"I'm terribly sorry," a nurse spoke, stepping into the hospital room with a clipboard in hand. She looked at the military officials surrounding the bed before she spoke again, "Visiting hours are over for today, but you are more than welcome to come again tomorrow."

Breda let out a deep sigh and nodded, "Figures as much."

All of Mustang's men, as well as the nurse, exited the room. All that remained were two soldiers, each confined to their own bed.

One's voice was weak, the other couldn't see. It was cruel irony. The communication they had with one another was lost. He couldn't look into her eyes and know what she was thinking, and she could hardly speak so that he could know her feelings.

It was torturous, it was cruel, but really it was just plain ironic. Of course this would happen to them. The one moment they got alone, when they could talk about anything, they couldn't.

Hawkeye looked down in sadness. She was glad he didn't have to see her like this. As she traced her fingers over the bandage surrounding her neck, she sat in silence, recollecting all of the memories from the Promised Day…How she almost died, how the Colonel cradled her in his arms, how she felt terrified as he passed through the portal…

She squeezed her eyes shut at the thought.

Darkness…

This was all Mustang was able to see now. Riza opened her eyes again, light and the entire color spectrum created shapes for her, outlining the room. She could still see, but the man next to her continued to sit in darkness.

On the other bed sat the blind Colonel. His gaze wasn't focused on anything, not like it even mattered. All he was left with was the memories and emotions that plagued his mind. He felt sick to his stomach. All that he was left with anymore was his thoughts. It allowed his demons to constantly attack him for there was no other distraction for him in this world anymore. The one thing that brought him his darkness he couldn't even see.

"Lieutenant?" he asked quietly.

"Yes sir?" she spoke, her voice was weak and each time she spoke it pained her, but she couldn't help but respond to her superior regardless.

Mustang frowned. Of course. What was he even thinking? Of course he wouldn't get to even hear her voice, that would be too fortunate for them, and they were plagued by misfortune.

He let out a sigh, "Please don't speak…" he whispered sadly, "I can tell by your tone it's painful…"

She looked down, her eyes filled with sadness. He was right, but the hated to admit it.

"I'll talk then. I need someone to speak to…" he was silent for a moment, "But really I just need someone to listen…"

Riza directed her attention towards him and nodded, "Go ahead, sir…"

He frowned in response once more, he hated hearing her voice like this. "I'm sorry for letting something like this happen to you. It was because of me that you got hurt, that you are in this situation in the first place." he began, clenching the bed sheets, "You almost died because of me…"

Hawkeye sat silently. She was glad Roy couldn't see her. It would hurt him less the way he was now, and that's what she wanted. She knew he was in pain, but it would kill him to see her laying in a hospital bed, wounded, and now with tears threatening to surface.

"I feel like I've ruined you…" he continued, "I always think back to the time when I first met you, how you were such a sweet, innocent girl. You were ignorant to the world, but you still had so much hope for it…" His voice quivered as he thought of the young, beautiful woman with a bright smile on her face.

"There are many days I wish you never joined the military." he admitted, "I can't deny that having you by my side saved my life on multiple occasions and I can't thank you enough…but I wish I could make you unsee…even forget the things you have been forced to witness…"

Roy gripped the sheets tighter, hating himself more and more with every thought, with every word.

Riza sat in her own sadness, letting the Colonel's words sink in. She wanted to answer, to tell him that she didn't regret any of the choices she had made in her lifetime, but each word, each sound, it pained her freshly wounded throat.

She hated the situation that both she and her superior were in. It was twisted. It was almost as if the God's above were mocking their very existence.

"Lieutenant…" Roy began again, "I have something to admit to you…"

She looked at him again, waiting quietly for him to start talking once more.

He took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he began talking, "This isn't something I really need to say…because I am more than certain…or at least I hope, that you would have gotten the hint by this point." His heartbeat quickened and he felt as though it was growing harder to breathe, "After the Promised Day…"

Roy stopped, shaking his head as he tried to collect his words, "Lieutenant, please think nothing less of me, although it wouldn't surprise me if you thought so low of me now…"

"That isn't true…" she thought.

"I wouldn't doubt if you regret working with me…"

"I would never regret working with you." The thought flooded through her mind.

"And I am sure that I am nothing but a horrible person."

"You are amazing."

"I'm idiotic."

"You're brilliant."

"My dreams are ridiculous."

"Your dreams are revolutionary."

"I don't doubt that I will die alone…"

"I'll be by your side forever."

"No one would ever truly love me…"

"I love you…"

"But that doesn't mean I don't feel that way about someone." he spoke with a small smile.

Riza's eyes widened as she stared in shock.

