Playing With Fire - Royai - Part One

~P~

Playing With Fire - Part 1

~P~

"That's the third alchemist... this week, Lieutenant Hawkeye." The man's voice was strained as he relayed the news to his superior officer, who sighed in frustration before dismissing him.

Riza Hawkeye, as well as the rest of the Eastern Command, hadn't a clue as to what was happening in East City – only a couple of few weeks beforehand, alchemists all over the city begun dropping like flies to a mysterious killer. There were no leads as to who it was – an organization? A single person? Every single murder was executed differently, making what little information the military had gathered about the cases even more skewed. The most logical conclusion was that it was a group of people, but there was no reason to believe this idea other than the conjoining fact that the targets of the murders were all alchemists, a set target of victims. There was no way to connect each murder to an organized act other than by assuming, though – and that wasn't something that the military could afford to do lightly.

Shaking her head to try and clear it, Riza walked away from the crime scene and down an alleyway – she needed a moment if she was going to be able to think clearly when it really mattered. Riza had killed many a person before – shot them down point blank with her trusty rifle – but seeing a broken body so close up still left her unsettled. She had never had the misfortune of looking at her victims after she'd killed them, but she had more than enough experience in those past weeks viewing those of another person. And while killing a person was just that, Riza couldn't help but compare between the clean kill of bullet and the horrible, mangled murders she was forced to document. All of the crimson blood and torn skin was enough to drive a normal person insane – but then again, Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was no ordinary human being. She knew this was something she would have to deal with when she joined the military and she had accepted it wholeheartedly – and so as sickening as it all was, she couldn't back down now. This was her duty and she needed to pull through it. When she had made considerable distance between herself and the murder scene, the Lieutenant exhaled heavily and leaned against a wall. Her first moment of peace – seemingly so, as her mind was teeming with hectic thoughts – that day was interrupted by a familiar voice at her side.

"Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere. Sergeant Kemmerich needs you to—" Rebecca paused and looked at her best friend, who was hunched over and wiping at her brow. Despite already knowing the answer, Warrant Officer Catalina asked, "Are you all right?" Her dark eyes were flashing in concern for the blonde woman before her, who immediately straightened out and began walking back to the scene.

"Of course I am, Officer," Riza told Rebecca, who rolled her eyes and began to follow her friend.

"Relax the formalities," she caught up to her and began walking in step beside her. "It's Rebecca, not Officer." The pair walked in silence until they were nearly at the beginning of the alley, before Rebecca placed her hand on Riza's shoulder and stopped her. The Lieutenant's brow furrowed at her friend, who flashed her a sympathetic smile. "I know this must be difficult for you – you're basically heading this investigation – but if you want to talk about it, I'm always here, Riza. You don't have to shoulder all of this by yourself."

A part of Riza flooded with relief at Rebecca's words – she could always count on the flirtatious dark-haired girl – but a larger part, the part that needed to constantly be on top of things came forth instead. Rebecca felt Riza stiffen, before responding with, "I need to be as involved as I can for the benefit of Colonel Mustang – you know that. He needs the clearest information he can from someone he trusts." At this, she continued walking back towards the barricaded area of the murder. Rebecca groaned – of course, Riza would put up a wall like that – before running after her again.

Deciding that obsessing over the topic wouldn't get either of them anywhere, Catalina switched the matter of discussion. "Speaking of Mustang," she began, "normally you two are attached at the hip – you accompany each other to these kinds of things, so where's he at?"

Riza, glad that her friend had given up trying to get her to vent, answered easily with, "He's back at headquarters discussing this whole case with Lieutenant General Grumman. They're trying to make sense of the few details we have concerning all of this. The Colonel put me in charge of this certain investigation in place of his absence." And honestly, Riza preferred keeping Roy as far as possible from any such activity, for her own peace of mind. Though a part of her was struggling with being away from him, as it was her sole duty to protect the man, she felt more at ease knowing that he wasn't at the source of such act that was committed on his own kind – an alchemist. Out of the alchemists that had been killed, three had been State Alchemists, and though they didn't seem to be the main targets for the murders, Riza was still antsy every time Roy approached the scene of a freshly slain alchemist. She felt like he was unconsciously upping his own chances of being next, and so keeping him as far as possible from them was something Riza hoped – even strived – for each time a new case popped up.

Silence fell over them before Rebecca, her mind having wandered to the pair's plans that night, piped up, "So, are you looking forward to the double date tonight?"

Riza's eyes widened – she'd nearly forgotten! – before she sighed. Honestly, with all that was going on around her, this was a less-than-ideal time to be doing something trivial like going on a double date, but if her friend had anything to do with it, then there wasn't any way in hell she could get out of it. Hinting at her displeasure, Riza answered back with, "Hasn't Lieutenant Gunter been sick all week? Why should I be going out with him if there's a chance I could contract what he has?"

"Oh, Alaric's fine!" Rebecca waved her hand, a goofy smile stretching on her features. Riza watched as her friend's mind literally transitioned from work to men, rolling her eyes. "I saw him this morning along with Dirk. They were collecting some paperwork and both seemed to be in tip top shape! And besides – why are you putting off Alaric? You two seem to get along fine the last time I checked."

