Just as he felt the resistance the trigger posed against him, Roy froze.

Riza had slowly lifted her head and held his gaze for one moment before turning her heard sharply to the left, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Just as Roy began to turn toward the supposed threat, he heard the click of a gun's safety being turned off. When he had moved his head fully, he was greeted by a pair of irate golden eyes.

Edward stood motionless and expressionless; his eyes and gun never wavering from the General.

"What-what are you-" Roy began before being cut off.

"I can ask you the same thing," Edward hissed as he narrowed his eyes. "So, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

Slowly lowering his gun and allowing his arm to hang loosely at his side, Roy replied bitterly, "You know what she told me, Fullmetal. And you can see for yourself," he said as his voice cracked and his hands began to tremble, "That we were too late."

"So this is your solution," Edward growled, refusing to drop his weapon. "To give up? To stop fighting?! To take the easy way out!"

Roy visibly flinched. Out of the corner of his eye, he too saw Riza flinch and cautiously move back; still facing toward Edward.

Turning away slightly, trying desperately to hide the pain that had spread across his face, Roy murmured, "It's what she wanted… She trusted me with her life as much as I trusted her with mine."

For once Edward showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, though it was fleeting. "Yeah, I know," he replied hardly. "I was there on the Promised Day….

"But you know what else happened? She talked you down. You got a second chance." His expression softening slightly, he added, "So you would think that she'd deserve one too."

"It… It isn't the same," Roy replied morosely.

How could it be? He had recognized her and what she was saying to him, what she would do in order to keep him on his path. But she… she didn't even know him anymore. He could see it in her eyes. Like Thomas had said: He was nothing to her…

"So you honestly think she's gone, huh? Well then," Edward stated bluntly as he repositioned his raised arm, "I'd like to test that theory."

Before Roy could even blink or fathom what the young man was planning, a shot rang out. Feeling the bullet hurtle just inches past his face, he stumbled backwards and crashed to the ground in shock. Struggling through the disorienting ringing in his ears, he tried pushing himself up to face Edward. "Why did you-"

But when he tried to look at Edward, he found that his view of him was blocked. Immediately he recognized the barrier between them as… Riza?

Left breathless and speechless, Roy could only stare, realizing that she had put herself between them… to protect him.

With one arm raised defensively toward Edward, Riza had her other hand planted on the ground behind her, keeping herself upright in an attempt to obstruct the former alchemist's view of him.

From in front of her, Roy heard the gun's safety being clicked back on and Edward fumbling with it as he stuffed it back into his pocket. "Yeah," the blond man retorted with bitter sarcasm, "She obviously isn't in there anymore."

The next twenty-four hours seemed to pass by in one large blur of confusion and chaos.

Word about the rogue General's plot spread through Central Headquarters like a virus, reaching the ears of every higher-up and cadet in a matter of hours.

Within that time, the members of the so-called "Council" that had pledged allegiance and loyalty to General Thomas were identified and apprehended by Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong and his men. For the time being, they were waiting on word of when Thomas would recover from the injuries sustained before he would be properly charged with conspiracy and crimes against humanity.

Among those apprehended was the supposed Doctor himself, who had eagerly and willingly agreed to tell them what he knew in exchange for life in prison as opposed to an eventual execution…

Looking back, they had been lucky that Lieutenant Colonel Wilson had gotten to them in time.

While Roy and his men were infiltrating the "doctor's" lair, Lieutenant Breda stayed behind to contact the Fuhrer's security detail and warn them of a possible attack. With the help of the best guardsmen in Xing, the Fuhrer was secured for his inevitably quick return back to Amestris.

But as the cacophony and madness began to die down, Roy slowly realized that everything was far from over. As he sifted through the mountains of notes and journals taken from Beller's office, he began to see more clearly what the man had done to try and accomplish what he had set out for: perfect, compliant soldiers.

From what he found, there were seventeen men previously deemed "missing in action" that may have fallen victim to the doctor's experiments over the span of a three year period.

None of them were among the sentient, competent chimera that were eventually caught, however.

No… They were amid the other tangled, disfigured creatures that were pulled from the cages and cells from the scene and taken to a laboratory for further evaluation.

