Beneath It All

Hi! I'm soooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in nearly a year! Everything is really caotic so I have very little time to type any of the fics I write. Well enough of my chatter on with the fic. Spelling error on Riza's name fixed!

Chapter 2: Stuck With you

Riza's sharp sense sight and hearing made her jumpy. Every time Scar moved she would automatically reach for one or both of her guns.

Scar was also jumpy. He was wary of her skills just as much as she was of his. He jerked up right as Riza moved. He watched her hand stray to her gun once more. This time she had not spared a glence at him. He watched her look around the cabin and then she opened a cabinet. Obviously what greeted her eyes pleased her because she made a pleased noise.

Riza let a small smile flicker over her features. There in the cabinet was canned and boxed foods. 'At least we will not go hungry for a while. But how long will the food last? Will I even be able to leave once the storm is over? And how do I know Scar won't try to kill me before then? Would I be able to fend him off in this stupid, movement restricting dress? Probably not.' She sighed silently. She pulled out a box and looked inside it. Pots and pans clinked together softly. She pulled out some of the cans. She glanced over her shoulder at Scar. He had not moved from his original spot on the bed, his chin rested against his chest and his breathing was low, deep, and even. he wasn't asleep, she knew that much. 'Resting perhaps? Injured?'

He didn't move unless he thought he needed to move. When he did it was to look at the blond haired woman and assure himself of his own safety. He watched he know however as she put some thick, short branches in a wood stove so that she could cook. She moved to the fireplace and put some logs in it and then pulled out a lighter. The flame flickered as she set some twigs on fire. He watched as she set her military clothes on a chair by the fire to dry them. She then went back to the stove to heat the pans. Scar stood silently. Wary as he was he was still wet and that could cause problems. He would much rather be by the warm fire anyway.

Sitting by the fireplace, however, caught Riza's attention. Her chocolate brown eyes lingered on him for a few brief seconds before dismissing his as unimportant. "If you touch my clothes, you WILL find yourself sleeping in the rain. Have no doubts about that." She said, turning away from him. With the threat hanging in the air she went back to cooking.

'Why would I want to touch her clothes? Are all women like this? Is this the way military women are taught to act, or is it just her? She doesn't sound concered about my presence, though she knows I could kill her. She seems to be very brave.' He started at his own thoughts and then growled. He watched Riza's hands for a reaction. None came except for a sharp retort.

"I don't have to cook for you! If we HAVE to be in the same room you could at least act like a human being. Now stop growling and snarling like a caged animal. It's not like i'm keeping you from leaving. In fact you leaving would be a relief."

Scar stared. 'Brave indeed! She is very brave to say such things.' Still he said nothing to her.

When the food finished cooking Riza dared to get close enough to him to set down a plate. She moved away quickly lest he prove he was in a foul mood.She ate her own food before lying down. She watched Scar quietly while he ate. At first he seemed suspious but his hunger had prevailed in the end. He moved quietly and soon the gentle noise lulled Riza to sleep before she realized it.

Scar turned to look at the blond and found her fast asleep on the bed. She had curled up on her side with one arm pillowing her head. She chest rose and fell with each deep, even breath. He sighed. The woman may be a bit testy but she had, unwittingly, saved his life by making a fire. He had no fire making tools. He found blankets in a trunk he took out two and covered Riza with one. He lay curled up by the fire with his. He thought about the events that had gotten him stuck here.

(Flashback)

Scar had been trying to find shelter for the night when the storm had hit. He had sighed. "This is not good." He had traveled for hours before finding this little cabin. It was warmer than outside, but not by much. He had lain on the bed for an hour before the cabin door opened to reveal a soaked, exhausted looking Riza Hawkeye. Her hair clip had disappeared and her clothes had stuck to every curve. She had been quite a sight even to the normally stonic Ishbalan. When she had sat down on the bed it was obvious that she had not seen him. He had reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could lay down. She had almost screamed, he could tell by the terror that had flashed through those chocolate brown eyes.

(End flashback)

'She had not been very happy about the predicament, but she had been relieved anyhow for some reason.' He reasoned quietly. He shook his head and yawned. Those thoughts could wait for another day...