Full summary: Morgan Elric, inexperienced yet determined, has set out to formally learn alchemy- the amazing power of manipulating the elements- that she's only ever read about in books. Having grown up in the small country town of Resembool in a house run by automail otakus, Morgan is ready to experience the world her father has been protecting her from for thirteen years. Though the closer she comes to her military-bound dream, the more she uncovers about her father's forcefully forgetten past that is now coming back to haunt them all.


Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. But the world isn't perfect, and the law is incomplete. You can give everything you've got and get nothing in return, but nothing has a way of turning itself into something- even if you don't always realize it. Things are not always what they seem, and the unexpected can sometimes take the place of the most expected things in life.


Chapter One
Dark Dreams on Wet Streets

Of all days- out of all three hundred and sixty five freaking days of the year- why- why, did it have to be raining today? It was wet, and damp, and moist, and cold, and any other synonym for an all around horrible day that could be found in the English language. Again, why was it raining? Was it so much to ask from the universe, or God, (whoever, or whatever invisible force that governed the ways of nature) for just one day that turned out okay?

Central City's sky always had a way of dampening an already dreary mood, although Morgan's long absence from the place caused her to forget that fact; and more importantly, an umbrella at the very least. It wasn't often that she visited though; the city way life wasn't the ideal way of living according to her mom and dad. (That in which being the most likely reason the family of four lived out in the countryside.)

Though the thought of home and living was the least of the girl's worries at the time, and Morgan quickly realized how soaked she had become.

Shoot, and that was a new outfit too.

It was only for the best that she stopped underneath a small shop overhang for shelter. She wrung her long blonde hair dry, creating a mass of water that leaked from the golden strands. With two hands she tied the mess back, only leaving two fringe-like pieces and bangs swooping to her right side still dangling in her face. The rest of her, on the other hand, was dripping omnipresent drops of water to add to the tiny ocean starting to form at her feet.

She shivered in her damp position; bones rattled underneath soggy skin as her teeth clacked together. Any hope in this involuntary motion to gain warmth was a loss, for she caught herself in the midst of the act and stopped abruptly.

"State alchemists need to be tough," she whispered under her cool breath as encouragement. All with self pity Morgan laughed and sighed. "Well it would help if I wasn't lost." She murmered as she ventured back into the rain.

Five entire years marked her last visit to the country capitol; no wonder she couldn't find her way to Central Military Command- or even her aunt and uncle's house for that matter.

The girl of thirteen hopped in and around puddles, dodging the ones she could. Morgan looked around vigorously, in hopes of spotting someone or something familiar that could point her in the right direction.

She settled on heading in the direction of a tall shadowy building that stood in the distance. It reached out toward the gray sky, leaving behind an even grayer trail of concrete standing out against its surroundings. She figured that was Central Headquarters; there wasn't much of a possibility that it was anything else.

Sure enough, as she traveled closer, the building revealed itself to be indeed what Morgan thought it was. A colossal Amestrian flag hung like a welcome banner across the front of the building. The patriotic two headed dragon (the same in which that was marked on the silver pocket watch carried by state alchemists that Morgan so desperately craved to possess) reminded the blond of everything at stake in her visit to the capitol.

Morgan approached the front gates and stopped there, noticing the features on the metal. Ornate iron bars twisted together and back outward forming a flawless pattern of swirls and other elegant designs that united to develop the two grand entrance gates; the ones that stood before her.

"That's so like him," Morgan rolled her eyes partial to a grin.

Uncle Roy was always spending lots of money on design enhancement, just to make the place look fancy. It was one way the military used to show off and say, 'Hey, we're important looking. You should come join us.'

But honestly, with all due respect, these trys were only an evident way of showing how incredibly desperate the Amestris military really was to have people jump on the band wagon.

Morgan saw no reason why they were in need of recruiting troops and state alchemists; the country was involved in no wars, and had been experiencing a time of peace and prosperity ever since President Mustang came to power. The military had all the officers and workers it needed.

