A/N- I check this over and desided to replace it. I hope you like this one. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or any of the characters.

I'm Elysia Hughes, daughter of the famous Maes Hughes. My father thought the world of me, or so I was told. I was only three when he died. I hear a whole lot of stories though.

My father, who was murdered at the hand of a humunculi, ended up a Brigadier General. He was know for being a great and loyal man. Apparently he knew too much about the philosophers stone and was 'taken care of.

I knew my mother took it extremely hard. She is one of my biggest hero's. My mother, Gracia, is the strongest woman I've ever known. She's a kind woman that protects the household, is understanding of her late husbands work and his best friend Roy Mustang. She is also understanding of my decision to go travel, even if it truly isn't what she wants, she wants me to do what I really want. And what I want to do is help people in need.

I have been studying alchemy ever since I knew how to read, I was quite good at it too. I wanted to pick up where my father left off, helping his friends and protecting the people that couldn't protect themselves.

"Elysia, are you coming or not? Almost everyone here," my mother yelled from the bottom of the stairs. I could tell in her voice that she was getting impatient. I tried to pick up the speed, I have been in a daze since I woke up.

I was upstairs still getting ready. Today was my sixteenth birthday. My mother had invited almost everyone we knew. Today wasn't only my birthday but today was the day that I left home to en bark on my dream to help people, and to travel.

"Yeah, I'm almost done. I'll be down in a few minutes," I yelled back to my mother, while I finished up my hair. It was in a neat up-do, with a few hair ornaments to contribute to the style.

Today was also Edward Elric's birthday. I was always told how my father did so much for Edward and his brother Alphonse. How much he cherished the two brothers. They just got back from a mission that kept them busy for almost a year, they were just getting back today and they are stopping by for a while.

I finished up and ran down the stairs.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Every one yelled at me. I couldn't help but smile, I looked around and saw almost everyone I've ever met.

I saw all of my father's friends, like none other than Roy Mustang. I also saw Riza, Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Fuery. I saw Winry Rockbell, my best friend, that was almost like a sister to me. I saw others from the military such as Armstrong, Maria Ross, and Denny Bloch. I even saw my mother's friend Scieszka, AKA the book warm. And coming from the doorway was Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric.

Alphonse got his body back to the flesh again. I didn't know the details for I was so young at the time. Edward on the other hand never got his arm and leg back from their little 'accident.' I didn't know the details of that either. No one seemed to ever tell me about it, but the topic seemed like an overly touchy topic. I never built up the courage to ask, I think part of the reason was because I was too afraid of the answer.

The party had been going on for a while. Almost everyone had talked to me, telling me 'Happy Birthday,' and wishing me luck on my journey.

I looked over to the Elric's sitting quietly in the corner. I began to walk over to them. I noticed Alphonse had a stubborn face and Edward looking out the windo, also with a stubborn face. I smiled, knowing how much the two fought and argued, they always seemed to make up though. I knew that their bond was stronger than anyone else I've ever met in my entire existence.

"Hey," I stated. "Happy Birthday," smiling at the both.

"Yeah, you too." Edward now had a smile on his face.

For being twelve years older than me, twenty-four. He looked about the same. I have seen pictures of what he looked like when I was born and when my father was still alive. Now he was a bit taller, his hair was a bit longer and his completion was darker, that she thought was from all his traveling. His jaw was more set, gave him more of a grown up look, otherwise he looked about he same.

"So, how's your alchemy doing?" he asked me with a gigantic grin on his face, it made him look five years younger.

"Let's go to the front yard and you can find out," I grinned back.

Edward got up from his spot by the window seat walking past me to lead the way out to the front yard. Everyone at the party seemed to be interested now, excited about the upcoming fight. Everyone fallowed us both to the front yard, all falling out to watch us spar with one another.

"Be careful of my flowers you two," my mother warned Ed and I as we got into a fighting stance.

Ed's and I stances were about the same. Feet spread at a nice distance away from each other, hands out in front of each other to protect each other from the others' attacks. Edward did teach me most the moves I knew, most of the alchemy too. I was so entranced by the magic that Edward knew and begged and begged for him to teach me until he finally gave in. We spent time on Yok Island even.

"Let's see what the famous Fullmetal Alchemist can do," I sneered with a devilish grin on my face, my tactic was to get him rialed up.

"I taught you everything you know, do you really think I taught you everything I know though?" Edward sneered back, with what seemed like an even bigger grin on his face.

"Don't get too cocky now. That was always your down fall," I said.

I made the first move, running at him. When I was about a foot away I swung my fist at Edward's head, he dodged it easily. I then crouched and swung my leg under his feet at an attempt to trip him. He jump just in time, stepping back and clapping his hand. Bars coming out of the ground trapping me. I gasped in surprise. I then dug into one of the bars with my thumb nail and they sank away turning into sand.

"You got better," Edward laughed.

"Then why are you laughing?" I cocked my head in confusion.

"Because, you're not good enough," he said with an evil grin.

"Oh really?" I asked. I put my hands in my pockets, pulling something white out. Edward gazed at what was in my hands. I pulled the gloves on holding them out for Edward to see, with a smile on my face. I out smarted him.

