The Dead Faith

She made a little shadow-hidden grave,

The day Faith died;

Mustang had died. Or at least that's how it felt to Riza Hawkeye when he returned from the final battle with Fuhrer Bradley. She could see it. Even when he was promoted to Brigadier General, he remained passive. And then it happened. He was gone. Lieutenant Hawkeye had tried to find him, but when she realized what he had become, she froze. She had immediately gone to see the higher ups, desperate to find an excuse for why he had asked to be demoted. But she already knew.

Therein she laid it, heard the clod's sick fall

And smiled aside-

It was about 8 o'clock and the remaining members of the colonel's men and the rest of the military dogs were gone, and so silently, a single tear fell from Hawkeye's eye, falling on the pile of paperwork she had just completed.

She sat there, and began to laugh softly, finally understanding the magnitude of what had happened. And then, she was silent, as she remained bent over her desk, the only sign of emotion being the small teardrops and the small noise they made as they fell.

Then, she smiled. It was a sad kind of smile, one that was never meant to be seen by any one. She finished her work and left the office, going home to feed black hayate, and escape the memories that invaded her head.

'Corporal Mustang,' as she grimaced at what she had just said.

It still hadn't set in.

'He finally snapped,' she thought, 'and now he will try and spent the rest of his life atoning for the lives he had taken, and the sacrifices that others had made on his behalf. Havoc would never walk again, that much was painfully clear. Hughes was gone as well, killed by Lust while trying to help Roy to the every end. His dream was long forgotten, at least by most. Not by her though. Never.'

"If less I ask," tear-blind, she mocked, "I may

Be less denied."

'And Winry,' she added.

She set a rose to blossom in her hair,

The day Faith died-

She visited Hughes' grave after coming back from her trip to Roy 's post

" Roy ," she said silently mourning what the name represented.

Being a model military officer, she had never allowed herself to say the name aloud. However, she had always imagined telling him, how she felt. Saying his name over and over until dawn had broke. Following him, and making him the Fuhrer so that all his dreams would come to pass.

She thought of Maes Hughes, his lover and his friend. Hughes, who spent his dying breathe advancing Mustang's cause.

It had been fairly obvious that Hughes and Mustang had been involved in Ishbal. The night that Mustang killed the doctors, she saw the shadow of the other man within Mustang's tent. Even after Hughes had married, she could see that the mentions of his love life were a knife in the Colonel's side. It was obvious from the thankful glances he shot her whenever she hung up on Hughes.

After his death, Mustang had even forsaken his thoughts of revenge in order to follow the dream that Hughes wanted.

Then, he snapped.

"Now glad," she said, "and free at last, I go,

And life is wide."

She knew that he would probably never be the man that she had loved. She knew that he would probably never give up his desire to forsake everything that he had once stood for. But she needed to see him.

So she entered his post, a small hut in the middle of the wilderness, where he was seated in at a small wooden table. The decoration inside the hut was sparse, only having a bed, a table, a bookshelf and the table.

"Corporal," she stated as she walked towards Roy , "why?"

It wasn't a question. But as she continued to talk to him to try and make him see the light, and return to his former path, he did nothing. There was no sign that he even understood what she was talking about. She was there for hours, talking, more at him then to him, but none the less talking to him in a desperate effort to make him continue in his prior goal. But there was no response. Finally she begged him.

" Roy . Please, we need you. I need you. Come back and take over the military. Rewrite the laws and reshape the system. Do it for Hughes. Do it for Havoc," she began to tremble as she continued, and in a fait whisper she said, "Without you what is the use of me?"

With that she bent down to his eye level and kissed him, with everything she felt. All the passion and love for him she had she pored into the kiss… and yet, there was no response as he continue to stare at her vacantly.

But through the long nights she stared into the dark,

And knew she lied.

She stood up and left, falling against the door after she shut it; and for the second time in 5 years, Riza Hawkeye cried. She broke down in quiet sobs as she fell to her knees. Then after a time, she left, her cheeks still wet.

"The end," she said to herself.

She had nothing left. Her family was dead, her grand father was always busy, and Roy was now no longer existed.

But, then, she heard Roy moving to the door. He walked over to her and simply looked at her, realizing his mistake. He bent down and kissed her, as she stood there shocked. He whispered to her,"Maybe."

With this he returned to his home and Hawkeye left.

She was uncertain of what the future would bring, but, then again, isn't everyone?