Officer Roy Mustang walked down a paved path in a public park. He was clad in civilian clothes, but the chain of his state alchemist pocket watch was visible swaying as he continued walking. Enjoying the day so much, he didn't notice when the thin watch wriggled free of his pocket and fell to the ground for the chains ring had unclasped from his belt loop as well.

A young woman, who happened to be nearby and had observed it fall softly into the grass, unnoticed by its owner, stopped to pick it up.

The wind took up curiously and the young officer looked back for a reason he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was because he had thought the breeze had whispered his name, forcing him to turn unconsciously to gaze upon the woman holding his alchemist watch.

What he had seen made him stop on the spot.

She was tall, slender, but muscular, with shoulder length chocolate russet hair that revealed natural blonde highlights in the high suns glare reaching down through the trees, sunglasses masked her eyes, and she was clad in a short deep green tank top, sandy brown pants with a green fabric attached (he felt there would be some mark of hers on the back of it), black high topped boots that were sand coated and a black one strap-over the shoulder backpack was in its place. He wondered if she lived in one of the desert areas, judging by her deeply tanned skin.

Recovering quickly from her affect on him, he cleared his throat and walked over to her. Discreetly checking to make sure that it was indeed his watch that she held in her hand. And in fact, he had dropped it and hadn't noticed.

"Excuse me; miss, would that happen to be yours?" He asked with the entire curtsy that would be expected of an officer of the military.

"No, it isn't mine. You dropped it as you walked by. I picked it up to return it to you. I have no need of such an item."

"I take it you're not an alchemist then?" Roy asked, taking back the offered item.

"No, I am. I just refuse to be leashed."

He closed his eyes and smirked at the remark. Though still an insult and the truth, which he had heard many times, this was a different way of putting it. She had said SHE did not wish to be leashed. Not that HE was a dog of the military as it was more commonly verbalized. All soldiers were nothing more than that.

After a moment, he looked back up. Studying her face, he barely noticed her shades. It was as if they were so much a part of her, as much as her hair or hands. It was now, when he was closer, that he noticed she had armbands around her wrists. When she put her hands in her pockets, he also noticed two alike alchemic circles sewed into them, one on each. The circles were underneath the band, opposite of the "wrist-watch" method. A few of her fingers and a set of knuckles also supported white tape. 'Was she in a fight?'

Watching as his eyes flicked over her person, taking in everything, she thought, 'Can he tell where I came from?'

She decided to take him in as well.

His apparel was very common, a white button down with a black pin striped blazer that reached down longer than usual and black pants and shoes. His shoes were highly polished, as all soldiers' shoes should be. She noticed a piece of white fabric that could have been gloves peeking out of his right jacket pocket; other than that, really, common. It was his face she couldn't divert her eyes from. He was handsome, do doubt. Nice, angular, but not too pointy or round, just… defined. His short, ebony black hair fell to the middle of his forehead, but it was his eyes that captured her attention. They were a dark charcoal grey, his pupil barely discernable, yet she didn't mind. She loved the way his eyes looked her over so attentively… she just was amazed at how completely… breathtaking he was, period.

They thought simultaneously, 'I wonder if this is what they call "love at first sight"?'

"Um…" They both started a slight blush on their cheeks from their thoughts.

Laughing nervously together, Roy generously insisted that she go first.

"I… totally forgot what I was going to say, how about you?" She said clumsily, feeling like a complete idiot.

"Yeah, me too." He smiled and they grinned together, both feeling just as stupid, but better because they were being dim-witted together.

"Well, I'm on my way back to Central Headquarters… would you like to, you know, get together again for a while, when we have more time?" Roy Mustang offered, for the first time, he wasn't nervous about asking a girl out.

"Sure. Anytime is good with me."

"Great! … I mean, cool. I'm available…."

She giggled at his burst of energy, but cut him off, "When does your shift end tonight?"

"Late."

"That's not what I asked. When?" She insisted again.

"Eleven."

"I'll meet you at the front gate, or would you rather it be somewhere else?" She asked again.

"No, no, the front gate is fine, but, whom am I to meet?" His smile reached his near black eyes, making her blush slightly at her forgetfulness.

"Rumor. And who am I meeting?"

He smiled at her name; it was odd, but cute. "Second Lieutenant Roy Mustang."

"Alright Second Lieutenant, Eleven O' Clock, front gate of the Central Headquarters; don't be late." Smiling cleverly, she turned to leave, the wind going with her.

He stood there, staring after her black backpack and watched as the fabric attached to her pants blew out to the side of her and played tag with the back of her legs. He caught a glimpse of the symbols embroidered on the back of it.

It almost looked like a broken hourglass. There was a triangle on top, and one on the bottom, turned opposite. The top had a line with a spiral out to the left side in the bottom quarter, and the bottom had a line through it with a spiral to the right, in the top quarter. He smiled to himself. 'The alchemy symbols for air over earth….'

…

For Roy, eleven o' clock couldn't have come any slower. His best friend, Maes Hughes, caught him glancing at the clock again.

3:25 p.m.

"Mustang? HELLLOOOO!" He called at him from the other desk in the room.

"Huh? What?" Roy answered absently.

"I don't know. What's been up with you? I haven't seen you this impatient to get out of the office so bad in ages! What are you chomping at the bit for?"

Debating weather or not he should tell his friend about his fate-filled afternoon, he decides to go ahead; he was probably going to find out eventually.

"Well, you see, I'm meeting this girl…."

"Big surprise there."

"Do you mind?"

"Not really, but go on anyway." Hughes encourages, smiling with satisfaction.

Mustang twitched in agitation, but obliged, "This girl is… different. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but she is more unusual than anyone I have ever met. I was walking through the park for a little fresh air and my pocket watch fell into the grass. I didn't hear it or feel it. But then the wind picked up and for some reason I turn around, and there she is holding the watch, just standing there and looking my way. I check my pocket and sure enough, my watch is gone. I walk back over to her and we kind of stand there, talking a little, but mostly we just kind of watch each other. You know, sizing one another up."

"You mean you were checking her out." Hughes said. He didn't ask.

"No."

"Yes, you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Uh-huh, what ever you say. Was she hot?" Hughes asked, a typical guy question, but he said it really innocent and calmly, and Mustang entered the trap unconsciously.

"Yes, she i—"

"HA!" Hughes explodes, cutting him off. "You WERE checking her out! Ha ha ha!" He laughed triumphantly at his victory.

Blushing faintly, Roy looked away. "I was not; all I'm saying is that she was attractive…." But his defense was drowned out by the roar of his friend's glee.

Sighing heavily from beneath his navy blue uniform, he glanced at the clock, yet again.

3:30p.m.

'It's going to be a REALLY long day….' He sighed even deeper.