The very thought that this had been happening under their noses for nearly three years made Roy feel sick to his stomach. The fact that they did not have an iota of an idea where these soldiers would have disappeared to before only made it worse.

Had Thomas been in on it the entire time? And if so, were these men specifically targeted by him? Or were they simply random, unfortunate lab rats that were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time?

And when Thomas did become involved… How long had he targeted Roy's own men?

The notion that he had watched and observed them in headquarters, at meetings, and in passing was almost unbearable.

How could he have been so blind…?

Hearing the door to his office slowly creak open, Roy lethargically turned to look over his shoulder at the blond young man that disrupted him. Casting him a weary glance, Roy mumbled, "Anything new?"

Shaking his head wistfully, Edward murmured "no" as he pushed the door closed behind him. "Still pacing," he added as he grimaced.

Roy knew that the young man was incredibly frustrated and angry, though he hid it well.

Edward wanted something else to happen, something to prove to him that what they did was right. Because every now and then Roy caught a glimmer of doubt in Edward's eyes that said even he was questioning if they had done the right thing…

Taking a step forward, Edward gestured to Roy. "How're you feeling?"

Reaching up absently to rub the gauze taped to his cheek, Roy admitted, "Sore. I think the pain medication is finally wearing off…" After forty-two stitches and an insane amount of medical glue, Dr. Knox admitted that he may need a surgeon to later correct the scarring that would likely occur from his wounds. "But I'm alright," he added quietly.

"That's good," Edward replied awkwardly as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "So… Did you find anything?"

Turning back to the pile of papers on his desk, Roy said, "Admittedly, I haven't even gotten to his notes yet… Right now I'm looking at this." Grabbing the manila folder whose contents were spilled out in front of him, he returned to facing Edward, holding it up for him to see.

Carefully stepping forward, Edward decreased the distance between them, coming to a stop just a few feet from Roy. Taking the folder gingerly, he took a step back and opened it.

Roy watched as the young man's golden eyes widened slightly as they skimmed the page that was on top. After a few moments of reading, he flipped that page over and scanned the next one, repeating the process for a few pages until he finally shut it with a frustrated sigh. "Eighty-eight, huh?"

"Yes," Roy confirmed solemnly. "And aside from learning that, you probably noticed everything else inside?"

"Yeah," Edward mumbled. "A record of diet, behavior, health evaluations, and bloodwork to make sure body systems were working normally." Staring down at the accursed envelope, he bitterly said, "At the very least they were thorough and complete."

Nodding slowly in agreement, Roy noted, "They even kept files of the deceased." Observing Edward's confused expression, he explained, "In total there were eighty-eight files, but we only confiscated sixty-three… chimeras." He had trouble coming to terms with the word, choking it out whenever he uttered it. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Anyways," he muttered as he slowly rose to his feet, "You should get some sleep. I'll take over from here."

However, Edward took a step back and eyed Roy thickly. "If you're tired, I don't mind staying up a while longer." Trying his best to smile reassuringly at the dark-haired man, he added, "Besides, it helps me think."

Shaking his head slowly, Roy dismissed Edward's claims. "You need to rest. From what I can tell tomorrow is going to be another long day." Taking a step toward the young blond, Roy reached out his hand. "I can take over from here."

Eyes darting about Roy's face for a while, Edward finally and reluctantly agreed to hand over his "post." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the pistol Roy had given him and slapped it into the General's hand. "I'll see you in a couple of hours then," he said quietly as Roy tightened his grip around it.

As Roy slowly and cautiously made his way down the staircase, he was surprised to see that, for once since they had gotten to his home, Riza was no longer pacing back and forth.

Instead, during the time that Edward had been up with him, she had stopped and decided to settle herself on one of the chairs in his living room. Although, it wasn't just any chair…

Unable to suppress the feeling of hopefulness this gave him, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

It was the same chair she had helped him pick out to accent the room after he cited his lack of "artistic sense." Though she had replied that she was no better at it than he, she still helped him make a decision. So whenever she came by to help him unpack boxes and get him settled into his new "estate," she'd always choose that chair to rest in.

