Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't Forget
You only get what you give

**********

Roy groaned as Aiden once again threw him on his ass. For the past week, Aiden had taken up teaching Roy what she could about hand-to-hand in one of the training rooms of Eastern Command. In her honest opinion he was coming along rather swimmingly. He'd been terrible when they first started, Aiden had been able to floor him in less than a minute. Now it took her at least five minutes just to get close enough to land some type of blow on his person. It was strange how he was accepted into the military with such horrible defense, however, Aiden assumed he'd been accepted on his alchemy alone.

"Okay," Aiden puffed, brushing a stray piece of hair aside. "Time out, we need a break."

"That doesn't count, I slipped," Roy said as he shifted in discomfort on the ground.

"I made you slip."

"No, I was already in the process of slipping when you took out my leg. Doesn't count."

Aiden laughed at the response from Roy, who was lying still on the ground trying to catch his breath. Aiden grabbed their water bottles and sat next to Roy before handing him his own. She took a swig of water and sighed in relief. They'd been training nonstop for the last few hours so any reprieve from the workout was welcome.

"I hate my life." Roy didn't take his eyes off the ceiling. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because you are in desperate need of help and I decided to become your teacher?"

She had no clue why he agreed. Aiden only offered because she felt bad about punching him; there was still a bit of a bruise on his jaw. They'd managed to locate a sparring room after he'd taken her up on the offer.

When she wasn't spending her time training Roy, Aiden would often plan for the future. This usually meant she was up at ungodly hours of the night, but it just had to be done. It was unfortunate that she hadn't gotten far. Any other time off was spent watching the rain fall and listening to the thunder roar above her. Strangely, the rain had come back almost immediately after the Elric brothers had left for Resembool, and it hadn't let up once. The roads were flooded with three-inch deep water and the nearby river canal was slightly overflowing with the added, rushing water.

Aiden glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed. They'd been training too long, it was time to go home. "Hang on Roy. Time's up for the day."

Aiden gathered up her things and shrugged on her coat, Roy following suit. They parted ways at the showers, both agreeing to meet up at the same place and time like they had been doing for the past week. Sometimes one of them would be late for some reason, but the other person always knew because both people tended to share their plans.

While Aiden left for the restroom, Roy made his way out of Eastern Command to head home. He glared up at the sky in annoyance, he hated rain, it made him useless. But Aiden was training him for times like this; when his alchemy would fail him and he would have a way to defend himself. She always said she believed in him and never degraded his hand-to-hand, no matter how bad it was. That woman was a constant source of light for him, Roy mused. Then he sighed and strolled onto the sidewalk, cursing the rain once more.

Sometime later, inside Eastern Command, Aiden closed the door of the women's restroom behind her and sighed in relief. A shower after working all day - sweating for most of it, had been welcomed like bread to a starving man. She wasn't the type to go sanitizing everything, but there was only so much sweat and grime she could take in one day.

A soldier rushed past Aiden, followed by two more. Aiden stared after them and looked in the direction they came from; more soldiers were coming.

"What's going on?" Aiden called as they neared her.

One man stopped. "Scar was sighted again, this time fighting the Flame Alchemist. They're down by the docks." The man rushed away again.

Aiden felt numb as she stared out the window across from her. East City was big, too big. The military would take too long, they had a lot of red tape to go through just to get mobilized. And Roy wouldn't last, not when it was raining so hard and his mediocre hand-to-hand. There wouldn't be enough time. And if they were too late...

Somehow the thought of Roy dying hadn't occurred to Aiden, not even once. Now that it came to her she was surprised at how scared she felt. Not for the timeline or how all of her plans would fall apart - including the world, but rather for him as a person; her best friend and person she was more fond of than others.

Aiden was rushing down the hallway before she could second guess herself. She slid her bag across the floor and behind the nearest receptionists desk before she burst out the front doors of Eastern Command. She'd made it four blocks before she had to pause and take in her surroundings. There would be little to no way to find Roy and Scar quickly, even if the soldier had said they were at the docks. It wasn't like she knew where it was!

