Riza, I wasn't here to protect you, it is all my fault. Riza I'm so sorry." Roy gulped forcing down the tears. Not tears of sadness but frustration. "I couldn't protect you Riza, I promised that I would but I didn't. I should have been here for you. I should have stopped your crazy father."
"Roy, it was my choice. He didn't make me do anything. I must know my place." Riza said softly without any emotion. "Please can you remove your arms so I can get dressed please." Tears sprang to her eyes, she wanted to be friends or even more with Mr Mustang but as her father had said, she should know her place. Roy quickly pulled his arms away from Riza's body and exited the room sharply striding towards to the bottom of the garden. To the sheck. Roy wished to confront Master Hawkeye himself but he knew that he couldn't. He was useless. Completely useless against Master Hawkeye. Useless.
He began running towards the sheck, their sheck. The dark haired teen reached the perimeter of forest and saw the sheck. Something wasn't quite right about the little outhouse. He looked around surveying the scene looking for the reason why the area looked so different. The realised it, the ground was slightly singed in a patch near the sheck. Roy bent down touching the black grass and dirt; ash covered the ground along with singed pieces of paper. He reached out for one lifting it out of the dirt shaking the black dust from the page. It was the first page from Riza's book, or Riza's mother's book. The last thing that Riza had of her mother, she wouldn't have given this up without a fight. Roy thought back to the tattoo and the blood. What had Master Hawkeye done to her and their sheck? The teen carefully folded the sheet up putting it into the pocket of his trunks now that they had dried. Roy shivered this was the first time he was aware of the lack of clothes he was wearing. He took one stride over to the door of the sheck getting another flashback of the first time he entered the sheck when Riza had unlocked the door for him. He pulled on the handle, but it was locked, somebody had screwed a lock into the sheck. Roy cried in anguish, his only safe place blocked to him. He was isolated again, like when his parents died.
"Shut up! Shut up! You are Roy Mustang; you will become a state alchemist to defend the ones you love. You are Roy Mustang." The teen clenched his jaw hitting the door with his fists. Content with the squeak of the old hinges on the door Roy continued beating down the damp wood with his fists until they split. The door never moved though stubborn to Roy's relentless strength, but he wouldn't accept his defeat.
"Think with your head Roy, not with your fists." Roy muttered to himself. Walking back to the house in search for a screwdriver; as he approached, he remembered who he was supposed to be protecting: Riza Hawkeye. He had left her all alone in the house, he had deserted her. Again. He needed to find her, so that they could get back to their sheck together. Roy heard gunshots up ahead and ran towards the source all thoughts of the sheck deserted. Determined he ran faster and harder towards the shots, only to nearly run right into one. Alert from his training he bent his back, head slung back as the bullet shot past him narrowly avoiding his neck. Upon seeing Roy, Riza threw her shot gun down, sprinting towards Roy who had fallen onto the ground breathing heavily after his near death experience.
"If you were mad Riza you could have just shouted at me like a normal person." Roy grinned at her, all his anger forgotten.