It was true – Second Lieutenant Alaric Gunter was not a horrible man, if a bit odd. She didn't dread seeing him, but didn't look forward to it, either. He and Riza had been on a couple of dates – all set up by Rebecca and her insistence – and she had to admit she found him good company. He was attractive, with blonde hair not unlike her own and dark, piercing green eyes, and he had a nice personality, though he was a bit chatty for her liking. He liked to write when he wasn't working, he was a decent chef, and unlike Mustang, always handed his paperwork in on time and even spent hours after work studying in the libraries. He was oddly diligent in his reading of texts, but Riza figured this wasn't a bad thing. A little extra knowledge never hurt a soul.

Sure, Riza liked him, and sure, she would see him again if it meant shutting Rebecca up. But he wasn't a necessity – or the distraction she so desperately needed – in her life, unlike how Rebecca treated her new boyfriend – and Alaric's best friend – Sergeant Major Dirk Dresden. She'd honestly rather be tying up loose ends on cases with the Colonel – she had to keep her eye on him, she always had to – than be out and about with the blonde Lieutenant, but she would never let her best friend know that. A part of her that she had tucked away for years – but nagged on her every time she saw the man – told her that her sole reason for seeing him wasn't only to quiet Rebecca; no, it was the help fill in a hole in her heart left by another, but each time this possibility entered her thought process, she swiftly blocked it out with something else.

"I'm not," Riza explained pathetically, ignoring the way her heart was thumping in her chest. "But you know I have a lot on my mind right now. I have to constantly look after the Colonel and then deal with these cases. It doesn't leave a lot of time open for dating, Rebecca."

"Hey, I find the time to maintain a healthy social life," Rebecca countered with a laugh. The pair of friends neared the crowd of military policemen and higher-ups, and just as Riza was about to branch off, Rebecca clapped her on the back. "Just promise me you'll come tonight, all right?" Rebecca stared at Riza until the Lieutenant's shoulders dropped and she relented.

"Fine," she answered, walking off to discuss matters with Kemmerich. "I'll meet you at the restaurant at eight."

Rebecca grinned before waving at her friend and going her own separate way. Riza watched Rebecca run off before sighing – maybe she did need some new friends beyond Roy and Rebecca. Friends that wouldn't force her to do hours of paperwork after work hours and go on ridiculous double dates.

~P~

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Riza immediately straightened up and faced her superior officer. "What is it, sir?"

Roy Mustang blinked at the blonde woman in front of him – she seemed to be more wired than usual. "Are you all right? You seem to be tense." Riza was beginning to get annoyed with the question that seemingly everyone was asking her, but to hear it from the Colonel caused a different reaction in her – she did in fact tense, and she stared back at the man before directing her wide gaze to the ground.

She knew she couldn't hide her stress from him – they'd known each other for years, nothing was secret between them – but she thought that she had hid it well enough up until then that he hadn't noticed. Unknown to her, he'd been observing her slight changes in behaviour for those past few weeks, and just now, when they were alone in his office, had he decided to bring it up. His concern for her had grown far too much, and he couldn't hold it in any longer. When she didn't answer him, he opened his mouth to ask again, but she cut him off quickly.

"I-I'm fine, I can assure you," she responded, cursing herself for the shakiness in her voice giving her away. She had made sure to be extra careful about her ways around her Colonel – she couldn't afford for him to get sidetracked with something so insignificant as her singular wellbeing. She needed him to stay focussed on the murdered alchemists investigation, not worry about her. Now, instead, she had to convince him that she was perfectly well – she had to strengthen her wall. She didn't make eye contact with him – his dark eyes were much too imploring to look into directly – but instead waited for something to break the unbearable silence, hopefully his acceptance of her false words. When it became apparent he wasn't saying anything, Riza became desperate for anything to break the tension between them, and so casting her eyes to the clock, noticed the time and hopped up. "Sir, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to ask if I could put off working after hours tonight?" She hated the reminder of the date, but was reluctantly grateful for its usefulness in the situation.

Roy, now curious and distracted from his previous inquiry, leaned on his desk and raised an eyebrow at his subordinate. "Of course. But if you don't mind my asking – why?"

Riza became flustered – she didn't want to tell him, though she couldn't quite place why. But she knew she would have to provide him with an answer if she wanted to get out of the office and away from his questions as soon as possible, so with a hiss of distaste, replied, "A date."

Roy's eyes widened – since when did his Lieutenant date? – before feeling his gloved hand curl into a fist and his chest clench. He knew he didn't have any right to tell Riza not do go out with another person, especially when he was such a serial dater himself, but he couldn't help but feel selfishly when he thought of her with another man – she was supposed to be devoted solely to him, was she not? So another man was technically not needed in her life, yes? Roy knew that his reasoning was completely unfair and that he couldn't justify it, and so he didn't make the poisonous comment his tongue wanted to spit out when she looked up at him. He knew that the date was more than likely Rebecca's doing, but he still couldn't help but feel so uneasily about it. "I see," was all he said, his face blank, despite everything swirling within him. Clearing his throat, he nodded at her, "You are dismissed, Lieutenant."

Riza stood up and began to collect her things and reassemble her scattered paperwork, and Roy couldn't help but silently note how rushed she was about doing so. When she was finally ready to leave the Flame Alchemist all by his lonesome, she made her way to the door hastily and began to slip out. Roy glared at the floor, trying but failing to resist the urge to speak to her one last time for the day, before calling out, "Please, be careful, Riza. I couldn't stand to think if something happened to you because of me." His tone of voice was softer than before, and it made the Lieutenant stop and blink at him, her heart thudding gently in her chest.