"Okay, Aiden, think!" Aiden said to herself, standing under the doorway she'd stopped in. "The man said they were at the docks. Do we know where the docks are? No. But where are docks usually?" She thought for a minute in silence, only growing more anxious as the seconds passed. "Dammit, I am so useless! Where the hell are the damn docks?" Aiden yelled to the rain in rage.

"They're that way, ma'am."

Aiden stared at the boy under an umbrella. "The docks are which way?" she asked urgently.

"That way," the boy said, pointing down the road to her left.

Aiden was running down the soaked street in a heartbeat, calling out a small thanks as she flew by the boy. Minutes later she was still sprinting past shops and restaurants, checking walls and glancing down alleyways for any sign of damage or explosions. Asking people would be no help, any explosions would be thought of as thunder and people will mostly have stayed inside for the day.

Thankfully, she found evidence of the fight she was looking for in broken walls and a destroyed street. Aiden could hear the explosions and differentiate between them and regular thunder, so she followed the noise past the civilians gathered around a particular store. An item caught her eye and she paused, glaring down at the lighter. Roy must've tried to create a flame without using his gloves. It obviously didn't work. She scooped up the lighter and began her run again, the sounds becoming much clearer with each step.

The sound of rushing water reached her ears. Houses and shops fell behind and then she was on the bank of the river. Aiden glanced down each side of the bank, running upstream when she caught sight of two figures fighting on a dock.

Even from her place she could see Roy giving his all in the fight, but it was easy to see he was tiring quickly. Aiden removed her spare gun from the waistband of her pants and aimed down the barrel at Scar. In the seconds it took her to do so, Scar landed a punch on Roy followed by a raging kick that sent him flying backwards. Roy landed on his side and then laid unmoving as the waters rushed up to meet the dock. Scar moved forward, a limp in his step and blackened spots on the yellow jacket showed that Roy had gotten some type of flame at one point. Scar reached out a hand.

"No!"

She stopped at the end of the dock and pulled the trigger, the bullet shot through the air and grazed Scar's left arm. Pulling away from Roy in shock and pain, Scar turned and stared at Aiden. The situation was almost like the one they were in the last time Scar had shown up, except this time Roy was the one in trouble and Aiden was defending at a distance.

"You again," Scar said, gripping his arm where the bullet had grazed him.

"Let him go, Scar," Aiden snarled, glaring at the man. She still hadn't forgiven him for the Tucker incident, much less for having gone after Ed and Al right after. A vendetta against State Alchemists or not, he'd gone after a teenager!

"Colonel Roy Mustang must pay for what he did in Ishval. His alchemy is responsible for countless deaths of my people! Had it been your town you would do the same as I!"

"I wouldn't!" Aiden denied, shaking her head. "I'd accept things as they were, no matter how much I hated it, and I would try my best to move on! There's no point in being stuck in the past, Scar." Aiden knew very well the happenings of Ishval and how well Roy performed in the field, regardless of how he felt when he did what he had to. Roy never had a chance to get away from the military with his alchemy, unlike her who could leave at any time. "And it doesn't matter anyway! If you're trying to kill Roy just on the grounds that he is a State Alchemist who served in the Ishvalan war, then you can try to kill me too!"

A strange look passed over his face as Scar stared at the woman holding him at gunpoint. Behind him, Roy stirred and tried to protest, but the sound didn't come out. He gasped and held a hand to his ribs, hissing at the pain. There had to be a broken rib at least, and the cut that Roy had received earlier wasn't helping a thing. Either the two in front of him didn't hear or see his movements, or they didn't let on.

"I was there Scar, I was in Ishval during the war. And I may not be a State Alchemist, but I do alchemy anyway. So there you go, I was part of the Civil War and I am an alchemist." Aiden gritted her teeth. "I dare you to come after me."