By the time he had made it to the bottom of the stairs, she was more than aware of his presence. Pulling her legs up onto the chair, she hugged them tightly to her body as her ears fell flat against her skull in warning.

Moving tentatively around the radius of the chair, Roy seated himself on the couch furthest from her, raising his hands defensively.

She responded by narrowing her eyes, the corners of her lips twitching agitatedly.

As she watched him, he saw out of the corner of his eyes another slight movement. Eyes slowly training over to it, he realized that it was the tail she had masterfully kept hidden; hidden so well, in fact, that it had been the first time he had actually seen it. He watched as it curled itself around her legs in a sign of defense and worry.

From what he could tell in the dimly lit room, like her ears, it was a deep shade of silver that lightened to a bright blonde at the end.

He realized too late that he had been staring for too long.

In one swift movement, she shifted and it disappeared behind her. Moving again, she leaned against one side of the chair in an attempt to hide it further, her eyes darting down to look at the floor.

Roy knew that look from her anywhere. Though it was rarely painted across her face, he was still able to identify it.

Simply put, it was embarrassment.

He watched as her eyes moved from him back to the floor over and over again, displaying her sudden onset of discomfort.

In an attempt to put her at ease, he slid further back into the couch and relaxed himself, trying to present himself as a non-threat.

Finally she accepted it, she herself relaxing as she rested her head against the chair's headrest.

For what seemed like an hour, Roy sat and studied her out of the corner of his eye, trying to work up the courage to test his theory. After contemplating it and wracking his brain, he finally relented and spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Eighty-eight, huh?"

For the first time since she had relaxed, he saw her flinch as her ears slowly raised toward him. Turning her head ever so slightly, she cast her wary gaze toward him in recognition, causing his stomach to lurch in anger.

So he was right…

As she leaned her head back against the chair and closed her eyes, Roy murmured, "That will be the first thing we tackle tomorrow," as he made himself comfortable in anticipation for the long night ahead.

Roy awoke with a start as the scents of food wafted under his nose. Frowning in confusion, he stumbled out of bed and clumsily made his way down the winding staircase.

Making his way into the kitchen, he was greeted by Edward Elric doing something he had never thought he'd see… Cooking.

His back turned to him, Edward hadn't noticed his presence, muttering to himself as he added a few additional ingredients to whatever he was making.

Slowly peeling his eyes away from the young man, Roy's eyes wandered over to the kitchen table where he found Riza seated. It surprised him seeing her so… curious, though that was exactly what she was. However, she quickly sensed his presence, turning toward him in slight surprise; although she hastily looked away and down toward the floor.

Taking a slow step forward, Roy cleared his throat, resulting in a yelp of surprise from Edward. Whirling around, his eyes immediately went to Riza first. Once realizing that she was still where he had last seen her, Edward's eyes darted back to Roy. Groaning, he grumbled, "Mind being a little less sneaky next time?"

Ignoring the young blond's grumpy morning demeanor, Roy asked, "What is all of this?"

Turning back to the stove, Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I figured I'd try and whip something together with what little food you have, since we all didn't really eat yesterday." After a quick pause, he added, "Plus I wanted to try and pull something together that Hawkeye would actually be able to eat."

"Well, thank you," Roy murmured in surprise.

Looking back over his shoulder at him, Edward scowled. "Don't get used to it, General Bastard, 'cause I sure as hell am not cooking for you the whole time I'm here."

"Wasn't even thinking of it," Roy replied mildly, trying his best to hide his smirk.

It turns out Winry did domesticate him…

"So," Edward began again, his tone serious, "What's the plan?"

"I was thinking that we'd try and work on remembering names to start," Roy answered. "I would prefer not to call my Captain 'Eighty-eight' longer than necessary."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Riza's head turn toward him.

Also apparently seeing it, Edward cast a weary glance over his shoulder at the General. "Yeah… It's definitely worth a shot," he answered honestly. "As soon as I- Fuck!"

Startled by Edward's cursing, Roy realized that whatever he had in the pan on the stove had begun to burn. Rushing forward, he grabbed the pan's handle and hurried it over to the sink, black smoke billowing from it along the way. Dropping it into the sink, he quickly clapped his hands together, pulling the oxygen around the ruined dish away from it.