It was a mutual thing, Riza knew – both didn't want the other to get harmed, an even though Riza wasn't an alchemist, she was close to the most powerful one in Amestris, and so was a prime target if need be. Offering him a small smile, Riza skipped the formalities for once and nodding, said back, "You, too, Roy. Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone." And at this, she was out the door and the Colonel was left by himself, and he was surprised and saddened by the pang he felt in his chest when he realized how utterly alone he felt in that moment.

~P~

"So how has Riza been doing this past week, considering I haven't seen you at all since our last date?" Alaric asked casually, leaning his elbows on the table and giving the woman in question a smile. The distracted Lieutenant simply stared off into the distance behind him, and he gave a slight laugh before reaching over and placing his hand over hers. The contact – which sent an unpleasant jolt through the blonde's system – caused her to come back down to reality, instead of worrying about a different man altogether, and she blinked at Alaric, trying to regain her wits.

"Hm?" she hummed, lamely attempting to get involved in the mostly one-sided conversation again. Alaric chuckled at her again before squeezing her hand, and Riza pulled it away under the guise of pulling her hair out of her eyes. The gesture was too intimate for the independent Lieutenant, and she wasn't about to let it go on any longer than it already was.

"You seem a bit out of it," he noted, focussing on her a little too intently for Riza's liking. It was then that she saw his lips forming the question she had heard one too many times, and before he could ask it, she waved her hand.

"I'm all right, Lieutenant Gunter," she assured him, her life just as flimsy as it had been when she had told it to Roy. The difference between Alaric and Roy, though, was that the Flame Alchemist could immediately realize how blatantly she was fibbing. Alaric hadn't a clue to how Riza was actually doing, instead taking her word and nodding at her. The blonde man took the opportunity to dive into conversation again, with him gabbing on incessantly, and this time, Hawkeye made sure to put enough effort into listening to and acknowledging him that he wouldn't feel the need to break her out a stupor again. Every time it was necessary, she gave him a little nod or a word of feigned interest, and while she could manage this, she couldn't help her eyes from travelling around the room, bored and disinterested with the topics he was trying to discuss with her. Rebecca and Dirk weren't as loud as they normally were – they were both very expressive people – but instead were using all their combined strength to keep from grabbing each other and kissing right there. The lust in Rebecca's dark eyes was apparent, matching that of her boyfriend's just across the table.

Riza rolled her eyes – it was painfully obvious how badly her friend and her boyfriend wanted to leave the restaurant, and honestly, Lieutenant Hawkeye was done for the night, as well, but not in the same way. She no longer wanted to listen to Alaric talk but didn't know how to dismiss him subtly without seeming tactless. Her thoughts of how to escape home were broken by Dirk's deep voice, though, hailing down a waiter for a cheque. Rebecca's hand wrapped around his and she turned to face Alaric and Riza. "Dirk and I were planning on going back to my place after this," she purred, barely resisting the urge to side glance at her beau. Alaric nodded but Riza rolled her eyes – she honestly didn't understand how her friend could be so... mushy. Rebecca's gaze locked on Riza's then and she gave her a devilish look – and it was in that moment that Hawkeye realized just what Rebecca was pulling her into. "And we were wondering if you two would like to join us? For a drink or something? You wouldn't have to stay all night if you don't want to... whenever you two feel the need to go off and do your own thing, you totally can." At this, Rebecca very unsubtly winked at Riza, who was about ready to burst at the seams at her friend's ridiculous words and insinuations.

"I'm up for it if Riza is," Alaric smiled over at Riza, silently asking for a conformation. She blinked between him and Rebecca, her best friend's dark eyes glinting at her. She would never hear the end of it if she denied the offer – Rebecca would goad and goad her until she accepted – but at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. She had to go in early the next morning so she could look further into the details of the case that occurred that day, and she wouldn't be able to do so as efficiently as she wanted if she didn't obtain a good amount of rest beforehand. She continued to weigh her options silently, but waited too long to provide Alaric with an answer, because before she knew it, Rebecca leaned over, grabbed her wrist and was yanking her up.

"She'd love to, Alaric!" she blurted out cheerily, making her way with Riza in tow towards the exit. Fluttering a hand at Dirk, she called, "We'll meet you two outside!" And at that, she pushed them out the door of the restaurant and into the cool, nippy air of the night. She forced them to walk a few paces before stopping, smiling widely at Riza and nearly shaking her. "You're welcome," she told the Lieutenant, who side-glared at her.

Riza wasn't about to yell at Rebecca – she had no idea the real reason why she didn't want to do anything with Alaric, despite the lack of chemistry she so clearly felt, for the Lieutenant had never made it a point to tell her friend about the tattoo and scars on her back. And if she couldn't tell someone like Rebecca, then there wasn't a chance that she was going to let Alaric see them. Only one person had ever been allowed to view them – and it would remain this way. Folding her arms across her chest, Riza opened her mouth to protest, but in that moment, the two men exited the restaurant and joined them, stealing away Rebecca's attention.

As the raven-haired Warrant Officer flounced off with Dirk Dresden ahead of the two remaining souls, Alaric offered his arm to Riza, who took it with what she hoped wasn't noticeable reluctance. Following after the overly eager couple, Alaric continued his endless barrage of words at her, which Riza responded to with properly timed gestures of acknowledgement. When a yawn nearly left her lips and she was told the time by Dirk – it was only nine thirty – it was then that she realized just how long a night she was in for.