Though Morgan was proud of the way her uncle was leading the country nonetheless. So proud in fact, she wanted nothing more than to join them.

The man's design quality, on the other hand, wasn't something in particular she would brag about. Too much money spent on something with little affect.

Did anyone even notice her uncle's unique way of recruiting people? Or did she just have keen eye for spotting details and tid-bits of information that didn't really matter? She inherited that from her mom, that was for sure. And her shrewdly put together logics and theories was something she inherited from her dad.

Suddenly realizing how terribly far her mind had drifted, Morgan put the random thoughts to rest and pushed open one of the fancy gates. Stepping inside, she gently closed it behind her and walked forward towards the building entrance.

The yard was all too familiar- she had spent some of the best years of her life running up and down those lawns and frolicking through the neatly cut grass. Her and her sister, Jennifer, would spend whole summers in Central and stay with their close family friends, the Mustangs.

Morgan, Jennifer, and the Mustangs' son, Lucas, would come to work with Roy and spend the whole day playing in the outside courtyards and running up and down the hallways. They had almost driven the dark-haired man crazy multiple times with their shinanigans, but at least punishment for the over excited trio would be far less severe coming from the commander in chief rather than his tyrant wife, Riza.

A content spark lit in Morgan's eyes as the memory came to mind as she crossed her fingers and made a silent wish; there were no stars in the sky, but she figured a storm cloud would work just the same.

At last, she approched the lobby door. She opened it weakly and stepped inside a new hope. She wiped her feet on the mat and shook off the water droplets that had crystallized on her jacket, mind swirling in every direction as she thought about every possible outcome.

She wasn't paying much attention to the military officers that buzzed in and out through the hallways and into various doors. They raced around like bumble bees carrying paperwork and wearing blue uniforms.

If one were to imagine the place without the busy people, the lobby almost looked like a public doctors' office. Now that, if nothing else, was a scary thought on its own, and it only made her more nervous to speak up and actually achieve what she had come to Central for in the first place.

Approaching the front desk cautiously, she leaned on the counter and mumbled a faint, "Exuse me,"

The dark brown haired secretary woman looked up, with blueish-green colored eyes flashing a friendly hello. A name tag pinned to her blue coat read, 'Ellen.'

"How can I help you?" She smiled, closing the novel she had perched open behind the counter. Judging by the cover title, it was a murder mystery.

"I'm looking to see President Mustang, if that's possible." Morgan replied with a hesitant tone in her voice. She tried to relax, and resist the urge to wring her hands raw.

"He's in a meeting at the moment, and won't be out until five. Can I take a message or schedule you an appointment?"

Morgan frowned and looked downward. There was a silence lasting a few seconds, but God, it felt like hours. As she dug her fingernails into her palms, she bolted up and blurted,"Can I wait for him? I promise I don't need an appointment!"

Biting her lip, the blond turned her attention to 'Ellen's' slightly puzzled expression.

"Don't need an appointment, eh?" She asked sarcastically, as a look stretched across her face that read, 'Who does this kid think she is?'

Morgan looked down again, this time catching a drop of water on her nose that had dripped from her bangs.

"Right." She murmured, lacking the social skills to know what to do next. She promptly turned and walked towards the door, with no protest from the secretary.

Morgan dested the idea of having to walk outside and into the rain again, but she detested the idea of staying inside and feeling the dirty stares that the secretary was sending her way even more. Morgan would take a little water over a nasty look in the eye any day.

It was a lot of water actually, but either way.

Closing the vast door behind her as she walked made her departure, Morgan pressed her back against it and sighed.

Man, did she ever hate dealing with people. She was much more suited towards animals- cats in particular. (Which was strange, because her mother was a definite dog person, and her father hated most all animals. Not to mention the fact that her sister was allergic to most anything with four legs and fur. The only pet the family had ever had was a goldfish named Rodney who died of starvation shortly after he was won in a game at a carnival. Yeah, the Elrics weren't the most responsible family on the block when it came to pet care.)