"Your actions are noble, I can see that. But are you really going to risk your life for someone who may not do the same for you?" Scar challenged.

"What makes you think he won't? Roy Mustang is my best friend and he hasn't abandoned anyone in need! I'll always go the extra mile for those I care about!"

"Whatever you see in this man is false! Even if he does have a sense of loyalty he will abandon it in favor of himself or his military! He is not your brother, your friend, or your lover..."

"Roy Mustang may not be my lover but I will always have feelings for him!"

Aiden nearly choked when the words flew from her mouth. Scar stared at the female soldier in surprise. From his position at Scar's feet, Roy still hadn't moved. Her heart jumped into her throat when she noticed Roy's eyes locked on her form. His breathing was labored and pained, and she noticed his holding his side and a small pool of blood forming under him, slowly being washed away by the rising current.

"A-Aiden..." he breathed.

The sound of approaching sirens reached their ears and Scar scowled. She'd distracted him for too long. Aiden tightened her hold on the gun and narrowed her eyes once more.

"If what you say is true then I am sorry," Scar said. Then he rushed for Roy, his hand outstretched.

Aiden stared in alarm for a split-second. Then she dropped her gun on the bank and clapped her hands together before slamming them on the dock. There would be no time for a full transmutation so she copied Scar. The wood beneath their feet shattered and the three occupants were thrown into the rushing river. The cold water sent Aiden into shock but the moment she could move she swam to the top, sucking in air and water while trying to breathe. Aiden twisted around as quickly as she could, finding Roy almost immediately.

"Roy!" she called out.

Any energy Roy had left was being sapped away as he tried to keep himself above water. He heard Aiden's call and turned to look but felt arms grab him and pull him under. Aiden cursed and ducked under the water, trying her best to get a clear picture through the murky depths. Not too far away she could barely make out two forms thrashing in the water. Everything was kicked into high gear as she tried to reach them, the current carrying her and her own limbs propelling her forward.

As she neared Aiden could clearly see who was who, so she put all her effort into one large kick. Aiden barreled into Scar feet first, dislodging the grip he had on Roy easily. His grip turned to her and she barely dodged the outstretched hand. She reached around her back and pulled out a hunting knife. Scar glared at her, grabbed her arms and started to wrestle her for the blade. Normally Aiden wouldn't stand a chance but the water around them evened the odds. The struggle ended up cutting both of them, adding another injury on Scar's left arm and one on Aiden's inner thigh, and then the knife was cast away. In a last-ditch effort, Aiden raised her legs and kicked Scar in the stomach, forcing him away from her.

Aiden scrambled up for air, no longer caring that Scar was on her tail. Scar did the same and Aiden only managed to get one good gasp of air before he forced her down again. The two struggled against one another and suddenly, Scar's arm found her neck. Aiden lashed out, jerking and struggling and the fist closed tighter. Part of her wanted to scream for help but another part said to hold her breath, she'd need it. But then again, what would she need it for if she was dead? Could she even afford to give up?

A dark shape latched onto Scar and wrenched him away from Aiden. The dark shape shoved itself between them and gave a hard punch to Scar, receiving one in return, shocking him into stillness. Aiden shook herself from her daze, swam around Roy, flipped her body, and once more kicked the Ishvalan in the chest. Scar backpedaled away from them and into the darkness downstream. Staring after him for just a second more, lungs burning and begging for air, she grabbed Roy around his middle and swam to the surface. The moment her head breached the surface she gulped in fresh air while also doing her best to keep Roy's head above water. Then they were dragged back under by the current.

On any other day Roy would've been able to do more than kick his feet to help keep them afloat. In fact, he more than likely would have gotten them to the bank and out of the river in half the time. Aiden knew she could've done better had she not had the extra weight and leg wound, but that was just logic. Nothing could make her let go of Roy. So she compelled her legs to not give out and forced their way to the top.