~P~

Riza couldn't recall a time when she saw Rebecca so eager to get into her apartment, fumbling with her keys when the four arrived at the door. She kept side-glancing at Dirk with a lusty hint in her dark irises, prompting the blonde Lieutenant to roll her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. Alaric stood too closely to her, gripping her shoulder with his arm as they entered Rebecca's living space. She was more than glad to volunteer to be the one to retrieve the desired alcohol from her best friend's kitchen if it meant that she wasn't sharing her personal bubble with the clingy Alaric any longer.

It didn't take long before Rebecca was inebriated, Dirk following closely behind at tipsy. Alaric became even louder and chattier than usual – was that even possible for him? – but was far from drunk, and Riza, never one for impairing herself so recklessly, instead only took very brief, spaced out drinks. When the time came – meaning when her friend was so drunk she wouldn't notice – Riza planned on making an excuse and escaping the scene. But right then wasn't an option – because as much as Rebecca was hanging on Dirk, she was shooting looks back at the blonde pair, grinning stupidly as if prodding Riza to make a move.

"Oh, you!" Rebecca shouted loudly at Dirk, whose face split into a grin, before leaning down to steal a long kiss from her. Riza blinked at her friend, trying to understand what part of getting completely wasted and then participating in mindless sexual acts was appealing. It hit her like a brick, though – Rebecca had crossed the imaginary line and was no longer paying attention to Riza and her date. She could make a run for it if she wanted to! Deciding to seize the moment as instantly as it came to her mind, Riza looked at the door and was about to stand when Alaric wrapped his arm around her waist and pinned her firmly to his side, the same obnoxious smile directing its way to her when she looked up at him.

"I don't think I've told you just how beautiful I find you, Riza," he told her, his face pressing down on hers. She could feel his breath, slightly tinged with the smell of alcohol, against her cheek and decided that was enough – she couldn't put up with his ways anymore. Nice guy or not, Alaric Gunter seemingly didn't have boundaries and that was something that needed to be corrected. Placing a hand on his chest, she began to push him away as he leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss, but both effectively stopped in their tracks when Rebecca let out a startled shout from beside them.

Looking over at her, she saw that Dirk was atop Rebecca and was holding her wrists above her head in a lock. The Warrant Officer was blinking up at her boyfriend, growing pain evident in her eyes, while his own reflected something sinister. Rebecca squirmed and trying to get out of his grasp, but he would not budge. Riza tensed – the look in his Dirk's eyes was no longer the kind one she had seen all night, and for some reason, the atmosphere of the room seemed to change for the worse. Something was happening, and Riza could feel it.

"Babe," Rebecca said, looking up at Dirk. "You're hurting me – could you ease up a bit?"

A smirk played on Dirk's lips then, stretching across his face as he leaned closer to her, pinching her wrists the closer she got, causing Rebecca to writhe again. Riza could no longer take it and standing up swiftly, prepared at any moment to shoot the gun fastened to her thigh, commanded, "Let go of her, Dresden, and keep yourself in check." The Sergeant Major acted as if he didn't hear her at all, continuing to press against Rebecca. Stepping forward, Riza grabbed his upper arm and shoved him away, "I said get off of her!" A part of Riza was confused as to why Alaric wasn't helping defend Rebecca, but she got her answer a few seconds later when the blonde man in question had seized her arm in a hold behind her back.

"I suggest you keep out of it," he whispered into her ear, and Riza struggled to get out of his grasp.

The scene was silent for a few seconds, with Riza watching Rebecca continually protest against Dirk's suddenly odd behaviour, and figuring that avoiding a confrontation was for the best, began in the calmest voice she could muster, "Care to explain what's happening here, Lieutenant Gunter? Just a few minutes ago you were trying to make a move on me and now you're restraining me? What's up?"

"Let's just say you'll know more when the time comes," Alaric replied cryptically, his hand gripping her forearm tighter to the point where she knew it would bruise noticeably. Riza gritted her teeth, but still kept her calm facade – all she had to do was keep it up, and in the last second, she could pull her gun on them... "But for now, you can know this – we've finally got you where we want you. We've got no need for your annoying little friend any longer."

Riza's eyes widened, her brain going haywire from the comment. Hearing Rebecca squeak from beside her, her forced peace broke, causing her to twist her arm with as much power as she possessed and reach for her small rifle. The second she felt the familiar metal of the trigger against her fingers, she wrenched out of Alaric's grasp and behind him. The blonde man blinked at her agility, but took no time to let shock set in before trying to restrain her again. He aimed a punch at her that just narrowly missed, and when she heard Rebecca shout again only for the sound to be muffled by Dirk, she finally snapped and shot at the man in front of her, the bullet skimming his shoulder, causing him to fall to the floor to grip the wounded area. "You bitch," Alaric mumbled, pulling his hand away temporarily to assess the damage before putting it back.

Riza didn't care to trade snide comebacks with the blonde lowlife, and so turning toward Dirk instead, she pointed the gun at him with the intention of scaring him off and away from Rebecca. The man blinked at her, but Riza wasn't given any time to react as Alaric knocked the gun from her grasp, the device landing on the marble floor with an audible clunk. He wrapped both of his arms around the entirety of her small frame now, no longer holding back on using his strength to keep her at bay. His arms were squeezing her too tightly, to the point where regaining her breath was nearly too difficult a task for the Lieutenant.

