The door opened. "Daddy's home!" she shouted happily. There was no one else to hear her though. Only her father who stood in the doorway. He loved her more than anything.

"Hey, Sweetheart." He put his hat on her head. It was a few sizes too big and she had to hold it up so she could look at him.

"What did you do today, Daddy?"

"Just the usual."

"Nothing too scary?" She meant too dangerous, but she was so young, she didn't know the word.

"Not at all."

"Good. I made dinner." Even though she was young, she had to live without a mom, so she learned a lot on her own. To tell the truth, she didn't have a dad either. He worked so much, she was alone almost everyday. Yet still she loved him.

They sat down and ate. The night went on as it usually did. Daddy and daughter time. No focuses on anything else. Not her mom. Not his job. Nothing else. Time passed quickly that night. He put her to bed, tucked her in and told her he loved her. She'd wake up early in the morning to see him off, then she'd go outside. She had a beautiful garden. The flowers were her friends, mostly the roses. Isn't it amazing what crosses through a child's mind?

It was early, very early when it happened. That little girl didn't know she would die. Even if she did, there was no way she could have understood the concept. There was a crash inside the house. The girl woke up.

"This is for Ishbal!"

"You fool! I'm not even on the front lines!" That was her father's voice.

"You're going to be promoted, then you'll have to fight. There's great plans for you. I'm going to stop you before you get out there and hurt my people!"

As far as the little girl knew, her daddy didn't hurt people. He couldn't, right? A man burst through her door. "Ah, I see. You were using defensive tactics, and this is why. Your little girl."

He picked her up before she even got the chance to try to run. He broke through the glass window in her room, with the child in his arms. Her father followed.

They stood on the front lawn, but no one could have saved her. The man, who she never got to really see, pointed a gun to her head.

"Surrender, or the kid's the one that gets it."

"D-daddy? What's going on? Daddy?"

"You wouldn't hurt her."

"You've done the same to my people. It's what you dogs call 'Equivilent Exchange',no?"

"You wouldn't."

"Want to bet?" His hand was on the trigger.

"Go ahead and do it."

"Daddy?" She was scared.

"She means nothing to me. Go ahead, if you like."

"Say your goodbyes, kid."

She shouted as loud as she could. "DADDY!" But it was too late. That was the last word she would ever say. Her red blood fell onto the garden she loved so much, barely noticeable with the color of the roses.

I sit on a chair. I am thinking, as usual. What would become of us when we died? Where would we go? Why? Why wasn't I . . . human? Of course, me being me, I am more human than the rest. That's a story we can get to later.

"Hate! My dear, we have a mission for you." Dante comes over.

"Is it because I can do alchemy, or is there another reason?" I ask.

"Do you know why I called you Hate?"

"Because of my inner feelings of hatred towards one particular man?" I know that I am right.

She smiles. It is not a pleasant smile, it's an evil smile. "You are to introduce yourself to that man today. He has heard about our kind and still refuses to believe."

"Can I kill him?"

Laughter interrupts. "See? I knew she would ask. Hate is not right for this task. Let me do it."

"Why would you say that, Envy?" I ask him.

"You just can't."

"Yes, I can. I won't kill him, but perhaps attacking won't be too bad."

Dante speaks up. "This is Hate's task. She is the only one who could effect this man."

I stand. "I will be leaving now. Don't worry, I'll convince him."

"Hate?" Envy says quietly. "If you get yourself killed, " Now he shouts "I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN IN HELL AND TORTURE YOU! I'LL TEAR OFF YOUR LIMBS ONE BY ONE, AND ENJOY IT TOO!"

"Well, it's nice to know you care." And he did, actually. If I got hurt, he'd never forgive himself. Awhile back, he'd made his feelings known. I don't know if I feel the same. I don't know anything anymore.

I take my leave. I walk to the godforsaken place that little girl, aka me once called home.

Yeah, you can pretty much guess my story. Human Transmutation was attempted. Here I am. I am that little girl. I grew up inside the gate. I can do alchemy somehow. Don't ask me, I don't know much. Want to know the worst part? He was a very powerful alchemist, he was going to do it. It was the girl. She wasn't strong enough, if she had just been a little stronger, it would have been the first successful human transmutation.

I am standing outside of the building. Actually I am doing more than that. I walk right up the driveway and stop. There's remains of what looks like it used to be a garden. There are wilted roses. They're black. I stop and stare. They fascinate me. I push the thought out of my head. I walk through the door and wait.

*hours later*

The house is dark. The man comes in. For a minute I am unsure of what to do. Then I know. I go as fast as I can. I grab the hat and put it on. I lean against the wall and look down so he doesn't see my face.

"Oh, look. Daddy's home." It's now I look up into his face. The face of Roy Mustang.