"She is wonderful. Her hair is a beautiful, long, it's my favorite color. I can just get lost in her eyes. She is strong, always by my side, protective, knows me better than anyone else…" He looked down, it appeared as though some sort of serenity came to his being as he thought of her, the picture of the woman he could never see again forming into his mind, "I doubt you would know her…"

Riza smiled back at him.

"She is the thing that makes me realize that, no matter how much I hate my own life, someone out there still is keeping me going. She, like the color of her hair, was the sunshine to my day." He leaned back against the pillow propping him up, his blank gaze moving upwards, "I love thinking about her…it brings me the only happiness I could ever want, even though I don't feel like I deserve any of it."

He was silent for a moment, "After the promised day…" he paused again, "I was going to ask the biggest thing of her."

The woman sat silently, not sure what to even think.

"I know she promised to follow me to hell and back, but I wanted to ask her of one more thing." he paused for a moment and began fiddling with his hands, "I wanted her to quit the military."

"Why?" Riza spoke weakly.

"I had something to ask of her, but I could never do it while she was still in the military."

She was silent in response.

"I hope you have gotten the hint by this point." he said with a smile, "I was going to ask you to marry me."

Riza's eyes widened, the tears that were threatening their way out before were now rolling down her cheeks.

"I doubt you would have said yes…I don't think you would have wanted to be with someone like me…" he smiled sadly, feeling his eyes fill with tears, "But…I wanted to tell you regardless, I just thought that you should know." He chuckled, "It's kind of sick, but I wanted to tell you now because I thought you would call me stupid and say I should get back to work, and I just didn't want to hear that right now…"

She slowly sifted in place, trying to get out of her bed.

He listened to her movements, thinking she was just adjusting herself in the bed. "I bet you can't even look at me, huh?" His eyes looked sad, "It makes sense. No one should love someone like me…"

Riza moved her legs to the side of the bed.

"But I want you to know regardless…" he whispered, "I love you…"

She stood and her bed creaked.

"Lieutenant? Where are you going?"

The woman took quiet steps towards his bed.

"Are you still there?" he asked, his tone in a slight panic.

She stood next to his bed, not saying a word.

Roy looked sad as tears began to drip down his cheeks. "I knew it. I screwed up yet another thing in my life. All I can do is cause pain…I can never do anything good. I don't deserve any of this, it's no wonder I'm blind-"

He was suddenly interrupted by two hands on his shoulders.

"Lieutenant? Is that you?" he asked, almost breathless.

She leaned over and kissed him gently, her hands ran up his neck to cup his face gently. She wiped away his tears with her thumbs, but allowing her own to drip onto him.

Roy sat there in shock. He couldn't believe it. Could the woman he loved for as long as he remembered actually return his feelings? Or was this some cruel joke? No…it couldn't be. Riza wasn't like that, this kiss wasn't like that. He could feel the emotion of it, the things she couldn't say to him, they were all being conveyed here, at least that is what he hoped was the case.

His hands moved blindly, trying to find her. He managed to lay his hands atop hers, holding them gently.

The kiss lasted a few moments before she pulled away, placing her forehead against his. He felt warm, as did his hands against hers. She always had wondered if he was, she could only presume that the Flame Alchemist would be radiating with body warmth, but she always wanted to know for sure.

"I love you, Lieutenant." Roy whispered.

Riza was silent, another tear dripping from her eye and falling onto his cheek.

He felt the cold tear splash against his warm skin and rolled down his face. It broke his heart.

"Ironic, isn't it?" he said with a weary smile. He began to chuckle as tears streamed down his face, "The one thing I want to hear right now is your voice, even if I could never again look into your eyes, that would suffice. I hate not knowing how you feel."

She continued to cry, the tear drops continuing to drip onto Roy as she looked into his cloudy eyes. "Colonel…" she spoke, the pain of her tightening throat and the cut hurt her immensely and she cringed with pain.

"You should lie down and rest." he whispered, stroking her cheek, "I've caused you enough pain already."

"I don't care how much pain you think you cause me…because I don't mind any of it. I will never regret the time I have been with you, and I want to continue by your side forever. Whether I am in the military or not, it doesn't matter, so long as I am with you. I never want to replace the moments, the memories that we have had together because nothing could make me so happy. I don't care about the trials we have been through because we were able to get through them together, and that's what made us stronger, that's what helped us to carry on. I don't care if you are my superior, how wrong our love is, I will love you regardless. You are more than a military official to me…you are my everything. There is nothing more on this planet that I have then you. You are all I have, and I am sure that you must feel the same. I love you…and I want to be by your side forever." She hated that she couldn't speak any of it.

"This is too cruel…" she muttered, her throat aching.