Hellooo Everyone! :) As promised, here's chapter 9! We absolutely loved writing this chapter! (WARNING: Very Fluffy) ;)

Disclaimer: We do not own Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Fullmetal Alchemist, or FMA: Brotherhood. They belong to their respective owners.

Also: Italics are Riza's thoughts.

~warehouseluver13

I sighed in relief, putting away the last egg I had collected from the chickens inside the icebox. Turning around, I examined the surrounding kitchen. It was spotless. Going out into the small living room, I check the wood pile next to the fireplace. Full. And the floors? Clean and ash-free. All the bedrooms had freshly folded laundry, and I had everything I needed to begin my plan for a day off. Roy's suggestion from a few days ago, while rather off-color at the time, had some merit, so I had worked double-time ever since in order to make room. Now, at long last, I had nothing left to do today. The whole afternoon, all to myself.

I suddenly felt like having a picnic. I didn't remember much about what was supposed to be done at picnics when one is on one's own, but regardless, I wanted to have one. Mother and Father and I used to go out into the forest and eat lunch on sunny days, before she died. Sometimes, she would even let me take a dip in the river while she was working. The sun was bright and warm as it streamed through the window above the kitchen sink, and I felt the urge to swim. I missed those picnics. Maybe… even with Father still spending all his time training Roy in the Ash Castle, maybe I could still have a picnic with Mother.

I'm going to her water garden. It would be rather nice to go for a swim again. I started packing simple foods. Mashed potatoes, egg salad, a small block of cheese, and a sealed pitcher of iced tea. I was about to walk out the door with the basket, swimsuit and towel when I realized that Roy would still be just as hungry when his training was done, and if he didn't find me in the house, I had a sinking feeling he would scour the forest for me. To prepare for that eventuality, I also made sandwiches of multiple different varieties, and brought an extra cup for the iced tea.

The Ash Castle was still smoking slightly from the most recent explosion when I walked past it into the woods. Fortunately, Father was too busy talking to Roy to notice me, or he might have gotten angry, thinking I had abandoned my duties. Not wanting to take any chances, I avoided the windows of the building as best I could and passed by as quietly as my laden armload would allow. Not being able to properly see my feet didn't help.

The trees were a nice source of shade as I went along the path, their leaves providing green-tinted shadows that waved with the gentle wind. The winding track eventually took me to my destination, and I ducked under the arches of the alder trees at the more southerly entrance to the water garden, which was much closer to the water. My Mother's sacred space, this little pond in a big clearing, was just the same as it had always been. Mother's tree, standing tall and slim in the center of the pond, waved brightly at me as I smiled and set down my things. No time like the present.

I quickly changed out of my normal clothing and into my swimsuit, glad that Roy wasn't getting out of his training for at least an hour. I'm used to having nobody around for this… the last apprentices never made it this far into the year. Tony and old John had made sure of it, bless their souls. Any more than three months of them, and I don't think I'd feel safe. Not that I usually did anyway... Father was too focused on their poor academics to bother with their lack of moral quality, so I was usually left to rely on my wits and John's influence to get rid of them.

I waded slowly into the calm water, my body making massive ripples that bounced along the edge of the little shore, sending the little minnows and frogs into a frenzy of activity as they tried to swim away from my intrusion in their home. I was almost tempted to apologize to them, but I knew that they wouldn't understand me anyway, so there wasn't really a point. Mother would have done it anyway, I thought, and grinned to myself.

After a few dozen laps of the pond's circumference and some leisure time spent floating calmly around the island, I decided it was high time to start drying off. Eating with wet hands was always a rather unpleasant business, and I preferred to avoid it. I swam, then crawled, up to the island's sand bank, resting my head and back on the dry grass while my legs stretched out into the shallows. I'm starting to get hungry, so I might as well get a little sun before I really dry off.

I heard a slight commotion coming from the woods, and birds started calling in excitement. Or was it surprise? It was difficult to tell most of the time, even for me. The best I could normally do was distinguish a normal call from the mating cry. Either way, something was approaching from the south. Fairly fast, actually. Maybe it's…

"Hey! Riza?" I heard him long before I saw him. "Riza, are you out here? Your dad might get upset if he finds out you left the house without telling him, you should probably think of a way around that! Can you hear me?" Roy's voice came closer, and I saw a vague outline of him barreling down the path, heedless of the ruckus he was leaving in his wake. "Riz-huh?!" he cried out as he saw me lying in the water. His eyes widened, his foot stumbled, and he fell face-first into the low-hanging branches that I had had the sense to duck under on my way in. "Gahk!"

I splashed awkwardly to my feet, watching Roy struggle and squirm on the forest floor, holding his nose and cursing. "Roy, are you okay?!"