Now it was time for plan B: Find the Mustang estate. It was close by, she knew that much. And it was big- very big. That shouldn't be too hard right? It was surprisingly easy to find Central Command, so a large fancy estate shouldn't exceed that difficulty. But even so, Morgan had no idea how much longer she would last in that awful rainstorm without catching a cold- or even pneumonia for that matter.

Leaving the military- and Ellen- behind, Morgan turned down the next street and gained a side view of the immense building she had just taken leave of. She could have sworn the place was big enough to fit her whole house, plus her sister's shop inside of it more than several times, and she would kill to be a part of the team that operated inside of that amazing building.

It was a wild dream Morgan Elric had- becoming a State Alchemist. It wasn't a title for the weak or the inexperienced, and sadly enough, that was exactly what she was. There's only so much a book can teach, so she found herself on a one-way train from Rush Valley to Central City.

And then, suddenly, Morgan stopped dead in her tracks. Not too far behind the Military Headquarters was a monstrous abomination of a house- not even a house- a mansion- no, a castle. She remembered it being a large place, but not nearly as large as the building that was staring her in the face. Maybe they had remodeled? Or maybe it was the new found lemon colored paint (the color in which, being so vivid against the grey sky it made the poor girl cringe) that now stretched across the walls.

Wastefully detailed gate? Check. Belittling secretary? Check. Horribly chosen neon paint? For the love of all things Holy, check times five thousand. What in the world caused the man to paint his abode such a rancid color?

Although, it may have all been a crazy escalated vision caused by the pneumonia that was probably soon invading her system. Maybe- more like hopefully- this was ALL a dream, because Morgan was now begining to realize what a lost cause this adventure was turning out to be.

Though whatever doubt she saw within herself was irrelevent, because entering the ugly structure meant shelter, food, a warm bed, company, and most importantly: the possibility of a new opportunity.

Walking up to the guard station placed at the access point on the front gate, Morgan peeked inside the little window. There were two men stationed there, both having fallen fast asleep on each others' shoulders, snoring so loudly that it almost surpassed the sound of the heavily falling rain.

Were these really the soldiers appointed to guard the President's private home? Maybe the military needed people to join them after all. It would seem they need people who didn't fall asleep at four-thirty in the evening while on post.

Even so, the sleeping guards meant less of an identification hassle for Morgan, and her only problem would be getting the gate open.

Surprisingly, the gate was relatively low to the ground and fairly easy to climb over. She just hoped no one had spotted her and assumed she was on an assassination mission.

As the blond picked up her pace to a small sprint, her boots filled with water, causing her feet to squirm and slide on the inside. It made a sound similar to the one made when one mixes a bowl of saucy pasta.

After running up the vast driveway, she finally reached the stone column porch and, with slight hesitation, she rang the front doorbell. She could hear the chiming from the inside, followed by footsteps, and then the unbolting of a lock.

She took a deep breath, as a woman- assumingly a maid- opened the door and gave Morgan an examining stare.

"How may I help you, young lady?" She eventually said, locking her brown-eyed glance on Morgan's porcelin face.

"I'm a relative of the Mustangs." Morgan replied, having thought of exactly what to say that time; not wanting this to end in sarcasm and sleeping on the wet streets.

"Name, please." The woman demanded.

"Morgan Elric."

An eleven letter name that, right now, meant life or death to the girl, however exaggerated that may seem.

The door was closed, rather rudely, and there were no sounds coming from inside for a few moments. It seemed like she was standing there for an eternity, just waiting for something to happen.

"Stay calm." She told herself over and over, and she began counting backwards in her head from one hundred to ease her nerves.

Soon she reached zero.

So she counted again, and before she new it, several minutes passed. In that fact, Morgan decided she wasn't waiting any longer. And that was that.

Even if they had told her to get lost, it was better than not knowing anything at all. Turning to leave, a million thoughts ran through her mind, but most of all, that she didn't want to accpet that in an instance any hope she had left had been shattered, and her dream of becoming an accomplished alchemist was lost.