"You couldn't just cooperate and come easily, huh?" Dirk placed a firm slap across Rebecca's cheek before leaving his position atop her to retrieve Riza's gun. "Should have suspected this from you – you are the Hawk's eyes, after all. It would only make sense you'd carry a gun on you at all times. Too bad this time it's not going to benefit you, though." He loaded another round and before Riza could register what was happening, it was pointing at Rebecca and the blonde Lieutenant's mind went completely blank in her panic.

Rebecca simply stared at the gun pointed to her chest, her body shaking. Dirk closed an eye to make sure he aimed as accurately as he could at the Warrant Officer's heart, but Riza's kicking protest broke his concentration. "Stop!" she cried out, and with a groan, Dirk looked at her, although Alaric's hold on her strengthened painfully. "Stop, I-I said. I don't know what it is either of you want – but don't hurt Rebecca if all you want is me. Take me but leave her alone – please, don't hurt her." Dirk's eyebrow raised in question then, and she gave the answer he was searching for, the one that would convince him. "I'll cooperate accordingly if you do it. I won't make any trouble for you if you just leave her out of it."

"You're not in a place to be gambling life here, Miss Hawkeye," Alaric spat in her ear, but Dirk held up his hand to quiet his friend.

After letting the offer sink into his mind long enough that he could consider it, Dirk shrugged and dropped the gun to his side. "Fine, then. You come along without a struggle, and we'll leave Rebecca be." Riza didn't relax despite his words – a part of her was telling her that he had complied too easily and that she shouldn't give in. But at the same time, a wave of relief washed over as they began to exit the apartment. Maybe they would keep their words, plain and simple...

Riza and Alaric were in doorway when Dirk raised his arm again, aiming at Rebecca all over again, who was still paralyzed to her sofa. Immediately, Riza knew she had been lied to, but before she could make a struggle, one of Alaric's arms wrapped around her mouth to keep her quiet. "You really are too trusting, Riza," he whispered huskily into her ear, before adjusting the way he was holding her so that she could watch the shooting head on. Riza tried to turn her head away from the scene unfolding, but Alaric wouldn't allow her the escape. With wide, horrified eyes, Riza observed as Rebecca was shot in the leg and arm, but never once fatally. Warrant Officer Catalina sank to the floor and groaned once Dirk was finished, placing the rifle into his jacket for further use if needed. Riza screamed as Rebecca's eyes fluttered shut, and Alaric's arm constricted her breath even further until it felt as though she was suffocating, her head swimming from the lack of oxygen. "You just don't know when to shut up, eh?" Alaric spat at her and she bit him, causing him to jerk her head back violently and pull her hair.

"I've ensured that she won't be getting in our way – hell, she even has a bit of time before bleeding out to think about what's happened. I mean, it's not like we could actually let her live – she knows too much!" Dirk laughed then, Alaric's following shortly after – the two chortles were enough to make Riza sick. She kicked her legs furiously in one last futile attempt, but stopped moving altogether when she felt something make contact with her head, hard and fast and staggering. "Won't you stop already? Can't you see your struggling is useless?" Dirk bellowed in her ear, his voice growing more and more distant with each passing second, and with a start in her chest, she realized she was losing consciousness and that she was losing it fast.

But she couldn't – she needed to stay alert for Rebecca's sake. She thrashed around with what little strength she had last, all of her breath leaving her lungs forcefully when Alaric tightened his hold. "You really must want Catalina to suffer," Alaric hissed. "Or else you would stop making such a goddamned fuss." Riza barely registered his words, but managed to follow his movements as he released her a bit to retrieve something from his pocket, allowing for a short burst of air to enter her airways again. "Honestly, Dirk – I don't think a few bullet wounds are enough. What do you say? Care to make this a little more interesting?" At this, he held out what he had gotten from his pocket – a lighter, and though they were no Roy Mustang with his show of explosive fire power, Riza knew that they could still do considerable damage with the small device if used properly. And she knew that they intended to do as much harm as possible.

Dirk laughed again for conformation, before bending down in front of Riza. She just barely made out his malevolent expression through her blurry vision. "It's time to say goodbye to your friend," he told her tauntingly, "because she's about to go up in flames."

Riza's body went rigid in panic at his words, but she hadn't anytime to lash out for he smacked her over the head with the gun again, this time solidly knocking the blonde Lieutenant out.

~P~

Roy Mustang sighed heavily as he walked out of the entrance of Eastern Headquarters. Despite the hour and the stressful work he had been doing all day, his mind was abuzz – with one thing. His Lieutenant. He had been overly worried about her from the moment she had left the office for her date; something just didn't seem right to Colonel, and so it had been nagging him since. "I don't need this," he muttered to himself as he walked down the steps. Pulling a hand through his dark hair, he groaned, "I have enough on my plate with these damned murder cases... and besides... you can trust her... you always have..." He scowled, "She's perfectly capable of protecting herself, Mustang." It was then that the Flame Alchemist realized that he was outright talking to himself, and even if there was no one around to witness such an event, he still blushed and ceased speaking.

He was halfway to his vehicle when an idea struck in his mind. Once he was in the safety of his car, he unconsciously began what he had just forced himself to stop doing. "Still, though..." he muttered, pulling off his gloves and placing them on the seat beside him. "A little visit couldn't hurt, now could it? Just to check up – put this pointless anxiety to rest." Feeling the sudden need to justify why he would be going to see her, he searched his brain for a satisfactory answer. "B-besides, I mean, I can fill her in on what Grumman and I decided..." At this, he went to turn his keys, completely set to carry out his plan, but his action was halted when something that sounded akin to explosion went off outside. Roy froze, before looking out his mirror, and instantly his eyes caught sight of the orange glow of fire – something he knew all too well – coming from the soldier living quarters.

