Inferring Fire and Steel

Chapter 1: Rose-colored Dreams

(AN) This first chapter takes events from manga chapters 57-62 and goes into more detail. It covers the history between Riza and Roy before the current events of the main storyline. This was not shown in the anime, and I don't believe I will spoil anything for those who haven't read the manga (other than Roy and Riza's history).

Dialogue in italics is taken from the manga to help the story flow for those who have not read it yet.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, I don't own any of these characters, and will unfortunately never profit from them. (/AN)

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Riza sat back on her heels and surveyed her room. Unpacking her luggage had taken almost no time at all since she had brought little for her return during winter break. Gazing at the worn wooden floor, she realized how dilapidated the house had become. Paint peeled from the walls, and she could hear scrabbling claws in the woodwork. Perhaps after graduation in spring she would oversee having the house repaired. She didn't have any other plans, after all.

She heard a car pull into the driveway and glanced out the window. A young man with dark hair stepped out, and it took Riza a moment to recognize his face. She had never expected to see him wearing a blue military uniform. She watched her father's apprentice as he walked around the house to the side entrance closest to the laboratory and office.

Her father had barely greeted her when she returned home from her boarding academy earlier that day. Still, he had told her that her grades and performance had been adequate, which for her father was quite a compliment. The usual mix of fear and admiration struggled inside her when she thought about her father. He was such a great, brilliant man, and yet his intensity and dedication to his work were a bit frightening. Riza had learned at a young age not to bother her father while he was in his office or in the laboratory. As it happened, this was nearly all of the time. On the few occasions when she had inadvertently interrupted his studies, he had turned towards her with an expression that bordered on insanity.

Part of her had been jealous when her father took on an apprentice three years ago. This unknown boy had been able to go where she feared to go, discuss with her father things that she couldn't understand, and be a part of her father's life where she was neither needed nor wanted. Her only involvement had been that one painful time two years ago.

She sighed and turned from the window. Boarding school had been a blessing, though she found she missed this strange old house with its strange old master. Walking downstairs to the kitchen, Riza set a pot of water to boiling and dug a canister of tea out of the cabinet.

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Roy stood inside his sensei's office with his overcoat slung casually over his arm.

"So you became a soldier after all, Roy," his sensei said quietly without looking up from his notes.

"Yes, Sensei," Roy replied. He unconsciously stood up a little straighter. He would never admit it, but he was proud of his blue cadet uniform. "I thought that I would eventually like to take the qualification exam to become a State Alchemist and work for my country," he explained

His sensei finally raised his head to turn his pale gaze towards his only student. "As I thought, it's still too early for you to be the Flame Alchemist," he rasped.

"Still?" Roy repeated with surprise. "In the end, you've only taught me the basics of alchemy." He hoped he didn't sound as petulant as he felt.

His sensei turned back towards his journal. "It's a waste to teach even the fundamental concepts to someone who would degrade himself by becoming a dog of the military," the old man grumbled.

Roy shifted uncomfortably. He knew where this conversation was headed. "Alchemy is for the people, right? Sensei, I think that being useful to the military is linked to being useful to the people," he said. "Now that we are exposed to threats from the surrounding countries, strengthening the military is very important. To protect the nation, alchemy is…"

His sensei interrupted. "I'm tired of listening to those second-hand opinions," the old man said sharply.

Roy wilted a little. "Sensei," he pleaded, "to think if I had as much knowledge as you, it would be easy to take the state qualification. Honestly, I find it unbearable that someone of your caliber is smoldering in such destitution. If you take the state qualification and accept the issued research funds, your research would also go even father…"

"There's no need for that," his sensei said, interrupting again as he set his pencil aside. "My research was perfected a long time ago. It is the strongest kind of alchemy." He leaned back in his chair, and Mustang noticed how sunken his features had become. "Depending on how it's used, it can also become the most deadly. And I became satisfied."

Before Roy could ask for clarification, the old man continued, "Alchemists are living beings who cannot go on without seeking truth as long as they are alive. When they stop their thinking, the alchemist would die. That is why I am a human who died a long time ago." He turned his gaze towards his apprentice

"Please don't say such a thing," Roy protested. "If you would only use that power for the world…"

"Power," the old man said quietly. "So you want power, Roy?" Suddenly, he coughed violently and a gush of blood flooded from his mouth. He fell forward from the overwhelming pain in his chest.

"Sensei!" Roy shouted, dropping his overcoat and hurrying to the desk. "Sensei!"