What am I supposed to do now?

Trying to hold back the tears that were now forming in her eyes, she swallowed hard to control the choked-up sort of feeling that entered her throat. An uncomfortable sensation overcame her, and her emotions finally got the best of her.

It didn't matter if she cried, she decided. The rain would wash away the tears of disappointment anyway. Besides, no one was watching, or caring.

Letting the tears flow freely as they wished, she slowly started towards the driveway path. About halfway down the way she looked back, only glancing over her shoulder at the still dark, still empty porch.

She walked a few more steps with a melancholy cloud hanging over her head. She looked back once more, unable to lay the disappointment to rest.

And suddenly, without another doubting thought, the front door opened again and light from the pure insides poured into the open to meet the darkness that was now timidly fading away. The illumination revealed a thin figure that appeared to be only a shadow against the light.

The shadow stepped forward, and ventured into the gray outside, calling Morgan's name in a familiar voice. The sure realization of this suddenly changed the thirteen year old girl's entire outlook, for her tears of anguish instantly became tears of joy.

She turned steadily and her feet started moving forward, trying to move as fast as her mind wanted them to, towards the figure that was on its way to her. The pounding of her heart rang in her ears, and didn't stop until Morgan met the shadow at last and stopped abruptly at the sight of the comfirmation of who it was.

That young boy, dressed in baggy jeans and a light grey t-shirt with different colored paint droplets smudged on it, looked just the same as he had all those years ago. The black haired boy gave Morgan a familiar look in the eye with his warm brown eyes and stepped forward, flinging his arms out and around her thin framed body.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her head in his shoulder, trying to conceal her tears. She immediately felt a heart-warming rush come over her. He pulled Morgan closer, growing wetter than he had already been from traveling to embrace her.

What an idiot she must have looked like just then. Walking away like that- crying- getting Lucas all wet. Impatience: one point, Morgan: zero. Another one of the terrible qualities she inharited from her father.

"Lucas, what in the hell took you so long to get here!" she questioned, striking Lucas's chest with the side of her fist.

He grinned sheepishly, "It's a big house," he said, raising his eyebrows and scratching at the back of his neck nervously.

Morgan laughed and rolled her eyes in joy and disbelief of the moment as the two teens sprinted frantically back to the dry safety of the porch. Stepping inside the Mustang Manor, Morgan and Lucas were greeted with dirty looks from the maid that had so rudely shut the door- literally- in Morgan's face. It took a lot for the pair not to burst out laughing from excitement.

"Mom, you'll never guess which one of our favorite loners showed up on our doorstep just now!" The boy called into a room off to the side of the enterance hall, and then chuckled slightly with a look of contentment flashing in his eyes.

"You're here alone? Pretty unusual- what brings you to Central?" Lucas asked, turning his attention back to Morgan.

"Dreams, business- it's all the same." She replied. Her damp clothes and hair dripped steadily on the marble floor, much to the displeasure of the housekeeping staff.

"You're still a dreamer," rang a voice from the arched doorway. There stood a blonde woman with equally warm brown eyes as Lucas, and she smiled halfly yet sincerely, and spoke gently in her calming voice, "Even though you're all grown up now."

Morgan beamed. "I'll always have a dream to follow, Aunt Riza. It's in my blood."

Riza motioned for Morgan to follow her, signaling that Morgan's wet clothes should be changed from before she turned their home into a flood hazard zone.

All the way as she followed behind the mother and son, Morgan had whispered and mumbled apologies meaning to be heard by the elders, but only earning a, 'calm down, it's no big deal' sort of look from Lucas.

Glaring back at him, she spoke up, now directing her attention to her Aunt. "Aunt Riza, would it be okay if I spent a few days here? I know it's short notice and I don't mean to intrude but-"

"If you seem so doubtful about us letting you stay here then you can sleep outside with Black Hayate." Riza interrupted knowingly and smiled as she turned away from looking at her family-friended niece. Lucas laughed slightly as Morgan turned scarlet, trying to imply into her head not to be so damn grateful all the time. Only now did she realize that saying thank you too much was just plain annoying.

