Chapter 5

Riza's Last Wish

Despair was too shocked to react, frozen as Envy's weapon shot towards her. But then she felt something drive into her side, something warm and firm, and the impact threw her to the ground in a heap.

Roy had thrown himself against her, knocking her out of the way of the impending attack. But his momentum carried him forward, and Envy's makeshift spear impaled him in the abdomen.

Roy fell to the ground, blood already soaking his clothing. Beside him, Despair choked, retched, and vomited red stones across the paving.

"You idiot!" she hissed.

Then she spun upwards, her hand lashing out. Her fist caught Envy in the temple, and he was flung into a wall. The homunculus collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Despair knew she had to move fast. Her power allowed her to drain her opponent's strength, but it wouldn't work long on another homunculus. She bent over, regurgitating more of the crimson gems, and heaved Roy into her arms.

Harnessing the reserves of her failing strength, Despair sped away.

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"You idiot!" she hissed again.

She'd managed to move them into a furniture warehouse, and Roy was propped in a sitting position against one of the boxes. Despair was in front of him, leaning heavily against a pile of crates.

"Sorry," Roy offered weakly, coughing a few drops of blood onto the floor.

He was dying. He knew it, she knew it, and the growing blood stain on his jacket and the crimson pool on the ground was testament to it.

"Why did you do it?" Despair ground out, spitting another stone onto the cement. "I would have survived it! And because you had to play the hero, we're both dying. You from your injury, and me from my connection to you."

"Sorry..."

"Why did you do it?"

Roy smiled – a weak, self-depreciating grin. "Instinct, I guess. You look like Riza..."

"I'm not Riza," Despair said evenly.

"I know. But you look like her...and when I saw you in danger...it was instinct."

Despair looked at him. Slowly, she stumbled towards him, until she was looming over the alchemist, right beside him.

"Instinct?" her voice laughed at him.

But strangely, Roy found it didn't bother him. Not now.

"Instinct..." he nodded weakly. "Human instinct...to protect...what you love..."

Despair found herself softening, almost against her will. Within her mind, her soul – if she had one – the spectre of Riza Hawkeye rose like a phoenix from the ashes.

"She loved you, you know," she stated.

Roy's brow creased, and she could see in her eyes he was beginning to slip away. She could feel her body deteriorating as well.

"How-?"

"I might not be her," Despair murmured, feeling herself slide towards the floor as her legs buckled. "But I have her memories. And she loved you, even at the very end."

She didn't know why she told him such a thing. But as his eyes lit up like a condemned man given redemption, some part of her was glad. Another part of her – the part connected to Riza, she was certain – was almost saddened. They had loved each other...and had never so much as shared an embrace while they lived.

"I loved her, too..." Roy managed to gasp out. "For so long..."

Despair didn't know why she did it. And she would never have the time to find out. But as Roy's eyes began to dim, as her own body began to disintegrate, Despair leaned forward. She placed on hand on the back of Roy's neck, tilting his head up and pressing her lips over his in a soft, sweet kiss.

Perhaps it was curiosity – simply to see what it would be like. Perhaps it was an indulgence – patronising the human side of her. Perhaps it was a manifestation of the deepest desire of Riza's life – to love Roy and be loved by him in return.

Perhaps it was the last wish of Riza Hawkeye.

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Last Haven marked the advent of the destruction of the homunculi, the place in which the monsters were finally buried, mainly thanks to Edward and Alphonse Elric. After the battle, the brothers learned Roy Mustang had followed the military convoy by train, and searched for him.

His body was discovered in a warehouse, beside a pool of red liquid and small, red stones.

General Roy Mustang was given a hero's burial, and was interred next to Lieutenant Riza Hakweye's grave.

End.

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AN: Thanks once again to LaughingAstarael, who first looked over my fic outline and gave me some great ideas, and then even beta-read each chapter. Girl, I adore you!