"Since I saw your growth," the old man whispered, "with my own eyes…" He coughed up more blood. "I thought of bestowing it on you. What a pity. Don't have any time left to teach you…"

"Wha…?" Roy asked numbly.

"But my research," the old man continued softly, "my daughter knows it all. If you're saying you will use my alchemy, my power in the correct way, she will probably present the secret to you."

Roy could barely process what he heard. "Please get a hold of yourself!" he cried, shaking the old man by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry," his sensei said in a barely audible whisper. "I was so immersed in my research, I couldn't do anything for you. I'm sorry, Riza. Roy, I'll leave my daughter to you. Please…" His voice faded to nothing. "Please…"

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From down the hallway, Riza heard a muffled shout. It sounded like the apprentice, though she couldn't make out the words. She put the tea canister on the counter and hesitantly walked towards the noise.

As she crept down the hallway towards her father's office, she could hear the apprentice shouting, "Sensei! Hawkeye-sensei!" Riza's hand paused on the doorknob to the forbidden room. She twisted it and opened the door silently. The scene before her left her speechless.

Her father was lying facedown in a pool of blood on his desk. Mustang hoisted one of her father's arms around his neck as if to help the man to his feet, but Riza could see that the haggard body was clearly not conscious. "Someone call a doctor!" Mustang shouted, his eyes wide with panic. "Is anyone here?!"

Riza couldn't respond. She stood staring at the two men: one young and proud in his new uniform, one old and dying in his faded smoking jacket.

"Riza!" he exclaimed. Her eyes met Mustang's and she snapped out of her daze. Turning back into the hallway, she ran towards the phone.

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The funeral was short, and there were more workers present to bury the coffin than mourners. Riza had no way of contacting her extended family, so it was just her and Mustang listening to the priest's brief prayers.

The cemetery seemed especially desolate in the heart of winter. The black skeletons of trees made the gray day feel even starker. The cold wind slipped around the defenses of her jacket, but Riza didn't notice. If she did, then she definitely didn't care.

She apologized to Mustang for leaving all the arrangements up to him. He dismissed her concerns and handed her a card. So he was planning on building a career in the military.

Riza smiled sadly as the young man beside her spoke about his dream for the future. It sounded so much like what her father used to tell her about alchemy. He would talk about all the ways alchemy could help the world and the power it could bestow upon individuals, and all the while his eyes would light up with passion he never displayed for anything else. She supposed it was only fitting for his apprentice to agree with such ideals, though his uniform made her doubt his real intent.

"That dream," she said quietly, looking down at her parents' gravestones. "Can I entrust my back to it? Is it all right to believe in a future where everyone can live in happiness?"

"Entrust your back?" Mustang echoed

"Father stopped teaching you when you told him you wanted to join the military, yet you went and enrolled at the military academy anyway," she said, turning to face him. Despite growing taller, he still had some boyish youth touching his features. "Why? What is so important that you would collar yourself?"

For a long while, it seemed he wouldn't answer her question, but as she turned to walk back towards the car he spoke. "Sensei was so talented and intelligent, he could have changed the world. But instead he squirreled himself away and hid in his books and his research. I didn't want that for myself. I wanted to use my knowledge to bring happiness to other people. I thought that by helping the military, I would be able to help the people."

She turned to study his face. His words seemed genuine, and his dream felt true in her heart. Though she had always been set apart from her father's career, in the end he had entrusted his life's work to her. For the first time, she felt that she, too, could be allowed to participate in that part of her father's life. "Please come back to the house with me, Mustang-san," she said, resuming her walk to the car. "I will show you my father's secrets."

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"Please turn around," she said.

Mustang did as he was told and stared out the window of the bedroom. When they had returned to the house, Mustang had expected to go to his sensei's office. Instead, Riza had led him upstairs to her bedroom. He supposed that hiding one's most secret documents in an office was kind of obvious, and that one's daughter's bedroom was a safer option.

"Please look," Riza said, and he turned around. He had expected her to have opened a secret panel in the floor or pulled a sheet of paper from behind a painting. Instead, she had completely stripped her upper body and now stood with her naked back presented to him. "I show you this so that you will have the power you need to accomplish your dream."

Mustang was shocked. Tattooed across her entire back was a transmutation circle. The surrounding symbols and words must have been the code needed to understand the alchemy. He took a step towards the slim figure. It barely registered that he was alone with a half naked woman in her bedroom. Hughes would have a field day if he knew.

"Does this mean anything to you?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Mustang just nodded weakly. "May I look closer?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded and turned her head back towards the wall. Mustang walked over to peer at the symbols. The text at the top was in an unfamiliar language, and he suspected it would take days to decipher the rest of the code. Vaguely, he wondered if this girl knew the extent of the power that was inscribed on her back. His finger hovered inches from her skin as he traced the figure of a black salamander.

