Mustang was the first to wake the next day. He immediately noticed that he had fallen asleep over Rumor's shoulder and that there was a faint glow of light to the east. Shifting slowly, Roy did his best to stretch his neck out without disturbing her.

Succeeding, Roy leaned his head against the side of the shack behind him and then tilted from side to side to work out the kinks. After that, he looked down to his love. Her face was soft in slumber and her lashes fell perfectly over the skin of her cheeks, now dyed a reddish-purple from lack of sleep.

Somehow, he had suspected that she wouldn't have slept much while on her own; he would have had the same sleep deprived sacks if it had not been for Hawkeye's miracle pill.

The golden sun's light poured through the cracks of the shack at once. Looking down, Mustang admired how the light brought out the blonde highlights in her brunette hair and how the golden color enhanced the flawlessness of her tanned features.

'She's so beautiful, what is she doing with me?' He mused in silence.

As time passed, so did the sun, inevitability, the beam through the cracks moved over her eye and she blinked into consciousness.

"Good morning, beautiful." He greeted.

Closing her eyes again with a smile, she returned, "Hey there, stranger…." Her voice was thick with grogginess. "How long have you been awake?"

"Oh, not too long." He assured her.

"What have you been doing?" She rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Watching you." He replied calmly, smiling gently, that look in his eyes.

"Oh… no…!" Rumor complained, blushing.

"Oh, yes, you were so lovely, I couldn't help it." He continued to smile, even though she didn't look around to see him do so.

"What ever." She protested, but stood up instead to put away the no longer needed blankets.

He chuckled lightly.

Once replacing them in her pack was done, she checked Mustang's coat, her sweatshirt, wrap and their shoes for dampness.

"Only the jackets and shoes are damp now. I can't believe how quickly everything else dried in these few short hours… how long were we out for?" She mused.

Reaching for her glasses, Mustang prevented her.

Eyes cast down; she asked what he was doing.

"Stopping you."

"Why?" She countered.

"Come with me." Abandoning the extra clothing to remain in the shack along with her back pack, he took her hand and led her into the early morning light.

"What?" Still, she kept her eyes to the platform beneath them.

"Look at me." He demanded softly.

"… No." She declined.

"Look at me."

"No." She repeated.

"Why not?" He demanded, his voice rising.

"Because… I'm still not so sure… that you will accept them." She said, and he knew what the "them" were.

"Look at me and I will tell you. The only memories I have of your eyes are the ones where fire and lightning are dancing in them, to be honest, that is a little scary, but I want to see what they look like. What they look like when the sun is dancing in them instead." He said kindly and wisely.

She bit her lip and continued to look away from underneath her lashes.

Instead of waiting, Mustang cupped her head in both of his hands and guided her face to look at him.

He was taken aback. Her eyes were beautiful! The red tint looked like rare rubies in the light. They were kind, unsure, and a little bit scared, but absolutely gorgeous nonetheless.

Now they shined with tears, probably at the shocked expression on his face.

"So… what do you see…?" She asked shakily.

"I see how beautiful you are inside… and out." He said sincerely. "And your eyes are so unbelievably astounding!"

The object of his compliment widened with shock.

"I just can't figure this one thing out." He said seriously.

Rumor got nervous again and asked what that one thing was.

"I just can't figure out why you would want to hide something so exquisite from me for so long!" Now he joked and smiled widely as tears overflowed from her eyes, she was laughing a little now.

"You are such a tease!" She shook her head and gave him a light, affectionate punch on the shoulder.

They both laughed.

"Want to know what I've just realized?"

Rumor turned her unique eyes on him. They were full of puzzlement as she mumbled and nodded.

Marveling in that sight alone, he smiled wider and said, "This is the first time I've ever woken in the morning and watched you blink sleepiness and look at me curiously…."

She blushed and instinctively closed her eyes tight. However, Roy took her chin gently tilting it upwards and waited until she parted her lashes to see him.

"I love it. I love them. I love you. And I'm so happy. In this moment I feel something other than despair and loneliness… love, happiness, joy and wonderment once again… these are gifts that shall not be taken for granted. Not for a single second."

Awed by his words of truth and love, she asked him only one thing. "Will you kiss me?"

"I'm not sure…" Her eyes widened in horror and he laughed good naturedly with his teasing. "Depends on if you will punch me again!"

"Only if you don't put your lips to mine in the next sec-!"

Cutting off her demand with a passion-filled kiss.

Melting into him, Rumor pressed tight to his muscled form and let his hands pull her closer.

Everything was right in her world. Her all rested in this one.

"Hungry?" She asked after a moment, blushed and dizzy as they parted lips.

"Starved!" He answered, also flushed.

Nodding his agreement with a crooked smile he watched her return with her pack as she emerged from the shack with it and their clothing to sit on and had a small breakfast picnic in the early light of the Resembool train station.

"It's spring." Roy noticed suddenly as the sun crept higher in the sky and the birds began to sing from treetops and the flowers splashed their colors across the plains below.

"Um… yeah…" Rumor conceded. "First day of the equinox also, if I remember correctly, though I'm honestly not even sure what day it is."

"You're right, it is the equinox." Huffing his silent laugher, Roy closed his eyes and shook in the irony of the moment. His winter had melted and given way to spring once more.

"Something funny?" Rumor asked the smirking man.

"Nah, nothing important." He brought his gaze from the land to her eyes and everything in him melted, warming him from his bones, outward.

…

And so they began again. To start a new life without secrets, with open and loving hearts. A journey far beyond what these two could possibly imagine awaited them both in life and in love. Lessons of their past would forever mark them and bear witness to how horrible things could be. Fate would decide where to lead the lovers and how big of a role the Elric brothers affected the tender lives. Will the couple survive the explosive ride or fall before the tragedy of truth?