Yeah, I know. Late again. Oh well~
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One week later
Roy's P.O.V.
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Alright, this whole 'vision' thing is great, but seriously, I'd have waited to get fixed, had I known I would be piled with all this work and stress over Ishvalan relations. The moment Riza and I were finally released from the post-apocalyptic hospital to make space for more patients, we were shuttled to the temporary government headquarters, where Grummand was working hard to keep everything running smoothly. It was a difficult task to hold down a country after such an event, so Grummand needed all the help he could get. Riza and I were going to be sent to the East as General Mustang and Lieutenant General Hawkeye. It would take quite some effort and time before one could call Amestris a smoothly-running country, but I swore I would see this country become great with my assistance and, eventually, leadership.
Riza nudged me and pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head to her, and she whispered, "Why the long face, General?" I sighed and stared into her eyes for a moment, glad we were alone in the back of the car.
"Have you thought about how hard it will be for...us?" I whispered back, almost silently. "These will be a long few years, trying to fix our mistakes. We'll be distracted...I might have to go places, you might have to go places, specifically Ishval-"
"Then I'll follow you, wherever you need to go." I smiled at her answer, momentarily content with the band-aid solution she gave to the problem.
(A/N For those who aren't aware, a band-aid solution is something that probably won't do much, even if it sounds good, because it's what someone wants to hear, and it won't last long.)
I sat back in my seat. When I became king...would she be my queen? I closed my eyes, indulging myself in musing and daydreaming about our future. I imagined myself, sitting in the fuhrer's office, the fuhrer's chair, and my beautiful wife sitting next to me...would she become my wife eventually? Would the fraternization laws change? Would I be the one to change them? In that moment, I realized that that was what I truly wanted. If nothing else, I wanted to be with Riza. We always had each other's back, could always trust and count on each other. I hoped it would always stay that way.
I yanked myself from my thoughts when I noticed how close we were to our destination.
Once inside, we were led through a few stairwells and hallways before entering a large room with many people bustling about, carrying papers and talking and such. Across the room, at a desk in front of a big window, was none other than the new fuhrer himself. I made my way over there, Riza trailing behind me.
"Ah! Riza! Mustang! You're here!" Grummand called out as we approached his desk. He stood up and grasped my hand. "I see your vision has truly been fixed, as reported. Good."
"Yes, sir. Doctor Marcoh healed both me and Havoc."
"Ah, yes, Jean Havoc? We'll have to speak about him later. And Riza, darling, how are you?" he asked, embracing his granddaughter.
"I'm quite fine, grandfather. May I ask, I thought we weren't letting anyone know about this?" She glanced around the room at all the people.
"Nah, I don't care if anyone knows we're related. How have you been?" he asked.
Old man sure seemed energetic today.
"I've been worse," she replied, earning a head nod from both me and Grummand.
"Why don't we go somewhere a bit quieter?" he asked, and led the both of us outside the large room, down a hallway, and onto a balcony.
"So, I assume you know where the two of you are going?"
"Yes, sir," I replied. "To the East."
He frowned for a moment. "I've been thinking." He turned to look at the both of us. "I've been thinking about sending one of you to Ishval, to help sort things out. Probably you, Mustang." I tensed. Were we going to be separated? "I need one of you to stay there, of course, to keep control over the area."
I closed my eyes momentarily. "All due respect, sir, I'm ready and willing to go, but-"
"I realize that you two are a team," he said, "and that you work together well. That's why nothing is official yet. That's why I said I was thinking. I wanted to talk to you about it."
I sighed, grateful that he was being considerate. Of course, he knew how close Riza and I were. Well, maybe now exactly how close...
"Thank you, sir," Riza said. "We will consider it."
"Good. Now, about Havoc..."
"He's completely healed up," I said. It was true. He was no longer physically impaired, the only thing was his psychosomatic limp, which was a mental issue that would go away soon enough.
"That's wonderful. We can reinstate him as soon as he is ready."
I smiled at the thought of my friend coming back.
"And I will try to transfer your group with you to the East."
"If you don't mind me suggesting, sir, but-"
"Riza, I told you not to call me sir when not in a working environment."
"We are. You're also the fuhrer, so it would be wrong not to call you sir. Either way, would you consider putting our team in charge so I can assist Mustang with the Ishvalan matters?"
I smirked at her brilliance.
"Ah, my young child, of course! I don't know how I ever didn't think of that. That's a wonderful suggestion. I'll get on it."
I smiled fully now, glad we were taking care of so many issues. I would be able to spend more alone time with Riza in Ishval.
"Riza, may I speak to Mustang alone for a minute?" Grummand asked. I looked at her and nodded.
"Of course, sir. I'll be right inside."
"Thank you, my dear," he said. As soon as sh left, he walked over to me, looking off the balcony. "Roy, my boy, you have been such a great help so far. I'm glad you can see now. However. I can see other things happening. I'm going to be frank here, I can tell there's something going on with you and Riza. I don't know what it is, if you're not telling me something or the like." I gulped, even though he didn't sound threatening or even upset. "All I want to say is that I trust you to take care of my granddaughter, no matter what happens."
"Understood, sir," I said, trying not to give anything away by my voice. "I will protect Hawkeye at all costs, as I always have." Ooh. Careful there, buddy. Don't want to give anything away. "And vise versa, of course."
"Good," he smiled.
"There was...actually...one more thing, sir," I said, trying to get up my courage to ask about fraternization laws, though what he had just said about Riza and I scared me a bit.
"Oh?" he asked.
"Good job," I said. Crap. I didn't say what I wanted to. "You're exactly what this country needs right now."
"Well, thanks, Roy," he said, though I could see in his eyes he knew that wasn't what I meant to say. "That's nice, coming from a general." I smirked and we walked off the balcony. Riza was inside. As we walked back, I kept my gaze from her, even though I knew it would be suspicious.
"Mustang, Hawkeye," Grummand said, "you'll both be going to the East with your team tomorrow at noon. Tonight you can stay at the temporary barracks. Then you can go. I'll send word for when you should start preparing to go to Ishval, I'll give you a bit of time to adjust before shuttling you out again. You'll probably spend a few months in Ishval, possibly taking a few trips here to Central and back to the East. And, really, that's about it until further notice," he said as we entered the large room once again. "I'll send word with more details as needed. Also, here are your papers you'll need."
He picked up a big box from next to his desk marked 'EAST' and handed it to someone passing by. "Take this to their car, please." He then shook my hand, and Riza's. "Mustang. Hawkeye. See you both soon enough."
We left the building and went to the barracks, which was't divided up between males and females yet, and it was overcrowded. Riza and I found where Fuery, Breda, and Havoc had all wound up. Our stuff had already been moved there. It was a small apartment, so some of us had to share beds, and Riza got the couch to herself. It was a tight fit, but it was only for the night.
As I laid under the covers opposite Havoc, I stayed awake, thinking about Riza, and Grummand, and today, and tomorrow, and Ishval, and everything that was soon to come.
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Like it? 1,500 words! Yay! Not long enough, but oh well, it's an update.
Peace!
-IngeniumVatum