"We have plenty of guest rooms, so I'm sure you'll be quite comfortable here for a few days, or however long you'd like to stay. Unless you want to sleep with the dog."

Lucas patted Morgan on the back. "This will be just like the summers we spent together as kids," he recollected in a tone that was practically inviting. "Except it'll just be you and me and no Jennifer."

Morgan sighed contently and brushed the hair back out of her eyes. "Thanks." She settled on saying; there was no use in fighting a friendly offer.

As the trio separated, she made her way to the master bedroom, following Riza into a closet accustomed with dressers, hangers, and an old-fashioned wardrobe. The closet was almost as large as the grand enterance hall, and contained an item of clothing of every color imaginable, like a fictional rainbow that displayed much more than just the regular seven colors a normal rainbow would contain. They came in all shapes and sizes, patterns and designs, leaving Morgan's face outstretched in surprise and awe at the display before her.

Acting on the reaction from her facial expression, Riza placed a hand lightly on Morgan's shoulder. "This is one of the perks of being the country's first lady. Go ahead and pick out anything you'd like. Take some of it home to Winry, too. I never wear anything except for what's in that old wardrobe anyway."

With a hiddenly amused face, Riza strolled out of the immense closet and shut the door behind her. Now Morgan wondered what Lucas's closet must have looked like. And even Roy's, for that matter.

Marveling over the array of opportunities before her, Morgan suddenly no longer regretted sneaking away from her sister's shop in Rush Valley to come to Central. She somehow had a feeling her parents would find out, and she'd be as good as dead when they did, but at the moment, it was more than worth getting in trouble for. For the first time in a long time, Morgan felt like she had truly belonged somewhere. The second thing Morgan was most sure about in the world, (next to wanting to be an accomplished state alchemist) was that she fit in much better with the Mustang family than she did her own. Jennifer was a needy, spoiled brat, who got anything she wanted served to her on a silver platter. Her mom was too obsessive and engrossed in her work life all the time, which was probably why she seemed to love Jennifer more, on account of their shared passion in life. Although as bad as they were, no one could beat the tension the girl shared with her father. It was always a matter of "don't do this, don't do that- that's too dangerous, why can't you be more like your sister?"

Yes, it was with the Mustang family that she longed to be a part of- with Uncle Roy and his fun-loving yet strong character, and Aunt Riza who was so cool and loving. And of course Lucas- her best friend since the day she was born.

After trying on about twenty-five different outfits, Morgan finally settled on a casual, white, knee-length dress. Leaving her wet rags of an old outfit in a hamper outside the closet door. Morgan wandered out of the room and leisurely to the staircase. She stopped at the top and paused.

Make yourself at home. She told herself. Might as well do some exploring.

Although she remained paused there, as she spotted the front door swing open, and a dark figure enter from the rain outside. A butler raced over to him, and took the figure's coat, revealing it to be President Roy Mustang himself. Grumbling about the weather outside and sending the butler away, Roy looked up to realize Morgan standing at the top of the grand staircase

"No way!" He exclaimed excitedly, opening his arms for a hug. Morgan ran over to her un-related uncle and giggled as he caught her in his arms. "What're you doing here, kiddo?" He grinned and patted her on the head; the rain pounding on the windows seemed to fade away at the sight of the light in his eyes.

Though this couldn't interfere with the task on hand. Taking a step back, Morgan wiped the girlish smile off her face and spoke clearly. Summoning all her courage, she finally spat out, "President Mustang, I have an important favor to ask of you. In my dreams of becoming a State Alchemist, I ask that you please arrange for me to formally be taught alchemy."


I cannot even begin to explain the hell I've been through in writing this story... This is probably about the five thousandth time I've re-written it, so I hope it's good enough this time around. As always, comments are encouraged. Constructive critisism is my best friend.

Oh, and pay no mind to typos... I'm too lazy. T.T