In an instant the smoke dissipated and the small flame that had formed on top of it vanished with the lack of fuel.

With a sigh Roy turned on the faucet and let the cool water run over the dish and muttered, "I hope this isn't a sign of how today will go."

Unfortunately it appeared that Roy had jinxed them.

Once the commotion about the ruined breakfast died down, they decided to move on to what Roy had planned. However, it proved to be almost next to impossible to get Riza to comply.

The excitement and yelling had obviously startled her, making her even more distrustful of them… If that was even possible.

After finally convincing her to follow them to the living room, she seemed to blatantly refuse to participate further, glancing away in frustration every time Roy tried addressing her. Even sitting at eye-level on the floor did no good.

He tried every combination of names that she would recognize: Riza, Riza Hawkeye, just Hawkeye, Captain, Lieutenant. And even Elizabeth…

But none of them even seemed to even faze her.

Testing the parameters, Roy would every now and then slip "Eighty-eight" into the mix, which she would recognize every time without fail.

He knew that he wore the same expression Edward displayed every time it happened: Pain and failure.

At times he wanted to give up. It obviously didn't look like it was even helping.

In fact, it almost seemed as if it was making things worse.

No doubt he had failed at hiding his emotions, letting his frustration slip through the cracks of the wall he tried to construct in his expression.

But this slip was enough to make her frustrated and agitated with him, oftentimes presenting itself in the form of a low grumble or her pushing herself further away from him.

When the sun had sunk low enough to cast wide and long shadows through the massive windows of his home and across the floor, Edward finally cleared his throat, breaking all of them from their concentration. "I have to go and get ready to receive a call from Al," he wistfully murmured as he stood up off of the floor and stretched. "He should be in Asoko, Nippon by now."

Nodding languidly toward the former alchemist, Roy silently excused him.

After Edward had finally gotten a hold of Alphonse, the young alchemist and May Chang quickly made their way back toward the West in order to help them. So far, they were about a five weeks journey away…

Once Edward had left the room and gone upstairs, Roy looked back toward Riza, whom had also watched the young man go. As soon as he disappeared, she turned her eyes back toward Roy, though only for a moment. Casting them downward, she stared at the floor and folded her hands in her lap, effectively closing him out.

In one large surge, the feelings of bitterness and defeat crashed down inside of him. Burying his face into his hands, he squeezed his eyes shut and sat motionlessly, allowing the ache of his failure to set in and pool there.

It hurt all over again; the realization that he had failed yet again.

No matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't be enough.

What would they do now? What could they possibly do to fix this?

If she couldn't even understand her own name, how in the hell would she be able to comprehend what they were doing when they attempted the reversal?

Well… She wouldn't.

If she wouldn't allow them to do it, then what were they supposed to do?

He had gone against her wishes, gone behind her back; only for it to fail….

What would they do?

What would they do?

What would they do?!-

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a shadow fell across his face. Jerking his hands away, he found a hand hovering inches from his cheek.

Withdrawing it slightly, Riza curled her fingers into her hand in surprise at his sudden movement. Slowly, however, her hand again moved forward; her eyes wandering over to the bandage on his cheek. Gently brushing her fingertips against it, she exhaled quietly.

He dared not move, watching her intently as she continued to peer at the gauze.

However, the instant her eyes wandered over to his and locked on them, she quickly retracted her hand and pushed herself away from him, raising it to her head with a sharp gasp of pain.

As she tried to increase the distance between them, Roy suddenly realized it.

Even if it was for one fleeting moment, he saw what he was looking for.

In that one moment, he saw recognition.

A/N: I know that there are still questions left, but know that they will all be answered in time (especially with how quickly everything was laid out in the beginning of the second section of this chapter)! But if you have any in the meantime, let me know!

So, now in the final arc of the story (though it's longer than the rest; it can almost be considered two arcs). I'd expect this fic to be no more than 25 chapters long overall.

Fun fact! In case you were wondering where I got "Eighty-Eight" from, it was actually the number of my bone box for canine anatomy this year. O.o

Anyways, thank you to all that have favorited, followed, and reviewed so far! You guys are great!