Almost as if she could feel his touch, she shivered involuntarily. Unbuttoning his coat, he shrugged out of the heavy fabric. Riza turned halfway around with her blouse clutched to her chest. "What are you…?" she began to ask.

Mustang wrapped his coat backwards around the girl so that the tattoo still showed through the opening. "I don't want you to get cold," he said gently. "This will take a while."

She relaxed and pushed her arms through the sleeves.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable, if you intend to let me copy this," he told her.

She tensed again. "No copies," she said sharply. "My father could have easily left this on paper for you, but he chose this method and I will abide by it."

Mustang nodded. "Alright, but if I cannot make notes then it will take me days to memorize it all."

"So be it," Riza said, dragging a stool towards her desk and sitting down. "I must leave for school in one week." She opened one of the books and began reading.

Mustang pulled a chair behind the stool and tried to figure out where to begin.

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The next week passed in a blur. Because Riza still refused to enter her father's office, Mustang had to trudge back and forth carrying books up to her bedroom. After lunch, they would take a long walk to stretch their legs before returning to their studying. Sometimes, Mustang would test out new circles and theories while Riza watched from a bench in the garden.

By the afternoon two days after the funeral, Roy felt confident enough to try using the transmutation circle. He hadn't quite figured out how to approach Riza tastefully, however. They stood in the garden behind the house, and Roy had dropped a few pieces of firewood in an open clearing.

Riza watched his preparations with interest. She wore a warm sweater over her skirt and blouse, and the day was calm and relatively temperate. Mustang walked back towards her and led her around a corner of the house. She peered at him in confusion.

Mustang noticed her puzzled look and explained, "Just in case."

Her expression changed to concern, so he tried to smile confidently. "It's highly unlikely anything dangerous will happen, but your father asked me to take care of you, and it wouldn't do to injure you by accident."

She didn't look convinced of his reassurances.

Mustang cleared his throat. "Ah, Riza, I haven't been able to successfully create my own transmutation circle yet." She just nodded at him, which didn't make things any easier. "So I will have to use the one your father left."

She turned her head as if trying to look on her own back as she realized what he was saying. A light blush crept up her cheeks, but she nodded her assent and turned away from him. "Of course."

Mustang exhaled on his hand to try to take the chill from his skin, but when he tentatively reached his hand up the back of her blouse, she still shivered. He ran his hand slowly up her spine until he reached the base of the circle. Peeking around the corner of the house, Mustang tried to concentrate on the cords of wood he had placed in the open. His hand began tingling with anticipation, and he wondered if Riza could feel the power that was almost crackling around them.

From where she stood in front of him, Riza peeked around the corner as well. Her skin shifted beneath his touch and felt like velvet. Closing his eyes, he mentally reviewed the symbols on her back. He took a lighter from his pocket, flicked the sparker, and exhaled slowly.

Riza wasn't sure what she was looking for, but then to her amazement a line of thin fire streaked from the lighter to the pile of firewood thirty meters away. A thin wisp of smoke rose from one of the outer pieces, but the fire died away. She turned to look at the young man standing behind her. His face was scrunched in concentration, and he took his hand from under her sweater to run his fingers through his hair thoughtfully.

"Looks like I need to concentrate more oxygen by the woodpile," he mused to himself.

By the time the light began to fade, the air had developed a definite bite. Mustang and Riza didn't notice, however, as they stood in front of the small bonfire staring into the dancing flames. He stood with his hand on Riza's bare skin again, and he was making small wisps of fire dance through the air in convoluted patterns. The light flickered across their faces and made the shadows in the garden leap and waver.

One burst of flame had the likeness of a flower, and she turned to him with a happy exclamation on her lips. His arm remained outstretched, and as she turned under his hand, his fingers trailed along the side of her ribs. He had kept his hand so still that she had nearly forgotten they were touching, but this sudden movement felt like a match across the back of a book. They stood for a moment beside the fire, the light beginning to dim without Mustang's manipulation. She was shocked to find herself thinking how handsome he appeared with the light playing across his face. She had never even considered him in such a way before; perhaps because he was part of that other world. That world of alchemy. But now, she was putting one hesitant toe across the line, and they were sharing a part of the same realm.

He tilted his head as if to ask what she was about to say, and she suddenly realized she had been staring. "I – I should go prepare dinner," she said hastily, hoping the flush in her cheeks would be attributed to the heat of the fire. She hurried back into the house and found a way to become very busy in the kitchen.