"Aaaangh, I'b fide. Jus' peachy. Don'd worry 'boud be, I'b fide." He sat up, not sounding too convincing. There was blood dripping from in between his fingers.

"Your nose is bleeding, Roy, are you sure you'll be fine? That was quite a smack you got from those trees." He waved his free hand dismissively as I jump-waded through the pond, keeping my arms and head above the water. He turned his head and moved his hand away, and I thought I saw him spit blood as well. "I'm getting the emergency kit," I told him as I strode past him.

He reached out and put his arm in my way, and I glared at him. "What, do you want to start choking on your own blood?" He shook his head, but gestured to the picnic basket.

"You'll wasde de food," he said lamely. "Id's pasd lunchtibe. I can handle dis. I'b fide."

I sighed heavily, going back into the clearing and grabbing my towel. "If you're going to be so damn stubborn about it, then at least wash your face off so that you don't gush blood on your lunch." I wrap the towel around myself, obscuring the rather sheer bathing suit. He's probably just as embarrassed as I am by now. I definitely didn't expect him here this early… My Father doesn't normally stop working at his alchemy until around a half an hour from now; I had planned to be back in my normal clothes by the time Roy arrived.

"Hold od, I thing I gan do dat. Dese clodes will dry adyway." He wanders slowly into the water, his white gloves hanging from the back pockets of his jeans. As he splashes water onto his face, I quickly take the opportunity to put my dress on over the swimsuit. I'm taking no chances.

After a minute or two, Roy emerged from the pond, his nose no longer bleeding… heavily, anyway. I opened up the picnic basket and handed him his sandwiches. "Here."

He took them, all five of them, and blinked. "O-okay. Uhhh, why five?"

"I didn't know what you'd want or how hungry you'd be, so I just made a bunch of them. If you don't want them, we can always save them in the icebox." Roy held his hands in the air, shrugging.

"I never said I didn't want 'em. I was just curious. What else did you bring out here?" He peered into the basket as he sat down on the towel that was now spread out on the grass.

I quickly smacked his hand away from my mashed potatoes, and pulled the iced tea out. "You have five sandwiches, you don't need that too. Cheese, mashed potatoes, and an egg salad, for your information, though they're mine and not yours. If want some, trade sandwiches for it." I smirked. "Equivalent exchange, alchemist."

"You're something else," he sighed in disappointment. "That egg salad looks great, too…" He stared at the basket out of the corner of his eye as he ate a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Roy," I said smoothly as I opened the little bowl's plastic wrapping. "This egg salad is worth no more and no less than half a good sandwich. Take it or leave it."

He quickly finds the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, beginning to unwrap it. I shake my head. "A real sandwich, you cheat. Like that BLT there."

"Aw, come on, have mercy, Riza. I love BLTs. You know that!"

"That's why this egg salad is worth half of one. It's my main course, Roy. You want to take away my greatest source of nutrition for a half of a PB and J? Fat chance."

I take out my fork as he grumpily chomps on the BLT. "It doesn't look that good anyway…"

I suddenly feel sorry for him, although just a little. "You're acting pathetic. Stop it."

"How could I possibly?" he groans dramatically, seizing the opportunity. "You've denied me one of life's greatest pleasures! Taking other people's egg salad is a fine source of entertainment, and I've been cruelly robbed of the opportunity thanks to your hardhearted adherence to the Law of Equivalent Exchange…"

"If you don't want to follow your own hobby's rules, it's no wonder you're having trouble mastering my Father's alchemy," I jab back. "And my egg salad is fine, as you had said just a minute ago."

He relents, but not before reaching over and plucking out a small daub of the egg salad with his fingers. I quickly snatch the bowl away from him, frowning. "That was rude. Not to mention unsanitary." I think for a second, then smile slightly. "If you want any more, it'll cost you the whole BLT, and half of another sandwich."

He licks the offending finger, and I can't help but shudder. "I'm not giving up that much for the egg salad, no matter how delicious it is." His voice is tinged with frustration, deepening slightly.

I smile wider. "Thanks for the compliment, Roy. After you stuck your grubby, bloodied hand in my food, I deserve some cheering up."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He finished his BLT in silence, and then paused. "Hey, Riza?"

"What is it?" I asked, shifting away from him to protect my food.

"What happened, back in town on Monday? I did my best to keep up, but I have to admit, there's a lot more going on than I thought with you. Who was that guy you shouted at, and why are you so mad at him?"

My blood ran cold at the thought. "I already told you, he's nothing…"

"... Nothing but trouble, yeah. Look, whatever he did to you, it must have been bad to get you to hate him so much. I'm not asking for his life story, just… why should I hate this guy, too?"

I turned to him, thunderstruck. He was looking directly into my eyes, the small pile of sandwiches forgotten. "I…" I couldn't think of what to say. How to respond to that… earnestness. I wasn't used to it, not even after living with Roy for upwards of three months. Aaron's actions don't involve him at all. Why would he say that?