It took no time whatsoever for it to register in Roy's mind – something was going down, and he needed to be there to stop it. As he jumped out of his car and ran towards the burning buildings, it faintly entered his mind that it might be another murder, this time against a State Alchemist, and that running in by himself was thoughtless, but he couldn't just stand by.

With adrenaline pumping in his veins, it didn't take long for the Colonel to arrive at the scene – and surely, he was right, for there the apartment was, crumbling and aflame. As he stared at it, he couldn't shake the slight familiarity the place held – most of the military's soldier corridors were designed to be the same, but this one was newer and larger, built for higher occupancy. His eyes scanned the block for people – and people they were, soldiers flooding out from their places to observe the disaster from afar. It was then that his dark eyes landed on a car, and that's when it hit him – this was Rebecca Catalina's apartment block. He only knew because the vehicle was the Warrant Officer's, and because he had twice been dragged to the place for tea by Riza.

Even the smallest association to his Lieutenant scared the man more senseless than any of the murders had – if his suspicions were correct, and if Rebecca and Riza had gone back to the Warrant Officer's apartment... then there was a possibility, however slight, that she was somewhere in the burning mess. His heart plummeting in his chest, Roy pushed through a crowd of people aggressively and approached the entrance of the building. Most of the residents, he had figured, had evacuated the place already, and he knew that it would be no time at all before a team would arrive to extinguish the place – and so his eyes began to search the crowd desperately, searching for Riza's face, or even Rebecca's. All he needed was a familiar face so that he could gain the answers and reassurance his pounding heart so desperately needed.

When he didn't catch the amber eyes of his adjutant or the dark ones of Rebecca, panic set in at its fullest and without a second thought, the Colonel plowed through the entrance of the building, not caring how the heat rushed out and burned at his skin. From behind him, he heard the shouts of people, but he didn't care – no, he needed to find her, he needed to find Riza, he needed her to be safe and okay...

In the back of his mind, Roy knew he was being incredibly irrational and that she probably wasn't even there if the evening had ended the way she wanted, but he couldn't take chances with Riza, because if something happened to her he would never forgive himself. So as he pushed himself forward despite the flames licking at his ankles and arms, he kept his mission and destination fresh and intent in his mind.

Mustang inwardly cursed to himself when he got to the third floor – his vision was blurring, his head spinning and his lungs aching for oxygen the air didn't contain. He remembered faintly that Rebecca's apartment was located on the fifth floor, number... fifty eight? His mind blanked and he doubled over, coughing violently. He needed to check the place and then get out of there before he was the one who burned, and so heaving himself forward, he made his way to the next set of stairs and began climbing with much difficulty.

By the time he was nearing what he suspected was Rebecca's apartment, he was narrowly resisting collapsing from the lack of air he was receiving. "Dammit, Mustang, just a bit farther," he scolded himself, taking a heavy step forward. Through the smoke in front of him, Roy made out the somewhat familiar number of Catalina's apartment on a nearby door, and so squaring his shoulders, he barged through the door, which crumbled in his wake. The Flame Alchemist threw out his hands as his irritated eyes were forced to close because of the tears stinging them, searching for something, anything that could guide him. "R-Riza?" he coughed out, "Riza?! Lieutenant Hawkeye!" As he feared, but also suspected, not an answer was given back, and so tripping forward a bit, he tried again. "Catalina? Rebecca?" His chest seized up a little more each time his calls went without a response, and despite knowing that his efforts were becoming futile, he continued, his voice raw and strangled. "Riza!" he shouted, taking several strides around the smoke-packed area before his foot bumped against something. Roy tried to step over what he suspected was a piece of furniture, but when it moved groggily and he heard the form groan through the sound of the flames, he forced his eyes opened and bent down. Reaching his hands out, he grasped the person's shoulders desperately and a few seconds later, his eyes presented him with the crumpled body of Warrant Officer Rebecca Catalina. His eyes widened before filling with tears from the smoke once again, and he wiped at them feverishly before turning the woman's face to look at him. As was to be expected, she was nearly out cold and was murmuring to herself mindlessly. Pulling his hand away temporarily, Roy was horrified to find his fingers coated in her blood and when he looked down to where he had placed his hand on her arm, he saw the source of the liquid – a bullet wound, deep in her forearm and bleeding profusely.

Though his brain wanted nothing more than to question his Lieutenant's friend right then and there, his body and instincts knew that the pair had to get out of the building before it collapsed on them – and Roy had to get Rebecca the medical attention she so obviously needed. Taking mind of the one out of two wounds he knew about, Roy scooped the woman up with as much strength his weakened muscles could manage, and began to exit. He narrowly missed getting crushed when the ceiling fell in behind him, but the close call was enough to kick start his adrenaline levels so that he was able to push through the falling debris and flames without as much difficulty as when he had entered.

When the exit of the complex came into view, partially blocked off by raging flames, Roy doubled his pace and paid little heed to the pain that overcame his body with each step. He was so close; he could see the street and people... So as soon as he trudged out the doors, the fire burning his skin, he landed hard on his knees and just barely resisted dropping Rebecca to the ground out of the exhaustion seizing his entire frame. His lungs stung with each deep intake of breath and his head was pounding excruciatingly. He barely registered as two people approached him and carefully removed Rebecca from his tight grip, and he watched as they brought her to a waiting stretcher, relaxing as he realized they were medical personnel. All around him was chaos as a team of medics helped victims and a group of soldiers worked to extinguish the building before the fire could spread.