On the gloves you could see a complicated transmutation circle. Edward looked up at my face only to see that I was giving him devilish grin in returned, he smiled as if it wasn't fazing him at all.

"Now you're not the only person that only mealy has to clap. With these gloves I'm just as good as you," I told him.

"One thing you're forgetting." I cocked my head to the side yet again in confusion. "You forgot about my auto mail."

At that he clapped and turned his right arm into a knife, his own personal weapon. He ran at me, full speed and tried to strike at my elbow, I dodged, he pivoted on his heal and used the pulmof his hand to hit my lower back. I coughed, getting the wind knocked out of me and fell forward. I clapped and hit the ground and a spear came up and was in my hands in an instant. Ed did the same and we were now in ready stances, spears out.

We both started clashing together, it seemed as if we were dancing around each other.

Edward hit my spear with his at a point that his flung out of my hands and fell point first to the ground, sticking up in an upright position. He hit me in the shoulder which made me turn around. When my back was to him he kicked the backs of my knees to where I buckled to the ground. All of his next moves happened in a blur, turning me over so I was face up,and jumping on me so we were in the straddle position. He then clapped his hands turning his auto mail into a spear yet again, then punching the ground to the right of my head, spear piercing the ground.

"Check mate," he said. Grinning.

I could feel my eyes, they were wide with surprise. Then softening my face, I smiled in defeat. Edward slowly got up and held out his hand for me to grab. I reached up and grabbed hold of it, and he then pulled me off the ground. When I was finally on my feet again I started to brush myself off.

We both turned at the sound of clapping. Seeing Roy at the cause of the noise Edward sighed and made a disgusted look. He still got aggravated just looking at the air-head. I on the other hand smiled, running over to him and giving him a hug. Edward just stared with his jaw nearly to the ground. I snickered at his expression.

"Hey kiddo," Roy said looking down at me.

"Kiddo... I'm sixteen," I said teasingly, looking back up to him. He just looked at me and smiled.

"So I heard you were leaving today. Where are you going to go actually?" He asked.

We started to walk away, in the direction of the house. We were both totally intrigued in the conversation.

"Well I was actually thinking of the desert town of Lior, then I was thinking about Dublith, then Lintar. I have a friend in Xenotime, there's some people there that always need help so I wanted to stop by there. I heard about Aquroya going under water finally, was thinking of stopping by there and seeing if I could help in any way. Sooner or later I want to make it to Ishbol, I would like to help with the reconstruction of the east, that is my main goal." I looked up at Mustang to see a very pleased look on his face and I smiled a soft smile back at him.

"That sounds great. You sure have grown up, it's nice how you want to help the people that seem to have been damned," he told me with a content look on his face.

"Well that's what I was taught, and that's what I heard my father was like. I would like to be like him, he was such a great man, I'm going to strive to be just like him." I looked down at the ground, thinking hard about my plans.

"He was indeed a great man. He was my best friend for a reason. I still remember his words that he spoke so often. He told me that he would work under me, stay close to the high-ups, and help push me to the top," he looked up at the sky and smiled.

"I want to be like that, I want to help people. People need me and I have the strength to help, and so I will." I also looked up to the sky, and for an instant we were one in the same.

~xxxxx~

Later when everyone was gone Mom was doing the dishes and I was taking the trash out. When I stepped back into the house my mother was waiting for me, she had a parcel in her hands.

"I never got to give you your birthday present," she said, holding it out to me.

I took it from her hands and carried it over to the table. I sat down, my mother sitting across from me. I pulled the strings on the nicely well wrapped package, then ripped the paper off.

Inside there was a backpack, it was one that slung on one shoulder. It was a dark blue and had buckles to in tack the flap down so it didn't come open.

"Thanks Mom," I smile at her mother.

"Look inside," she insisted, pointing to the bag.

I opened the big flap of the bag and looked inside, my eyes almost bulging out of my eye sockets.

"What? No. Uh, Mom. I can't take this, you need this." I was waving my hands in front of my face.

"Honey, it's the least I can do, I don't know how long you will be gone. This is my way of caring for you," she said.

I smiled a warm smile at her. I looked back into the bag and pulled out the three one-hundred bills out of my new bag.

"Thanks Mom," I told her again.

We both stood up from the table. Both knowing that it was about time for me to get going, I had an eight o'clock train to catch and it was a quarter to seven already. My mother nodded to me. I went up stairs and filled my bag with the necessities, a pair of cloths and my toiletries. I walked back down and my mother had a few containers of food for me. She put them in my bag and I gave her mother another farewell hug. We walked together to the door and we both stepped out to our tiny porch.

"Now don't you forget to call me when you get to a hotel. And don't be a stranger, come back often," she smiled at me and gave me another brisk huge.

"Don't worry, I'll call you when I get to Lior," I told my mother. I walked down the stairs and down the side walk.

"Be careful," my mother shouted.

"I will, I promise," I told my mother, I turned back and walked away. My mother watching me until I was out of sight. When I turned for a final glance I saw one lonely tear escape her, and a smile played across her face.

A/N- Tell me what you think. :)