Something brushed against my fingers. I jumped, staring at the source of the feeling. A spider?! Roy's hand was sitting on the grass where my own had rested. I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," he mumbled. "I just thought it'd be good to know these things. In case I ever run into him again."

I blinked. "Uh… Well, he was my friend." Roy nodded. "I guess… I guess he was actually my best friend, at the time. I was shy, even as a child, and Aaron… he always walked over to ask me if I wanted to play. We grew up together, and then he just… it was like he vanished after Mother died. He didn't say anything to me, not a word. I was heartbroken, and when I needed a friend the most, he wasn't there."

I heard Roy's knuckles crack. The hand he was leaning on had clenched into a white-knuckled fist, and I felt tiny tears starting to build in my eyes. "That's why you were so upset, huh?" he asked quietly. "I think I get it. I understand why you felt like that, what he did can't be excused." He stared at the ground, and I picked up one of his sandwiches and tossed it at him.

He jumped, startled, and I laughed. "What were you thinking about?" I asked.

"How many burns I should give him and where," he said, dead serious.

"One should be right on his ass, just so he can't sit down." I suggested playfully.

Roy laughed. "Yeah… I think that'd be pretty funny. Or maybe on the soles of his feet so he can't stand up."

"Not both," I tell him, trying not to giggle, "that would be too much even for him."

Roy leans back, falling onto the grass and dragging at the towel as he slid slightly down the hill. I grabbed the basket so it wouldn't move with him. "Watch it, my food is in danger!"

Taking out the mashed potatoes, I lay back on the grass, too. I started eating as we both stared up into the sunny sky.

We lay back on the soft grass in silence. The only sounds around us are the birds and our food. Everything is at peace, for once. I can actually relax a little today.

This is… really nice.

I absentmindedly dip my spoon back into the mashed potatoes, turning my head to watch Roy nibbling slowly on the peanut butter sandwich. His eyes were closed, wrinkled at the edges with the hint of a smile. He blinked, turned to look at me, and chuckled as I waved my fingers at him. "How's the PB and J?"

"Masterfully balanced," he said pretentiously, and we both laughed as I pulled out the spoon from my food, ready to continue eating my own lunch instead of watching him eat his.

Suddenly, Roy's eyes went wide, and he held out a hand in warning, saying, "Riza, don't eat that," in a deathly quiet voice.

My spoon stopped on its way over to my mouth, and I stared at it in shock. A fat, yellow and black spider was sitting right on top of my bite of mashed potato, staring at me with the beady black eyes I couldn't quite see but knew for certain were there.

My blood ran as cold as ice, and I faintly heard Roy's voice through the sound of my pulse in my ears. I resisted the urge to shudder, to scream, to move even a hair's breadth for fear of provoking it to attack. It felt as if every fiber in my body was trying to recoil, inching out from under my skin in order to get away from the twig-like legs and faintly glittering carapace. "R-roy," I muttered, my voice quavering in a way I wished my body would stop mimicking, "what d-do I do?! I… I don't know wh-what to do!"

"Just… stand up slowly, and throw it if it moves. I'll get it. Don't worry, I have my gloves with me." I could hear his voice moving, but I didn't dare turn to look. I didn't dare to do anything… anything at all…

A leg flicked forward, and I shrieked. My arm flung out of its own accord, and the dull metal spoon went flying as Roy snapped his fingers.

Nothing happened. The spoon hit the ground, the spider started crawling, and I smelled a faint whiff of smoke as Roy stuttered in total confusion. "What?! That was supposed to work, it should have worked! I was focusing and everything!"

The spider crawled closer, and I bolted, dashing to the one place I knew I was safe from it.

The water splashed wildly around my ankles as I ran, slowing me down the deeper I went. Roy was still snapping and cursing by the time I reached the island at the center of the pond. I grabbed hold of Mother's tree and used it to hold myself up, trying to stop my knees from shaking. It's not a water spider, Riza, it can't get to you now. You're safe. It's okay now. Just… stop freaking out.

I stood there, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down. Eventually I noticed that Roy's voice had stopped. I glanced to the shore to see him silently holding out the towel, his face turned away from me. It was hard to tell because of the distance, but it looked almost as if he was blushing. "You, uh… you might need this," he called across the water. "You know, to… to dry off."

A breeze blows past me, and I suddenly felt the chill of every single drop of water running down my arms and legs.

I'm soaking wet.

I look down at myself, fear and embarrassment rising hot in my face.

My dress is transparent!

My eyes darted to Roy, standing in the same stance and looking away from me. He was still holding out that towel, and a surge of gratefulness washed over me like a wave. He's being so considerate… None of the other apprentices would have even hesitated to stare, but look at him! He's giving me a chance! "Is… is the spider gone?" I asked quickly.