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After three days of research, he could create his own circles on a small slate chalkboard, though he refused to acknowledge that he regretted losing a reason to touch the tattoo. He didn't realize it, but sometimes while he was very deep in thought, he would trace his fingers over the part of the design that was troubling him. Riza, however, was acutely aware of this. When he leaned close to study the details, she could feel his breath warm and gentle across her skin.

Five days after the funeral, Roy was testing his new theories in the forest behind the house.

"It seems most of these transmutations are destructive by nature," Riza commented after Mustang had reduced a fallen tree trunk to a pile of ash. Huge waves of flame had licked across the entire tree, and this time Mustang had been able to control the great hiss of steam as water rapidly evaporated from the rotting wood. Maintaining control as the air heated so quickly had also proven to be difficult. "Just how will these techniques bring about peace and happiness?"

"If I can't create puppies and butterflies," Mustang said dryly, "then at least I will be able to protect and defend our country and the people who live here." Despite the winter chill, he wiped the sweat from his forehead. This form of alchemy required intense concentration, and he was covered in sweat despite only wearing a thin white shirt.

"I think it's time to go back inside, Puppy and Butterfly Alchemist, before you catch cold," Riza said, pushing away from the tree she was leaning against. She wore his uniform coat, though this time it was oriented properly. The long hem was almost as long as her skirt and nearly reached her knees. Clutching the blue fabric tightly around herself, she started back down the path towards the house.

Part of her was still stunned by the raw power of her father's research. On one hand, it explained why the house always had the faint smell of acrid smoke. On the other, how could her father devise such a violent form of alchemy without her knowing?

She turned to see the young man hurrying to catch up to her. He had a small, satisfied smile touching his lips, and she felt a bit of his contagious excitement.

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The night before Riza was to return to her school, Roy sat up late beside her bed. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to focus yet again. He had turned the lights down low so as not to disturb her sleep while he squinted at the now-familiar markings on her back. There was only one small portion of the tattoo that he had not been able to decipher, and he had hoped to have it all memorized before Riza departed. Not that he couldn't just as easily visit her some other time to refresh his memory. For a moment, Roy daydreamed about always having 'one more thing to double check' so he would have an excuse to see her again.

To his surprise, Roy found his time with the girl enjoyable. In the past, she had always treated him very formally and distant. Despite being Hawkeye-sensei's apprentice for two years before joining the military academy, he had rarely ever seen Sensei's daughter. She spent most of the year living at her boarding school, and when she was home, she was never seen near the office or the laboratory. For the past week, however, when he wasn't studying the transmutation circle, they chatted congenially about inconsequential things.

He told her about life at the military academy, and she laughed at the pranks he and Hughes would play on each other. They talked about dreams and aspirations and all the typical things that young adults hope to achieve with their lives.

Leaning back in his chair beside the bed, he turned to the glass of water on the nightstand. A fat lump of wax sat beside the glass to provide a reliable source of fire. Scratching the transmutation circle onto a slate board, he touched his fingers to the cold stone. To his delight, a small flame danced to life at the surface of the glass like a candle.

"Now that will be good entertainment at parties," said a sleepy voice beside him. He turned to see Riza rubbing her eyes and peering at the glass. "Was that the last technique you wanted to learn?"

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you," Roy said, hastily letting the small flame extinguish.

"No, I enjoy seeing my father's alchemy," she said sitting up. His coat still looked enormous and somewhat comical on her, and the pink pajama pants didn't help the dignity of the image. She picked up the glass of water and sniffed at it. "Dare I ask?" she said, tilting her head to the side.

"Water is just hydrogen and oxygen," Roy said. "All you need is to split the elements apart."

"That sounds complicated," said Riza, replacing the glass.

"It is. That's why it's taken me all week to figure it out," he replied. He rubbed the burn on his left hand, which he had received earlier that day. For the most part, he had only attempted to transmute small amounts of water since the hydrogen was so volatile. Anything more than that would produce deadly mistakes.

"Was that the last of my father's secrets?" she asked again.

Roy nodded. "I think so, unless there is something I am missing." He twirled his hand around in what had become his unspoken request to see the tattoo.

She complied and shifted on her bed. Mustang stared at the markings in a last attempt to memorize every detail. He systematically went through every symbol. When he was satisfied, he said, "Others will see the transmutation circle when I use it, but no one else will know the meaning without this key." He tapped her left shoulder blade where the cipher for the code was hidden.

Riza nodded. "I suppose it wouldn't be very efficient to always have me next to you in order to use this alchemy."