It was hard work, dragging both her body and Roy's to the bank, but they both made it. There were no more surprises by the river or Scar, Aiden assumed he'd lost track of them or had given up and continued downstream. They both laid still for a moment, catching their breath. Something rose in her throat and Aiden turned on her side and hacked up the water she'd swallowed. Roy was doing no better, though it seemed like he didn't choke down as much water as she did despite having been under longer.

Aiden rolled onto her back and stared up at the rainy sky, shivering from the cold. The rain poured down on the pair and both shivered, Aiden's teeth chattered as she curled up in a ball and faced Roy. He was staring at the sky, his breath ragged.

With a jolt, Aiden sat up and gasped. "Roy! You're bleeding!"

Pain flared from her left thigh and Aiden grimaced, a hand flying to the source. She pulled her hand away and stared at the blood slowly trickling from her body. Taking off her blue coat and long sleeve shirt, Aiden slipped the coat back on and started ripping the white shirt into pieces.

"Here, let me."

Aiden stared up at Roy who had moved from his position on the ground to kneel by her side. Without a thought she handed the makeshift bandages over to the man and lifted her leg. The cut was on her inner thigh near her knee. It was amazing that she hadn't bled out yet, or that the knife hadn't severed anything major. Aiden winced as Roy tied the two ends together tightly, it hurt but it had to be done to stop the bleeding.

Aiden held up the longest piece of cloth she had. "Come on then, you too. After that, we need to get going so we can find someone."

It was strange how easily Roy complied, but in fairness, they were in a life-or-death scenario only minutes ago. Roy slipped out of the blue coat and white undershirt to allow Aiden access to the cut. She winced at the purple and blue bruises along his torso and she could see evidence of a possible cracked rib. Then she looked away from the bruising and focused on binding the cut. She slipped her arms around his torso every few seconds to wind the bandage, trying not to think too much about how he looked without his shirt on.

"Sorry," Aiden muttered when she pulled tied the bandage a little too roughly.

"It's fine." Roy donned the shirt and coat easily, but he was slowed by the bandage and movements.

"C'mon, we need to go before Scar finds us." Aiden stood up and Roy did the same. He agreed wholeheartedly that another confrontation with Scar was the last thing they needed. She went to take a step forward and was floored when her leg gave out. At Roy's concerned look, she waved her hand from the ground. "I'll be fine, I just wasn't expecting that."

The second try at walking was a lot more successful, Aiden limping alongside Roy, who had a slight slouch to his figure. They followed the river upstream for the chance of finding help or getting back to the outskirts of East City. The late afternoon passed by into night and while the rain had finally stopped, Aiden slowly developed a hatred for rain, rivers, knives, and that day in general. They walked over a small hill and paused for a moment's rest.

Aiden and Roy rested up against a tree and stared at the field in front of them, buildings and trees at the far end. It was an hour walk away, an hour and a half at most. Both sighed in relief when they saw the lights shining.

"I'll admit," Aiden said, "this is the most intense training day I've had since... well ever, actually."

Roy stared at the ground, uninterested in her comment. "Why did you come after me? I never asked you to. I didn't want you getting hurt because of me."

"Because I was concerned," Aiden answered honestly. "You're one of the only true friends I have, everyone else around me consists of subordinates or suck-ups."

"You sure it's not because you have feelings for me?" Roy asked, a grin appearing on his face.

Her face heated up and she looked at the sky. The clouds were clearing. "You weren't supposed to hear that," she mumbled.

"Not hear it? I was ten feet away and you practically shouted it."

"I just thought he might let you go! It was just a stupid thought." Aiden brought her uninjured leg to her body and wrapped her arms around it. She still didn't look at Roy, keeping her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. "I... It doesn't matter anyway."

Roy stared at Aiden with a blank look on his face. For the first time in several years, Aiden was closed off. Normally there would be a smile or a mischievous glint in her eyes and he could read her thoughts plain as day. The two would always take pleasure in the banter thrown between them, even if Roy did make it seem like he was annoyed. But seeing the distress and embarrassment Aiden was in made him swallow the taunts and teases he would normally spew. He sighed and looked at the sky. The clouds were gone, leaving the moon and stars to shine against the night.