The second the word 'yes' left his lips, I took off, trying to get back to shore as quickly as possible without causing a ruckus. Splashing lightly as I neared the shore, I quickly snatched the towel from his hand and flung it around myself, making sure it was secure before mumbling, "...Thanks."

Roy turned to me, briefly checking to see if I was decent, as I thought about the whole embarrassing scenario. He opened his mouth, presumably to say something, but no words seemed to form. I glanced at the glove on his hand. "Why didn't they work?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"Your gloves. They didn't work this time. Do you have any idea why?"

He gritted his teeth in frustration. "If I did, I'd tell you, but… look, all I know is that it wasn't my fault. I did everything right."

I frowned, glancing at the glove. It looked different. Almost… transparent… "Did they get wet?"

Roy pulled the second one from his back pocket, watching a tiny droplet of water form at the end of one of the fingers. "I guess they did. Must've been when I waded into the water to wash my nose. But… how would that stop my alchemy? The friction was the same."

"Well, maybe the friction of the glove wasn't the problem. When my Father gives me gloves to wash and repair, he doesn't bring them into his study for at least a day… Maybe the fabric doesn't spark when it's wet?"

Roy frowned. He tried snapping again, but all that came out of the glove was a tiny puff of smoke. "Well that's stupid. I've never heard of alchemy with a weakness before."

I smirked, suddenly feeling the urge to laugh. "Roy, you…" I tried to hold it in, my face turning red, but I couldn't. "Roy, you know what this means, right?" I chuckled.

"What is it Riza? Why are you laughing?"

I snorted, nearly doubling over as I tried to explain my revelation. "Your Flame Alchemy… all that power, and…"

"Well? Spill it!"

"You're useless when you're wet, Roy!"

As his face twisted into a hilarious mixture of despair and outrage, I collapsed to my knees, laughing too hard to stand upright. "Useless when… Oh my God Roy, you... you're useleheheehee!"

"It's not that funny! Come on, Riza, grow up!"

I look him square in the eyes, suspending my laughter for just long enough to squeak, "Useless!" before toppling backwards and curling up into a giggling ball on the ground.

As he grumbled, I heard the rustle of cloth and wicker. "I'm gonna put these away, since eating anything probably won't be a great idea for you for a while yet."

I tried to think of something to say, some retort, but I couldn't. I couldn't even breathe. The only things that came from my mouth were desperate wheezes for air and more helpless laughter. I rolled and squirmed, trying to do something as simple as inhale, but I couldn't. I could only laugh until the sound of it died in my throat and my body just shook, soundlessly, breathlessly, and beyond any restraint.

"Hey, Riza. You should probably stop and take a breath." Roy's voice echoed dully in my ears as I struggled to follow his advice. With each chuckle, I slowed my spasms, got a grip on my sanity, and gathered my breaths a little faster.

"Come on, Your Leafy Highness, the kingdom awaits." Roy's dry comment breaks the fit, snapping me back to reality. As I got myself back under control, I stood back up, stalked over to him, and whacked him in the back of the head, my eyes narrowed.

"Give me that," I growl, snatching the basket as he in turn begins to snicker. "This food is more than you deserve, you loser. Don't forget, I can catch you wet-handed now and you can't stop me from kicking your ass, so watch it."

Roy's eyes widen, then narrow contemplatively. "I mean, I could still fight back, but that doesn't mean I'd want to." He grins annoyingly. "Tree Princess."

I scowl. "Useless when you're wet!" I shoot back, and take off in a different direction than normal. As Roy splutters helplessly behind me, I yell back, "If you want to get in the house without apologizing, you've gotta catch me in my home territory! Have fun being locked out!"

Ten minutes later, I burst from the foliage, immediately wheeling back to look for Roy, to listen for his voice or clumsy running. Seeing no trace of him, I glanced at the door of the house, wondering if I should keep my word on this one. As I glance back at the trees, it suddenly hits me that Roy might actually be right. I know the whole place inside and out, I can find my way from anywhere in the woods to almost anywhere else. I know a dozen different ways to find out where Roy is in less than five minutes, and I could find him again in another ten. "I don't believe it, he's right."

It seemed almost funny how long I had been getting annoyed at him for being truthful about his view of me. Before long, I was chuckling, and by the time Roy found his way out, I was just getting over another small gale of laughter. I cackle to myself as I walk back to the door, Roy following me with a slightly concerned look on his face. "You know, Roy, I think, you know, just maybe, that you're right." He stops short, stunned, and I turn to him and smile as I open the door and step across the threshold, smiling. "I am a tree princess." His jaw drops as I close the door in his face and shut the latch.

Did you love the fluff? What did you like about this chapter? Leave your thoughts below!

~warehouseluver13~