It wouldn't be all that bad, either, thought Roy. "I bet you'll be glad to be able to wear normal clothes again," he joked lightly.

She turned halfway towards him and smiled. "Your coat is quite warm and comfortable. I will miss it."

"I'll miss seeing you in it," he said without thinking. He felt a blush creeping up his neck. "I mean, Hughes doesn't looking half as good as you do in my uniform." That wasn't much better, and the blush continued its path upwards.

She grinned at his flustering and said, "So this Hughes gets to wear your uniform, too?"

"No, I meant…," he dissolved into meaningless babble while she laughed merrily at him.

With her back still towards him, she removed his coat and pulled a sleeveless nightshirt over her head. Despite spending an entire week with her while she was mostly undressed, his mouth still went dry. She turned back towards him so that she was kneeling in front of his chair and proceeded to fold the blue fabric carefully. Finally looking up, she must have noticed him staring because her cheeks suddenly tinged with pink.

"I had a good time this week," she said shyly, breaking the silence. "Part of me feels guilty to be so happy so soon after my father's death, but after spending time with you I feel like I understand him better than ever."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "You trusted your father's secrets to me, and I can't tell you how much I am forever in your debt." Against his will, his hand reached out to brush a lock of hair away from her face so he could see both her clear brown eyes. "Please promise me you will contact me if you ever need anything."

She smiled into his coal black eyes and fancied she could see flames dancing somewhere beneath the surface. "Just follow your dream and I will be happy. My father would be proud to have you as his apprentice."

He swallowed hard and reached out to touch her hair again. His fingertips trailed down her cheek and traced a path along her jaw to her chin. When she didn't pull away, he leaned forward.

She met him halfway, because deep down each of them knew this would happen in the end, even if they weren't consciously aware of it. The kiss was gentle at first - just four lips meeting for the first time. Mustang moved the hand on her chin around to the back of her neck. His other hand snaked around her waist to lightly run up her spine.

Suddenly, a week's worth of innocent touches and exposed backs exploded into repressed teenage hormones. He coaxed her mouth open as he stood up so he could crush her body against his. She responded by running her tongue across his bottom lip and locking her arms around his neck.

Into their kiss she poured out all her sorrow over losing her father, her uncertainty about her future, her unrelenting loneliness. As they got used to the unfamiliar feeling of another's tongue, she took from him a spark of hope of all that the future could hold, the possibilities that sat just over the horizon, and finally a sense of purpose and direction. His strength and determination inspired her. Perhaps she would join the military, too.

By the time the sky began to lighten, they were no longer awkward with each other. They didn't speak afterwards as Riza laid with her head on Roy's shoulder, one arm thrown across his chest. Once the sun had fully risen, Riza tossed aside the sheet, picked up her discarded pajamas from the ground, and began to get dressed. Roy watched from the pillow as his last glimpse of her back was obscured by a white blouse. She sat on the bed to pull on her knee socks, and Roy reached out to run his hand down her back. He imagined he could feel the heat of the power that was barely concealed there.

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch before gathering herself and standing to straighten her plaid skirt. She took a small suitcase from the desk and slipped quietly across the room. She gave him a last unreadable look before closing the door behind her. Roy rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling until he heard a car pull into the driveway a few minutes later. Sitting up to glance out the window, he watched the girl place her suitcase into the backseat before looking back at the house. She gave him a small wave, a finger twitch really, before leaning down into the car and slamming the door shut. And then she was gone.

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Roy grimaced when he heard someone calling his name down the hallway. "Roy! Hey Roy!"

Roy didn't break his stride as Hughes fell in alongside him. "Where have you been for the past week?" Hughes asked.

Glancing at his best friend from the corner of his eye, Roy replied, "I went to visit my sensei."

"For a whole week?" Hughes asked doubtfully.

"He died, so I stayed for the funeral." That shut up his friend, but only for a moment.

Suddenly, Hughes sniffed. "Is that you?" He leaned over and sniffed Roy's coat. "You dog, you smell like… a woman!" He cackled loudly as Roy tried to discreetly sniff his own uniform. He hadn't bothered washing it since letting Riza use it all week.

"That's pretty bad taste, Roy," Hughes said, trying to keep the smile off his face. "You shouldn't use your sensei as a cover for seeing a girl."

"It's true! He really died!" Roy protested, his face growing red.

"Liar!" Hughes crowed. "So who is she? Is she cute? Are you getting married?"

Roy hunched his shoulders and increased his pace. Once he made it to the next class, Hughes would have to stop his badgering. Hopefully.