"The moon is bright tonight," Roy commented.

Aiden jerked at the abrupt change of topic but was thankful for it nonetheless. Her body shifted and she bit her lip, nodding in agreement. "So are the stars."

Roy stared down at Aiden. Yes, the stars were bright.

"Damn it all!" Aiden cursed as she threw her hands in the air. "I am an idiot!"

"What?"

Her face heated up under Roy's stare, although not for the reason one would think. A hand pulled itself from her pocket and Aiden held it out, palm upwards. Shining against the light of the moon, was the lighter Aiden had picked up earlier that day.

"I'm an utter disgrace," she said dejectedly. Roy's laughter drew her from her embarrassment. "H-Hey! Don't laugh at me!" She paused. "In fact, don't laugh at all, you might hurt yourself." While she meant it, the sentence came out rather dead and sarcastic.

"S-Sorry," he wheezed. "Only you would forget about a lighter after the fight." His laughter continued for moments more until a shock of pain stopped him. He held a hand to his side. "Ow."

Aiden snorted, smirk firmly in place. "Told you so."

A figure broke through the tree line, followed by more. One of them shouted something unintelligible as Aiden stared at the first that approached them.

"Havoc is that you?" Roy choked out in surprise.

Jean laughed and nodded, waving over the paramedics. "We could hear your laughter from where we were; it's how we found you. What's going on?"

As she slumped to the ground in exhaustion, starfish formation, paramedics unwrapped the bandage on her leg and began to redo it with actual medical equipment. Roy was in a similar state, although they were being just a tad less rough due to the possibility of a cracked rib.

"Oh you know," she sighed. "Sparring, running, fighting, drowning, teasing, getting saved. All in a hard days work."

"Your sarcasm knows no bounds," Roy deadpanned.

The trip to the hospital took no time at all. Roy's entire team came by just to make sure they were okay. Jean volunteered to stay during the night and watch over them, no matter how much they protested. When Riza said that there was the possibility of Scar hanging around close by, the two shut their mouths. Somehow Roy and Aiden were stuck in the same room, Jean said that it would be easier to keep an eye on both of them. Aiden silently sulked and cursed the man.

Just you wait, Aiden thought. You'll be stuck in a hospital bed right next to Roy with Riza watching. I dare you to say something then.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Aiden snapped irritably.

Jean couldn't exactly blame her for being short tempered. She'd been in two fights with the same person in two weeks, one of which she had almost drowned and been choked to death. To top it off the woman had been up for three days straight with no caffeine to settle her nerves. Although that last one only Aiden knew about.

"Not until four," Jean replied cheekily.

"You're dead to me."

Roy huffed and slammed his pillow over his face. "I want to sleep! Shut up!" The words were dulled but the point was sent across.

Aiden rolled her eyes. "Sure thing princess." A pillow smacked her face and she squeaked in surprise. She glared at the now pillowless Roy. "It's mine now."

"Give!"

She gently tossed the pillow back at Roy, meaning she threw it at his face with the force of an angry wolverine. The small 'oof' of pain she received was more than enough compensation for her troubles. Aiden could feel the glare from Roy boring holes into her head.

"What're you glaring at me for?"

"I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust."

"Tch. Not likely, knowing your luck. Although..." Aiden trailed off, her thoughts centered on the nearby future. She reached over to the table where her possessions rested, grabbed the lighter - taking note of the four leaf clover on the front, and tossed it over to Roy. "Keep this with you at all times. Riza and I can't be there every time your alchemy fails."

Roy stared at the lighter. "Uh, thanks."

"This is so nice. Just two people showing they care about one another."

"Shut up Jean!" They chorused.

**********

Jean, pointing at butterfly: Is this flirting?