Roy took a few more moments to compose himself before the original source of his entering the flaming building struck him – Riza, Riza, Riza! Standing up abruptly, the Flame Alchemist shakily made his way over to the stretcher Rebecca was laid out on, paramedics buzzing around her to treat her. Several people tried to restrain him but he brushed them off once, twice, thrice and violently swung at the fourth person before those surrounding him took a hint and backed off. He could get medical help later – right now he just needed to know where Riza was, and Rebecca was the only person who knew that.

Bending down next to her stretcher, he watched her closely for any signs of consciousness. It took a few painfully long moments, but her eyes fluttered open before squeezing shut again, and shaking her head back and forth, she cried, "R-Riza..." Roy froze, before hesitantly placing his hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her emotional state. She blinked at him and through laboured breaths, managed a, "Roy?"

"Rebecca," he started quickly, desperately, "where's Riza? Please, you have to tell me." At the mention of her best friend again, Rebecca's eyes filled with tears that rolled down her cheeks and into her hair. Frightened by her reaction, Roy pushed again, his tone more urgent than before. "Please."

A sob escaping her lips, Rebecca choked out, "She's gone. They took her, Roy, they took her and I couldn't do a thing...!"

And Roy's world stopped – he felt his fists clench, his heartbeat quicken, and his brain go haywire. Riza was gone, missing, nowhere to be found. Riza was no longer there, and it was his fault. His gaze fell to the pavement, struggling to comprehend the reality that his Lieutenant had been kidnapped but unable to grasp it. Too much information was flying around his head, too much distress was filling his chest, and when he looked up to ask more questions of Rebecca, he saw her being pushed away to a nearby ambulance. He wanted to call out to her, but he could not find his voice, and a few seconds later, two women made their way to him and began to apply some type of medicine to his burns. This time he didn't resist, too lost to do so, and so allowed them to bring him over to the second ambulance at the scene to further treat him.

Roy paid no attention as they flitted around him and didn't react when they pressed the burn treatment to his cheeks – the only thing occupying his mind was his failure, his inability to protect the one important person in his life, the one person who had always and would always be there for him.

His breathing became hitched as the panic from before set in tenfold and a fear that he hadn't felt since Ishval overcame him, paralyzing him completely. His mind kept replaying Rebecca's words – they she had said. Who were "they"? Roy needed to find out – he figured he could get the information from Catalina after she had recovered some – and when he did, he would make them suffer.

And so Colonel Roy Mustang vowed, right then and there, that he would not rest until he had his Second Lieutenant back, safe and sound and by his side.

~P~

Roy spent nearly every waking moment after that night thinking of his Lieutenant. What was happening to her, where she was, how she was doing plagued him for nights and days on end. His stomach would twist, his heart clench, and his palms sweat just thinking about all of it.

The day after it had occurred, he had been informed by Lieutenant General Grumman that an investigation into her disappearance had been launched and that searches were taking place immediately, despite the fact that no one hadn't a clue of her whereabouts. These efforts did little to quell Roy's fears, and so he spent all of his time researching the sight of the burned apartment complex or conducting search parties, which even after seemingly weeks of looking, came out with nothing. For the first time in his life, the man swore he was descending into insanity, and even those around him agreed. He was frantic, angry, and irritable – together, those made for a frightening Roy Mustang.

Every few days, the Flame Alchemist even visited Rebecca, hoping that she would soon recover from her smoke-damaged lungs and bullet wounds so she could provide him with information that might actually be of use to him.

"How have you been doing?" the raven-haired man asked, taking his seat in a chair beside the Warrant Officer's bed and narrowly suppressing a yawn – he obviously had not been sleeping well, one could tell just by looking at his worn, stubbly face. Rebecca was reclined back, a sleepy expression on her own features, though she was smiling sadly at Roy. It was the third visit she had received from him that week – she knew he was anxious, that he needed to know more, judging by how he was clenching and unclenching his fists. And now that her thoughts weren't so clogged and she had had time to recall the horrid nightmare that that evening was, she could give him what he needed. They could finally get somewhere in the search for Riza.

"I've been better, you know that," she joked, coughing a bit. Roy cringed at the grating noise, before nodding at her bitter response. He had certainly she her in nicer conditions. The room was painfully quiet after Rebecca stopped hacking, with Roy staring at the floor, his mind racing while she kept her gaze focussed on the window, trying to find the courage to relay the happenings to him. When Roy finally found it in himself to speak up, she opened her mouth first. "I-I can tell you now, Roy," she said quickly, "but you're not going to like what I have to say."

"Riza's gone," he stated bluntly, angrily at the reminder, "of course, I'm not." His stomach plummeted as the realization hit him once again, and he struggled to keep a straight face and not demand the answers from the woman before him. He needed to be patient, but it was damn near impossible for the emotionally-wired Colonel.

Rebecca stared at him before blinking then, silently asking him if he was okay to begin listening. His scowl deepened but he nodded, which she returned before continuing, her eyes directed at her shaking hands, "You know how Riza's been going on dates for a while now?"

"Actually, I wasn't informed until the night this all happened," he answered curtly, and the look in Warrant Officer Catalina's eyes grew guiltier. Roy took note of his tone then, trying to calm himself – this wasn't Rebecca's fault, and he needed to remind himself of that. "I-I'm sorry," he said a few moments later, "please, continue."

"Well, I don't know if you know Lieutenant Gunter and Sergeant Major Dresden?" Rebecca's voice had grown smaller as she spoke their names and she began to wring her hands together. Roy raised an eyebrow at her, though an immense hatred for the two men was already growing in his heart. He didn't know them – he had heard their names mentioned once or twice in documents, but that was it – and his look at the dark-haired woman made this clear. Rebecca sighed, before sitting up straighter and continuing her explanation.

"T-the four of us were on a double date," she elaborated, "and we decided to go back to my place for some drinks... and it all happened there." She bit her lip, but forced the words out of her lips – Roy needed to hear this, he deserved to. She watched the Flame Alchemist lean closer, his eyes dark and stormy and his teeth grinding. "Things got out of hand with D-Dirk – I mean Sergeant Major Dresden – and Riza was trying to get him to lay off, but he wouldn't. Lieutenant Gunter restrained her then and-and everything just escalated from there – Riza pulled a gun on him and ended up getting him in the shoulder, but they got it from her and shot me instead. She tried to get them to leave me alone but they wouldn't listen – they bashed her twice. A-After that... they... they left and before I knew it, the place was... was on fire and Riza was gone and—" Rebecca's hand flew to her mouth to repress a sob, the recollection of her friend's disappearance hitting her hard and sending her into a round of uncontrollable emotions. "—and I don't know where she is and what if she's hurt an-and there's nothing we can do to—" The only thing the ended Rebecca's babbling were tears rolling down her face, the sadness welling up within her too much to speak through.

Roy watched the woman with wide eyes, a flurry of his own feelings running amok within him. Utter hatred and anger toward the two men she mentioned – whom he would kill them on sight when he saw them – and relief that he had received some vital information. But it was all pushed aside as his eyes caught Rebecca's weeping, his own chest swelling with the emotions he hadn't expressed openly yet – his fear, his distress. But he would not let those loose – not right now, she didn't need that. "Rebecca, s-stop, please," he cursed his wavering voice, hesitantly raising a hand to pat her shoulder, trying futilely to comfort her. "We'll find her, we will, I promise. I will do everything in my power to make sure that Riza comes back to us. There isn't a chance I'm letting those bastards get away with what they did to you two."

Rebecca's tears ceased a few moments later, with her wiping at them furiously as she realized she had been outright crying. With a sniffle and a small smile, she said whisperingly, "She's lucky, you know. Really lucky. To have someone like you who cares about her so much." She leaned back into her pillows then, sighing and closing her eyes. "I can't believe I haven't realized it up until now. I've been so stupid."

Roy blinked at her – Riza was lucky to have him? He always thought about it the other way around – if anything, he was fortunate to have someone like Hawkeye to call his own. She kept him in line at work, watched his back constantly, and always put up with his melodrama – to put it simply, Roy couldn't function without her, as he had learned with much difficulty in those past painful weeks.

He hadn't really given himself much time to assess how he felt about the situation besides anger and a severe determination and drive to find her – but now that Rebecca had mentioned it, he was suddenly forced to acknowledge the other aspects of how he was feeling.

Roy Mustang had always cared about Riza Hawkeye – ever since he had first met her, he had made it a goal to look out for her and make sure she was protected. When they were younger, when he was her father's little apprentice, she was a small, fragile, frail child who look liked she would break if looked at the wrong way. But then they parted ways and she joined the military like he did, and became a whole other person – she was suddenly strong, independent and ruthless, the Hawk's eye of the military, a woman who was more than capable of protecting herself. But even so – even after all the training she had done, even though she was the one who swore her life and allegiance to him – Roy still felt the need, deep down, to keep an eye on her. And so he did, with the same intensity she did him.

To say she was one of the few joys of Roy's life was not an understatement in the slightest – Riza brought smiles to his face when he was feeling particularly grumpy and warmth into his stiff heart when no one else could. Behind her hard mask, behind the blank, emotionless face, was a passionate, kind woman who would do anything for her people, for him – a notion gladly returned – and... Roy Mustang was irreversibly in love with her. He loved how her eyes would light up and he could get a rare smile out of her, he loved how he knew all of her favourite things and darkest secrets, he loved how he trusted no one else as unconditionally as her – he just loved her, he loved Riza Hawkeye.

It was not a jarring realization to the man – he had always sort of known – but it filled him with a sense of warmth he had not felt in years, not since the last time he had embraced the missing woman. It flooded his system and seized his heart. It was only when he reached up and touched his face then that he realized he was crying, tears slowly rolling down his face and off his chin. He wasn't making a noise – just crying to himself quietly, his pent up emotions finally exiting his body, emotional exhaustion taking up the place they once used to reside.

Rebecca was silent as Roy vented, feeling tears prick at her eyes all over again. When the Flame Alchemist finally composed himself, palming at his eyes with his gloves, he stood up and looked down at her. "I will find her," he reiterated what he had said so many times before, though this time his voice was brimming with hope instead of desperation.

Rebecca smiled up at him. "I know you will. Riza can always count on you."

And at this, the man left the hospital room with renewed determination to find the woman he loved – he would get Riza back, and then he would tell her how he felt, because dammit, she deserved to know and Roy wanted it to be realized.

~P~

End of Part 1!

~P~